RE: Metric Is Miles Off For Britain
Monday 4th August 2008
A new survey shows that most drivers oppose converting our speed limits and road signs into their metric equivalents, which would bring us in line with the rest of Europe.
Two-thirds of drivers want to stick to miles for speeds, distances and fuel consumption and feet and inches to show heights and widths.
The survey also found that most drivers still work out how much petrol costs in gallons.
Surprisingly the most resistance to change was among young drivers aged 18 to 24, the poll for AA/Populus found.
AA chief Edmund King said: “Going metric would not go down well with the motoring public.”
So hopefully you'll be seeing speed signs you can understand for a long time yet.
Metric Is Miles Off For Britain
Survey in stating the obvious shocker...
Two-thirds of drivers want to stick to miles for speeds, distances and fuel consumption and feet and inches to show heights and widths.
The survey also found that most drivers still work out how much petrol costs in gallons.
Surprisingly the most resistance to change was among young drivers aged 18 to 24, the poll for AA/Populus found.
AA chief Edmund King said: “Going metric would not go down well with the motoring public.”
So hopefully you'll be seeing speed signs you can understand for a long time yet.
Discussion
Weird how our mix of imperial and metric in the UK has led people to use different measurement systems for different things.....but very few people know how to convert one to the other.
As an 80's child everything i learnt at school was in metric.....but i still measure economy in miles per gallon, people's heights in feet and inches, a pack of mince in Tescos in grams/KG and the distance of a journey in miles.
I think the problem is that schools pretend that imperial doesn't exist and don't teach kids the conversion factors.....hence why we all panic at the prospect of Johnny Foreigner and his unholy eurometrical system coming to mess things up for all of us!
As an 80's child everything i learnt at school was in metric.....but i still measure economy in miles per gallon, people's heights in feet and inches, a pack of mince in Tescos in grams/KG and the distance of a journey in miles.
I think the problem is that schools pretend that imperial doesn't exist and don't teach kids the conversion factors.....hence why we all panic at the prospect of Johnny Foreigner and his unholy eurometrical system coming to mess things up for all of us!
I like the Idea...but then I live on the mainland, you are part of europe but the only country that drives the wrong way of the road in Europe, also the euro will come within 5 years
Change says Obama
then the UK will fit better to Europa, ofcorse its a bit strange in the begin but you will like it in the end just as we did with the Euro, its so easy in all countries the same money
The metric is a good thing, no more confusion..like a American Gallon or a English gallon both different...weird!
GTRene
Change says Obama
then the UK will fit better to Europa, ofcorse its a bit strange in the begin but you will like it in the end just as we did with the Euro, its so easy in all countries the same moneyThe metric is a good thing, no more confusion..like a American Gallon or a English gallon both different...weird!
GTRene
As Johnny Foreigner living in the UK, I'd like to say the following: bring on the kilometers! I'm fed up with using miles. People measure things in meters, but only know their height in feet an inch? The UK really is a strange place. Just think of it like this: the Irish could do it, so why can't the British? 
Everything is perfect in this country; the economy is at its best ever; the health service is perfect - nobody is falling ill any more; unemployment rate is at 0% and the chavs are proud of their new jobs... so it's time for the government to spend resources thinking about changing road signs.
dublet said:
As Johnny Foreigner living in the UK, I'd like to say the following: bring on the kilometers! I'm fed up with using miles. People measure things in meters, but only know their height in feet an inch? The UK really is a strange place. Just think of it like this: the Irish could do it, so why can't the British?
it is more the massive waste of money that most people are pissed off about in my opinion. i wouldn't mind going to km if all the money came from somewhere other than my pocket... Also, all our cars have miles in large writing and KM in small, it would be a lot harder to see what speed you're doing at a glance trying to read the small dials.
mattsimis said:
In Ireland we converted distances about 10 years ago to KM then speed signs 2 years ago. And you know what? Heads didnt infact explode, people just learned..
But I bet you all moaned about it when the plans were annoucned!! And besides I would guess that most people wouldnt want to see the tax they've paid to be spent on another pointless operation like this!
dublet said:
As Johnny Foreigner living in the UK, I'd like to say the following: bring on the kilometers! I'm fed up with using miles. People measure things in meters, but only know their height in feet an inch? The UK really is a strange place. Just think of it like this: the Irish could do it, so why can't the British?
Because the Irish are European. We're not.
Edited by Alex on Monday 4th August 13:40
GTRene said:
I like the Idea...but then I live on the mainland, you are part of europe but the only country that drives the wrong way of the road in Europe, also the euro will come within 5 years
Change says Obama then the UK will fit better to Europa, ofcorse its a bit strange in the begin but you will like it in the end just as we did with the Euro, its so easy in all countries the same money
The metric is a good thing, no more confusion..like a American Gallon or a English gallon both different...weird!
GTRene
You mean we're the only country in Europe that drives on the right side of the road! ;o)Change says Obama
then the UK will fit better to Europa, ofcorse its a bit strange in the begin but you will like it in the end just as we did with the Euro, its so easy in all countries the same moneyThe metric is a good thing, no more confusion..like a American Gallon or a English gallon both different...weird!
GTRene
jaik said:
mattsimis said:
In Ireland we converted distances about 10 years ago to KM then speed signs 2 years ago. And you know what? Heads didnt infact explode, people just learned..
Yeah but all your distances are optimistic rough guesses once you're out of the cities 
dublet said:
As Johnny Foreigner living in the UK, I'd like to say the following: bring on the kilometers! I'm fed up with using miles. People measure things in meters, but only know their height in feet an inch? The UK really is a strange place. Just think of it like this: the Irish could do it, so why can't the British?
Because us British are stubborn f
kers and we're proud of our country and don’t like people trying to change it!! Especially when there’s absolutely no benefits from it whatsoever!! You say 'bring on the kilometre’s I say 'if you want kilometres and normality.... go home!!''
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