On 2 Jun 2001, at 12:31, Duncan Bath wrote: > From: Stephen C. Gallagher <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >What I would like a metric mandate to do: > >As of specific date(s): > >All distances on highway road signs would be posted > >in metric only. > This could be an excellent SI 'project'. The rationale would be that > [especially in a NAFTA environment] with SI already in place in Mexico and > There would be direct benefits as suggested above. > But, there's more. Once metres and kilometres gain credence on the roads, > there is a LOT more impetus to eliminate feet, square feet, acres, square > miles etc. in the real estate community and in the Oil (and Gas) Patch. > How can such a project be promoted? Just for your info: on thursay 31 may 2001 i was travelling by train between Firenze and Pisa (Italy, Europe) while 6 out the other 7 places in my compartment were occuped by a group of north American people, just unboarded by a cruise ship. They were planning a visit to a museum inm firenze, then coming back to the ship in Livorno. One of them asked me if they could visit the cathedral plce in pisa, and how much far was from the station. I replied that there is a station nearby, but at the time the woul have been back there were no direct services, so they would have had a faster trip by bus. They said that even walking was ok, and asked how much far was. I replied "about 1800 meters". They looked at me in a strange way, then i repeated a "1 point 8 kilometer"again strange scrutinizing looks, so one of them told me "THEY do not understand meters ... kan you tell in another unit ?" I just told "About 6000 ft" that would have been the more "rational" conversion. They bagan to look again themselves until one began to think with lod voice ... "well, there are 3 ft to one yd ... "and asked to another one "how many yards in a mile ?" no one was able to answer this question .... So in turn they asked me ... "how much far ... in minutes ???" I refused to reply since someone could need just 10 minutes, other would need up to 30 minutes , and of course when I asked how much fast was thir pace no one was able to give me a speed , wheter it was in m/s km/h or mph ! Leonardo Boselli Firenze http://freedom.dicea.unifi.it/~leo/toscana
