----- Original Message -----
From: "James Wentworth" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Sunday, 2004-05-30 16:46
Subject: [USMA:30028] Re: Decimal "proto-SI" road signs
seen
> Hmm...now that you mention it, signs indicating 0.6
and 1.2 miles (1 km and
> 2 km) to various locations *did* seem to be the most common (I saw others
> indicating 0.8 miles).
>
> I don't know if these signs are partly for the benefit of Canadian tourists,
> 2 km) to various locations *did* seem to be the most common (I saw others
> indicating 0.8 miles).
>
> I don't know if these signs are partly for the benefit of Canadian tourists,
Why would they be for the benefit of
Canadian tourists? Canadian odometers don't show miles at all so the
referance to miles is meaningless. If the sign said: 2 km (1.2 miles),
then it would benefit Canadians. One is assuming that Canadians run around
wih calculators converting back and forth between units or have memorised all of
the convenient conversions between units. Only those of us who pay
attention to the idosyncricies like this would benefit.
I'm just wondering if Alaska is one
of those states that has all of their survey markers in metric or was one
of the states that never reverted back to FFU and thus all of the survey info is
in metric. Thus it is simplier to locate the 2 000 metre marker and just
label it as 1.2 miles for now. This also makes more sense then using 1/4
mile markers as car odometers don't count in fractional miles anyway. If
an FFU-ist were to complain it might be ignored if someone would justify the
distance based the harmonisation with the cars instruments. An FFU-ist
would complain only because the numbers chosen would appear to him to be hidden
metric.
Euric
> but they seem to be everywhere. I even saw some here in the Fairbanks North
> Star Borough. These signs *do* have a unique appearance and color
> scheme--they are deep blue with white characters and borders, and they are
> unusually long and narrow (250 mm - 300 mm high X 1.5 m - 1.75 m wide, by my
> estimate). I wonder if Canadian road distance signs look like this? --
> Jason
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Paul Trusten <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; U.S. Metric Association <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: Sunday, May 30, 2004 12:56 PM
> Subject: Re: [USMA:30006] Decimal "proto-SI" road signs seen
>
>
> > Since 0.6 mile is about 1 kilometer, and 1.2 miles about 2 kilometers,
> could
> > these signs actually be soft conversions from metric to U.S., somehow for
> > the benefit of visiting Canadians? For people thinking metric, why didn't
> > the signs just read 1 km and 2 km? Strange.
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "James Wentworth" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > Sent: Sunday, May 30, 2004 2:54 PM
> > Subject: [USMA:30006] Decimal "proto-SI" road signs seen
> >
> >
> > > Hello All,
> > >
> > > Last week I drove from Fairbanks, Alaska down to Palmer (about 60 km
> north
> > > of Anchorage) for several equine experiential learning (EEL) sessions.
> > >
> > > Along the highway and in the various communities, I noticed a large
> number
> > > of road signs that gave distances to locations in decimal miles, which
> is
> > > unusual in the US. Interestingly, they did not give the units (miles,
> of
> > > course) that one almost always sees on other road distance signs which
> use
> > > fractional miles (Example: "Exit 1/2 Mile"). These signs read like:
> > > "Campground 1.2" and "Post Office 0.6". If US motorists can comfortably
> > use
> > > decimal road distance signs, then kilometer road distance signs using
> the
> > > same format will also be readily understandable to them. -- Jason
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>
