Metrication in the UK is concentrated mainly in industry, the public services and the retail sector. Apart from teaching it at school the UK government has not promoted it or made any attempt to educate people generally. Instead they have relied on it taking root of it's own accord. This has conspicuously failed for a variety of reasons.
One big factor has been the opt-out for roads. They shied away from it in the early 70s and since then have dug their heels in refusing to do it at all. What message this is supposed to give to the general population Lord only knows - you must learn it at school, buy your petrol in litres, shop in metric for most things, submit planning applications in metric etc but you cannot apply it when traveling on British roads or even as a pedestrian in a public place. The UK doesn't stick rigidly to this but that is what is enshrined in the regulations governing traffic signs. There is an implicit assumption that people who weren't taught it at school won't understand it. A tactit admission of their own failure. Another significant factor has been the UK joining the EEC/EU and the requirements of the single market. This has turned it into a political issue and distorted the perception people have as to why we started doing it and the ongoing need for it. Again the government could have put this right but have instead re-inforced it by ducking the responsibility and playing games with it, such as pretending to defend us against the European bully by keeping the pint in the pub and the mile on roads. It's ironic that the European commission couldn't care less whether we finish the job of metrication or not and are quite happy for us to shoot ourselves in the foot by forcing everybody to cope with two systems. So older people end up with the burden of learning metric units but gaining none of the advantages, and younger people have to learn outdated imperial without being properly taught how to apply it and very little incentive to properly apply what they were actually taught in the first place. A sad tale indeed. Phil Hall > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Behalf Of Carleton MacDonald > Sent: 31 March 2005 02:11 > To: U.S. Metric Association > Subject: [USMA:32579] RE: UK is more metric than some think > > > I'll be there in June, and it will be interesting to see what I find. Why > they have done 95% of the work and are still sticking with miles is > completely incomprehensible. > > Carleton > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf > Of David King > Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2005 15:59 > To: U.S. Metric Association > Subject: [USMA:32578] UK is more metric than some think > > I recently started working for an American company, a major investment > bank, in the City of London. Unfortunately they use inches a lot for > documents, which I am working at creating or editing. On the first day > of training, the trainer, who was English, apologised for this, saying > something like "I know you are probably used to using metric, but as it > is an American company they use inches". > > Today I had my health and safety induction, a one hour presentation > carried out by a man who was English and in his 50s. He spoke of > distances only in metres, no mention of yards or other old-fashioned > units at all. The only time he used imperial was to quote the pressure > of a fire extinguiser, which in pounds per square inch meant absolutely > nothing to me whatsoever. He did say though that the fire extinguishers > contain 2 kg of CO2. Again, metric only. So it seems that in many places > amongst English people, metric is pretty much becoming the norm for at > least 90% of things. > > It is also becoming much more the norm to hear people in general speak > of distances in metres (and only in metres) to refer to short distances. > They still tend to use miles though for longer distances, as our road > signs use miles. If they used km then people would mostly use > kilometres, I believe. I so very rarely hear yards or feet any more for > distances. And I hear a lot more of millimetres and centimetres instead > of inches. > > David King > > ** Get Fast Broadband from �14.99 > ** http://tinyurl.com/5y7mf > > Excellent web hosting and email > http://www.1and1.co.uk/?k_id=3899401 > > Buy UKMA's report "A Very British Mess" ISBN 0750310146 > http://bookmark.iop.org/bookpge.htm?&isbn=0750310146 > > > >
