[USMA:33498] Metric on roads

Sat, 09 Jul 2005 17:01:11 -0700

I share the belief that when road signs go metric and people start to adapt to the kilometre for long distance and km/h for speed they will begin to develop a better appreciation of metric at least for spatial measure (length, area, volume). People are used to hearing metres for distance now even if they haven't adopted it themselves. The ease of a system where metres are used for short distance and lots of 1000 m for longer distance will I'm sure catch on. It's difficult for people to do this at present because they are effectively being discouraged from doing so.
 
Phil Hall
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, July 09, 2005 5:37 PM
Subject: [USMA:33495] RE: July 4

In the London double level buses I noticed a sign above the driver:

 

“HEIGHT 4390 MM / [I forget what it was in FFU]”

 

The reason I remember the height so easily was because if you change the figure to grams, that’s what my son Jeffrey was when he was born (it was on his bassinet card and birth certificate form).

 

In Moncton, New Brunswick a few years ago, I was walking from the Hotel Beausejour to the train station and noticed the police dealing with the aftermath of a 3.3 m truck that tried to get under the 3.2 m Canadian National Railroad bridge.

 

In the UK the past couple of weeks I noticed a lot of real estate ads that gave the area of the office, or apartment, or house, in square meters.  Some also gave square feet, but pretty much everyone gave it in square meters.

 

Get the highways done, and it’s all done.

 

I think one thing that will make it harder in the UK is that many of the signs are cast, rather than flat, especially the directional signs in towns that direct you to points of interest and give the distance.  It’s easy to put a decal or a plate over a flat sign.  It’s a lot harder when the sign was custom-made with die-cast lettering.  No wonder they’re holding back on this last bit.

 

Carleton

 

From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Daniel
Sent: Saturday, July 09, 2005 07:50
To: U.S. Metric Association
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [USMA:33491] RE: July 4

 

Han,

 

Ireland switched to kilometres long before 20 Jan 2005.  It was the speed limits (MPH to km/h) they changed on this date,  Thus the adjustment to kilometre distances should have been a long time ago.  But I guess the change of the speed signs is what made it all seem real now instead of previous.

 

As for the head room signs, I offered a suggestion on the BWMA forum that would work perfect for the situation of head room.  A sticker showing the vehicles height in metres could be affixed to the inside of the windshield by the driver.  Thus when he approaches a bridge that has a sign showing 2 m, and his sticker says the vehicle is 2.2 m high, then he doesn't go under the bridge.  If he does, then he is fully responsible for all damages.  No amount of excuses can be used to absolve the driver of fault.

 

This way the driver doesn't have to understand the units. All he needs do is make sure the number on the bridge sign is greater then the number on his sticker to allow him to pass under.  If that simple little comparison is too complex for him to make, then he should not be issued a license  to drive.  That simple.

 

Such a simple step as requiring vehicles over a chosen height (say 1.75 m) to have such a sticker placed on the windshield edge where the driver can plainly see it would end once and for all the silliness of not understanding the units and end the need for dual declarations. 

 

Dan

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: H. Maenen

Sent: Saturday, 2005-07-09 05:55

Subject: [USMA:33489] RE: July 4

 

Stephen,

To start: I give you my sincere condolences about the cowardly terrorist attacks in London.

The Republic of Ireland has been more metric for years than Britain. In Ireland I always use the units that a person uses who speaks to me. As Fahrenheit has virtually gone in Ireland, I use Celsius there. When I went to Ireland for the first time in 1971 (!) the pilot announced that it was 17 degrees Celsius in Dublin. Two years ago the plane arrived at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport from Dublin on a remote runway, 7 km from the terminal. The pilot said that the final ride would be rather long; he said that we had landed 7 km from the terminal.

As Ireland has changed to kilometres on January 20 last. So there is no need at all to use miles in a news item about the Tour de France by an Irish newspaper. I spoke to one person who said she was still using miles, but she will adjust. She was not opposed to metric, she had only to make the last step. The Irish people will adjust to the kilometre as they adjusted to the Euro. I do hear people here using kilometres.

Only head room signs remain dual; I think that is to avoid litigation by drivers who ram their 6'7'' vehicle under a 2 m high bridge, get stuck, and then claim they do not understand what ' head room 2 m' means.

Han

========================================
Message date : 06-07-2005 09:58
>From : "Stephen Humphreys"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>To : "U.S. Metric Association"
Copy to :
Subject : [USMA:33453] RE: July 4

>
>What units do you use in Ireland, since Ireland is pretty much metric now?
>Did you see the new signs?  Did you talk to anybody about them and their
>impressions?
>

The tour de France is in - erm - "France" (not Ireland)
Yes, and France is metric.

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