Well, not quite, Daniel. In fact, worse! How can they add more muddle?
It is not even a fraction of the full highway metrication that took
place in Ireland three years ago. This just has to do with so-called
"speed limiter" devices.
Daniel Jackson wrote:
Pass the news on!
http://www.metricviews.org.uk/2007/12/28/uk-speed-limits-go-metric/#comments
UK speed limits go metric on 1 January
<http://www.metricviews.org.uk/2007/12/28/uk-speed-limits-go-metric/>
UKMA issued the following news release at 18:05 on 28 December:
news release … newsrelease … news release … news release … news release …
For immediate release
UK speed limits go metric on 1 January
LONDON, 28 December 2007,
From 2008, the practical speed limits for goods vehicles and buses on
UK motorways will become 90 km/h and 100 km/h respectively. This
equates to approximately 56 mph and 62 mph. This is because of new
speed limiter regulations which commence in January.
From 1 January 2008, all goods vehicles and buses, registered since
2005, and many older vehicles, will be required to be fitted with
speed limiters, in addition to those that have been required to do so
for some years, such as goods vehicles that travel internationally.
This means that the official motorway speed limits of 60 mph and 70
mph for these vehicles, as shown in the Highway Code, will effectively
be superseded; though some older goods vehicles will remain unaffected
by the change. According to a leaflet
<http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosacorp/repository/Speed%20Limiters%20-%20New%20Regulations.pdf>
issued by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA)
“It is likely, once all the changes to vehicles requiring road
speed limiters have taken place (after 1 January 2008), the
national motorway speed limit for goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes
and buses will be lowered.
Restricting all vehicles in these classes to the same speed limit
will reduce any competitive advantage of older vehicles (which are
not required to have speed limiters).”
Although many foreign goods vehicles display a plate on the rear of
the vehicle giving their speed limit in kilometres per hour, these
plates will be optional for UK vehicles. VOSA recommends that where
they are used they should be in miles per hour – thus conflicting with
foreign vehicles.
Robin Paice, Chairman of the UK Metric Association, which campaigns
for a complete changeover to the metric system, said: “This muddle
demonstrates yet again that the insistence of the Department for
Transport (DfT) on clinging to out-dated imperial units for road signs
and speed limits is becoming increasingly untenable in today’s modern
world.”
Background
The UK is one of only two major countries that have yet to make the
switchover to metric units for road signs (the other being the USA).
The Republic of Ireland was the most recent country to do so in 2005.
The DfT is resisting the change, citing incredibly high cost
estimates, even though Ireland has shown that the change can be made
economically.
For further information on why switching to metric road signs and
speed limits is in the UK’s best interest, read UKMA’s publication
“Metric Signs Ahead”, Paice, ISBN : 978-0-9552351-0-8.
References
http://www.ukma.org.uk/Transport/index.htm
http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosacorp/repository/Speed%20Limiters%20-%20New%20Regulations.pdf
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070304
Notes for editors
(a)The UK Metric Association (UKMA) is an independent, non-party
political, single issue organisation which advocates the full adoption
of the international metric system (”Système International” - SI) for
all official, trade, legal, contractual and other purposes in the
United Kingdom as soon as practicable. UKMA is financed entirely by
membership subscriptions and personal donations.
(b)Further extensive background information can be found generally on
UKMA’s website at www.ukma.org.uk
<http://www.metricviews.org.uk/www.ukma.org.uk>
(c)A free downloadable electronic version of “Metric signs ahead” is
available to bona fide journalists. Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
(d)The Chairman of UKMA is available for interviews in Portsmouth or
by telephone.
(e)Please note that the correct symbol for “kilometres per hour” is
“km/h” (as on vehicle instrument panels) - not the little understood
“kph”.
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