On 2009/02/01, at 4:16 AM, Jeremiah MacGregor wrote:
Is it true that Ireland just changed their signs 4 years ago? How
are the people adapting? Any problems?
Jerry
Dear Jerry,
The Irish people changed over to metric measures in one day. Let me
repeat that: The Irish people changed over to metric only signs on all
of their roads in a single day.
I suspect that they borrowed heavily from the experience of Australia,
New Zealand, and South Africa who also conducted their road sign
metric transitions on a single day.
As far as I know the costs were minimal as all road signs have to be
replaced anyway. There were many predictions of 'carnage on the roads'
in all of these nations that simply, and obviously, did not take
place. The change was smooth and readily accepted. Some folk chatted
about the old speeds for a few days but that was the end of any
'adapting'.
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin
PO Box 305 Belmont 3216,
Geelong, Australia
Phone: 61 3 5241 2008
Metric system consultant, writer, and speaker, Pat Naughtin, has
helped thousands of people and hundreds of companies upgrade to the
modern metric system smoothly, quickly, and so economically that they
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