Who and when did the UK decide to use “m” for the mile symbol? Mike Payne
> On 13 Jul 2016, at 23:20, Stephen Humphreys <barkatf...@hotmail.com> wrote: > > Don’t confuse this with the ‘countdown’ signs that people can see. On the > motorway they’re at 100 yd intervals. Elsewhere they’re equidistant. > >> On 13 Jul 2016, at 4:33 pm, Martin Vlietstra <vliets...@btinternet.com >> <mailto:vliets...@btinternet.com>> wrote: >> >> In addition, marker posts in Northern Ireland are at 110 yard intervals and >> are calibrated in miles and chains, while those in England and Wales are at >> 100 metre intervals and are calibrated in kilometres. I believe that >> Scottish marker posts are also calibrated in kilometres, but I have not >> driven in Scotland for over 30 years, so I cannot comment with certainty. >> >> From: USMA [mailto:usma-boun...@colostate.edu >> <mailto:usma-boun...@colostate.edu>] On Behalf Of Charles Peyto >> Sent: 13 July 2016 15:42 >> Cc: U.S. Metric Association >> Subject: [USMA 246] Re: From Queen Elizabeth >> >> Stan, It was probably the other way round. Ireland (though not Northern >> Ireland) changed from mph to km/h for speed limits in 2005. They replaced >> all of their old UK-style speed limit signs with km/h signs over a few days. >> To avoid any confusion, all the new signs had "km/h" shown on them. They >> never had any km/h speed limit signs without the units clearly shown on >> them. OTOH, their distance signs have been gradually changed over several >> years - though, AFAIK, the new ones have the km unit symbol shown somewhere. >> >> Northern Ireland, in common with the rest of the UK, still have mph speed >> limits shown on unitless signs and use miles on distance signs - usually >> without the unit shown, but using "m" as the abbreviation for miles on some >> signs and if the distance is 1/4, 1/3 or 1/2 mile. >> >> -- >> C. >> >> On 12 July 2016 at 01:27, Stanislav Jakuba <jakub...@gmail.com >> <mailto:jakub...@gmail.com>> wrote: >> You answered my question. When I was there last (a long time ago) the >> distances were in miles, but the speed limits were in km/h. Without the km/h >> shown. As a passenger in a car, I was really scared of the speed until the >> driver explained this state of affairs. I was like this apparently for years >> and nobody seemed bothered. >> Stan >> >> On Mon, Jul 11, 2016 at 8:11 PM, Carleton MacDonald <carlet...@comcast.net >> <mailto:carlet...@comcast.net>> wrote: >> I rented a car in Ireland in 2009. It was a stick shift, wheel on the right, >> drive on the left side of the road. It wasn’t difficult. >> >> We rented the car in Belfast, toured the shipyard where the Titanic and the >> Olympic were built, drove to Downpatrick to see St. Patrick’s burial site >> (at the Anglican cathedral there), then drove to Dublin. The minute we >> crossed the border, I noticed: >> >> The road signs were in both English and Gaelic. >> Speed limits and distances were in km. >> I had to find a bank machine to get some euro notes. >> >> Carleton >> >> On 2016-07-11, 17:39, "USMA on behalf of Mark Henschel" >> <usma-boun...@colostate.edu <mailto:usma-boun...@colostate.edu> on behalf of >> mwhensch...@gmail.com <mailto:mwhensch...@gmail.com>> wrote: >> >> Interesting thing about the British and their roundabouts, and driving on >> the left side of the road. >> >> I was in a car being driven around England a few years back. The driver sits >> on the right, but the gear shift is in the left, in the middle of the car. >> So since they travel on the opposite side of the road, their roundabouts >> turn clockwise, not counter clockwise as ours do. >> >> So here we are with the driver on the right, her left hand on the gear >> shift, right hand on the steering wheel, left foot on the clutch and right >> foot on the accelerator, and attempting to go counterclockwise into a >> roundabout. All the time looking right and turning left. At least in the USA >> we can use our best hand for most of us (right handers) on the gear shift >> and just hold the steering wheel with the left hand, look left and turn >> right, but I imagine it is a challenge to constantly use your left hand to >> shift gears if you are right handed. >> >> Few European cars have automatic transmissions. Even when I rented cars in >> Germany, they were usually stick shift but diesel engines. Hmmm. wonder if I >> got one of the cars VW cheated on the emissions with? >> >> Mark >> >> On Mon, Jul 11, 2016 at 4:15 PM, John Dunlop <jrdun...@igc.org >> <mailto:jrdun...@igc.org>> wrote: >>> I just received a note from Queen Elizabeth. She has declared that we are >>> flubbing democracy, and therefore, effectively immediately, our >>> independence is revoked. Among the changes she will implement in the >>> country formerly known as the USA: >>> >>> >>>> 6. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start >>>> driving on the left side with immediate effect. At the same time, you will >>>> go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion >>>> tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the >>>> British sense of humour. >>> >>> John >>> >>> >>> John Dunlop >>> jrdun...@igc.org <mailto:jrdun...@igc.org> personal email >>> 612-374-2181 <tel:612-374-2181> home phone >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> USMA mailing list >>> USMA@colostate.edu <mailto:USMA@colostate.edu> >>> https://lists.colostate.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/usma >>> <https://lists.colostate.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/usma> >> >> _______________________________________________ USMA mailing list >> USMA@colostate.edu >> <mailto:USMA@colostate.edu>https://lists.colostate.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/usma >> <https://lists.colostate.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/usma> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> USMA mailing list >> USMA@colostate.edu <mailto:USMA@colostate.edu> >> https://lists.colostate.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/usma >> <https://lists.colostate.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/usma> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> USMA mailing list >> USMA@colostate.edu <mailto:USMA@colostate.edu> >> https://lists.colostate.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/usma >> <https://lists.colostate.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/usma> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> USMA mailing list >> USMA@colostate.edu <mailto:USMA@colostate.edu> >> https://lists.colostate.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/usma >> <https://lists.colostate.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/usma> > _______________________________________________ > USMA mailing list > USMA@colostate.edu > https://lists.colostate.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/usma
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