going metric

[laurence2]

the uk metric association wants the uk to change the imperial road signs to metric as this confuses a number of people

they say the uk officially operates in metric measures, {i don't, i'm 44 years of age and not a convert yet}. its also says that converting to metric would make it easier to calculate fuel consumption and enable more finely tuned speed limits { what a total load of tosh}.

even neil kinnock has had is 2 pennies worth and said its a great idea as with the olympics {2012] it would assist the rest of europe.

ps, just one small problem the goverment are against it and have no interest in changing it, your views please

[WendyS]

As somebody once said when we moved over to decimal currency "Why can't they wait until all the old people have died off before changing the system?"

I'm still a "feet and inches" person and I'm damned if I want to walk into a butchers and ask for 580 grams of mince. And yes, all my cookery is done in pounds and ounces too. Ye Gods, they'll be telling us to drive on the right hand side of the road next, and just imagine what a nightmare that would cost in terms of converting all the road signs.

We're into enough extra expense with all Gordon's stealth taxes. Heaven preserve us from any more unnecessary expenditure !

[Drisgirl]

Wendy - I am with you - I dont understand it but just think how confusing it is for the new generation coming up.

I will change if only to benefit them.

[sp1814]

One point I should mention...men will always measure one thing in inches.

Centimetres would just sound like boasting.

I look forward to this posting being deleted any time soon.

[marshman]

Lets get one thing straight,this has NOTHING to do with the EU,I am not pro Erupean but I am fed up with everything being blaimed on it.I grew up and for very many years used our imperial system then learned a profession abroad and had to learns metric,the fact is that the metric system is far more accurate then the old imperial wieghts and measures.

[THECORBYLOON]

Marshman how can you say the metric system is far more accurate than Imperial? I could say there were 23 mickles in a muckle and one muckle equals exactly 5.67 yards. As long as a weight or length is defined in terms of another exact measure, one is as valid as the other.

[Goodsoulette]

I use both!! Generally each one for different things. I always give my weight on kilos.

[Space]

The metric system is a system of units for measurement developed in late 18th century France to replace the disparate systems of measures then in use with a unified, natural and universal system. (wikipedia)

It is designed to be neutral.
It doesn't involve socialism, the EU, anti-british whoever, forcing people to drive on the right, the destruction of UK, or whatever nonsense some paranoid idiots associate it with.

However, the olympics is definately not a reason for choosing a units system. It's not about a few days of games, it's about the units future generations will work with! How can people be so short-sighted ?

Regarding the cost, in the long term, having inadequate units costs much more than changing once and for all.
Of course, you can be selfish and say "just wait that I'm retired before you do it", but that just makes it worse by delaying it, and selfishness is not a valid reason...

[mightyWBA]

I've said it before,and I'll say it again.

Area = Football pitches, Height = Nelsons Columns

Weight = Elephants(African), Length = London Buses.

Miles were actually invented by the Romans,but apart from that,what have they ever done for us? Bloody Romans!

[tubeway]

I am in my 40s and sometimes think metric and sometimes imperial. The worst is temperature - when its cold its centigrade, when its hot I understand farenheight better.

We will end up going metric - but we will only get there an inch at a time.

[madein1978]

There are lots of things this country should have done years ago and didn't, like driving on the right side of the road, dumping new labour, etc.. Changing road signs to metric will just confuse people that are still on Imperial, I was taught metric units, but I was also taught distance in miles, KM is not a problem to me but its not Britain, we measure distance in miles always have done, and I think its superfluous meddling, dont fix what aint broken!!

[spacechimp]

lol mighty, I think Adam Hart-Davis disagrees with you about the Romans.

[spacechimp]

madein, I think it's "if it aint broke don't fix it" :P

[Barry2006]

The UK *does* operate in metric for all official purposes apart from a small number of specific exclusions, the most visible of which is the road signs. Of course, individuals still use a mixture of traditional and metric. Having road signs in miles, petrol in litres and fuel consumption is miles per gallon is unncessarily complex. Changing the road signs to kilometres and using fuel consumption in litres per 100 km would make things simpler. Using two systems is a cause of error and confusion. For example, in 1999 a baby died in Kidderminster because an exhausted doctor screwed up the conversion from Imperial to metric and administered ten times too much of a drug.

[spacechimp]

Well, this doctor was obviously a complete dimwit. I hope he was struck off.

[Futurama]

Funny how all the imperial lovers use words like 'traditional', or 'British' or simply launch into a tirade about the evil EU. Whereas the metric supporters simply point out how easy metric measurements are to use!
There is nothing inherintly British about imperial measurements, most of them were forced onto us by the Romans; even the pound is French.
So metric is a big European plot by faceless bureaucrats to force us to use foreign measures? Try telling that to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and every other non-European country (just about all of them) who ditched imperial measures and have never regretted it for a moment.
Next time you get all dewy-eyed about your 'traditional' measures take a good long look at them and you'll see how absolutely absurd they are.
Ask yourself this, if imperial measures were invented tomorrow, who would chose to use them and which country would adopt them?

[spacechimp]

Futurama, of course former colonies of European *empires* would ditch the *imperial* units used by the countries which oppressed them...

[diana.m]

I remember when at school the new decimal currency came in and it was exciting and a bit of a challenge. Metric is so much easier to work with in calculations, but I find feet and inches seems so much easier to keep in ones 'minds eye' than metric. If someone says they are six foot tall I can picture that easily but if they said 183cm I would be lost. Why do we have to make things easier for everyone else all the time. I know theres 39inches in a metre and 2.2Lbs in a kilo. Like many others I weigh in pds and ounces Id much rather be 9st not 60 kilos I would feel humongous if I weighed that much! I personnally hope they dont change things, only for pure lazy selfish reasons. Cant someone just put metric conversions in brackets on signs etc like welsh signs kindly have english sometimes as well!

PS I know I must be thick but what does LoL mean in texts. Is it similar to ditto?

[madein1978]

no, it means Laugh Out Loud. or Loyal Orange Lodge in Scotland and Northern Ireland!!!!!

[diana.m]

Thanks maidin '78.