Should all signs be in imperial AND metric or one or the other?
I’m and old duffer but I don’t remember imperial measurements being banished or replaced although I do remember decimalisation being introduced.
Just fed up having to keep converting to metric when pulling trailers marked up in imperial - please, can’t we have one or t’other!!!
I’d say both, given the amount of foreign drivers on the road from countries who use the metric system.
The fact is imperial is the better idea for providing a more quickly and easily recognisable,accurate measurement,for anyone who knows how to use it.So absolutely if we must have metric then it should be on the basis of both.
The way the law currently stands is that all height and width restriction signs must have imperial measurements. They can contain metric measurements as well as imperial, which helps those driving foreign vehicles who will be used to vehicle measurements in the metric system. Metric only signs are not allowed on public roads - some have been installed in error, but they should be replaced.
It might be that some private areas have height and width restrictions only in metric - that’s up to the site owner, but it’s a bad idea in the UK as the driver might only have imperial measurements to hand.
Most filling stations only have metric while many cabs only have imperial measurements. Pretty stupid - as simple as it is to convert the units when you’ve got a smartphone, you still can’t do it when you’re sitting outside the station.
Our Scanias have metric while my Renault has imperial.
I was brought up with imperial and still measure in imperial. I have to convert to metric to make sense sometimes.
I seem to recall that when the changes were coming into effect, (late 70’s I think) there was to be a complete change from imperial to metric and imperial would be made illegal. Or was that just for food 
Kilos/Lbs etc
May be because of my age but Imperial always seems a more sensible and intuitive system than metric (did A level physics etc so can convert either way if I have to).
Foe example, Imperial measures like inch, foot and yard came from things like the length of thumbs, feet etc, Metric is based on theoretical things like the distance from the poles to the Equator.
If someone tells you a railway locomotive is 61ft 6in long, isn’t that easier to visualise than the length which would be given on the official design drawing these days of 18745 mm?
Buckstones:
a railway locomotive is 61ft 6in long, isn’t that easier to visualise than the length which would be given on the official design drawing these days of 18745 mm?
That’s what I mean! Metres I can sort of grasp, centimetres is reasonable but millimetres is a no no 
Ok so the decimal point goes in another place but I’m knocking on in years and after sorting out the mm to cm and then m - google for translation 
Need some fencing sorting so go to local timber yard - following conversation:
Me: “I want 3 lengths of 6’ 3” 2" please".
Salesperson: “Eh”.
Me: " I would like 3 pieces of timber 6’ long and width and breadth of 3" by 2" please".
Salesperson: “What type of fencing is it exactly you’re looking for”.
Me: “I think you misunderstand. (pause for his youngness) I would like some wood to help replace my fence”
Salesperson: "Ahh we have a good selection over here depending on what size you require. (points to fence panels)
Me: “No, I need the stakes/stumps that hold those up”.
Salesperson: “but you said you wanted 6, 3 x 2 metres of fence panels”
Me: "For fu - (wife interruption) Conversation ended. Wife sorted it in metric language and fence fixed to wifes standard - eventually 
That is a TRUE story. I was there, I took part and it is not RDC whatsit!!
Reminds me of the two ronnies scetch, fork handles no four candles etc…
Metric System is a lot easier. It is basically from 1 to 10. Imperial system is a mystery to me.
Having 1 system in place is fair enough, but UK while trying to adopt metric system, cant let go of imperial. Total mess.
Just adopt One system give it some time and ppl will adjust.
Who is ppl?
■■■■ Poor Learner.
Or Private Pilots License.
Phonographic performance licence?
I get quite annoyed when picking up a double decker or high trailer with JUST metric on the front, no feet and inches. Bridges are marked in imperial in this country, some have metric as well, but if you approach a bridge marked up at 14’3" and your trailer is 4.5m, you would have to be pretty quick with your maths.
I’ve often wondered who puts these metric only markings on the trailers, surely the manufacturers would use both. Unless maybe they were destined for Ireland, not sure if they have the same height limits as us, but I imagine their bridges are marked in metric only.
I tend to carry a long tape measure now, and use it if in doubt. Can be hard to get the hook on the end to stay on the trailer roof though.
GORDON 50:
I get quite annoyed when picking up a double decker or high trailer with JUST metric on the front, no feet and inches. Bridges are marked in imperial in this country, some have metric as well, but if you approach a bridge marked up at 14’3" and your trailer is 4.5m, you would have to be pretty quick with your maths.I’ve often wondered who puts these metric only markings on the trailers, surely the manufacturers would use both. Unless maybe they were destined for Ireland, not sure if they have the same height limits as us, but I imagine their bridges are marked in metric only.
I tend to carry a long tape measure now, and use it if in doubt. Can be hard to get the hook on the end to stay on the trailer roof though.
My online diary has a height conversion chart which is great.
There have been a couple of threads running recently relating to vehicle height and tunnel signs and the consequences of missing or misreading the signs. For me, I just cannot picture in my mind the difference between 4.8 m and 5m nor 4.2 and 4.3 etc etc, but I can immediately recognise the difference in imperial measurements; 3" or 6" increments I can relate to.
I’m the same cav,no idea with litres,kilometres etc either.
Well, I grew up with Imperial then, in the 70s, at school, they said “Right, we’re Metric now!” So I can do both.
This is what I don’t get - I’ve been teaching metric measures for 20 years and if you ask a kid how tall they are, 99% will still reply in feet and inches!! To be fair, they are taught some approximate Imp/Metric equivalents with which to cope in future life.
eg 1kg = 2.2lbs (a bag of sugar), 6’ = 1.8m ( a bloke), 1gal = 4.5 l (a can of oil), 1’ = 30cm (a size 11), etc.
For myself, I don’t see how you can prefer ‘1760 yards in a mile’ to ‘1000m in a km’ or ‘16oz in a lb’ to ‘1000g in a kg’.
And don’t get me started on distances less than an inch!
cargocargocargo:
Well, I grew up with Imperial then, in the 70s, at school, they said “Right, we’re Metric now!” So I can do both.This is what I don’t get - I’ve been teaching metric measures for 20 years and if you ask a kid how tall they are, 99% will still reply in feet and inches!! To be fair, they are taught some approximate Imp/Metric equivalents with which to cope in future life.
eg 1kg = 2.2lbs (a bag of sugar), 6’ = 1.8m ( a bloke), 1gal = 4.5 l (a can of oil), 1’ = 30cm (a size 11), etc.For myself, I don’t see how you can prefer ‘1760 yards in a mile’ to ‘1000m in a km’ or ‘16oz in a lb’ to ‘1000g in a kg’.
And don’t get me started on distances less than an inch!
A bad feature of the Metric system is that misplacing the decimal point means an error of a factor of ten; newspapers, the BBC and ITV news programmes occasionally fall into this trap, more seriously it has happened in pharmacies and hospitals when dispensing and prescribing drugs.