FORMER Labour leader Neil Kinnock has thrown his weight behind a report which says Britain could go metric with its road signs within five years.
Lord Kinnock says in an introduction to the report by the UK Metric Association (UKMA) that the continued use of miles in Britain was the "most obvious example of the muddle of measurement units" in the country.
The report says there would be many benefits from converting road signs to show kilometres, metres and km/h (kilometres per hour).
These would include drivers getting consistent information, easier calculation of fuel consumption and speed limits more finely tuned to local road conditions, it says.
But the AA said a changeover would take far longer than five years and the Department of Transport said it had no plans to convert.
Lord Kinnock says in the report: "Our imperial road signs are perhaps the most obvious example of the muddle of measurement units in the United Kingdom.
"They contradict the image - and the reality - of our country as a modern, multicultural, dynamic place where the past is valued and respected and the future is approached with creativity and confidence.
"If the recommendations of this report are followed, Britain can join the modern metric world - and do so by the time that the all-metric Olympic Games open in London in 2012."
In its report, the UKMA calls on the Government to name an early date for making the change, which it says can be done economically and safely.
On hold
The UKMA says that the conversion of road signs was originally intended to be part of metrication when it started in 1965 and should have been completed by 1973. However, it was put on hold in 1970 and then never reinstated.
The Association argues that this has left a system where most of Britain is officially metric leaving road signs as a "confusing" exception.
It concludes that, if spread over five years, the cost of the changeover would represent a mere 0.27% of annual roads expenditure.
UKMA chairman Robin Paice said: "The Irish have shown how easily, safely, and economically it can be done. The British Government should just get on with it."
But the AA Motoring Trust said a "key flaw" in any planned conversion lay in the fact that speedometers still mainly measure miles per hour.
Paul Watters, head of roads and transport policy at the Trust, said: "A move to make UK road signs metric will take far longer than five years.
"Any precipitous changeover will create confusion, danger and anger, particularly where misunderstanding leads to prosecution for road traffic offences, such as speeding."
The Trust said one solution would be for metric and imperial measurements to run side-by-side for a number years until the public begins to "recognise and understand" both types.
But a spokeswoman for the Department for Transport said it had "absolutely no plans" to change the signs. "It would cost several millions of pounds and would be a waste of taxpayers' money," she said.
WOULD changing our road signs be a waste of money? Have your say.
PLUS: Take part in our Poll of the Day.
Tweet
Comments
Login or Register to comment
Why not go the full hog lets all speak german or french "Why not. We have all been sold down the river"The country has been sold bit by bit ?Where britain used to lead the world, now we are sheep being led by our shepards . What a waste of two world wars fighting for "OUR" freedoms and ideals ?????Bring our troops home at least no more will die in vein..For other peoples freedoms.
Kinnock's lived in Brussels for so long, he would think like that.
Metrication is the worst possible thing to happen to this country. Sure it makes it easier by having everything in base 10 but there go our good maths results when kids had to work in Base 12 for eggs or money, base 14 or 16 for weight.
I am totally stuck if I apply for a job and a medical form has weight in Kilos or height in centimetres. And Kinnocks stupid idea to have us change to kilometres instead of miles per hour on roadsigns will lead to people driving in miles per hour whilst the signs indicate KM per hour.
It's bad enough that we are banned from using pounds and ounces in shops (whatever happened to article 10 (I think) of the European Convention on Human Rights, the Right to freedom of expression)?
We will reject the Euro, but this government ignores the electorate whilst it sits in its ivory reichstag so no matter how much we don't want it, if the fuhrer does, then we are going to get it.
Good grief! What is the problem with metric people?
In 1897 British Parliament legalised metric system for use in UK!!!
In 1969 HM Government agreed and created Metrication Board to complete the transformation by 1975 !!!
We are now 21 years behind the agreed transformation date.
There is nothing to be afraid of, lets not resist change any longer.
Anyway that said I'm off to the mile high club for remembrance night; it is being renamed the 1.609 km club from next week.
As an Ex-Englishman, I would love to keep the UK system Imperial. Everything, pounds, gallons, miles, pints and having every measurment divisible by 12. 14. 16 or whatever. Also they should enforce thier way of life and reject anyone foriegn that threatens to undermine the very fabric of Britishness! That way, they wont want to visit Europe and we wont see drunken half whits dressed in football tops and tracksuits, being a menace in some of the finest cities on the planet! Keep Britain for the British, then keep them there! And before you all retort with your small minded, nation of shop keepers, Xenophobic, ill thought out comments consider this. Your average Brit is, someone who drives a German car, to an Irish pub, to drink Belgium beer, has a curry on the way home and watches his Japanese TV, and then has the nerve to criticise 'Johnny Foreigner'. Thanks and enjoy Britain, your welcome to it!!!!!!!!!!
What's the point of Neil Kinnock? What do we get for his taxpayer funded salary?
What a loaded question! Why not ask "Would you spend only 0.27% of the road budget to convert to metric?" Biased - that? Yes, I thought so. Now you see what I mean.
All this from a political failure who couldn't keep his balance on a beach. Let's get out of Europe now.
Problem is, things like this erode national identity, and with eroded identity comes lack of pride and belonging.
Most people crave a sense of continuity, it makes people feel safe and secure, when aspects of society are constantly changing most people are in a continual state of apprehension and concern.
Those in power rarely take in to account the socio/psychological effects of their action.
it never ceases to amaze me on how two faced politicians are when it comes to the EU, kinnock was leader of a prty opposed to the EU, that is until he got his fancy commissioners job within the EU. nice work if you can get it eh welsh windbag??.
What on earth does measurement have to do with national identity. Are Australians, Brazilians, French and Japanese all the same because they use metric? It is a pitiful reflection on our identity if all we can think of is what we inherited from Roman invaders. Surely our art, architecture, landscape, music and sport is what gives us identity! My car handbook is metric why on earth can't we have metric roads too?
What is the point of changing all the road signs if we are all happy with them.
Of course - what a brilliant idea! All that needs to be done is pass a law saying that all sign are now metric and we have an instant cut in speed limits without changing any signage at all. And since all the distance are now metric, it won't really affect anyone because all the places will be closer
(Ok, maybe I shouldn't give them ideas :-)
Let's get this right. The Department of Education requires metric measurements are taught in schools. The Department of Trade and Industry requires that most goods and services are sold in metric. The Department for Transport requires that all contractors work in metric; that roadsigns are designed and replicated to metric sizes, but that the wording or symbols on those signs must be in imperial - unless they relate to the weight of a lorry (metric only) or height of a bridge (metric and imperial allowed, but not metric only). What a complete farce. I don't know about the cost of changing over roadsigns but I'm sure it'd be worthwhile in the longterm to sort this mess out, once and for all!
It never ceases to amaze me how worked up everyone gets about metric. It's just a technology, like the Internet, mobile phones or digital television. And it's a better and easier technology to use for measuring.
Canada metricated its road signs across its huge land mass over a 4 day period. Canada worked with the auto manufacturers to help people convert speedos by using decals. Metricating UK roads can be done relatively quickly and efficiently with proper preparation.
Being pro or anti European is besides the point. The decision to go metric was made in 1965 (pre-EC), and it's not like the UK is going to convert back.
It's not like anyone's asking you to support a different football side. Let's just get the metric job done already. One measurement system is easier to use than two. But if you're in the stubborn camp that refuses to use metric, no one's stopping you. Just waste your own time doing the conversions.
And while we're at it, let's just increase the pint to 600 ml. More beer and milk for everyone!
I don't like Kinnock either, but I agree with him entirely on this one. It's very sad that Britons would rather stick with a set of fuddy-duddy measurements than join the 21st century.
Put it this way, if imperial measures were invented tomorrow they'd be a laughing stock and no country would adopt them.
Bruce is right. Measurement has nothing to with national identity. Dutch are Dutch and Italians remain very Italian but they use a modern universal syatem of measurement called SI agreed in the 60's. The present mishmash makes us look quaint and 'cute' - which is not a compliment. The only thing wanting is changing speedos to km/h, something to be done when a car is serviced. Changing road signs can be done as in Commonweath countries and recently in Ireland - just do it DETR.
I am a US citizen but have spent a lot of time in the UK in the days before Margaret Thatcher. I don't see anything wrong with the current system of miles adn imperial gallons. Kinnocks argument that its easier to measure fuel consumption is pure rubbish. On-board computers are able to switch between km and miles and between litres and gallons, so conversion for that purpose does not present a problem. In the United States we have over 200 million registered cars with speedometers that register in miles in large lettering and km in small letters, whidh are much more difficult to read. We rejected going to the Metric system in 2000, and would probably reject it again unless the sheeple have acquiesed as most of you Britons seem to have. Who knows what King George will bring us., but it better not be a sign with KMH, or we'll take it down.
Bring back a Metrication Board to finsh the job of changing over to the only internatiionally agreed set of units throughout our country. If Ireland can do it in three years surely we can do it before the Olympics arrive here? The confusion caused by pints, gallons, miles, yards and so on is absolutely unnecessary and baffling to intelligent citizens. If we can cope with 330 ml cans of lager we can surely cope with 1 litre of beer in a glass.
We were promised joined-up government but what we have is short term stick-in-the-muds.
I dunno if some of the so-called patriots do real work! Who uses feet and inches? Engineering is metric just like I learned in college. Why do we need wierd units from the old British Empire in the 21st century?
USA was still using imperial measures last time I was there and they are not exactly a backward nation according to Microsoft.
Suggest that anyone who is interested in the debate about the 'metric' system reads Professor Ken Alder' "The Measure of All Things"
Which explains that the metric unit of distance was 'supposed' to be one-ten-millionth of the span from the North Pole to the Equator, but wasn't.
There was also a problem in that the Earth isn't a perfect sphere (yes, I know that as little children we draw it as such, but it's not - honest); it's an oblate spheroid, flattened at the poles -- and every meridian isn't equal because the Earth isn't perfectly smooth, either.
This means that the metre is a compromise, an average agreed upon by men, and something that doesn't naturally occur in Nature; as the French (the inventors of the system just after their Revolution) would have us believe.
Which means, in other words, that as a unit of measurement, it's arbitrary (determined by chance, whim, or impulse, and not by necessity, reason, or principle, or, based on or subject to individual judgment or preference).
So, let's stick with the Imperial system, something that's been tried and tested for almost one thousand years - after all, that got mankind to the moon and back, whereas the Mission to Mars that used the Metric system failed miserably!
Totally against switching road signs to metric.
If the metricators want to have their way, suggest change to driving on the right at the same time. This could be done in stages starting with heavy Continental lorries...
The issue of Metric is just a part of the general agenda of the Governments to erode our country into a federal state of Europe where all nationalities are discouraged and the only loyalty is to the EU Elite. Metrication of the UK is part of this agenda - where NO COUNTRY is allowed to be diffirent from the others. IF IT AINT BROKE DON"T FIX IT! Imperial measures have developed through our history from pure logic and common sense. Look up the history of our inches yards and miles - you'll see why the measurements are more sensible than metric. ( which was intoduced by Napoleon as a way of 'harmonising' his conquered nations. Later on in his life he is said to have recorded his regret at introducing the metric system)
Don't just judge this issue by the newspapers and hearsay - use your own mind and research it - Janet