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[SJKOO01]

I hear theres talk of possibly changing the signs on a motorway up to a max of 80mph and changing the speed around towns down to 20-25mph.

I'm just wondering if they do, if the government use the excuse to change our speed measurement to meet in line with Europe and there'll be in KPH.  As I'm suprised that it hasn't been done already.  As I really do think it's going to happen soon, after all this country seems to bend over backwards when the EU decides something for us 

Mind you, initially would be great to say I did 120 down the motorway today and I didn't get a ticket for it 

[Mysteryman]

I hear theres talk of possibly changing the signs on a motorway up to a max of 80mph and changing the speed around towns down to 20-25mph.

I'm just wondering if they do, if the government use the excuse to change our speed measurement to meet in line with Europe and there'll be in KPH.  As I'm suprised that it hasn't been done already.  As I really do think it's going to happen soon, after all this country seems to bend over backwards when the EU decides something for us 

Mind you, initially would be great to say I did 120 down the motorway today and I didn't get a ticket for it 

It's worse than that son. We're bending over forwards now. Ouch!

[SJKOO01]

I hear theres talk of possibly changing the signs on a motorway up to a max of 80mph and changing the speed around towns down to 20-25mph.

I'm just wondering if they do, if the government use the excuse to change our speed measurement to meet in line with Europe and there'll be in KPH.  As I'm suprised that it hasn't been done already.  As I really do think it's going to happen soon, after all this country seems to bend over backwards when the EU decides something for us 

Mind you, initially would be great to say I did 120 down the motorway today and I didn't get a ticket for it 

It's worse than that son. We're bending over forwards now. Ouch!

I haven't been called that in years, I feel so young again  (edit... it won't last long though)

[Lizzie_Zoom]

Yes, haven't you all heard we are going over to kmh, and we are going to drive on the right!


Sorry, I have just woken up from a dreadful nightmare...........what did I say?!

[Vamps]

We can still buy a Pint....

[Amigo]

We buy fuel by the litre but judge our fuel consumption by mpg as oppose to km per litre???

[Vamps]

We buy fuel by the litre but judge our fuel consumption by mpg as oppose to km per litre???

Because we do not understand km per litre, it means nothing.....

[hotel21]

KPH/Metres/Litres/mm's - been tried before in various guises.

The Brits are too entrenched in feet/inches/furlongs/quarts/gallons/hogsheads et all to go metric.

despite it being the language of those designing their world for quite some years.....

.... says a luddite, educated in feet/inches/thou'/whitworth and the like, and force fed mils and mm's during the almost susceprible time whilst at college....   

[Martin_1962]

I find most people run a mix

Litres Pints Gallons
mm m inch foot mile
kg pound ton stone

The small imperial volumns not used
The intermediate imperial lengths also


I cannot be the only person who converts between systems, eg feet in mile.

12" in 1 foot

39.5" in 1m (40 for ease of calc)

so 3.333 foot in 1m
1600m is about one mile
5333 feet in one mile about

800 inches left over - about 20 metres

5313 feet now

Now how far is it out and remember I have no idea

[Vamps]

I find most people run a mix

Litres Pints Gallons
mm m inch foot mile
kg pound ton stone

The small imperial volumns not used
The intermediate imperial lengths also


I cannot be the only person who converts between systems, eg feet in mile.
12" in 1 foot

39.5" in 1m (40 for ease of calc)

so 3.333 foot in 1m
1600m is about one mile
5333 feet in one mile about

800 inches left over - about 20 metres

5313 feet now

Now how far is it out and remember I have no idea

Errrr, yes you can....

[Banjax]

We buy fuel by the litre but judge our fuel consumption by mpg as oppose to km per litre???

if garages put up £6.50 for a gallon we would instantly work out how much we use because everyone has a rough idea what their car does to the mile, keeping it in litres, and using the spurious ".9" of a penny tricks our brains into not equating fuel with money. I'd love to know what .1 of a penny is, and why is it always .9, not .1, .2, .3 etc? is it because 141.9p sounds cheaper than 142p? 

[Mr Skrunts]

Government cant afford to change us over to KMH  and if they did could you cope with a 100KMH speed limit, because thats what will happen on the motorways if they do.

Going metric/dicimal cost us a packet.


Do the sums, we allways lose out, they hise the cost/weight and try to confuse us.

£/S/D the old days to some of us 

£1 = 20 shillings
1 shilling = 12 pennies
1 penny = 2 halpeenys

Do the sums, that was 480 chocolate mice for a quid

In came the decimal, you only got 200



100KMH sounds a lot, but is only 62MPH

[Mr Skrunts]

P.s.   Martin, glad you are not my accountant. 

[Varche]

Interesting thread. One of my pet hates is the lack of ease with which you can motor around Europe. Some standardisation wouldn't be a bad thing. You cannot take a UK reg car for a Spanish MOT if it happens to come up for renewal when you are out of the country for example.

I posted recently that the national speed limit was reduced in Spain from 120 to 110 kmh to save fuel. From deciding it to implementing took about a fortnight with all the countries speed signs changed almost overnight. It can be done!

My English speedo has miles per hour and in smaller numbers KM ph. You get quite good at knowing what speed you are going.

The guy at the Spanish MOT station doing my Spanish ITV (MOT) on my ex UK car needed a mileage (kilometrage?) but didn't know how the algorithm for conversion.

Most pipework in Spain is actually in inches! (pulgadas) although you do get 15mm pipes and 8 and 10 mm in household internal plumbing. I love my pocket tape measures in both metric and imperial. The Spanish haven't seen them. Most don't even know what the markings on a car tyre mean either!

[Andy B]

..... The Spanish haven't seen them. Most don't even know what the markings on a car tyre mean either!

There's a Belgium contractor that spends a lot of time here at work. He's lived in England on & off for a good few years so does understand Imperial measurement but it frustrates him when we all talk feet & inches and a few thou' to him.  He says we should just 'convert to metric & deal with it!!'