Road Signs: Time to change to Metric?

[Rossi-fan]

Originally Posted by DaveNP

Well this is a pretty good example, and somebody had it made into a sign and bolted it to a bridge..





13foot equals 3.96m, which is why a 4m lorry will not fit under it

apologies for the large image sizes I haven't got the facilities to shrink them.





http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/nort...lunder-9493140

I would imagine that particular council, or even Network Rail will pursue that Polish company for bridge inspection and repair. That driver is obviously a complete idiot. Believe me, when you drive these things, that's probably one of the main things you're always on the lookout for, 'Low Bridges'.

At a guess, I would say that was a 13' 9" > 14' trailer, which is ~ 4.2 metres. Doesn't fit under a 13' bridge somehow.

That said, I think the conversion is wrong, so maybe the driver could be forgiven.

[DaveNP]

As I said earlier 13foot equals 3.96 metres, not 4.1m.
As Rico are a European company their trailers will comply with European specs and most of Europe has a maximum vehicle height of 4m http://www.internationaltransportfor...dimensions.pdf

A 4m trailer would fit under a 4.1m bridge, unless of course the sign was wrong and should read 3.9m 13'-0".

Having spent several years pulling a 15'11" trailer around the UK I know what you mean about looking out for 'low' bridges.

[850Chris]

Rossi-fan rather missing the point there I fear!

[DaveNP]

Originally Posted by 850Chris

Rossi-fan rather missing the point there I fear!

Which rather supports the argument that we really ought to sort out our use of measurements, if Rossi-fan can slip up while sitting at a computer with as much time as he needs, what chance does a truck driver have as he approaches the bridge with a queue of impatient bmw drivers behind him?

[Rossi-fan]

Originally Posted by 850Chris

Rossi-fan rather missing the point there I fear!

If I've missed you're point, its down to picking it up late on, and not reading the whole thread, my apologies my good man.

My point was simply trying to highlight the pressures of being a truck driver looking for somewhere in a strange land, only to be confronted with wrong bridge height info.

[classicswede]

I think the problem is that we started to use metric in the first place.

Metric was the system used in school for me but I prefer imperial. If the Romans could work it out should not be hard for modern man. I find I am always converting metric to imperial mentaly image what size something will be. The use of CM makes this worse, MM and M are not so bad to work with

[Gazdok]

If little Ireland managed to change to metric why should the UK have such a problem doing it?
I work in a hospital and everything is metric except for many patients choosing the on metric measurement. It complicates things. You have to relate to conversion charts or programs. Things become muddled and inaccurate!! Just like the bridge and the lorry.
Metric allows a much finer grading than imperial.

Is the problem the English stubbornness to use something / anything that anyone else is already using and the perceived need to develop and use a pure English system?

[heckflosse]

It would be very dull if we all were the same..

[tt82]

Originally Posted by Gazdok

If little Ireland managed to change to metric why should the UK have such a problem doing it?
I work in a hospital and everything is metric except for many patients choosing the on metric measurement. It complicates things. You have to relate to conversion charts or programs. Things become muddled and inaccurate!! Just like the bridge and the lorry.
Metric allows a much finer grading than imperial.

Is the problem the English stubbornness to use something / anything that anyone else is already using and the perceived need to develop and use a pure English system?

Can you give an example of where metric is better than imperial in a hospital concerning a patient. Where the much finer grading is so critical?
Do you really need to know my weight that exactly? Why is 98.8831kg so critical and 15st 8lbs not exact enough?

[kieran40]

Originally Posted by tt82

How about we went back to teaching inches, feet and yds?

Or even better taught both!

And go back to having money before decimialiastion we were all ripped off got less in our wage packets . Since the change over in the 70's. I think British measurements make sense yards and feet inches are much easier, pints are much easier and simple, oz and ib's are aswell and we still measure in Britain in those we never use metric weights.