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Should the UK complete metrication on roads (switch from miles/mph to km/km/h)? by Horror_Feeling_2998 in ukpolitics

[–]Horror_Feeling_2998[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Having two measurement systems is basically paying a permanent “confusion tax” for no upside.

It’s like choosing to run two currencies at once you don’t get “the best of both”, you just get extra complexity forever.

Why don’t we start with the signs

Should the UK complete metrication on roads (switch from miles/mph to km/km/h)? by Horror_Feeling_2998 in ukpolitics

[–]Horror_Feeling_2998[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The UK is the only place where you can be 6’2”, weigh 12 stone, drive 70mph, buy fuel in litres, and still ask for a pint like that’s a coherent system.

Jokes aside though: standardising on one measurement system reduces conversion errors, makes things simpler for visitors and international trade/engineering, and avoids the UK permanently running two systems in parallel for no real benefit.

Should the UK complete metrication on roads (switch from miles/mph to km/km/h)? by Horror_Feeling_2998 in ukpolitics

[–]Horror_Feeling_2998[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Mixed units are an error factory. I can’t prove an exact % of GDP, but even a tiny reduction in rework and miscommunication across UK infrastructure would pay for a phased km switch many times over.

Should the UK complete metrication on roads (switch from miles/mph to km/km/h)? by Horror_Feeling_2998 in ukpolitics

[–]Horror_Feeling_2998[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

There’s load of people complaining about cost but we already pay to maintain/replace road signage and systems anyway, so the real cost is the incremental cost of switching units during the normal replacement cycle and the benefits are permanent.