The UK Department for Transport (DfT) now puts forward cost as the principal reason for the failure to convert road traffic signs to metric. Ronnie Cohen reports on a major study he has recently carried out, using the Freedom of Information Act, to find out the actual costs of replacing and installing traffic signs. He finds that the DfT estimate of cost, published in 2006, bears little relation to reality.
Category: Transport
Transport for London raises the bar on vehicle signs
Metric Views is pleased to give credit where it’s due, and this week it is due to Transport for London (TfL) for raising the bar on the signage of vehicle restrictions. We have previously criticised the signing at the Rotherhithe Tunnel, a road operated by TfL, but a few weeks ago new signs were installed which meet the standards recommended in the Traffic Signs Manual. Continue reading “Transport for London raises the bar on vehicle signs”
Just how much does not being fully metric cost the UK economy?
One of our regular readers, John Frewen-Lord, has compiled a quiz, or rather two quizzes, to illustrate the waste resulting from the UK’s measurement muddle. The editors of Metric Views are unsure why a penalty of £1 per second has been chosen when scoring the quizzes – this pay rate surely applies only to top bankers, Premier League footballers and workers changing traffic signs for the DfT. If readers are equally puzzled, John will no doubt explain. Anyway, pen, paper, calculator and timepiece at the ready please ….
Continue reading “Just how much does not being fully metric cost the UK economy?”
DfT admits: no basis for blocking metric signs
After finally admitting they were wrong to try to withhold this information, the DfT have now published their analysis of the responses to their earlier consultation on the proposed phasing out of imperial-only height and width restriction traffic signs.
Continue reading “DfT admits: no basis for blocking metric signs”
FAQs about the transition to metric signs on UK roads
Readers have commented recently on the obstacles to the transition to metric-only signs on Britain’s roads. This has prompted Metric Views to offer answers to some Frequently Asked Questions on this subject.
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Why I became involved with measurement matters
One of our readers has written to explain why he became interested in the campaign to complete Britain’s prolonged metric changeover.
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DfT rejects industry view on metric signs
The Department for Transport (DfT) has given in to anti-metric lobbying and backtracked on its earlier proposal that imperial-only height and width restriction signs should be replaced with dual metric/imperial signs within four years. This climbdown is despite the responses to its own consultation, which revealed widespread support within the industry for the proposal. It also flies in the face of its own cost assessment. The article concludes with a challenging question. Continue reading “DfT rejects industry view on metric signs”
Review fails to address major traffic sign issues
A three-year review of traffic signs has failed to address major problems with the UK’s signs.
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Spotlight falls (again) on the high cost of construction in the UK
The magazine New Civil Engineer (NCE) reports this week on a recent conference in Barcelona which highlighted the wide difference between the cost of infrastructure in the UK and on the continent. So it seems that the inflated 2006 estimate for the metric conversion of the UK’s road traffic signs may be part of a deeper problem.
Continue reading “Spotlight falls (again) on the high cost of construction in the UK”
Road safety experts ignore UK sign problems
A recent report into the safety implications of variations in road signs across Europe has ignored problems caused by the UK’s continued use of imperial units.
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