It is said that people either love IKEA or hate it. Even those who fall into the latter group may find a recently published article amusing.
Metrication of the rail network
Last October Network Rail announced that they will be phasing out miles, chains and yards on the British Rail network in favour of metric units. This has already been done on most, if not all Britain’s metro and tram systems while the dimensions of railway vehicles have been measured in metric units since the 1970s. Why this change of heart?
(Article contributed by Martin Vlietstra)
As others see us
A recent survey carried out by IPSOS Mori on behalf of the British Council may go some way to explain the UK’s failure to complete the metric changeover.
US package labelling may be catching up
– but don’t hold your breath. One of our regular readers in the USA reports on the latest moves to permit metric-only labelling of packaging.
It’s official – the UK’s hybrid collection of measures is here to stay
Recently, one of our readers wrote to his MP about the UK’s measurement muddle. He received a reply from the office of the Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts MP, who has responsibility for measurement standards in the UK. This reply confirms that the Government has no plan to reduce the current mixture of units in common use in the UK or to promote a single system of measurement for all purposes.
Continue reading “It’s official – the UK’s hybrid collection of measures is here to stay”
The 49th Parallel – still a line in the shifting sands?
John Frewen-Lord, one of our regular contributors, has recently visited Canada and has sent Metric Views his observations on the current state of the metric changeover there. Comments on this article from readers who know Canada are particularly welcome.
Continue reading “The 49th Parallel – still a line in the shifting sands?”
“No more imperial-only vehicle signs” says UKMA
In its response to a Department for Transport consultation the UK Metric Association has recommended that the erection of new vehicle height, width and length restriction signs that display only feet and inches should no longer be permitted.
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From 1520 to 3 – metric still rules (mostly)
A first for Metric Views – an article on model railways. John Frewen-Lord takes us to an area that many of us last visited in our childhood.
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One hundred years of metric rainfall measurement
– not that the media have noticed. John Frewen-Lord looks into this oversight, drawing our attention to a centenary that occurs on 1 May.
Continue reading “One hundred years of metric rainfall measurement”
‘Area 1520’ – not about aliens or UFOs
With Easter approaching, thoughts turn to the holiday. One of our frequent contributors, John Frewen-Lord, has written an article about travel, or rather about a means of travel, which may help to get us in the mood, and which, moreover, deals with a topic not previously visited by Metric Views.
Metric Views 