Comments on: Are UK height, width and weight restrictions enforceable? http://metricviews.org.uk/2007/01/height-restrictions-unenforceable/ Commentary on the measurement muddle in the UK Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:03:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Alex Bailey http://metricviews.org.uk/2007/01/height-restrictions-unenforceable/comment-page-1/#comment-41 Alex Bailey Wed, 03 Jan 2007 13:10:03 +0000 http://www.metricviews.org.uk/2007/01/02/height-restrictions-unenforceable/#comment-41 UK courts, in common with local authorities and trading standards offices, seem hesitant to take on anything that is seen as being "pro EU" as it makes them unpopular with the general public. There are many examples outside of the metrication issue where laws seem to have been changed or things have been back-peddled because it was easier to change the law rather than to enforce a new one! As to motoring laws... there are so many loopholes there as it is because local authorities ignore rules on things like line-painting, street-lighting and even the backgrounds on speed-limit signs. Since the signs themselves don't actually say "mph" or "km/h" I would think it would be very difficult to argue that the use of the wrong use of units on other signs makes other road signs invalid! UK courts, in common with local authorities and trading standards offices, seem hesitant to take on anything that is seen as being “pro EU” as it makes them unpopular with the general public. There are many examples outside of the metrication issue where laws seem to have been changed or things have been back-peddled because it was easier to change the law rather than to enforce a new one!

As to motoring laws… there are so many loopholes there as it is because local authorities ignore rules on things like line-painting, street-lighting and even the backgrounds on speed-limit signs. Since the signs themselves don’t actually say “mph” or “km/h” I would think it would be very difficult to argue that the use of the wrong use of units on other signs makes other road signs invalid!

]]> By: Phil Hall http://metricviews.org.uk/2007/01/height-restrictions-unenforceable/comment-page-1/#comment-38 Phil Hall Tue, 02 Jan 2007 20:38:10 +0000 http://www.metricviews.org.uk/2007/01/02/height-restrictions-unenforceable/#comment-38 I wouldn't like to say whether a UK court would be prepared to acquit someone of a motoring offence on the grounds suggested above, but I certainly do think that the UK government should have done the honourable thing and implemented the agreement they signed up to. The TSRGD should be ammended to fully adopt the SI symbols for metric indications and the EU regulations for permitted imperial units, at least in the short term but, more important still, the DfT should now implement that other part of the agreement they are still committed to, namely to set a reasonable date for the complete conversion of road signs to a single rational system, namely metric. I wouldn’t like to say whether a UK court would be prepared to acquit someone of a motoring offence on the grounds suggested above, but I certainly do think that the UK government should have done the honourable thing and implemented the agreement they signed up to.

The TSRGD should be ammended to fully adopt the SI symbols for metric indications and the EU regulations for permitted imperial units, at least in the short term but, more important still, the DfT should now implement that other part of the agreement they are still committed to, namely to set a reasonable date for the complete conversion of road signs to a single rational system, namely metric.

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