UK Metric Association
Encyclopedia
The UK Metric Association, or UKMA, is an advocacy group
in the United Kingdom
that argues for completion of the British metrication programme and helps to educate the general public about the metric system. UKMA argues that the continued use of two incompatible systems of measurement causes misunderstanding, confusion and mistakes, undermines consumer protection, retards children's education, results in additional costs and is against the national interest.
UKMA was founded by Chris Keenan in 1999 and formally associated in 2002 as an independent, non-party political, single-issue organisation. Later, an e-mail forum was started for supporters of metrication. In 2005, a website called ThinkMetric to help and encourage the general public to think in metric units was launched. In 2006, a blog called MetricViews was launched.
The current chairman is Robin Paice and the current secretary is Derek Pollard. Political patrons include Lord Kinnock
(Lab), Lord Howe of Aberavon (Con), Lord Taverne (Lib Dem), Dr Nick Palmer
(Lab) and Ian Taylor (Con).
UKMA has released two major reports, aimed at stimulating discussion in Britain about completing the transition to international standard units:
In 2009, UKMA published an update to Signs Ahead, which reflects the changes that have happened since the publication of the Metric Signs Ahead report. In the same year, UKMA published a traffic signs leaflet called Signs 2.0, which recommends changes to UK road signs to improve clarity, legibility and safety by using universally understood symbols and units of measurement.
Advocacy group
Advocacy groups use various forms of advocacy to influence public opinion and/or policy; they have played and continue to play an important part in the development of political and social systems...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
that argues for completion of the British metrication programme and helps to educate the general public about the metric system. UKMA argues that the continued use of two incompatible systems of measurement causes misunderstanding, confusion and mistakes, undermines consumer protection, retards children's education, results in additional costs and is against the national interest.
UKMA was founded by Chris Keenan in 1999 and formally associated in 2002 as an independent, non-party political, single-issue organisation. Later, an e-mail forum was started for supporters of metrication. In 2005, a website called ThinkMetric to help and encourage the general public to think in metric units was launched. In 2006, a blog called MetricViews was launched.
The current chairman is Robin Paice and the current secretary is Derek Pollard. Political patrons include Lord Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
(Lab), Lord Howe of Aberavon (Con), Lord Taverne (Lib Dem), Dr Nick Palmer
Nick Palmer
Nicholas Douglas Palmer is a British Labour Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire from 1997 until he lost the seat at the 2010 general election to Conservative Anna Soubry, by 390 votes.Described by Andrew Roth as "quietly effective", he was...
(Lab) and Ian Taylor (Con).
UKMA has released two major reports, aimed at stimulating discussion in Britain about completing the transition to international standard units:
- very British mess (ISBN 0-7503-1014-6, 2004) is a survey of the use of units in the United Kingdom and the ways in which confusion can arise from the simultaneous use of two systems. It has also been used as a campaign slogan similarly.
- signs ahead (ISBN 978-0-9552351-0-8, 2006) from February 2006 focuses on road signs, the last major area where current UK legislation mandates the use of miles, yards, feet and inches. The report estimates that the total cost of switching all of the UK's estimated 500 000 traffic signs from miles, yards and miles per hourMiles per hourMiles per hour is an imperial unit of speed expressing the number of statute miles covered in one hour. It is currently the standard unit used for speed limits, and to express speeds generally, on roads in the United Kingdom and the United States. It is also often used to express the speed of...
to kilometres, metres and kilometres per hourKilometres per hourThe kilometre per hour is a unit of speed, expressing the number of kilometres traveled in one hour. The unit symbol is km/h or km·h−1....
would be £80 million (£160 per sign, including installation), of which £20 million would be for 200 000 speed limit signs. It argues that while, for safety reasons, all speed signs would have to be changed during a very short transition period (a few days), other road signs and markings that indicate distances or height restrictions could be changed more gradually, often in the course of routine maintenance.
In 2009, UKMA published an update to Signs Ahead, which reflects the changes that have happened since the publication of the Metric Signs Ahead report. In the same year, UKMA published a traffic signs leaflet called Signs 2.0, which recommends changes to UK road signs to improve clarity, legibility and safety by using universally understood symbols and units of measurement.
See also
- MetricationMetricationMetrication refers to the introduction and use of the SI metric system, the international standard for physical measurements. This has involved a long process of independent and systematic conversions of countries from various local systems of weights and measures. Metrication began in France in...
- Metrication in the UK
- British Weights and Measures AssociationBritish Weights and Measures AssociationThe current British Weights and Measures Association, or BWMA, is a pressure group established in the United Kingdom in 1995, founded by Vivian Linacre....
– an anti-metrication advocacy group in the United Kingdom - U.S. Metric AssociationU.S. Metric AssociationThe U.S. Metric Association , based in Northridge, California, is a non-profit organization that advocates for total conversion to the SI system in the United States ....
– the U.S. metrication advocacy group that inspired the founding of the UKMA - Metric MartyrsMetric MartyrsThe Metric Martyrs are a British advocacy group based in the United Kingdom who campaign for the freedom to choose what units of measurement are presented. The group states that it believes that vendors should have the freedom to mark their goods with any units they choose. This can be solely...
– a group of English greengrocerGreengrocerA greengrocer or fruiterer is a retail trader in fruit and vegetables; that is, in green groceries. Greengrocer is primarily a British and Australian term, and greengrocers' shops were once common in suburbs, towns and villages...
s who were convicted for using unapproved scales