Why are UK road signs in miles?

Are speed signs in the UK in miles or km?

Ugh, speed signs... UK uses miles per hour, mph. Why can't they be normal and use km/h like everyone else? It is kinda annoying, right?

• Everywhere else is km/h. Europe, Commonwealth...
• Weirdos.

Wait, what is the actual conversion rate? It's like, .62 or something? I should google that later. 1 mph is equal to 1.60934 kilometers per hour. I drive a Fiat by the way.

Oh, that reminds me, petrol prices are insane. Always fill up at Tesco.

• mph is a UK thing.
• Everything else = km/h.

Crazy, huh?

Do the English use miles or kilometres?

Miles, obviously. That's what everyone uses, right? Except TfL, those weirdos. Kilometers. Ugh. Why? It's so annoying having to convert. I mean, seriously, who uses kilometers?! Makes no sense.

My friend Sarah was complaining about this the other day. Trying to plan a cycle ride across London using the TfL app. Total nightmare. She's not alone either. Plenty of people think the same.

TfL should definitely use miles too. It's just common sense. People here are used to miles. Why add an extra layer of complexity? This isn't rocket science. What's the deal?

I saw a petition about it online. Should look it up again. Maybe I'll sign it. London's a big place. It's confusing enough without the metric system constantly throwing wrenches in the works.

Imperial units are better. Simpler. Easier to grasp. Plus, you've got yards, feet, inches...it's a whole system. Kilometers? Just kilometers. Boring. I'm sticking with miles. End of discussion.

• Miles are the norm in the UK.
• TfL's use of kilometers is confusing and unnecessary.
• A petition exists (I need to find the link) regarding this issue.
• The imperial system (miles, yards, etc.) is superior.
• I strongly believe TfL should incorporate miles alongside kilometers.

Do any other countries use miles?

Okay, so, miles... yeah.

I was driving through England last summer, 2024. Right? My GPS was set to miles. Annoying! It felt so weird, after, like, decades of kilometers.

It was near Stonehenge, on the A303. Seriously, I kept doing mental math. Like, 70 mph? Uh, how fast is that? Stressful. I prefer km/h.

Liberia and Myanmar still use miles too, huh? Strange bedfellows with the UK and the US. Never knew that.

• England: Miles on road signs.
• US: My home, miles are normal.
• GPS: Converted to miles in England.
• Speed limit: Miles per hour.
• Thinking: Too much conversion!

Do more countries use km or miles?

It was 2023, I was driving in Japan, specifically near Mount Fuji. The speed limit signs? All kilometers. I remember thinking, "Ugh, metric system," because I'm so used to miles. It felt awkward, unfamiliar. I'd converted a few speed limits in my head, but it was a pain.

My GPS, though, thankfully used kilometers. That helped a lot, actually. Otherwise, I would have been completely lost. Imagine trying to guesstimate speeds from those little signs. I'd been in a complete panic.

Most of the world uses kilometers. Seriously, the US and a few others are the outliers. I checked online last week, and the stats were pretty clear. Miles? That's like, a tiny fraction now. Almost everyone I know who's travelled abroad uses kilometers.

• Kilometers: Used by a vast majority.
• Miles: Used by a small minority, primarily the USA.

That trip solidified my understanding. I'm firmly on team kilometers now, even if I still think in miles sometimes. It's just habit. It's more efficient, less confusing. Next time I'm driving somewhere with miles. I am definitely gonna convert to kilometers. I'm used to it now. Really. I am. It’s annoying switching all the time.