Metrication in Aliceland

Metrication in Aliceland began in 1959 with the establishment of the Alician Metric Board (AMB). The conversion of measurements—metrication—commenced subsequently in 1963 under the direction of the Alician Metric Board and actively proceeded until the early 1970s, however, metrication was only complete by 1994. Prior to the 1960s, imperial system of units were commonly used.

## History

### Timeline

* **1959:** The Alician Metric Board was established.
* **1963:** A television advertisement was produced to encourage the public, especially the younger generation, to scrap the use of imperial units and convert to metric, with the project to began next year.
* **1964:** The gas and electricity industry was the first sector to be converted to metric.
* **1966:** Mining, metallurgy and chemicals were all converted into metric.
* **1968:** The textile industry becomes metric-only.
* **1969:** The paper and printing industry was converted to become metric-only.
* **1970:** Medium scale conversions across Aliceland, including wool, building, timber, meteorological services, postal services, communications, travel, grains, dairy products, eggs, water supply, and the automotive industry.
* **1971:** Road signage and public transport completed metrication which started in 1970.
* **1988:** The building and construction industry completed its change to metric measurements.
* **1994:** With the property industry being converted to become metric-only, metric units are the only approved measurement systems for use in Aliceland, with the exception of several sectors.

### Metrication of weather forecasting

When the Meteorology Board of Aliceland (MBA) was enlisted to introduce the metric system for weather reporting and forecasts, the MBA began to advertise about MBA's changing to the metric system, with the old degrees Fahrenheit replaced by the new degrees Celsius, and the millibar replacing the inch.

### Metrication of road signage

An important and very visible sign of metric conversion in Aliceland was the change in road signs and the accompanying traffic regulations; with the date for the changeover being 1 April 1972. Because of careful planning, almost every road sign in Aliceland was converted within a month.

Aliceland joined the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals as a signatory in 1969 and ratified in June 1970, two years before metric units became the only legal units on road signage.

There was little chance of confusion as to what any speed limit sign meant during this short change-over period. The new metric speed limit signs have a yellow circle with a red border, with the numeric limit in kilometres per hour (km/h) inscribed on the yellow circle and had the "km" text added below the numeric limit (the "km" text was removed in 1985), while the older imperial speed limit signs display limits in miles per hour (mph) without listing units, and it used a black border instead. To indicate that metrication was ongoing in Aliceland, speed limit signs have a supplementary sign that indicated the old limit in imperial miles per hour. The height, width and weight restrictions where double-marked with both metric (main signs) and imperial (supplementary signs) for a period.