A *very* strange stone monument has recently appeared on the towpath of the Bridgwater to Taunton canal, and reported to ARM by a Mr M. Lucas.

It's a few inches wide, 3'8" tall and 2'0" wide at its base. It tapers towards the top, where it is circular. So it's like one half of an elongated egg.

In the middle of it are two holes. One in the lower centre is about 1 foot in diameter. The other hole, near the top, is about 8" in diameter - and it has a round metal object placed inside it. What can it all mean?

Strangest of all, the following message appears at its foot, beautifully carved out in stone:

> TAUNTON 6.8KMS
< BRIDGWATER 16.7KMS.

The monument is, well, just over 4 miles west of Taunton.

Quite a challenge for ARM supporters, this one. Will probably need to get out the rarely-used stonemason's chisel to remove the illegal measurements.


* Legal footnote: Measurements along any highway, including along a canal towpath, must be in Imperial distances unless special authorisation has been given by the Secretary of State for Transport. The stone measurements are therefore illegal and may be 'obliterated' or 'pulled down' by any member of the public under Section 131 (2), Highways Act, 1980

Why don't you post a picture of this monument. I'm curious as to what it looks like.

The only photo I have been sent of the mystical metric stone is not digital, and I don't have adequate scanning equipment.

The design below is as near as I can get using the resources available to me, where

x = stone
o = nothing, and
m = metal disc
- = canal towpath

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
oooooooooooooooooooooooooxxoooooooooooooooooooooooo
ooooooooooooooooooooooxxxxxxxxoooooooooooooooooooooo
ooooooooooooooooooooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooooooooooo
oooooooooooooooooxxxxxxxxxxmmxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooooooo
oooooooooooooxxxxxxxxxmmmmmmmmxxxxxxxxxooooooooooo
ooooooooooooxxxxxxxxxmmmmmmmmmmxxxxxxxxxooooooooo
oooooooooooxxxxxxxxxxmmmmmmmmmmxxxxxxxxxooooooooo
oooooooooooxxxxxxxxxxxxmmmmmmmmxxxxxxxxxxoooooooooo
ooooooooooooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxmmxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooooo
ooooooooooooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooooo
oooooooooooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxoooooooooooo
ooooooooooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxoooooooooooo
oooooooooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxoooooooooooo
oooooooooxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooooooxxxxxxxxxxxxoooooooooo
ooooooxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooooooooooxxxxxxxxxxxoooooooooo
ooooooxxxxxxxxxxooooooooooooooooooxxxxxxxxxxoooooooooo
oooooxxxxxxxxxxooooooooooooooooooooxxxxxxxxxsoooooooooo
oooooxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooooooooooooxxxxxxxxxxxoooooooooo
oooooxxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooooooooooxxxxxxxxxxxxxoooooooooo
ooooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooooooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooo
ooooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooo
oooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooo
oooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxoooooooo
oooxxxxxxxxxooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooo
oooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >> TAUNTON 6.8 KMS xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxoooooo
oooxxxxxxxxxxxxx << BRIDGWATER 16.7 KMS xxxxxxxxxxxxoooooo
oooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxooooo
oooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxoooooo
oooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxoooooo
oooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxoooooo
oooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooo

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Tony Bennett wrote

<<
Will probably need to get out the rarely-used stonemason's chisel to remove the illegal measurements.
>>

Would you please cite chapter and verse of the law that makes these measurements illegal. From what you have said, the TSRGD 2002 does not have specifications for any monument or sign of the type that you have described. If however it was erected by the owners of the canal, it is not illegal, so modifying it could well constitute criminal damage.

If you feel that it is an affront to society by being unlawful, you can complain to the Minister for Transport. The 1985 Act give him the authority to order its removal. On the other hand he might already have given permission for it to be erected (under to TSRGD 2002) or, unpon received a complaint, might be minded to give permission for it to remain in place.

re (martin): "would you please cite chapter and verse as to why you say these signs are illegal..."

REPLY: You need to look at the decison in D.P.P. - v - Jones [1999] on the meaning of 'highway', covered in detail elsewhere on this bulletin board. That must be read in conjunction with the provisions of Schedule 7, Part VII, of TSRGD 2002, pp. 265-9: "Directional Signs for Cyclists and Pedestrians".

I will check if the Secretary of State has authorised this 'monument' - in reality a direction sign - but almost certainly he hasn't, therefore it is 'unauthorised'.

The 'monument' is, of course, and I quote from TSRGD 2002, a "Directional Sign for Cyclists and Pedestrians"

Tony Bennett wrote

<<
That must be read in conjunction with the provisions of Schedule 7, Part VII, of TSRGD 2002, pp. 265-9: "Directional Signs for Cyclists and Pedestrians".
>>

I have checked your reference and you are quite right -the TSRGD 2002 does not authorise stone pillars of the type mentioned, whether they be marked in miles or in kilometers. Since the stone was probabluy erected by the owners of the towpath, it is not illegal. THat means that for a member of the public to remove or modify it would constitute criminal damage. The Minister can however demand that it be removed or he can allow it to stand as he sees fit.

The use of a stonemasons tools requires skill and dexterity that is unlikely to be available from ARM.

Unless a skilled professional is hired for the job it will be the usual amateurish botch.

Has ARM contacted the owner of this monument (assuming it is not the government)?

re (Bud): "Has ARM contacted the owner of this monument (assuming it is not the government)?"


ANSWER: Almost certainly, the 'monument' i.e. directional sign was erected by or with the permission of the owners/managers of the Bridgwater and Taunton canal. We are checking who they are, or whether it is part of the British Waterways network (the same ones who erected illegal metric directional bollards in Birmingham - see elsewhere on this bulletin board).

We shall put our concerns about the legality of the sign/'monument' to them

No-one is forcing these councils (or whoever) to use metric - they are "choosing" to do so. OK, it is technically illegal, but isn't that a rather similar situation to people choosing to sell fruit and veg by the pound?

I find it ludicrous that the Government enforces the metric system on market traders, but doesn't even make it legal on footpath signs!

<<No-one is forcing these councils (or whoever) to use metric - they are "choosing" to do so>>

On behalf of whom?

As far as I can see the only reason they do it is that they are trying to make the best use of taxpayers money by being forward-thinking and using the units that this country is (admittedly painfully slowly) moving towards. At some point this Government or a future Government is going to begin the process of changing road signs to metric and some councils are clearly looking ahead and deciding they may as well make the signs metric now rather than having to replace them all at a later date.

You have to admit that the current laws making this country's official measurement system illegal on road signs cannot remain like that for ever!

<<You have to admit that the current laws making this country's official measurement system illegal on road signs cannot remain like that for ever!>>

The use of 'official' there is erronous. Truth be told there is no official measurement. We have a mix in all walks of life, and you can see it all around you - including off the roads.

However I would agree that the "common" system is imperial, hence it being on our roads for safety.

I suggest that the idea that "we need to make our roads metric" will become more and more pointless as the years and decades go on.

Unless some loony group worse than the current lot get in.

BTW - I don't buy the idea of "once everyone has had some metric education we can switch our roads". Why? Well ask the average car owning 18 yr old to drive along at 100 km/h without looking at the speedo for "clues".