34 ENTER THE UPSIDE DOWN...

I've just read something that has made me screw my face up with confusion.  In Britain, road distances are shown from nearest to furthest.  So if I were on the M62 in Hull, the signs would say something like 'Leeds 60 miles, Manchester 100 miles, Liverpool 130 miles'.  Normal right?  So why do the likes of Austria, Hungary and Romania do it the other way around?

In the countries above, the Scandinavian states and most of the Balkans do it the other way around.  This is the system they use in Ireland, too. I didn't know that…and I've driven there! 

Surely, nearest to further is the logical way to go, as we read from top to bottom, so the following location should be at the top.  I'm baffled by this.

I did some digging (I don't waste my evenings!).  It seems the rationalisation is that listing the furthest first makes giving directions from anywhere on the road network easier.

The first instruction you see is "Take the E4 towards Stockholm" (the furthest away), and the next instruction will be something like "Then take the route to Kristianstad" (the actual destination, listed below Stockholm on the sign).

OK, I see the logic there, but surely, for most trips, the furthest destination is the least likely end to the journey, so it is least beneficial to most drivers.

In South America, state capitals are sometimes added to the list, even if they are very long distances away, to increase the information drivers need to read. What is going on?!?!

In addition to remembering to drive on the right side of the road on our trip, we now need to read upside-down signs in Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland, but not in England, Italy, or France!  I think the best option is to invest in a decent Sat Nav with all the European updates.