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Archive for the ‘Traffic Cones’ Category
With the dozens of traffic safety devices now employed by construction crews and law enforcement officers, one classic piece of equipment is often overlooked: the safety cone. While safety cones have been used for decades during roadside work, they have largely been antiquated by more noticeable and safer alternatives. That being said, there are still several locations where traffic cones are put to good use.
Several families in my neighborhood use traffic cones to warn traffic when there are little children playing. These simple traffic supplies are also utilized in school parking lots and other areas where the flow of traffic is constantly in flux. And, of course, cones are still used on construction sites, although they are constantly being replaced by more advanced supplies.
Traffic Cone
Most people know what a traffic cone is, those orange cones on the side of the road usually involved in some sort of contruction. Or you may see them on the soccer field, as a drill to dribble between with the soccer ball (called sports cones). Traffic cones have a few different options, such as reflective tape.
You can get different grades of reflective tape, such as engineer grade, hi intensity or diamond grade. Traffic cones can come in different weights, because heavier cones may be needed to make sure they don’t blow over. A safety cone can come in different colors too, yellow, orange, blue, green etc.
Navigating the Urban Sprawl
Living near a major city like Seattle, sometimes I just hate having to drive. While I do take the bus a lot of the time, sometimes I need to drive into the heart of the city, and it’s a real pain with all the one-way streets, obscure stoplights, and construction sites with traffic cones littering the roadway. I can say with confidence that I break at least one law every time I drive into Seattle, and most of the time I don’t even know it.
When I bought my new car, I requested an in dash navigation system for the specific reason of being able to better navigate the streets in Seattle. Though I expected the in dash navigation system to at least provide me directions, it worked better than I thought it would. Not only does it tell me where to turn, but it also helps me avoid traffic and congested construction zones
Reflective Tape – a pricey option
When choosing how much reflective tape you want on your traffic barricades or your traffic cones, think about the cost it will add. One side of a type III traffic barricade versus two can add at least $20, depending on where you buy it from. Of course, we shouldn’t overlook the advantages of having tape on both sides.
For example, lets say you are closing down a road on both sides, but don’t have enough barricades to close both ends of the road. If the road is small, put a few cones on both ends, then stick 3 barricades in the middle between the two roads, with road closed signs. People should get the point. Of course, if you have the money, it is always safer to use as much blockage as possible to not cause any accidents.
Stealing Traffic Cones
It seems like the thing to do when you are drunk. It’s funny, and harmless right? Think again, stealing traffic cones can get you in big trouble, especially because they are usually owned by the city. It’s easy to find many stories on the internet about kids who got drunk, stole a traffic cone, and got in a lot of trouble.
One story I stumbled upon was where a couple of drunk people jumped out of the car (the driver wasn’t drinking, lucky for him) and stole some traffic cones and brought them back into the car. The sober driver tried to tell them to put the cones down before they got in, but they wouldn’t budge. Long story short, a cop saw them and charged two of them with a Class “C” misdemeanor. Next time you reach for that traffic cone think again!
Safety Cones Brands
There are different brands of safety cones? Yes, more than one manufacturer of safety cones exist. In fact, there are many. Most companies that make traffic cones make other products as well (traffic barricades, delineator posts, etc). So what’s the difference between one brand and the next?
Well, the answer is there isn’t too much of a difference. Of course some are going to have more plastic, be more reflective or just stand up to the weather better. Aesthetically, there are minimal differences – the base is a little longer, the top a little narrower, but it’s what they are made of and how they are made that counts. Some believe that safety cones coming from China are of a lesser quality, so try and find out where your cones are coming from and whether they will stand up to what you need them for.
Emergency Traffic Cones
We have all been witness to an accident that just happened, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that carrying around some sort of warning device for accidents is a good idea. You get distracted on your cell phone and look up and there is a car that isn’t moving. If you are that car, it’s important to carry around traffic cones or some other sort of warning device so that people can easily tell you need to be avoided.
Carrying around traffic cones in the back of your car is obviously not very practical, but luckily there is a solution. There are companies out there that make inflatable traffic cones, that will inflate via a pump that is built in. Think about which size is best – 24″ is most likely the standard for this type of use. There are many options – reflective tape, weights to keep them from blowing over, and even blinking LED lights at the top.
Traffic Cone Damage
One motorist describes an incident where other motorists drove over traffic cones. One road safety worker was dropping cones off the back of a moving truck onto a lane that was under construction. The problem was that he wasn’t as careful as he should have been, and one of the traffic cones landed in a lane under use.
Most oncoming traffic was able to avoid the cone, but one motorist was confused and went directly into it. The traffic cone went under the vehicle and was dragged for a few feet. The motorist didn’t think much of it, took the squished cone out from under the car, and kept driving. It’s impressive that there was no damage, but this raises two questions that user “edisdead” from honestjohn.co.uk brought up. Why were the maintenance crews being reckless, and would the traffic cones do more damage if they had heavy bases?
Safety cones
There are many types of safety cones out there, in fact, probably more than you knew existed. For example, did you know they make key chain safety cones? Some traffic cones are as little as 2″ and have phrases on them like “FOLLOW ME” or “MY ZONE DO NOT ENTER”. There are flashing traffic cones, even glow in the dark traffic cones.
Safety cones come in all types of colors as well: Blue, green, yellow, fluorescent green, etc. As noted in one of my earlier posts, a lot of times car washes will have traffic cones in different colors. Another place you may find colored safety cones: one the soccer field – or football, or lacrosse etc. They are very common in sports, especially during practice.
Traffic cones – industry options
Traffic cones usually have a few options available, so when you are updating your inventory, it’s important to know what your choices are. The first and most obvious option is the size of the traffic cone. They usually range from 6″ to 36″, the industry generally makes them in 6″, 12″, 18″, 28″ and 36″. Again, before picking the exact type of cone you want, it’s important to see the specs of the job.
Reflective collars (or reflective tape) is very popular, because traffic cones are usually used on roads (although sometimes people use sports cones). Usually people choose a 4″ and a 6″ band on their cones, but customizing is always an option as well. Weights are also important because you want to make sure the cone doesn’t fall over. 10lb is the most common for the taller cones. The least common option is changing the color from the standard orange to something like flourescent green or yellow, commonly used around car washes. Higher quantities are usually required for this.