Traffic cone

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Traffic cones are usually used to divert traffic.

The Traffic cone on the right is used in the United Kingdom to indicate that no parking is allowed.

Traffic cones, also called toddlers, road cones, safety cones, construction cones, pylons, or Witches' Hats, are cone-shaped markers, generally made out of plastic or rubber, that are placed on roads or footpaths to temporarily redirect traffic in a safe manner. They are often used to create merge lanes during road construction projects or automobile accidents, though heavier, more permanent markers or signs are used if the diversion is to stay in place for a long period of time.

Traffic cones are designed to be highly visible and easily movable. Various sizes are used, commonly ranging from around 30 cm to a little over 1 m. Traffic cones come in many different colors, with orange, yellow and red being the most common colors due to their brightness. They may also have a retroreflective strip to increase their visibility.

Not all traffic cones are conical. Pillar shaped movable bollards fulfilling a similar function are often called by the same name.^{[citation needed]}

1 History
2 Descriptions
- 2.1 Indoor use
- 2.2 Outdoor use
3 Types and sizes
- 3.1 Other forms of traffic barriers
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

Traffic cones were originally invented in 1914 by Charles P. Rudabaker. Though at first wrought from concrete, today's versions are more commonly brightly-coloured thermoplastic or rubber cones.

[edit] Descriptions

[edit] Indoor use

Cones are also frequently used in indoor public spaces to mark off areas which are closed to pedestrians, such as a restroom being out of order, or to denote a dangerous condition, such as a slippery floor. They can be used on school playgrounds to delimit areas of a playing field. Some of the cones used for this purpose are miniature, as small as 5cm tall, and some are disposable full size cones made of biodegradable paper.

[edit] Outdoor use

Traffic cones are typically used outdoors during road work or other situations requiring traffic redirection or advance warning of hazards or dangers. For night time use or low-light situations traffic cones are usually fitted with a retroreflective sleeve to increase visibility.

[edit] Types and sizes

Typical Australian traffic cones with reflective sleeve for night visibility.

Typical traffic cones are fluorescent "safety" orange and come in sizes such as:

300 mm (12 in) 1.5lbs- for indoor/outdoor applications
450 mm (18 in) 3lbs- for outdoor applications such as free-way line painting
700 mm (28 in) 7lbs -For Non-Highway applications eg. Local street
700 mm (28 in) 10lbs - for free-way/high-way applications
900 mm (36 in) - as above

[edit] Other forms of traffic barriers

Typical Australian bollard with reflective sleeve for night visibility.

Cones are easy to move or remove. Where sturdier (and larger) markers are needed, construction sites use traffic barrels (plastic orange barrels with reflective stripes, normally about the same size as a 55 gallon (208 L) drum), which may be weighted with sandbags may be used. When a lane closure must also be a physical barrier against cars accidentally crossing it, a Jersey barrier is preferred.

In countries such as Australia traffic barrels are rarely seen. Devices called bollards are used instead of cones where larger and sturdier warning or delineation devices are needed.

Typically bollards are 1150 mm high fluorescent orange posts with reflective tape and heavy weight rubber bases.

Larger devices such as barrier boards may be used instead of cones where larger areas need to be excluded or for longer periods.