Traffic lights with escort vehicles

[wurzel]

I thought I'd seen it all until yesterday when I was already running late thanks to a series of roadworks all the way up the A46. Just when I start to make up a bit of time, I get to the mother of all queues and wind up sat there for 25
minutes. The reason? A set of traffic lights at some roadworks - though with a difference. At these lights you have to be escorted at walking pace by a van with flashing lights until you're out the other end. Then he takes a painstakingly large amount of time to turn around and come back with a load of cars from the other direction, at snail's pace. This goes on until eventually it's your turn. WTF???

[VectraMan]

I've seen that a few times, but only late at night. They must have to do it because for whatever kind of work they're doing, health and safety dictates traffic must go past at no more than 10mph, or something.

[wurzel]

whatever kind of work they're doing

Didn't see a lot going on. Maybe I couldn't see through the red mist!

[threaded]

WTF???

It is new stuff to make road works safer for everyone.

http://www.dormanvaritext.co.uk/nort...ng%20Cones.pdf

[xoggoth]

They did that for weeks on the M42 about 3/4 years back. Really annoying as I had to get to the M25 by two before the Friday "evening" rush started.

[OwlHoot]

I thought I'd seen it all until yesterday when I was already running late thanks to a series of roadworks all the way up the A46. Just when I start to make up a bit of time, I get to the mother of all queues and wind up sat there for 25
minutes. The reason? A set of traffic lights at some roadworks - though with a difference. At these lights you have to be escorted at walking pace by a van with flashing lights until you're out the other end. Then he takes a painstakingly large amount of time to turn around and come back with a load of cars from the other direction, at snail's pace. This goes on until eventually it's your turn. WTF???

If they're that keen to slow traffic, wouldn't it be easier to lay down a series of sleeping policemen with luminous strips or even flashing lights.

[Sysman]

It is new stuff to make road works safer for everyone.

http://www.dormanvaritext.co.uk/nort...ng%20Cones.pdf

The inventor of traffic cones must have made a fortune in royalties.

Anyone know why you don't see traffic cones in such numbers in other countries?

[BolshieBastard]

I thought I'd seen it all until yesterday when I was already running late thanks to a series of roadworks all the way up the A46. Just when I start to make up a bit of time, I get to the mother of all queues and wind up sat there for 25
minutes. The reason? A set of traffic lights at some roadworks - though with a difference. At these lights you have to be escorted at walking pace by a van with flashing lights until you're out the other end. Then he takes a painstakingly large amount of time to turn around and come back with a load of cars from the other direction, at snail's pace. This goes on until eventually it's your turn. WTF???

Yeah. Its called the convoy system. Used in a lot of places.

[RichardCranium]

The inventor of traffic cones must have made a fortune in royalties.

Anyone know why you don't see traffic cones in such numbers in other countries?

Info:

Traffic cones are so common on England’s roads, and seem to spring up so quickly, that you could be forgiven for nominating them as an alternative national flower.

However uniquely fond we may be of them, it has to be admitted that the orange traffic cone, with or without the fetching reflective white stripe around its middle, is in fact an international phenomenon.

The first traffic cone was invented in 1914 by American Charles P Rudabaker and the majority of the world’s orange traffic cones are made not in England but in China and Taiwan.

Dull data.

Far more interesting.

[NotAllThere]

The inventor of traffic cones must have made a fortune in royalties.

Anyone know why you don't see traffic cones in such numbers in other countries?

In Switzerland, they use cones for short-term temporary diversion of traffic. For longer term they use big concrete blocks. They mark temporary lanes with oranage strips, that are almost impossible to see at night in the wet.