Cones on the Motorway
Discussion
After just replying to another thread on another Forum it has just given me an idea!
Its amazing how short the general drivers vision actually is.
When we put, say a lane one closure in on a straight bit of the Motorway using cones correctly spaced, you would not (or perhaps you would) believe how many drivers pull up at the end of the cones and then indicate or see them at the last minute and swerve into lane 2.
Quite simply...its frightening
Its nice and reasuring when you see a car approaching and it indicates a couple of hundred metres away and safely pulls into lane 2, but sadly this doesnt happen very often.
When we put the cones out we (should) put them out as per our Fast Road Training indicates.
We use 4 cones per lane and they are set at such a distance that you could drive between the first 2 quite safely at speeds of 90mph.When they are not set out as per the guidelines, you cant drive between the first 2 even at 40mph without attaching them to the front of your car.
Does anyone know what distances we use between the 4 cones to get a nice, safe closure?
Dont get confused with the way that the Contractors close a lane..they use hundreds because their closures last a lot longer than ours and we dont carry that many.
Its amazing how short the general drivers vision actually is.
When we put, say a lane one closure in on a straight bit of the Motorway using cones correctly spaced, you would not (or perhaps you would) believe how many drivers pull up at the end of the cones and then indicate or see them at the last minute and swerve into lane 2.
Quite simply...its frightening
Its nice and reasuring when you see a car approaching and it indicates a couple of hundred metres away and safely pulls into lane 2, but sadly this doesnt happen very often.
When we put the cones out we (should) put them out as per our Fast Road Training indicates.
We use 4 cones per lane and they are set at such a distance that you could drive between the first 2 quite safely at speeds of 90mph.When they are not set out as per the guidelines, you cant drive between the first 2 even at 40mph without attaching them to the front of your car.
Does anyone know what distances we use between the 4 cones to get a nice, safe closure?
Dont get confused with the way that the Contractors close a lane..they use hundreds because their closures last a lot longer than ours and we dont carry that many.
tonyrec - I don't know the answer, but back in the '80s I did see a patrol-car on the M6 near Stoke-on-Trent end up wearing a cone on the roof (literally) after hitting some in the o/s lane over a brow. They were contractor's cones protecting barrier repairs, but I saw no warning signs and I was right behind the patrol-car. He hit the cones, two of which flew up into the air both hitting the police car roof, and I followed him into the gap he'd made. He then switched on his roof-lights (which still worked, albeit they were at a drunken angle), slowed to around 40mph, pulled over as much as he could and waved me past (so he protected me - thanks). We then threaded our way through the cones and over to the hard-shoulder. It worked as though there was telepathy between us. It turned out that he had seen no signs either. He wrote a brief note of the incident in his pocket-book and I signed it as a witness. I heard nothing more about it, but I wouldn't have liked to have been the site foreman!
Streaky
>> Edited by streaky on Friday 14th November 14:50
Streaky
>> Edited by streaky on Friday 14th November 14:50
Carefully .
I'm not 100% sure I'm picturing this properly, but I'd have though 30-40 yards would be plenty of room (but probably only if you're expecting to go between them).
BTW Tony, I'm blaming you for my eye hurting! I read a lot of your posts yesterday and the eye that hurts is the one that you wink at the end of most of them
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Edited: to change a stupid guess
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>> Edited by V8 Archie on Friday 14th November 11:36
. I'm not 100% sure I'm picturing this properly, but I'd have though 30-40 yards would be plenty of room (but probably only if you're expecting to go between them).
BTW Tony, I'm blaming you for my eye hurting! I read a lot of your posts yesterday and the eye that hurts is the one that you wink at the end of most of them
. Edited: to change a stupid guess
. >> Edited by V8 Archie on Friday 14th November 11:36
ashes said:
Tony - how on earth do you (safely) manage to put out cones while drivers who can't usually see in front of their nose whiz past?
Not a job I'd like to do
Respect
Safest way is by using the Police car to put in a Rolling Road, next best is the prescence of the car as the operator places out the cones.
New Trafpols go on a Fast Road course and its a real eye opener when they are given 4 cones to put out on a simulated lane 1 (normally at an airfield).
They place all cones out over a total distance of around 30m.
They are then told to drive a car at speed towards their cones and drive in between the first two.
This normally ends in-:
1) The car turning over (only joking- never happened yet)
2) They collect all the cones on their front valance and make a scrapping noise until they stop.
3) They then proceed to place the cones out in furure at a distance of 25m per cone.So that is a total distance of 100m for a one lane closure.
When you see them set out at the distance, it does look very safe and professional. :nowinktoday:
They place all cones out over a total distance of around 30m.
They are then told to drive a car at speed towards their cones and drive in between the first two.
This normally ends in-:
1) The car turning over (only joking- never happened yet)
2) They collect all the cones on their front valance and make a scrapping noise until they stop.
3) They then proceed to place the cones out in furure at a distance of 25m per cone.So that is a total distance of 100m for a one lane closure.
When you see them set out at the distance, it does look very safe and professional. :nowinktoday:
No.
If we say that at 70mph a numpty driver is able to safely go between 2 cones (the first 2 )only then that is pretty close.
For the benefit of our training, we 'know' that at around 90mph we can still get through the cones if all else fails.
Hope that this makes it a little bit clearer. All im trying to illustrate is the gap between the first 2 cones viewed by the driver.
If we say that at 70mph a numpty driver is able to safely go between 2 cones (the first 2 )only then that is pretty close.
For the benefit of our training, we 'know' that at around 90mph we can still get through the cones if all else fails.
Hope that this makes it a little bit clearer. All im trying to illustrate is the gap between the first 2 cones viewed by the driver.
Do I win a prize? 
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totally 
Approached an accident on the A303 once and had to stamp on the brakes to avoid the patrol car when I came over the brow of a hill - got pulled and seriously ticked off....
Funny thing was I wasnt speeding and there was no warning.... so went back and checked it out - low and behold the flimsy plastic think they call a "Slow Police" sign had blown off the road and was down an embankment - so went back and get the plod that gave me hard time - one serious hard time back......
But you are absolutely right - not enough cones and all it takes is that crappy sign to be blown away and you are stuffed.....
Love the idea of those fast response motorway repair trucks on the M25 - really work and they are usually there at the same time as the police - loads of cones, nice big flashing signs etc.... for safety its excellent.
Funny thing was I wasnt speeding and there was no warning.... so went back and checked it out - low and behold the flimsy plastic think they call a "Slow Police" sign had blown off the road and was down an embankment - so went back and get the plod that gave me hard time - one serious hard time back......
But you are absolutely right - not enough cones and all it takes is that crappy sign to be blown away and you are stuffed.....
Love the idea of those fast response motorway repair trucks on the M25 - really work and they are usually there at the same time as the police - loads of cones, nice big flashing signs etc.... for safety its excellent.
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