There are approximately 15 million traffic cones in the United States. Driving around Sullivan County it seems like most of them are currently on our roads and highways. Between the bridges over Route 17, the four roundabouts being carved out of Exit 105, the sudden need for sidewalks on East Broadway in Monticello and with the myriad of other construction projects that pop up unannounced, we might have cornered the market. So, the potholes in Peoria, the sink holes in Sarasota and the repaving of roads in Racine might have to rely on other methods to control vehicle traffic during construction projects.

Prior to the invention of the traffic cone, barriers and tripods made of wood were used to redirect traffic around dangerous areas of the roads. They were not easily seen and often were crashed into by vehicles. Another drawback was they had to be assembled on location.

Traffic safety greatly improved in 1940 when Charles Scanlon, a street painter for the city of Los Angeles, invented the rubber traffic cone to prevent cars from driving over his freshly painted surfaces. In 1943 he was granted patent number 2,333,273 for his rubber traffic cone. The orange and white striped cones were easy to see and if struck did not damage the car. The conical shape enabled them to be stacked for easier transport to a needed location. They also landed upright when deployed from a moving truck making them easier to place.

In 1961, an engineer in England, David Morgan, experimented with the first process to manufacture plastic traffic cones. That led to his lifelong obsession with them. He is in the Guinness World Records for having the largest collection of unique traffic cones. His 137 piece collection represents over 2/3 of all types of cones ever made.

In the United States over 1 million traffic cones are stolen every year. Stashed in garages, backyards and car trunks the thieves are risking legal trouble. It is a misdemeanor to purposefully run over or steal a traffic cone.

In England to combat theft of their traffic cones, they have a cone amnesty program encouraging people to return them without punishment.

There have been many modifications since Scanlon’s traffic cone was introduced. To make them more visible to drivers, many of them now have a reflective sleeve.

I have another suggestion to make the traffic cones easier to see at night. It is common to see solar powered lights on many lawns and properties. During daylight hours, the solar panel absorbs sunlight charging the device without the need for electricity. At night they automatically turn on, illuminating the area. Since traffic cones, rubber or plastic, already are manufactured with an opening on top, a solar powered light could be inserted. 

For road construction that will be of a long duration, the rubber or plastic traffic cones are replaced with heavy duty traffic barrels. They especially come in handy when a lane closing is required for pothole repair or as seen currently on Route 17, for bridge repairs. Often placed for miles, they serve to force cars onto a lane that is away from the repair crews. Since most of our roads lack streetlights, it would be helpful if those traffic barrels were also equipped with solar powered warning lights. 

I would even go one step further with solar powered lights. On many of our roads, painted lines that divide the lanes now have “rumble strips” to alert drivers if their car is swerving towards the wrong lane. Perhaps someone could develop a bright light that is solar powered and manufactured so it only slightly protrudes from the road surface. Placing them yards apart would make driving at night less stressful by not having to solely rely on a car’s headlights. 

If you allow me an indulgence in staking claim for coming up with the idea, perhaps they can be called “Hudlights.” 

Hudson Cooper is a resident of Sullivan County, a writer, comedian and actor.