Working Roadside

[Menchhofer]

Thought I would share a few experiences regarding working along the side of a road.

Generally, no matter how many signs I put up, or how many caution lights I have blaring, people do not want to slow down.
I cannot recall how many close calls I have had in the past.

Even trying to back into a customer's driveway sometimes becomes very difficult just because people are in a hurry to get to work.

One experience...my crew and I were parked in an alley removing a tree. I lost count of how many times one of us had to come down out ot the tree in order to move the truck and chipper because it seemed the entire neighborhood used the alley. They would sit there and honk their horns.

After several times of this, I just kept a small amount of brush stacked behind the chipper at all times. When drivers saw the brush they would simply take another route.

Along a busy road when cars continue to fly by, I have started to leave either a small limb or log (or rake) partially in the road. This seems to have a slowing effect also as people continually run over my cones.

I just wish the average person would either work with us for a week and see what it is like to work roadside, or perhaps drive a larger vehicle pulling a chipper and see just what it is like among uncourteous drivers of the world.

Then again sometimes I am surprised when courteous drivers stop (not cusssing us out) while backing into a drive.

 

[treeclimber165]

You are absolutely right about using brush to slow down idiot drivers. Reminds me of a trick we pulled once when we had to trim several trees in a shopping center parking lot. We had tried coning off the parking spots under the trees the night before, but people moved the cones to take the parking spots and we had to postpone the job. The next time, one guy went to the job the night before with a power pruner and made small piles of brush under the trees. No one parked anywhere near the trees and we got the job done unobstructed.

 

[TREETX]

Fill some cones with cement

Basically, we are fighting the fact that people are sheep and can't go different than their daily path. These "sheople" will go through barricades, into taped off areas and look up at you while your are running as saw and just stare.

Worked in a lot of urban areas, parks, streets, etc in Germany and I think that is the worst I have seen. We had to have 1-2 extra ground guys just to control the traffic.

If Darwin had his way, we could just rope off areas and smack and chip all who choose to enter roped off areas and go around barricades.

 

[Toddppm]

Originally posted by TREETX
"sheople"

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I know someone who calls them "Coneheads"

My closest call was felling a locust into a side street.

1. Had cones out in the road,
2. one lane bloked with the chiptruck.
3. guy with helmet and chaps in the ssecond lane on
4. colored rope running accross road
   [/list=1]
   
   Idiot drives over cones, under rope as I'm making back cut.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

i've had cones run over before and carried 1/2 a block, but never a brushpile, so i recycle and use the brush too! Works well on sidewalks, even personal ones on private property, kinda keeping the owner away further!

 

[Stumper]

JPS, If that idiot was the same one I encountered she then slammed on the brakes directly in the path of the tree, looked up in consternation, put the car in reverse, hit the brakes, put the car back in forward gear, started opening and closing her mouth without speaking, tried to roll down the window... and finally screeched away white as a sheet.

 

[NeTree]

Kinda makes you wish EVERYone had to take a CDL test. I've thought about sticking screws into my cones, so when they run em over and take em down the road, they won't get too far. I've actually had a police officer doing traffic and he got his FOOT run over by someone who didn't know what STOP!!! meant. Yes, blonde, and female, and a teen. Triple handicap!


Sheeple? Good one TREETX!

Erik

 

[murphy4trees]

Bottom line..... you can't trust drivers to observe and obey your traffic handling system... they're going to do what they want to do..... not what you want them to do... that's a given Soooooooo..
you have to MAKE them..... Otherwise you're taking a chance.
God Bless All,
Daniel

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

One thing I found out a while ago is that in a number of muni's you cannot legaly close off a thouroghfair without a permit. So if that tree would have fell on the car, I may have born the brunt of the damages.

Putting out warning signs will not always CYA.

 

[Acer]

Working at roadside is probably the most dangerous thing you can do. I'm sure you're more at risk from the traffic than from anything connected with the job. I always follow the guidance to the letter on these sort of jobs, exceeding it in most cases. It means hiring a lot of signs, equipment, etc, which is all added to the price. If someone wants to do it cheaper and simply run out into the road waving his arms to stop traffic, he's welcome. Working near busy roads is dangerous, unpleasant and unhealthy, and it's the sort of job I don't mind losing.

This link might be of interest if you're thinking how to protect a roadside crew.

UK Street Works Guidance

By the way, I'm developing a hate list of cars that always seem to be driven badly. The newer the car the less considerate the driving:-

3: Range rovers
2: Volvo's - especially those big estates that look like a hearse
1: BMWs - I reckon you must have to prove you're a complete and utter b@stard before they'll sell you one.

 

[Toddppm]

What's the difference between a BMW/Volvo/Range Rover(take your pick) and a cactus?



















On a catcus the pricks are on the outside.

 

[Acer]

 

[Treeman14]

Here's a link to a handy reference book for Management of Traffic:

http://www.bookworkz.com/books/1557013616.html

 

[Ryan Willock]

when i worked with my uncle and his paving business we would suspend a cinder block from the center of the highway barrels because we knew @ssholes just loved to hit them with their trucks. we also used to place a cinder block underneath our road cones.....you'd be amazed at how fast people learn after hitting one or two of those

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Whenever a job requires us to block traffic flow the crew has a standing bet. We guess how many people will cross our lines, come up to the cone line and honk, lean forward over the wheel and glare or drive through. Any one of these actions qualifies them to be "Coneheads" [JPS know ]

Friends of mine make signs including vinyl lettering. I had them make up several "No Parking" signs for me that look exactly like the street signs. I measured the signs on the street and had them made with red and black lettering. The signs say:

No Parking
[There is a space so that we can write the day or date with a grease pen]
Violators will have cars towed at owners expense

At the bottom in smaller type I have my company logo and phone number. The signs can be attached to laths and stuck in the ground or the tops of cones. I punched holes in the corners so that I can string throwline and cordon off larger areas. Since I've been using the signs, I haven't had problems with parkers.

One way that I've learned to get people to stop or move around us on the street is to get their attention with authority. Of course we have on helmets, that establishes authority. Sometimes we have on orange vests but I don't remember that all of the time. The way to take control is to hold up your hand with the palm facing the driver. That works for us normal people. When a potential Conehead moves ahead you raise the stakes. Pivot and turn forward towards them and lean onto your leading foot. With emphasis, point your finger at the drivers face, getting their attention, and say "You! STOP!" and make the open palm towards them. This has always worked for me. Whoever is on traffic control needs to be authoritative and take control of the space. Someone who's timid will loose to the Coneheads every time.

Tom

 

[TREETX]

One other thing to be aware of is fraudulent claims. In April, I was removing 72 Az Ashe with an avg DBH of 18" in a residential area with rectalinear streets(blocks). We would just stop traffic, if there was any, and flop most of the trees, chipping all the brush and loading the stems with a skid loader. This took up all of the street. At one point, an impatient conehead drove around the cones and through some brush. Alongside it at least.

In July, I got an estimate in the mail for what it would cost to fix the scratches on her car. According to the claim, we had dropped a tree "on" her car and it was scratched. I couldn't believe that I was expected to pay for her stupidity.

I returned a letter saying that we don't appreciate fraudulent claims or dishonesty and that if she included a police report with pictures of this tree on her car, we would be happy to pay.

Never heard back from her.

The AZ ashsassin.

 

[geofore]

whistle

Give the guy directing traffic a whistle to blow to let the rest of the crew know a Conehead is coming through. I still feel funny wearing a whistle around my neck up in a tree but then I'm not used to it being a piece of safety equipment yet. It's not that a conehead will know it's a warning but the crew will know the warning a conehead is coming their way.

 

[treeclimber165]

Whistle

I have been carrying a whistle for over a year now, and wouldn't climb without it. After years of getting frustrated because I couldn't get the attention of the groundman (because he just fired up the chipper) and a limb had just tangled my rope, or my saw just ran out of gas, I can now get their attention even over the chipper noise. I like the Fox40, Sherrill has it in bright orange. If you get the black one, buy several because it will get lost the first time you drop it.
It is also excellent for getting the attention of a ConeHead who is trying to blow through your cones when you are directing traffic.

 

[Ryan Willock]

i had one conehead that tried to run me over one time when i was on traffic duty, i took the stop/SLOW sign and just about layed it across his windshield and you wouldn't believe how fast he came to a stop!!!