Traffic cone: important new findings

During Bernie and Isa's visit this weekend, Bernie and I took a stroll through the neighborhood that took us past the now well-known traffic cone. Close inspection revealed that the cone was, at one time, the property of St. Peter's Hospital, a half-mile to the east. While we now know that the cone was not left behind by a utility truck, unfortunately these new findings raise as many questions as they answer.

The lowly traffic cone

Traffic cones are among the most inconspicuous features in the landscape. This is interesting, because they are supposed to conspicuous - signifying the need for attention and caution. But they are constantly being left behind and forgotten. The cone pictured here has been perched at the base of a light pole near my house for a really long time, possibly even predating the Iraq War. Originally it was probably left there by a utility crew. Since it sort of looks like it might belong there (as long as you don't think about it too much), it will never get moved.

If I was running from the police and had to quickly stash some contraband, I would drop it safely into the top of a traffic cone for later retrieval.

On my way home from work I counted the orphaned cones along my route: eleven! There may have been even more; they are so inconspicuous that several times I forgot I was counting them.