Sunday, April 03, 2011

traffic cones on display in Lakeview



on the lawn of the Regional Transportation Management Center, 10 Veterans Blvd.
at

17 comments:

  1. BigezbearApril 3, 2011 at 11:22 AM

    Looks like New Orleans' answer to Arlington National Cemetery ;-)

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  2. Susanna PowersApril 3, 2011 at 12:45 PM

    Hi Glenn! I can photograph this, I can describe it, but I cannot explain it. Who knew the state government was into quirky installation art? Maybe I should have saved it for Memorial Day. thanks, sp

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  3. AnonymousApril 3, 2011 at 1:48 PM

    Maybe it's some kind of obstacle course? Or maybe they were stored one on top of the other for so long that they got moldy and they need to be aired out...

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  4. Susanna PowersApril 3, 2011 at 2:15 PM

    Hi Ellen, haha! no, they are brand new and clean, placed in lines, perfect in every way and unguarded. at first I thought maybe it had something to do with an Easter egg hunt but it's too early and nobody was around, the office is closed on Sat. This is a relatively new big building, maybe one year old (not shown) in a neighborhood that was completely ruined by Katrina's flood. furthermore it was the site of 30-foot high mountains of debris for many months after work began. you could see the contents of people's houses in the piles, such as ironing boards, shoes, window frames, tables, clothes, refrigerators, roofing, you name it-- that was in 2005/06, and eventually it was cleared, replanted etc. many houses but not all of the neighborhood has been built again. many vacant lots, which shows that there was money here since those houses were pushed down instead of left as-is. my best guess about the display of traffic cones is that it's a spontaneous expression of joy by someone in the Louisiana Dept. of Transportation who marches to the beat of a different drummer. thanks for looking in, sp

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  5. MargueriteApril 4, 2011 at 12:03 AM

    Great photo, even if it is a bit of a mystery. :) Have a great week!

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  6. bayoucreoleApril 4, 2011 at 8:18 AM

    The cones are back?! That means it's work zone awareness week.
    The cones represent the number of people killed in a work zone...most of them drivers or occupants of a motor vehicle. If I remember correctly, the number is a little over 700.

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  7. Susanna PowersApril 4, 2011 at 8:37 AM

    Hi Marguerite, thanks very much-- I see by the comment below, by bayoucreole, that there is an explanation, it just missed me, or vice versa. have a happy week, sp

    Hi bc, 700 people were killed in work zones in Louisiana, in one year? or maybe a longer period. I'm sorry I misinterpreted it... just came across the cones while driving around. so the similarity to a military cemetery is fitting, but still quite unusual. thanks, sp

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  8. bayoucreoleApril 4, 2011 at 8:38 AM

    I actually was able to find something on the website...here ya go! Last year the number was 720, this year the number is 667...still too many people dying.

    http://www.dotd.la.gov/pressreleases/release.aspx?key=1642

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  9. bayoucreoleApril 4, 2011 at 8:43 AM

    They really should put something by the cones to let people know what they're there for. Last year, I just went in the building and asked someone because, I got tired of trying to guess..lol

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  10. Susanna PowersApril 4, 2011 at 8:46 AM

    Hi bc, thanks, I appreciate the link-- I had even searched the internet & la.gov site to find out! I did see that someone sued the state of La. because their accident could have been avoided if only there had been some cones put up! sp

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  11. Susanna PowersApril 4, 2011 at 3:21 PM

    Looking at their document more carefully, the high figure is nation-wide. Here is what it says:
    "In observance of Work Zone Awareness Week, DOTD will erect a cone memorial in front of its headquarters building. Each cone in the memorial represents one of the 667 people nationwide who lost their lives in work zones in 2009 – the most recent year for which figures were available from the federal Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Sixteen of those deaths were in Louisiana."

    drive carefully all the time. sp

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  12. AnonymousApril 4, 2011 at 9:45 PM

    Wow, a very somber explanation. It's interesting that through your blog we found out why the cones were there.

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  13. Susanna PowersApril 5, 2011 at 11:24 AM

    We found out, thanks to bayoucreole going inside their building last year to ask them! (the link is to one of my favorite of her posts... ) sp

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  14. RickApril 15, 2011 at 9:37 AM

    Wow. You can't imagine how insanely jealous I am that you found so many cones in one place.
    I know you think I'm joking.
    I'm not!
    ;-)

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  15. Susanna PowersApril 15, 2011 at 7:33 PM

    Hi Rick, I honestly was thinking that you would like this, it's an embarrassment of riches. A couple other of my pictures with cones are here and here. and there may be more! who knows.... thanks for going back through, sp

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  16. plastic stanchionsFebruary 28, 2012 at 11:25 AM

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