Slow for the Cone Zone

You've seen them out in the middle of the street, the guys with the bright orange or lime yellow jackets and the big Oro Loma logo on their backs, working on sewer lines. You've seen their trucks, too, the ones with the same big Oro Loma logo on the side. What you might have missed seeing are the rows of orange cones they set around their truck or the arrows directing traffic around the truck. Maybe you were going a little too fast or you were distracted. Maybe you weren't expecting to see the crew, right there on a street you drive every day. Or, maybe, when you saw that arrow, you just couldn't quite believe it was meant for you. Whatever your reason, by not slowing down and following the directional cones and arrows, you place the crew's safety, and your own, at risk. And you are breaking the law.

Every business day of the year, Oro Loma has three teams out working. They are cleaning, repairing, and recording the condition of the District's over 300-mile long wastewater collection system. Most of this work must be done in the streets where the sewer access covers are located. These are the same streets that carry busy traffic. To accommodate drivers and to cause the least possible disruption or traffic congestion, crews often start working as early as 5:00 a.m.

The cones and arrows they set up before starting to work are meant to provide them with a zone of protection, but they are also meant to safely conduct traffic around an obstacle in the street. The crew is trained to direct traffic in the safest, most convenient way possible. Trust them to know what they are doing. Slow down when you see the cones, and if you are unsure which way to go, ask one of the crew for instructions. Never cross over the median into oncoming traffic, unless directed to do so by a member of the work crew. And when you go through, you might consider thanking them for doing such a great job.