The Public Works Department of Antigua and Barbuda has launched a renewed public safety campaign, imploring motorists to ‘Respect the Cones’ as extensive national road enhancement initiatives progress. This urgent appeal follows a troubling pattern of safety equipment tampering, including the unauthorized relocation and theft of traffic cones, alongside vehicles trespassing onto freshly laid road surfaces before they have properly cured.
Department officials emphasize that traffic management devices are deployed with precise strategic intent to safeguard both the traveling populace and construction personnel. Their displacement jeopardizes public safety, risks structural damage to uncured concrete and drying asphalt, and can lead to significant delays in project timelines, ultimately impacting national infrastructure development.
The campaign outlines critical guidelines for public cooperation:
– Traffic cones must remain undisturbed in their designated positions.
– Barricaded areas, clearly marked as hazardous, must be strictly avoided by both pedestrians and drivers.
– All instructions from road construction crews must be followed without exception.
– Motorists are reminded that the curing process for new pavement cannot be visually assessed and requires a mandated drying period.
The government expresses sincere appreciation for citizen compliance, underscoring that collective adherence to these protocols is fundamental to the successful and timely modernization of the nation’s transportation network.