Mondo Knows Facts
Flexible plastic traffic cones were invented by Charles Scanlon in 1940
Stackable hollow rubber cones replaced wooden barricades to protect road workers
Los Angeles street painter Charles Scanlon invented hollow rubber traffic cones in 1940 to replace fragile wooden tripod barricades. The weighted base and flexible conical shape allow drivers to strike the marker without damaging tyres, while the stackable design simplifies transport for maintenance crews.
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Tags: traffic, roads, safety
Flexible plastic traffic cones were invented by Charles Scanlon in 1940: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- Stackable hollow rubber cones replaced wooden barricades to protect road workers. The figure is taken from Smithsonian Institution, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
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