Tuesday, 12 November 2013

Road Construction Barriers in Japan

Have you ever seen animal road construction barriers in Canada? In Japan, figures of pandas, rabbits, and frogs are lining highways and construction sites to act as an eye catching barrier for traffic.

According to blogger Biran Ashcraft, "in 2006, a construction equipment rental company called Sendaimeiban began collaborating with Asahiyama Zoo in Hokkaido to make "character barricades" that could be placed at roadside construction sites and be seen by buses of tourists."

The first character put to work was the monkey, but as you'll see in the slideshow of Biran's photographs below, figures of frogs, ducks, and rabbits abound.

Why cartoon like animals? One theory being put forth online is that the barriers have a calming effect and reduce road rage, another is that drivers don't want to hit the cute animals, so the characters are a form of accident prevention. What do you think? Is Canada ready to replace safety cones and construction tape with something else?



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