What are the black "ropes" that are laid out across a road?

Question

You know the kind of rubbery ropes that go across a road?

I've heard that they somehow measure the amount of traffic that passes, and that it measures speeds.

Anyone have an idea?

Answer 1

i own a repair shop and these are called traffic counters ,they count how many cars travels a road in one day or a week,and this tells them that this road may need service work done on it more often than others do,they usually leave one up on any road for about a month,and see how many cars use that road ,and then they will decide when to re-surface it based on that information,good luck i hope this has explained it good,maybe it will help.

Answer 2

They are rubber hoses. When a car passes over them it causes a presure in the hose and that will make a counter. The dept of highways can measure how much traffic a road gets by checking the count.

Answer 3

These are sealed hoses and when a vehicle runs over them, the air pressure trips a traffic counter...That's all they are used for nowadays, to guage how much traffic is on that road.
Before radar a similar system was used to guage speed, it was used in the 40's and into the 50's...

Answer 4

usually those are used for measureing how much traffic is on that road so they can co-ordinate enough road crew to do paving or whatever else they might want to do with the road.

Answer 5

You are right they check the amount of traffic for certain areas at different times.

Answer 6

They're hoses, and they measure the number of axles that cross over them, by pumping a counter. Divide #/axles by two: that's your traffic count.

Answer 7

And back in the old days they were used to ring a bell at the service station so the guy would know when he had a customer

Answer 8

They are snakes....