What Do the Different Road Traffic Cone Colours Mean?

In recent years Britain’s traditional orange traffic cones have been joined by a host of different coloured road markers in green, blue, and yellow.

These are not to demonstrate site managers’ football allegiances, but have all been devised to signify different intentions and offer specific warnings.

The Highways Agency and highways services provider, EnterpriseMouchel, have both brought in colour-coded practices to help improve the safety of work sites and their infrastructure which surrounds them. The two service providers have implemented their own colour coding schemes – slightly different from one another.

Upon being appointed SHE (Safety, Health and Environment) director of EnterpriseMouchel, Lucy Anderson oversaw the implementation of colour-coded cones devised by operative, Colin Seager, and area operations manager, Clive Stears.

Anderson explained the decision: “We are now making use of these cone variants as part of our traffic management layouts in order to demark and add emphasis to certain parts of our sites which come with inherent risks.

“This approach should ultimately help to make our work sites even safer. The cones are used to supplement existing signage (such as ‘works access’ signs) and do not replace the need to use these signs.”

Here is a quick guide to the meanings of the differently-coloured road cones now found on British roads, starting with those placed by the Highways Agency:

Green and White – The cones have been produced and placed to indicate access to a lane for drivers.

Yellow and White – These cones indicate that no stopping is permitted – important in areas with a heavy volume of traffic or quick-moving traffic.

Blue and White – The blue and white cones are used to indicate overhead structures, and ensure that drivers of tall vehicles are aware of potential collisions. These cones can also be used to indicate overhead cables as well as fixed structures – sometimes the cones will feature a yellow band.

The following cone colours are used on EnterpriseMouchel contracted sites:

Green – These cones are used to indicate the entrance to work sites from live carriageways. This can help drivers identify when to slow down and check for oncoming traffic.

Yellow – Used to help workers identify the proximity of overhead high voltage cables. These are particularly helpful for drivers of tall vehicles, helping protect them against the prospect of driving through the cables.

At Manchester Safety Services we stock a comprehensive selection of road cones in a variety of different colours – designed to offer increased guidance and support to your workforce. For a more comprehensive selection of all our products for construction sites and personal protection, visit our homepage, here, or call us now on 01706 364943.