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Detour Dots
A bread crumb trail for those who are afraid to take detours
  (+11, -2)(+11, -2)
(+11, -2) 		  [vote for,
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When traveling through unfamiliar territory I tend to get a little nervous if I come across a detour. Especially if it's night and the roads aren't well-lit. The reason for this is that several times the detour has turned out to be inadequately marked, leaving me wondering how to get back onto the main road.

Detour Dots would solve this problem. Similar to Bott's Dots, these reflective dots would be laid down as needed by whoever's setting up the detour. A wheel on the front of their vehicle would grab a dot each time they pressed a button and slap it down on the road. The dots would have a sticky bottom to keep them in the lane they were put in until the truck (or police car) came back to pick them up. If they did something like this then I'd have a clear trail of bread crumbs to follow back to the main road, considerably easing my anxiety.

longshot9999, Feb 07 2005


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       Brau - I thought I'd make them reusable since they'd have to be picked up anyway once the detour was no longer needed.
longshot9999, Feb 08 2005
   

       This is a great idea. Maybe some of the dots have flashing lights, too.   

       BrauBeaton's idea of dissolving dots is a good one, too. What would they be made of? Is there any naturally refective material (mica?) that could be mixed in to make dissolving dots more visible but without ecological harm to runoff or soils?
bristolz, Feb 08 2005
   

       Glass beads in/on clear/colored gelatain?
half, Feb 08 2005
   

       Could brightly colored chalk be used as a substrate? It dissolves doesn't it?
bristolz, Feb 08 2005
   

       wandering off the detour into the congestion charging zone is a bit of a worry. nice idea.
po, Feb 08 2005
   

       i would pick up the dots and re create the detour. chalk is a good idea, but it would look too much like actual road stripes, and would wash away with a few rain drops or a few tire treads.   

       maybe like.... an orange grease paint. would last weeks. could be blasted clean with hot water.
changokun, Feb 09 2005
   

       I don't mean chalked lines, rather I mean detour dots composed of chalk with the hope that they'd be eco-friendly. Kind of like huge antacid tablets.
bristolz, Feb 09 2005
   

       THis is a GREAT idea. Construction crews in the US are notorius for posting detours but then leaving you hanging as to where on earth you should be going.
jhomrighaus, Mar 27 2006
   

       [+] what [jhom] said. Although I have had many a great adventure exploring the non-marked detour route.
xandram, Mar 27 2006
   


 
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