The humble traffic cone is to be updated with a version that features lights which flash in sequence to help drivers navigate diversion layouts and guide them into the right lanes.
It is the latest modification to an object that has been a mainstay of road layouts for 50 years and is now so common and recognisable that it often cited as a design classic.
Last year 2m cones were made in Britain and there are thought to be 6,000 stored or in use around the M25 — stacked on top of each other they would make a pile 10 times higher than Big Ben.
Traffic cones were invented in 1914 by an American, Charles P Rudabaker. His version for use on the streets of New York was made out of concrete. The first cones used in Britain were to replace red lantern paraffin burners during the construction of the Preston bypass, which opened in 1958.
The design of the modern plastic cone was refined by David Morgan of Oxford in 1961 while working for the chemical giant ICI. He currently holds the Guinness World Record for a collection of 137 different cones.
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Today all cones have to conform to the standard BS EN 13422, which specifies a weight and vertical angle for every type of cone. This also ensures cones of different makes can still be stacked one on top of the other.
Sizes vary depending on where a cone will be used. The higher the road speed, the taller the cone needs to be. Motorway contractors use metre-high models costing about £12 each, while slower city traffic requires a smaller 75cm model.
They are usually made from recycled material such as the PVC from electrical wire insulation.