This is One of the Dumbest Construction Cones in Boise

Everyone, meet the Cone of Death on Broadway in Boise.

See that skinny cone in the picture above this article? It almost got one of our teammates killed yesterday morning.

For context, this is a southbound view of Broadway Avenue, just a block or two away from Albertson's Stadium.

They were the first to merge from Myrtle St. onto Broadway Ave. ahead of a long line of cars. But, as they pulled forward and the short lane to their immediate left started to narrow, the cone stopped them from hugging the curb while they were clearing oncoming traffic. That's when a large van nearly side-swiped them.

We could do without life in the short lane.

Anyone who's ever merged onto Broadway Ave. from Myrtle St. knows that right-hand lane leaves little room for forgiveness. The poorly placed cone intended to notify/warn drivers of upcoming irregular road conditions almost caused a serious accident.

This isn't a one-off. We've seen this happen dozens of times since it was planted there. That got us thinking about whether or not we could simply move the cone and sign onto the sidewalk.

Is illegal to move a traffic/construction cone in Idaho?

No matter how poorly placed you think it is, there's no moving it. Even if it interferes with traffic or has the potential to cause an accident, Idaho has a hands-off policy when it comes to pylons on public roads. Take a look at Chapter 14, Traffic Enforcement & General Provision, section 49-1401:

No person shall, without lawful authority, attempt to or in fact alter, twist, deface, injure, knock down, remove or interfere with the effective operation of any traffic control device or any railroad sign or signal or any inscription, shield or insignia, or any other part. -Idaho Legislature

Welp...there's that. At a time when the Treasure Valley is practically overrun with construction, the most we can do is report our issues and grievances to IDT's Road Maintenance team.

Our bad...we've been using this lane totally wrong.

Listen, the construction cone thing is the on the Idaho Transportation Department. But in all fairness, we've got some owning-up to do ourselves.

Street View // Google Maps (Westbound view of State Street in Star/Eagle, Idaho)

You know how certain roads have a center lane, sometimes called the suicide lane? Well, it turns out we've been using wrong for years. Apparently, our way of getting in and out of it is where the suicide nickname stems from.

Are you sure you're using the center lane the way Idaho says you should? We break it down in this quick and easy-to-scroll article: Idaho's Suicide Lane: most of us use the center lane the wrong way.