Safety Message Turns to Act of Vandalism
Posted by GSDispatch Editor in by MoDOT, GSD Online
MoDOT’s safety campaign with Barrel Bob ends when property is stolen
Where in the world is Barrel Bob now? What was intended as a fun, but informative safety campaign ended with an act of vandalism this weekend. Bob was taken from his location at U.S. 50 and Bynum Road without authorization on Sunday evening.
Barrel Bob was placed in a very active construction zone to send a safety message – to slow down and drive safely in work zones. Unfortunately his message was not taken seriously.
“We would very much like to see him returned and we are working with the police to find him,” said Perry Allen, Construction and Materials Engineer. “Since 2000, 15 MoDOT employees have been killed in the line of duty. Bob is the literal representation of how important driver awareness is to the safety of workers in the construction zone.”
Allen encourages anyone with information about Barrel Bob’s location to contact the Lone Jack Police Department or MoDOT at 888-275-6636.
Every year MoDOT spends thousands of dollars in replacing vandalized and stolen signs and safety devices. The most serious of these instances is the removal of safety signs, like stop signs, do not enter, or yield signs. What seems a harmless prank can cause serious injuries and costs taxpayers additional dollars. For example, every stop sign MoDOT purchases and installs costs $400 – multiply that times the thousands of such signs across the state and you can see how vandalism impacts citizens. In this case, since Barrel Bob was donated, MoDOT did not lose any money.
While intended to be clever and eye catching, the Barrels also represent a very important message about taking it slow through work zones. With the loss of Barrel Bob an innovative education campaign on safety is no longer available.
Barrel Bob, developed as part of the kcICON project, is a creation of Robert Ohl, a Clarkson Construction employee. All labor and materials were donated to create Barrel Bob, which took about ten hours to build. Barrel Betty, also a donation from Ohl and Clarkson Construction, joined Bob on the job this past February.
For further information about the Barrels and work zone safety, please visit MoDOT’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/modot.kansascity, Twitter site at www.twitter.com/modot_kc, or web site at www.modot.mo.gov/kansascity. You can also contact MoDOT 24 hours-a-day at 888-ASK-MODOT to find out information or report road concerns.
