Temporary traffic barrier and method of provision thereof

Abstract

A barrier unit for mounting on a road traffic control upright is described, comprising a hollow tape cartridge with a spindle rotatably mounted therein having tape wound thereon. A deploying aperture is provided in the cartridge through which a leading edge of tape projects to allow the tape to be dispensed by unwinding from the spindle. The cartridge has a receiving means on the tape cartridge to engagingly receive a leading edge of tape from another like cartridge and a mounting means associated with a lower part of the cartridge to mount the tape cartridge on or about an upper part of the road traffic control upright, allowing deployment of a temporary barrier system using several such cartridges and/or like mountings. A temporary barrier system and a method of temporary barrier deployment are also described.

1 . A barrier unit for mounting on a road traffic control upright comprising a tape cartridge, hollow to define a tape storage cavity, a spindle rotatably mounted in the tape storage cavity having tape wound thereon, a deploying aperture in the tape cartridge through which at least a leading edge of tape projects externally, to allow the tape in use to be dispensed therefrom by unwinding from the spindle, a receiving means on the tape cartridge to engagingly receive a leading edge of tape from another like cartridge in use, mounting means associated with a lower part of the cartridge to mount the tape cartridge on or about an upper part of a road traffic control upright.  
   
   
       2 . A barrier unit in accordance with  claim 1  wherein the mounting means are adapted to engage on or about the uppermost part of a road traffic upright in interference fit.  
   
   
       3 . A barrier unit in accordance with  claim 2  wherein the mounting means comprises a tubular lower portion shaped to co-operably engage with an upper portion of the upright, which tubular lower portion comprises flexibly resilient material and/or is slotted such as to be resiliently deformable as the cartridge is pushed onto the upper portion of the upright to effect the interference fit.  
   
   
       4 . A barrier unit in accordance with  claim 1  wherein the tape comprises an elongate thin flexible strip of material.  
   
   
       5 . A barrier unit in accordance with  claim 1  wherein the tape is comprised of material and/or provided with a surface pattern or surface layer of material incorporating suitable hazard warning markings or information, for example in alphanumeric form, in the form of brightly coloured stripes, chevrons or the like.  
   
   
       6 . A barrier unit in accordance with  claim 1  wherein the tape comprises or incorporates a reflective surfaced material so as to be readily illuminated by reflection for safety at night.  
   
   
       7 . A barrier unit in accordance with  claim 1  wherein means are provided to facilitate restoage of the tape after use from a dispensed configuration to a stored configuration wound upon the spindle.  
   
   
       8 . A barrier unit in accordance with  claim 7  wherein the spindle comprises spring biasing means acting on the spindle to tend to urge the spindle to rotate in a direction which would tend to rewind the tape into the stored configuration.  
   
   
       9 . A barrier unit in accordance with  claim 7  wherein releasable locking means are provided to lock the spindle into position when the tape is dispensed a predetermined amount.  
   
   
       10 . A barrier unit in accordance with  claim 1  wherein the tape leading edge has a connecting portion to be engagingly received in receiving means of a cartridge of a second cartridge or other like device in use to form a barrier portion, which connecting portion comprises a rigid projecting portion, and which receiving means comprises an apertured receiving means.  
   
   
       11 . A barrier unit in accordance with  claim 1  wherein a plurality of receiving means are provided disposed radially around the cartridge.  
   
   
       12 . A road traffic control upright to serve as a road barrier comprising a tape dispenser in accordance with  claim 1  engaged upon and/or about an uppermost part thereof.  
   
   
       13 . A temporary road traffic barrier comprising at least one road traffic control upright and mounting tape cartridge(s) in accordance with  claim 1  mounted upon at least one such upright, wherein tape is deployed therefrom extending to a receiving means on another cartridge and/or on equivalent receiving means on an alternative fixed location.  
   
   
       14 . A barrier in accordance with  claim 13  comprising a plurality of road traffic control uprights on at least some of which are mounted cartridges as hereinbefore described, with tape deployed therefrom and extending between at least some of the said dispenser cartridges.  
   
   
       15 . The use of one or more cartridges in accordance with  claim 1  in conjunction with one or more temporary deployed road traffic control uprights, to form a temporary deployable barrier.  
   
   
       16 . A method of forming a barrier which comprises the steps of: providing at least one road traffic control upright; mounting tape cartridges as hereinbefore described on or about an uppermost part of at least one of the said uprights; dispensing tape from at least one such tape cartridge; engaging the leading edge of the dispensed tape from the at least one said cartridge to a receiving means on another such cartridge and/or to an equivalent receiving means on an alternative fixed location.  
   
   
       17 . A method in accordance with  claim 16  wherein there is provided at least one terminating mounting unit for mounting on a fixed structure and including a receiving means identical to the receiving means on the said cartridge(s), and the method includes engaging the leading edge of the dispensed tape from at least one of the said cartridges to the receiving means on such a terminating mounting unit.