Why have they started tying traffic cones together with rope?
They have been doing this for a while. I believe it is for the roadworkers. You can be a bit complacent when in a closure and there have been occasions when they have stepped back not realising that they were near the edge of the cordon and have been injured. This is a physical barrier that should give the workers a warning although it won’t stop them from stepping back into live traffic if they are dense!!