Working on the roads has become dangerous for the City of Clanton.

Clanton superintendent Dale Collins said his employees have had some close calls over the last few weeks with people driving too fast in an area where they are doing work, whether it is for picking up trash, cutting grass, picking up brush or anything that requires them being on the side of the road.

“We’ve done everything we can to show that we are out there, but people seem to go faster and faster through work areas,” Collins said. “Our employees wear bright orange vests. Our vehicles have flashing lights. We’ve placed signs to say we’re doing work, but nothing has worked.”

Because of that Collins is urging people to slow down in work areas. He has placed a message on the sign outside the Clanton City Shop reminding people to slow down when they see city employees out working.

Collins said one worker recently had a close encounter with a drunk driver passing a garbage truck.

“The driver was all over the road, and our employee didn’t know where the driver was going. So the employee had to climb the truck just to get out of the way,” Collins said. “One of my employees told me, ‘The orange vests are more like targets.’”

The worst time of day appears to be in the morning time during school traffic.

“It seems like everyone is just in a hurry these days,” Collins said. “We just ask everyone to slow down and be careful when they have to go through a work area. People work there. The people who work there have families.

“We want to make sure our employees go home like they came.”