to set up a mobile chicane

9.1

To put temporary barriers on a road to slow or send traffic another way

phrasal verb

: instalar un desvío móvil

After the accident, workers quickly set up a mobile chicane to redirect traffic away from the scene.

Examples

During the roadworks, they set up a mobile chicane to slow down the vehicles.
To improve pedestrian safety, the city decided to set up a mobile chicane on Main Street.
The city plans to set up a mobile chicane next week.
Can they set up a mobile chicane for the festival?
After the accident, workers quickly set up a mobile chicane to redirect traffic away from the scene.
During the roadworks, they set up a mobile chicane to slow down the vehicles.
To improve pedestrian safety, the city decided to set up a mobile chicane on Main Street.

Synonyms

to divert

vsto set up a mobile chicane

94 4.2

To cause something like traffic or a river to go a different way

uses temporary movable barriers to force that change in route

to direct traffic

vsto set up a mobile chicane

8 3.8

To guide cars and people so they move safely through an intersection

relies on temporary movable barriers rather than people controlling flow

Antonyms

to remove

∞ 1.5

To move something or someone away from a place

to clear

∞ 1.5

To remove people or things from a place

How Disruptive

to seal off

47 3.9

to barricade

42 4.8

to set up a mobile chicane

9.1

blocking

18 3.4

to cone

1 6.0

Surface Forms

set up a mobile chicane infinitive

set up a mobile chicane past

set up a mobile chicane past participle

setting up a mobile chicane present participle

sets up a mobile chicane third person singular

Morphology

set + up + a + mobile + chicane

The phrase is fully compositional: 'set up' means to put or create, 'mobile' means movable, and 'chicane' denotes a slalom-like bend or traffic diversion, so the overall meaning 'create a temporary movable road diversion' follows directly from the parts. Although 'chicane' is a relatively low-frequency technical noun, if a B1 learner knows the constituent words the construction and sense are regular and predictable.

Etymology

Set up a mobile chicane shows a simple road picture: workers set up a mobile chicane — movable cones or barriers placed in a zigzag so cars must drive left and right and slow down. So the phrase means 'to create a temporary barrier or diversion on a road' to control traffic.