It's to show the county paid "due diligence" to safety to ward off any wrongful death suits that may occur.

After a few civil losses, city hall would rather slow walk safely barriers than pay out.

Plus it allows kickbacks to their cronies.

I shit you not, I had the same thought just the other day

I drive by an especially mangled guardrail on my way home every day as of recently... after the mangled guardrail there's tire marks, tons of small debris, and witness marks indicating that something horrible happened here not too long ago. After all that, a cross.