Chances are you are not in Japan.
The dedication with which service industry people go about their jobs is no more evident than in Japan where they go out of their way to ensure their customers are happy and attended to. In the case of road-workers, the general public are the customers and so great attention to detail is spent on ensuring motorists and passersby are not inconvenienced by their necessary works. This article has an interesting commentary and link to a clip showing the dedication of the surrounding workers in keeping their public site clean. Next time you drive passed one in your hometown, I wonder if you will recall this clip and be able to make a cultural comparison of your own?