Streetlight won't change to green

I would be interested in how people deal with stop lights at intersections that don't change. These on-demand lights with the sensors in the pavement often don't "know" I'm waiting for a green light. I have a gizmo on the bike to trigger the light, but it doesn't always work. I hate waiting for a car to show up to change the light to green. It's so humiliating.

I resort to running the red light.

Your gizmo to alert the signals you are there will seldom work.

Call the city or county responsible for maintaining the signals at that intersection and report the problem. The loop sensitivity needs to be adjusted. Note the time, date, and who you talked to. You might need the information later, because:

When the signal fails to activate and no car comes along you are faced with several technically unlawful actions.

1. Left turn on red.
2. Lane change within the intersection.
3. Right turn from the left lane.

The only technically legal movement is to push the bike backwards until you can change lanes prior to being in the intersection, then proceed straight through on green.

It is my personal opinion that the situation falls under the category of a signal malfunction which should be treated as a 4-way stop. However, I had a rather long argument on-line with a former LEO who's advice basically was "good luck with that" when the officer sees you.

So call it in, call it in, call it in, call it in. Most public works departments actually do want their signals to work correctly.

walterK75 said:

I would be interested in how people deal with stop lights at intersections that don't change. These on-demand lights with the sensors in the pavement often don't "know" I'm waiting for a green light. I have a gizmo on the bike to trigger the light, but it doesn't always work. I hate waiting for a car to show up to change the light to green. It's so humiliating.

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I sympathize with your frustration.

There have been many anecdotal 'solutions' to this problem mentioned before on this forum, i.e. "specific placement of the bike over the coil, undercarriage magnets, touching down the side stand, pestering your DPW for adjustments to sensitivity, lucky charms, snake oil, phases of the moon, take your chances in court" and other such libations.

Check first if you state actually allows you to violate the signal under a specific set of circumstances, as in the case now (actually since Fall of 2008) here in Wisconsin.

If not, PM me with your e-mail and I'll send you the text of our State Statute that permits a motorcyclist to ignore the red light after certain precautions are met.

Then, send a copy of it to your state legislators with a request that they too join the 21st Century of traffic laws.

Many of the loop sensors do not detect a motorcycle. Calling the local community responsible for their maintenance usually does not work. If it were a car it would get a response.

In any case, most state codes allow you to proceed after waiting a normal time for the signal to change.

More communities are going to the radar sensors. You can tell them by the camera like device mounted on a stalk above the signal posts or arms. These rarely fail.

Here in Minnesota it is legal, on a motorcycle, to proceed through a red light after waiting for a time and ascertaining the intersection is clear.

I have never been questioned as I do this often.

I try to stop right on top of the cutout (usually a rectangle) for the sensor wire. That seems to work 99% of the time. If not I run the light.

Put your bike at the intersection of as many pavement-sensor cutouts as possible. I've almost never had an issue with a sensor not recognizing my R1150R.

I always stop with my cylinders over a crosswise cut, and the tires/wheels on a lengthwise cut.

P

Greenwald said:

I sympathize with your frustration.



Check first if you state actually allows you to violate the signal under a specific set of circumstances, as in the case now (actually since Fall of 2008) here in Wisconsin.

l

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Arkansas has this law.

Ralph Sims

Greenwald said:

I sympathize with your frustration.

Check first if you state actually allows you to violate the signal under a specific set of circumstances, as in the case now (actually since Fall of 2008) here in Wisconsin.

l

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Glad you found that Kevin.

Georgia has this law as well. I find it very useful on my early commute to work, where it's just me and the crickets some mornings.

I may be wrong here but have heard that it has something to do with "iron" or steel your car or vehicle has. More plastic and alum, you will not trip the field.

aviator said:

I may be wrong here but have heard that it has something to do with "iron" or steel your car or vehicle has. More plastic and alum, you will not trip the field.

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No - you're correct.

It's all about causing a detectable disruption in a magnetic coil. It is not about weight. Not enough ferrous metal - no discernable disruption.

Either need more metal or increased sensitivity.

PGlaves said:

Glad you found that Kevin.

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I take it Texas does not have this law?!

Greenwald said:

I take it Texas does not have this law?!

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I don't know. It has never been an issue here. Brewster County, in all 6,192 square miles does not have any traffic signals, let alone one with a protected left turn.

Last May, I asked the same question here about traffic lights that don't recognize motorcycles, and there were some pretty good responses. Here's the link: http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=45529

Uhh, you guys actually STOP at lights????





Ooops!

I made friends with the local traffic control techs... and offered to drive by for them to verify the system works.

Turns out they were "instructed" by "managment" to turn down sensitivity on the sensors to "save money.. so they don't burn out the sensors". The loops are unaffected, but the sensors seem to have a high failure rate... imagine that.

in NY you can not legally proceed through a light that does not detect a motorcycle. i have spoken to several different law enforcement officers in various dept's (ny state police, county police, local town & city cops etc) and almost to a man (or woman) they all agree that if you treat it as a non-functioning light and proceed with caution 99.9% of the officers will not ticket you for going through the light. the only exception were the NY State Police that said, and i quote "if you go through a red light you will get a ticket", they did not want to hear anything about the light not functioning for a motorcycle for any reason.

now for the strange part. i asked the NY State Police officers i spoke with what would happen if i was in my car and the light would not change and they all said i could go through the light with due cation. i asked them straight out "you mean if the light does not work i can proceed through it with my car but not my bike" and the answer was YES. this is called selective enforcement, which in the eyes of the law is illegal.

i urge all NYS residents that read this to write there elected officials to get the law changed so it allows the operator of a motorcycle to treat a traffic light that does not detect a motorcycle to treat the light as a non-functioning light and to be allowed to proceed through the light with due cation, as if it were a four way stop sign

You asked what I/we do. I wait for a full sequence and proceed with caution, usually completing my left turn. This happens to me almost once a week on both the motorcycles and bicycles I commute on.

I have never been ticketed, if I was stopped my only response would be to paraphrase California State law which states basically that vehicles are not only allowed, but required to treat nonoperational traffic signals as controlled stops.

I understand in doing so the burden will be on me to convince the officer or judge in court that the signal was indeed nonoperational.

I also have one other technique, those signals that I know will not change for me, I don’t turn there unless there is traffic already stacked up.