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Streetlight won't change to green

I deal with this same situation every time I leave my community. The intersection and the stoplight is less than a year old and my guess is that the sensitivity will not pick up a motorcycle. I've put my cylinders right over the wires and it still hasn't made a difference.

So I wait for one complete sequence and then ensure that the intersection is clear before proceeding through the red light and completing my left turn.

(short version - I run the light)
 
Rad said:
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 donÔÇÖt turn there unless there is traffic already stacked up.
Click to expand...

Yes, in California there are a couple of loopholes you can use to get out of a ticket (or have it dismissed). Many of the statutes in the Vehicle Code end with this phrase: "...unless it is safe to do so..."
So, by the letter of the law in some cases, if it is "safe" to proceed through a red light, it is technically permitted. You may still get a ticket, but a "trial by declaration" (ie; fighting it through the mail) is easy and has worked for me on a few occasions. Didn't even have to show up in court.

Another California law that riders should probably be aware of is the law(s) concerning radar use. If you are ticketed and told that you were clocked on radar (or laser), the ticket may be invalidated if the roadway has not been surveyed for radar use. In other words, if there are no signs stating "speed checked by radar", it's likely that the road has not been surveyed, and the ticket is not valid. And here in California, radar/laser is not allowed on interstate highways (at least it wasn't the last time I checked, which was a few years ago). So, if you're on the 10 Fwy (I10) and get a ticket from radar, it is also invalid.

Most folks don't know these details about our vehicle code...but my brother is a 25 year veteran of the Highway Patrol, and also a rider.
 
Toadmanor said:
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.
Click to expand...

Ditto, as do I.

As has been stated, check your state laws. It may be OK to run the red after stopping and waiting for whatever is considered the appropriate amount of time, or appropriate number of signal cycles.
 
California actually does have a specific statute (sorry I don't have the # handy) that allows any vehicle to proceed after coming to a full stop and ascertaining that the sensor is malfunctioning, and that it is safe to proceed. This doesn't mean that you won't have to discuss it with the local LEO...

Also: the inductive pickup loops detect a change in the magnetic field, not an "absolute value", so you have to cross over at least one of the loops to trigger it (provided it is sensitive enough). These loops are towards the outer perimeter of the "cutout", not in the middle, so place your bike in the part of the lane that will put the most ferrous material crossing into the field.

I've seen pickup trucks get "stuck" because they were simply jacked up too high for the sensor to detect!
 
Every night!

In Fresno, I have to bust a light every night, for this very reason. I go to work at midnight or later and nearly no city traffic, so I bust the light after a full stop. I GOT stopped just a few weeks ago too, by the local Fresno city cops. Unlucky one night, I guess, because I've been doing this route for 20+ years on the bike, busting this same light for nearly all that time and no issues. This cop actually looked me over good, asked where I worked, what I was doing roaming the city streets in the middle of the night and I was almost at my workplace, a few blocks away and then let me go:). I did tell him the lights are not motorcycle friendly and been so for years and years, he said nothing. I still bust the light, stopping every time. Randy
 
I'd also suggest contacting the authority who maintains or installed the light, and tell them it isn't triggering. In writing is good (with a copy for yourself..) I've never had them ignore the letter. Usually within a few days the light has been adjusted and the bike is now "seen"..

Which reminds me - they replaced loop sensors with camera sensors at a nearby light, and I've gotta write them about it. It's not seeing my bike correctly.
 
In Virginia, you can go to the state DMV website and send them an email identifying the intersection that needs resetting. I have had "some" luck with the site.

To correct, I have installed a tool box magnet (6"x 1/2") to the center stand and this appears to help at most intersections.
 
gunnert said:
In Virginia, you can go to the state DMV website and send them an email identifying the intersection that needs resetting. I have had "some" luck with the site.

To correct, I have installed a tool box magnet (6"x 1/2") to the center stand and this appears to help at most intersections.
Click to expand...
A lot of intersections in NJ are being switched from the inductive loop design to the camera design. Magnets don't help the camera ones at all :bolt
 
in the magazine, "friction zone" november, 1999, there is a "get out of jail free coupon" for california riders. it states;
if you find yourself stuck at a traffic light and the in-road sensor doesn't seem to realize you're there, you can legally proceed through the red light as long as it is safe to do so.
california vehicle code, section 21800(d)(1) provides: "the driver of any vehicle approaching an intersection which has official traffic control signals that are inoperative shall stop at the intersection, and may proceed with caution when it is safe to do so."
if your bike doesn't trigger the device, the device is considered to be inoperative.
 
nytrashman said:
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
Click to expand...

that's why I tend to look up laws in the books rather than get an opinion from a law officer since they might not jibe all the time. One can't really expect them to know every law and every detail of each afterall.

here ya go, from findlaw for NY traffic code..

?º 1117. Traffic-control signals; malfunction. Except when directed to
proceed by a police officer, every operator of a motor vehicle
approaching an intersection governed by a traffic-control signal which
is out of service or otherwise malfunctioning shall stop in the manner
required for stop signs set forth in section eleven hundred seventy-two
of this title, and proceed according to the rules of right of way for
vehicles set forth in article twenty-six of this title.

So if the signal does not respond to your bike, one could view it as falling under the "otherwise malfunctioning" clause and you just treat it as a 4 way stop. Makes no difference whether car or bike. So “technically” you could proceed, how well it would sit with a judge is another matter! but I did use the same thinking when a light did not/does not respond to my bikes, haven't "tested" it yet but now we have a law on the books to allow for it so.....

Lots of states seem to be adopting the right to turn left after stopping if the signal does not "see" you. Most seem to require waiting at least one full cycle of the light before proceeding. Seems like you could use the above law to argue for a change and specific regulation covering that.



RM
 
I went to our local Fleet-Farm store (kind of like a Tractor Supply/Home Depot) and bought some "cow magnets" in the bovine supplies aisle. They are about $5 a pair, and are basically a three inch long magnet powder coated black.

What,....you got no stores in your area with a "bovine" aisle? Hmm,..your loss, oh well.

Anyway, I used high-strength epoxy to glue the magnets to the vertical leading side of my centerstand, just high enough that they won't touch the ground when the stand is down. It seems to help. The magnets are low on the bike, don't mess with the electronics on the bike, and if the sensor is touchy, I simply push the centerstand down to touch and lift it, and the light triggers.

Here is some info on them, http://magnets-cow.com/
 
cows are magnetic????

who'd of thunk! :laugh

so do they produce iron-rich milk in your area?

RM
 
I read an issue in a magazine about traffic lights not changing to green because the lights are not set for motorcycles to trigger them. The article suggested to call the local street department and report which lights are not triggering and the street department will correct the issue. I have this problem with some of the traffic lights where I live and have not called my street department. I will one of these days and see if the problem will be corrected.
 
The method of calling the local maintenance responsible for setting the sensor is especially effective if you offer to be the test subject to set the sensor. That way, in a sense they set the sensor for your bike, it switches just for you, and you ride on!
 
When I get to one of these lights (and there were many in my relatively small town), I quietly steam in my helmet, make a note of the location, then proceed.

I created a Google map where I recorded all locations, along with comments detailing whether it was left turn, etc.

After doing this for a while, and gathering a nice collection of malfunctioning lights, I emailed the link to the map to the city's public works department. They called me back within a day, and actually fixed the lights within two weeks.

Not sure if my city is more responsive than others, but making it easy for them to see which ones malfunctioned probably didn't hurt.

Also, a tip I received from a fellow rider (and engineer I believe): when there are three loops in the pavement, position yourself on the middle one. It is usually the most sensitive one. This worked for me in several intersections where I couldn't get a green light before. The sucky part is of course that the center of the lane is covered in oil and other liquids :-(
 
Where to go?

Where would I go to find out the law about this specific to my state and/or city. (Frankfort, Kentucky)

I too have noticed several lights that won't change for me while I'm on the bike. One particular one is on my way home from work. I've run it on occasion, but only after waiting at least one cycle. I've just been fortunate to not have had any of Frankfort's Finest be around.

The cow magnets sounds like a good option as long as they don't get knocked off.
 
Casey said:
Where would I go to find out the law about this specific to my state and/or city. (Frankfort, Kentucky)

I too have noticed several lights that won't change for me while I'm on the bike. One particular one is on my way home from work. I've run it on occasion, but only after waiting at least one cycle. I've just been fortunate to not have had any of Frankfort's Finest be around.

The cow magnets sounds like a good option as long as they don't get knocked off.
Click to expand...


Knock yourself out, my friend! :lurk

http://www.lrc.ky.gov/krs/189-00/chapter.htm
 
I'm sure I'm not the only one who is curious, so I gotta ask, what is a cow magnet used for and how is it used?

I may regret asking that.
 
E_Page said:
I'm sure I'm not the only one who is curious, so I gotta ask, what is a cow magnet used for and how is it used?

I may regret asking that.
Click to expand...

Cows occasionally swallow old nails etc. Feeding the cow a magnet keeps the nails from causing internal bleeding. The magnets are coated with plastic to prevent them from corroding.

Chick magnets, are not, however, an agricultural tool for poultry...
 
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