Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Road Cycling
Reload this Page >

triggering traffic lights

Notices
Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

triggering traffic lights

Old 11-29-05, 09:49 PM
  #1  
scofflaw
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Seattle
Posts: 540
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
triggering traffic lights

just curious, if your bike is carbon or ti how do you trigger the traffic lights? (Seattle most lights
have a diamond or circle that you can trigger the light in, but I thought maybe incorrectly, that it
detected the metal on your bike)
__________________
"...we're half awake in a Fake Empire.." (The National)
Marge is offline  
Old 11-29-05, 09:56 PM
  #2  
Sensible shoes.
 
CastIron's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: St. Paul,MN
Posts: 8,798

Bikes: A few.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Run them and make the issue moot. I've got a quarter ton motorcycle that can't trip some lights. You can bet you're S.O.L. on a bicycle at the same light.
__________________
Mike
Originally Posted by cedricbosch
It looks silly when you have quotes from other forum members in your signature. Nobody on this forum is that funny.
Originally Posted by cedricbosch
Why am I in your signature.
CastIron is offline  
Old 11-29-05, 09:56 PM
  #3  
Designer
 
steppinthefunk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,373
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 12 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times in 5 Posts
I have no answer to your question but I heard that some states have laws (or are trying to pass a law) where in motorcycles can pass through a red light IF they come to a complete stop first and look both ways - just as if the light were a stop sign...
__________________
steppinthefunk is offline  
Old 11-29-05, 09:58 PM
  #4  
Sensible shoes.
 
CastIron's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: St. Paul,MN
Posts: 8,798

Bikes: A few.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by steppinthefunk
I have no answer to your question but I heard that some states have laws (or are trying to pass a law) where in motorcycles can pass through a red light IF they come to a complete stop first and look both ways - just as if the light were a stop sign...
The law here in regards to that does NOT make them a 4-way stop. It requires you to wait for a "reasonable" amount of time to verify that it isn't on a timer rather than solely on a trip basis. It also only applies to left hand turns with a dedicated signal light. In other words: you can make your own green arrow after a few minutes and yielding to everyone else.
__________________
Mike
Originally Posted by cedricbosch
It looks silly when you have quotes from other forum members in your signature. Nobody on this forum is that funny.
Originally Posted by cedricbosch
Why am I in your signature.
CastIron is offline  
Old 11-29-05, 10:21 PM
  #5  
Announcer
 
EventServices's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Detroit's North Side.
Posts: 5,108

Bikes: More than I need, really.

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 39 Post(s)
Liked 36 Times in 13 Posts
We use pole-mounted cameras. They aren't always bike-cognizant.

There are also induction loops that sense weight. For those, you have to eat like a pig for many months.
EventServices is offline  
Old 11-29-05, 10:26 PM
  #6  
scofflaw
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Seattle
Posts: 540
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
okay I'm not interested in how motorcycles scoff the law.
__________________
"...we're half awake in a Fake Empire.." (The National)
Marge is offline  
Old 11-29-05, 10:40 PM
  #7  
riding once again
 
jschen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 7,359

Bikes: '06 Cervelo R3, '05 Specialized Allez

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I ride a carbon fiber bike. There's enough metal in the drivetrain and what not to set off most sensors around where I live if you set yourself at the edge of the loops (the circles or diamonds mentioned in the original post). Occasionally, this doesn't work, and I either wait for a car that's coming to the intersection to set off the light or go press the walk button.
__________________
If you notice this notice then you will notice that this notice is not worth noticing.
jschen is offline  
Old 11-29-05, 10:41 PM
  #8  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: ELDO, California ( El Dorado Hills, near sacto)
Posts: 192

Bikes: Devinci Ollie

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I'm with CastIron just come to a stop, look around, then go throught, but i prefer the take a quick glance as you come up to the light then proceed if it is clear.
redmonster is offline  
Old 11-29-05, 10:54 PM
  #9  
Senior Member
 
DannoXYZ's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Saratoga, CA
Posts: 11,736
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 109 Post(s)
Liked 9 Times in 6 Posts
Originally Posted by EventServices
There are also induction loops that sense weight. For those, you have to eat like a pig for many months.
They sense moving metal, not weight.... You've got to have enough metal close enough to the loop moving with enough velocity to induce a current in the loop... The trick with motorcycles was to lean the bike over so more metal was closer to the loop. There's actually one light near my house that was installed 2 years ago that's actually sensitive to bikes! Have no problems with my carbon Allez. Takes 5-seconds to change the light after you pull up. But after 6pm, it reverts to a fixed timer-cycle, every 5 minutes it changes... bizarre.. I wonder what the traffic folks were thinking about that...
DannoXYZ is offline  
Old 11-29-05, 11:39 PM
  #10  
Senior Member
 
LCI_Brian's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: in the hills of Orange, CA
Posts: 1,355
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
https://www.humantransport.org/bicycl...nals/green.htm
LCI_Brian is offline  
Old 11-30-05, 02:31 PM
  #11  
Eat. Lift. Ride. Drink.
 
Sinfield's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: pdx
Posts: 572
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
a lot of my motorcyclist buddies have attached small magnets to their bikes that supposedly trip the lights. I just run em on my bike if there's no cross traffic.
Sinfield is offline  
Old 11-30-05, 02:50 PM
  #12  
JOCP Lives!
 
TheDTrain's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Malden, MA (near Boston)
Posts: 794

Bikes: 2005 Felt F90 (my pride and joy)

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Question - maybe I don't get this conversation, but how and why would you trigger traffic lights on any bike?
TheDTrain is offline  
Old 11-30-05, 03:24 PM
  #13  
Maglia Ciclamino
 
gcasillo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Mason, OH
Posts: 3,073

Bikes: Bianchi Aria, Bianchi Volpe

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
^^^ Provided you're at an intersection where there is a metal detecting plate in the road and you ride a steel bike, you can lay it down over the patch where the detector is. Upright, it might not be enough metal to be detected. Laid down, it might trigger it. Usually not worth the effort; just look for traffic and cross.

Funny. I ran a light last Sunday night. Crossing a one way street. Stopped. Didn't see any cars coming, so I pedaled through. Just as soon as I get through the intersection, I look over to see a patrol car sitting one car back going the other way. Gave the officer of the law a kind of "uh, sorry" look. He didn't seem to care.
gcasillo is offline  
Old 11-30-05, 03:30 PM
  #14  
OCP
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: MILWAUKEE
Posts: 6,289

Bikes: The kind with two wheels

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 1 Post
You guys actually stop?
Hipcycler is offline  
Old 11-30-05, 03:31 PM
  #15  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Western Morris Cty, NJ
Posts: 558
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
There's one particular left turn lane near my house that I can't trip at all. Of course it's at the start of one of my favorite routes. So I will either wait a full light cycle and then go on a red arrow, or until a car comes to trip it, whichever somes first. This means I often run a red arrow. I haven't had a problem yet.
steve_wmn is offline  
Old 11-30-05, 03:39 PM
  #16  
Peloton Shelter Dog
 
patentcad's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Chester, NY
Posts: 90,508

Bikes: 2017 Scott Foil, 2016 Scott Addict SL, 2018 Santa Cruz Blur CC MTB

Mentioned: 74 Post(s)
Tagged: 2 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1142 Post(s)
Liked 28 Times in 22 Posts
Cops generally don't ticket cyclists. In 20+ years of cycling (and having been pulled over on group rides and solo a few times) I've only been lectured. Some woman cop did this to me the other day. I have cycling jerseys older than her. After 100K miles without getting flattened I seriously doubt the incident that results in my demise on the road will be me running a stop sign. More like some 17 year old kid text messaging on his cell phone. And he won't get a summons after he mows me down either. We KNOW that.
patentcad is offline  
Old 11-30-05, 04:14 PM
  #17  
Elite Fred
 
mollusk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Edge City
Posts: 10,945

Bikes: 2009 Spooky (cracked frame), 2006 Curtlo, 2002 Lemond (current race bike) Zurich, 1987 Serotta Colorado, 1986 Cannondale for commuting, a 1984 Cannondale on loan to my son

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 60 Post(s)
Liked 42 Times in 19 Posts
Dannoxyz has the right idea: Moving metal is the important thing due to induction.

If it is a single induction loop then you should ride along on edge of the loop.

A single induction loop looks like this when cut into the pavement:
_______
\ /
\___ /


A double induction loop looks like this:

_______
\ | /
\_|_ /

and you should ride ride down the middle of it. (Sorry for the crude ascii art.)

The double loops are much more bike friendly as teh local DOT can turn the gain WAY up. The single loop ones can get false positives from vehicles in adjoining lanes is the gain is set high enough to detect a bike. The double loop ones will get cancellation from a vehicle in an adjoining lane so they can turn up the sensitivity enough to detect a bike.

If you are really in a bind you can find the highest concentration of magnetic metal in your bike (probably the headset) and drag that along one of the wires embedded in the pavement. I've never had to go to that extreme.

(In edit: I cannot get the ascii art to look right: spaces in the edit screen don't translate to the post properly. The single loop inductor is a trapazoid. The double loop inductor is a trapazoid that is bisected by a vertical line. Hope that helps.)
mollusk is offline  
Old 11-30-05, 04:18 PM
  #18  
Sensible shoes.
 
CastIron's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: St. Paul,MN
Posts: 8,798

Bikes: A few.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Marge
okay I'm not interested in how motorcycles scoff the law.
Same problem for same reason with same legal responsibilities and often, the same solution. Interested now?
__________________
Mike
Originally Posted by cedricbosch
It looks silly when you have quotes from other forum members in your signature. Nobody on this forum is that funny.
Originally Posted by cedricbosch
Why am I in your signature.
CastIron is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.