It is annoying ... but lucky for us in DC and Boston, usually there is so much traffic it isn't a common problem!

-G

If the sensor won't sense your bike and the light won't change it's broken. The vehicle code says that you can go through even though it's red. So it's VC to stop at the light and proceed through on the red once you know it won't change for you.

It doesn't matter whether the legal status of bicycles is as vehicles or as devices. In all states cyclists are legally drivers of vehicles, so that their bicycles, however defined, are legal vehicular users of the roadway. Anyway, the standard for vehicle detectors issued by the Institute of Traffic and Transportation Engineers got around all of that by requiring that traffic signal detectors respond only to registered vehicles. Many years ago, I went round and round with them on that, and they would not change. Whether or not they have responded to the social changes since then I don't know, because, in places such as California, the state highway standards supersede the ITTE standard on detection with diagrams and instructions for loop patterns that are intended to detect bicycles. (Don't always succeed, though.)

John, how does that help the original poster with his riding thru traffic signals that don't sense bikes? Do you still ride much? Do you have any practical, reality based advice for the original poster, or do you want to pontificate about your advocacy from 'many, many years ago?'

I'd say the original poster needs to ADAPT to his riding environment. some of the 'VC crewe' want him to wait for other traffic to trigger the signal, and the ADAPTIVE advice is to come up with reality based solutions to signals failing to detect bikes.

1)stop, then proceed when clear.
2)push the walk button to turn the signal.
3)right and left and thru again.
4) wait for car traffic to trigger the signals.
5) talk to your local roads department to see about adjusting the sensors (won't help on your ride; might help in the future at some point, maybe not)

THESE are the real time, adaptive solutions to signals that fail to detect bikes.

Stop making such silly assertions in the form of rhetorical questions. The usual method is to treat the unworkind traffic signal as a stop sign. My previous answer was addressed to the side issue of whether the traffic-law definition of bicycle was relevant to the discussion.

who's being rhetorical...?

John, your advice is to treat the unworking signal as a stop sign. but the signal DOES work, it just doesn't detect bikes. so to treat it like a stop sign, the OP might be breaking the law in his state (he would be where I ride), which he DOESN'T want to do, as per his post.

so should the OP break the law?
wait for traffic to trigger the signal?
use the pedestrian trigger?
pull a right and U and back again?

which of these ADAPTIVE cycling methods should the dogmatic adherents to VC do? the OP wants to know.

You're advocating the OP break the law for expediency. that doesn't sound very vehicular.

If I am at an intersection, lined up properly on inductive sensor and it doesn't trigger for me, that is a non-functional signal and I treat it as a stop sign.

This case has happened to me only for left turn signals. If the light goes thru a complete cycle and never gives a left green (red left arrow stays lit). I wait until thru traffic has a green and make a left, yielding to oncomming traffic.

There is no way I'd try and scoot over 3 lane of traffic to get to cross walk button push, scoot back and make a left.

Al

Me too, Al. that's very adaptive of you.

It also happens to be what a 'dogmatic VC' would most likely do.

Al

I've heard of several systems/devices for use on motorcycles for this same issue.
A quick search returned this on... no dimensions though...
https://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Signa...QQcmdZViewItem

Some require being wired to an electric source... the one above does not.

apparently, here is that companies website...
https://www.signalsorcerer.com/

They do advertise use on bicycles

The G-4 is...
• Size: 4” x 1” x .375”
• Tough ABS Housing
• Weighs the same as a cell phone
• D.O.T. /EPA Compliant
• Lifetime Power Supply
• Installation: 3-Minutes
• No wiring
• No tools

SS-1 is....
• Lifetime Power Supply
• Bright Nickel Finish
• 3/32" tall x 5/32" wide x 2" long
• Weighs less than 1/2 oz.
• #1 Gift for Motorcyclists
• SAVES Time & Fuel
• Keeps Bicyclists SAFE and Legal
• Works on All Vehicles

Whose being rhetorical? You are, playing games with words and foolish concepts. Inventing the concept of "dogmatic adherents to VC"; I think that I recognize what you mean by your words, and I refuse to play your game. Define what you mean by "dogmatic adherents to VC", and it might be possible to answer your largely rhetorical question.

Run that by me again?

Sounds like you're the only one having trouble communicating with Oneredstar (the OP,) Bek.

hehehe. I think I posted very appropriate riding advice first to this thread, lil'biggman.

It's only a minor annoyance when a signal can't be tripped by my bicycle. It's a huge annoyance when it can't be tripped by my motor scooter. Some intersections are too dicey to simply treat it like a stop sign. I've had to park it, get off and run to the crosswalk and push the button, run back and get on before the light changes for me. At one intersection I did have the crossing guard trained to do that for me, however.

Reporting unresponsive lights is an excellent form of results oriented local advocacy with zero fellow cyclist resistance. It may take lots of phone calls and/or a trail of non caring contacts with slow if any results, but with persistence one can get results and the more one reports, the more of an issue it becomes.
Al