kf5nd

HB1279 was signed into law by Governor Perry in 2007. It requires that electric traffic-control devices register the presence of a motorcycle.

My question is - will the technology that will enable the reliable detection of motorcycles also work for bicycles? Or is more legislation needed?


Peter Wang, LCI
Houston

---------------------------------------------------------


AN ACT
relating to the requirement that a detector for certain
traffic-actuated electric traffic-control devices register the
presence of a motorcycle.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 544, Transportation Code, is amended by
adding Section 544.0075 to read as follows:
Sec. 544.0075. CERTAIN TRAFFIC-ACTUATED ELECTRIC
TRAFFIC-CONTROL SIGNALS. (a) This section applies only to a
traffic-actuated electric traffic-control signal that consists of
a traffic-control signal for which the intervals vary according to
the demands of vehicular traffic as registered by a detector and
that is installed and operating at an intersection.
(b) In addition to any other type of vehicle the presence of
which the detector for the traffic-actuated electric
traffic-control signal may register, the detector for a
traffic-actuated electric traffic-control device to which this
section applies must be capable of registering the presence of a
motorcycle.
SECTION 2. Section 544.0075, Transportation Code, as added
by this Act, applies only to a detector that is installed, replaced,
calibrated, or recalibrated in connection with a traffic-actuated
electric traffic-control signal on or after the effective date of
this Act.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2007.



______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House


I certify that H.B. No. 1279 was passed by the House on April
12, 2007, by the following vote: Yeas 140, Nays 1, 1 present, not
voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.
No. 1279 on May 14, 2007, by the following vote: Yeas 143, Nays 0,
2 present, not voting.

______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House

I certify that H.B. No. 1279 was passed by the Senate, with
amendments, on May 9, 2007, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: __________________
Date

__________________
Governor

City_Smasher

Most traffic signal detectors are magnetic systems, buried under the pavement. If you're on a motorcycle, stopping directly on top of a magnet triggers the device. These are the lines you see, cut into the pavement at intersections. I suspect they will be tweaking the currrent system, or using a more sensitive one for easier recognition of motorcycles.

MMACH 5

Is there any way we can report traffic sensors that are not sensitive enough to register our presence?

In poking around on Dallas' website, they kind of give the impression that they expect us to all just be patient while they "audit" their traffic control system.

There is a form for reporting traffic light outages, but nothing for malfunctioning sensors.

tate65

In Dallas proper call 311, it worked for 2 out of 3 on my route, the 3rd they said would need a new wire, and "they don't have to make it read bicycles, but they try"

jim10040

That's actually a better response than I expected from the City of Dallas people.

For me, what ends up happening is I ride over where it looks like the loop is (big rectangle with corners cut off), and sit there until the light changes. Unfortunately, since I'm not moving much, it usually does take a car to activate it. And I'm NOT gonna carry a big ole electro-magnet with a 12V battery to make it turn, thanks.

People, please tell me if I'm being unfairly mean to Dallas officials...they did actually send me a City of Dallas bike route map for free, just for asking.

Raccoon

My understanding the systems work not through true magenetism but the fact that when a metal object is placed in a coil of wire it will change the voltage. yes this is some to do with magnetism but the voltage change from a metal object does it. The engine in the car is the easy and obvious piece that changes this. A motorcycle also has fairly significant amounts of metal.

Unfortunatly bikes are made of very little amounts of metal and we are not carrying much either. Those carbon fiber bikes truly don't stand a chance because it will not affect the voltage.

With this information I guess they could make it super sensitive and notice the smaller changes but then it will pick up cross traffic or other signals and screw with the lights and make everyone get annoyed.

Go press the crosswalk button if you need, that works if they are available.

MMACH 5

The cro-mo, touring bike I ride to work triggers most traffic signals. There are only a couple of places that it seems to have no effect.

There is another signal whose sensor doesn't work at all. I've watched cars pull up and never trigger the light.

I'm going to try calling 311 and see if anything gets resolved.

OneArmedScissor

It doesn't work for bicycles. No signals do. No yellows are long enough to allow safe travel of a bicycle through them. THIS is why you have to do WHATEVER is needed not to get hit here.

Tex_Arcana

Uhmmmm, you're not supposed to be traveling through the yellow signals. It's a warning to stop and wait. because the light is about to turn red. Not, as most people seem to think, a signal to hurry across the intersection.

WHATEVER is needed to not get hit here is be visable, calm down, wait your turn, follow the traffic laws just like we' re supposed to, and be hyper aware of what the bozo's in cages are up to. I cut way down on near misses following that set of rules.

OneArmedScissor

been to houston lately?
thanks to red light cameras, the lights turn yellow and then red instantly so the city can make more money. The green lights are insanely short (maybe only 3 cars can get through at a time at the busiest intersection in the city).


If I'm biking, and I'm crossing an intersection, and the light turns yellow, which it ALWAYS does before I can even cross to the other side on many unavoidable intersections, it turns red a second later and I have about 30 cars charging around me trying to sweep through the light.

If you paypal me 10 dollars I'll even get it on video, but otherwise it's not worth my time.

Seriously, at least give the benefit of the doubt before your e-peen gets huge and you decide to feel cool by telling someone off.

I could give you a physics lecture right now about why the yellow should be long, but I figure that it's as useless as explaining why red light cameras end up in disasters and more deaths.

MMACH 5

Yea, I always appreciate living in Dallas when I hear about Houston. <ducks> Heehee.

OneArmedScissor

I used to live in Dallas...

And before that I lived in a very cycling friendly country. It's a bit maddening living here, now.

Everything is so poorly set up for anything other than bubba in a pickup truck that it just makes you want to pound your head into the pavement until it becomes a liquid.


I literally watched a light turn from yellow to red in less than a second. In that time, I was right in the middle of the intersection and I had 3 cars SLAM the gas around me (crappy little economy cars too, so lots of noise but not much acceleration) and then honk at me even though I was the first person through the intersection as soon as the light turned green!


Talk about an idiotic intersection. This is a popular place for cyclists too... (one of the few in the city that's supposed to be "good")

Tex_Arcana

Yeah, I live in Houston, and on my daily commute go through one of those red light camera intersections twice a day (always good for a laugh when you see the flash go off when another sucker gets his picture taken). I haven't had a problem with it. I can't help but think from your description that you entered the intersection late 'cause Hillcroft and 59 is a pretty busy intersection.

Which intersection are you having so much trouble with? It doesn't sound like any of the intersections I know and I've been a bike commuter in Houston for nearly 10 years. Even going from the Gessner/Richmond area to Pasadena five times a week. If you think drivers attitudes suck now you should have been here back then. Things are a lot better now.

There are drivers that suck, but usually the bike riders I seen having problems are the ones that follow dangerous behavior patterns that tend to p. o. the drivers.

OneArmedScissor

shepherd and kirby.

it makes me angry. super angry. theres tons of lights where the light is too short to get through on a bike, even if youre pushing hard, and as soon as it turns yellow you have the dukes of hazzard full throttling their pos behind you.


If things are better now, I can only imagine that it must have been like bicycle commuting in Iraq wearing nothing but an American flag.

Ride Happy

Well la D da......

Tex_Arcana

Shepherd and Kirby? You mean where Kirby becomes Allen Parkway? That area isn't safe for cars let alone a bike. I would seriously look for a different route. I'm sorry for doubting you, but please don't paint the whole city based on that intersection. That one is a traffic design nightmare. I used to drive for United Cab in the Greenway area before it became another tool of Yellow Cab, back when there was nothing downtown and if someone staying at The Hilton or Four Seasons wanted to eat out they came to the Upper Kirby area. The quickest way downtown was through River Oaks and up Allen Parkway. I can't tell you how many near misses I had there, and that was in a car.

As for how bad it was, well let me tell you sometime about how I performed a face plant on a garbage truck that suddenly pulled out of the refuse collection point on Westpark near Fountainview one morning when I was half way across the entrance....... There used to be a bike lane there until they built the tollway. Used to be able to ride from 59 all the way to Kirby on the bike lanes on Westpark. Now you can only go from 610 to Kirby by bike lane, and I bet if they put the light rail on Westpark, you won't even have that. They will probably conceder Brays Bayou the alternative route.

MPH2

Lights what lights....we don't need no stinking lights. Just ride like you are invisible.

Creakyknees

Aluminum rims work for many signals, just line your wheels up along the little cuts in the pavement (the edges of the rectangle)

https://www.humantransport.org/bicycl.../detection.htm

The motorcycle folks also have small magnets, about half the size of an ipod that they attach to the bottom of their bikes.

goldfishin

actually, there's a signal here that changes as soon as i get up to it (with no cars around me).

just down the road there's a signal that only gives north and south traffic about 5 seconds to get through while giving east and west traffice about 5 minutes. i tell ya, that east and west traffic is so important that sometimes the light only lets only the oncomming traffic through while neglecting the opposite.

CardiacKid

I was having problems with one little used intersection in Austin, not recognizing my bike. I went on the City of Austin website and registered my complaint. The next day the sensor recognized my bike. In Austin the traffic department is very responsive to cyclists complaints.