Originally Posted by
ZmanKC
I'm guessing that not all traffic lights can be tripped by bicycles and/or motorcycles. That's why my state just enacted a "dead red" law.
I have two lights on my daily commute that I can not trip. And yes, I did the dead red thing even before the law. I also treat stop signs as yield signs when there is no other traffic present.
Originally Posted by
Pedaleur
"However, the signal sensor circuit must be adjusted to be sensitive enough."
Originally Posted by
tarwheel
Hahahaha .... good one! You obviously have not ridden the streets in Raleigh, NC. I know how to trip a traffic signal in theory. In practice, there are several on my route that will not trip for a bicycle, period. It doesn't matter how I position my bike or how long I wait. The light won't change unless a car comes along and trips it.
I've been able to trip lights all over the country using the techniques in the link. The key is position. If the loop detector is a figure 8, you
have to be over the most sensitive part of the loop which is the middle of a figure 8. You also have to follow it for it's entire length (or at least a good portion of it).
For single loop detectors, you have to follow one of the long legs for it's entire length.
Granted, you have to be able to actually determine where the detector is. That's not always possible but if I can see the wires (sometimes it's just a long linear depression in the pavement), I can trip them. Not just here in Colorado, either. If you want a list, I've ridden in 35 of the 50 states and haven't had a state yet where I couldn't trip the lights.