livedarklions

You're technically right, but inductive loop triggers do exist and they require a very large amount of metal to trigger the light change. Still requires a lot more metal than I can carry on a bike, so in practice no difference in effect--I'm just not magnetic enough to trigger the light because I'm not carrying hundreds of pounds of metal..

Do you put ketchup on your nits after you pick them?

79pmooney

The sensors can be adjusted to be triggered by bikes, even non-metal bikes. (Maybe not all but plenty in Portland trigger nicely.) But someone has to do this. Spec the appropriate sensor, set it correctly and see to it that we know where to place our bikes. Paint a marker after re-paves for example. I don't believe any of this is especially difficult but even in bicycle-centric Portland, this doesn't happen in many places.

rumrunn6

haha yeah I saw those too, that musta been a temporary thing. funny with google street view, one day it's sunny, another day it's cloudy but if we're zooming around we get to see the same places in diff. conditions

tomato coupe

When you get the technology totally wrong, it's not nit picking to point it out.

livedarklions

It never happens in NH. Even if they marked it, the paint would scrape off with the first plowing.

livedarklions

I can't set the damn things off and it's frustrating, I don't particularly care what the mechanism is.

tomato coupe

Do all the other lines on the road scrape off with the first plowing?

RCMoeur

Seems like you did the right thing. The driver coming up from behind on the left had to yield to you anyway as you were ahead of them, and you wisely placed yourself out of conflict with a potential (then actual) right turn by the other motor vehicle driver by moving left. Don't change a thing.

jon c. 

There are a few intersections I encounter while driving where left turners will jump into the opposing lane to get to the left turn lane. Fortunately, I don't often ride through these. But if I do I get into the left lane a early as possible to be more visible in case someone behind goes early. They might still honk because now I'm "in their way" but as long as they see me I don't worry too much about their temporary annoyance. Not having been in your shoes I don't know if this may have been the case here.

As you suggest, it's always good to take a last look rather than relying solely on the mirror. That may have provided you with beneficial information, but depending on when the car first moved left, maybe not.

livedarklions

Small stuff does quite frequently. The few sharrows there are in the state have pretty much disappeared. Lane lines seem to do better, but things like yield symbols on the pavement don't last. It's academic anyway, I've seen the bike stoplight markers in a couple places in Mass., but never in NH.

tomato coupe

The symbols disappear with the first plowing? Incredible.

livedarklions

OK, a little poetic license there, but they don't last beyond a single salt, sand and plowing season. They're obviously way down on the list of road maintenance priorities so you have to stare at the road really hard to see the faint ghost of such markings. Pretty much defeats the purpose of them. I can't really blame the crews, budgets are small and potholes are the state's largest winter crop.

I'm pretty sure the vast majority of traffic lights in the state are on timers, but there's a few at awkward intersections that I just cannot set off and invariably end up running a red unless there's a car I can follow.


You done with the cross examination, Perry?