slipknot0129

What do you do when the traffic light never turns green for you? I dont think the traffic lights can detect a bicycle. Does it detect a car if ones behind me waiting?

Usually I stop at the red light then sit there waiting but it never turns green so I just go when it looks safe. Treating it like a stop sign. I dont really understand what I should do so I go for fear of people wanting me to go.

johnny99

If the lights are set up properly, they can detect bicycles. If a light doesn't change for you, then call your city's transportation department and ask them to fix it.

If the light goes through a whole cycle and doesn't change and there's a car behind you, pulling over and asking the car to pull into the sensor area is probably a good idea.

I don't treat red lights "like a stop sign" unless it goes through a full cycle (or a few minutes) without changing.

Bekologist

Go.

Digital_Cowboy

That is what you should do. Along with reporting it to your local authorities so that it can be fixed.

If you roll up on it when it is red and it doesn't change make sure that it is clear and proceed, or if you don't feel comfortable doing that make a right than do a U-Turn and come back to the intersection and make a second right and continue on your way.

There are traffic control sensors that are sensitive enough to pick up bicycles and it is my understanding that they don't cost that much more than the ones that are currently in use now.

fordmanvt

I treat certain red lights as blinking red; stop and then proceed when clear. These are intersections I know the light sequence for each lane by memory.

Speedwagon98

But is that true of all the detectors? Or just some? I'm sure newer ones likely can, but what if the sensor is 20 years old? It might not be a fixable problem, but I don't know enough about the detectors.

Hippiebrian

Let the authorities know. If it's fixable, it will get fixed. If not, you have ammo if any policeman tries to give you a ticket.

That being said, in most states if the light doesn't change in a "reasonable" amount of time, it is legal to proceed. So proceed.

sggoodri

My articles on the subject:

How to turn signals green:
http://www.humantransport.org/bicycl...nals/green.htm

Detection of Bicycles by Quadrupole Loops at Demand-Actuated Traffic Signals
http://www.humantransport.org/bicycl.../detection.htm

twinquad

Uh, how does a light go through a cycle without changing?

The sensor area is usually long enough that a car behind you will still be in it. But a pet peeve of mine is drivers who pull up behind me at a light and leave, like, 20 feet of space, like they're afraid I'm going to explode or something. Then you might have to pull over so they'll pull up, or just run it after a reasonable amount of time.

mulveyr 

Perhaps he's referring to cases like I often run into, where I'm making a vehicular left turn on my bike on a multi-lane road with a dedicated light for the lane, the bike doesn't get sensed, and I never get the green arrow.

In those cases, if the light for the people going straight cycles once, I just take my left when safe.

spock

But make sure you wait till they get there tho'.

Cyclaholic

Exactly.

...treat it as a stop sign, wait for a safe opportunity and go.

ItsJustMe

Around here if the light doesn't think there's a vehicle in a lane, that lane will never get the green even though other lanes are cycling. This happened to me yesterday at an unfamiliar location. I was coming out of a subdivision, parked right on the sensor loop. Directly opposite me a major road T'd with the crossroad. Next to me was a car waiting to turn left. The oncoming traffic and the guy next to me got the green left, then it just turned back red and allowed the cross traffic through again. So I pulled over to the crosswalk and hit the pedestrian signal, when it changed I rode across the crosswalk, and when I got to the other side I pulled back onto the road. The road I was crossing was quite busy, 6 lanes divided, probably 200 feet across, so I wasn't going to just head across and hope for the best.

Chris516

I wait unless it becomes obvious that traffic going the opposite or perpendicular direction is also having the same problem.

JoeyBike

TaDAAA!

frantik

when i was a kid on my paper route to get out of a gated neighorhood i would have to almost lie my bike down on the ground to get it to trigger the sensor to open the gate. i do the same thing on streets if needed and it usually works. or i press the pedestrian button if available

or i just go when safe

ctyler

Wait until its safe and go.

genec

OK nobody has said it, so...

There are street loops that won't detect bikes... no matter how many times you report it, the loops won't be adjusted.
There are streets where, due to heavy cross traffic, will never be safe... such as wide multilane arterial roads... virtual urban highways. Oh sure you can probably wait until some time late at night or early in the morning, and eventually you will get across. But if you expect to cross in a reasonable time, forget it.
Perhaps the street you are on may be so minor that no auto traffic comes along your way to trigger the light... in a reasonable time.

If all this is true, the tried and true solution is act like a ped and push the walk button.

If there is no walk button, and all the above is true, find a different street.

fuji86

You can always press the crosswalk switch if there is one present at the intersection. Outside of that, if the road is clear enough, I figure I'm a grown adult/big boy that I can make those decisions for myself and cross the road.

mechBgon

In that case, I cast Charm on a nearby motorist and make them pull up behind me. But if I'm low on mana, I may also veer over and push the WALK button, or proceed through the light after waiting long enough to verify it's ignoring me. I generally ride the same routes all the time and know which lights will not notice me... not many.

Digital_Cowboy

Genec,

The only problem with "finding a different street." Is that in a lot of areas the only way to get from Point A to Point B is by crossing a particular road or possibly railroad. And that the ONLY way to avoid said obstacle is to go several miles out of one's way.

Here in St. Pete there is are railroad tracks that cross several streets and passing through several neighborhoods. So that even if one goes over several blocks north or south and continues west they are still going to run into the railroad tracks. And from looking at the map the tracks in question doesn't go in a "straight line" rather it goes at an angle so that it doesn't always pass between the same streets.

Such as when I am riding on 30th Ave. N. the railroad tracks are between 25th St. N. and 26th St. N. But further north it passes between 28th St. N. and 29th St. N.

bhop

In my case, the light that doesn't change is out of my work parking lot. No walk button.. no different street. I literally have no choice but run it.

slipknot0129

Thats not good. Have you had any close calls?

Digital_Cowboy

How heavy and fast is the traffic on the road that you need to cross?

As we've both said the suggestion to take another route or street isn't always an option as the obstacle is likely still have to be crossed.

If you are stopping before proceeding through the intersection than you are not "running" it per se, it is defective and you proceeding through it when it is safe to do so.

Have you contacted the city about getting the loop adjusted to pick up vehicles with a smaller mass?

bhop

Well, technically it's not 'defective' because it's a temporary exit anyway since it's right in a construction zone for a train line. So contacting the city wouldn't make a difference i'm sure. Traffic can be heavy at this intersection at times, but that's only because they've closed off a main high traffic road for week or two, and people are using the one by my parking exit as a detour. Luckily I can see the roads pretty well so only go when it's safe for me to do so, even if that means waiting longer than i'd like.


Nah, it's been ok so far. I think once the construction is done it'll be back to normal, but of course, this is Los Angeles, that could be many months down the road..