Stop lights?
09-02-10, 07:25 AM
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Stop lights?
How many stop lights are on your commute and how many of those are red when you get to them?
09-02-10, 07:47 AM
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Three total. The first two are always red in my direction. One of them completely fails to detect bicycles, the other is overly sensitive and picks me up to soon; it's usually yellow by the time I get to the intersection.
09-02-10, 07:49 AM
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Thankfully, my route only has two, one on either side of a very short bridge. They're always red.
09-02-10, 07:55 AM
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Living in the city of (red) lights 
I have twelve to go through, most of them in the first half of my journey, and I do stop if they're red.
I have twelve to go through, most of them in the first half of my journey, and I do stop if they're red.
09-02-10, 08:20 AM
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Two. One of them is red half the time, but since I'm coasting down a hill towards it for about 1/3 mile before I get to it, I just slow down if the timing is wrong, so that it's green when I get to it. The other one is only red about 1/10 the time, I'm on the major road and a small road T's in to it, the light's on a sensor so it's mostly green in my direction.
The former doesn't seem to be on a sensor, so it's not an issue. The latter has a sensor on the minor road. Occasionally I've been coming down that road going back towards work, hitting the light in the left turn lane. It does pick up my bike and change after 20 seconds or so.
The former doesn't seem to be on a sensor, so it's not an issue. The latter has a sensor on the minor road. Occasionally I've been coming down that road going back towards work, hitting the light in the left turn lane. It does pick up my bike and change after 20 seconds or so.
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Work: the 8 hours that separates bike rides.
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09-02-10, 08:44 AM
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20+ in a 9 mile commute. And probably 10+ stop signs. I'm just going to guess that about 50% are red when I get there.
09-02-10, 08:49 AM
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Nine along my normal route. Seven, but more stop signs on my primary alternate route. I seem to catch the one nearest my apartment as a red light most of the time. Other lights are spread out and kind of hit or miss depending on what kind of time I'm making and luck of the draw. On a good day, I hit at most a couple lights. Those nine lights are packed into the first 1.5 miles and the last mile of my commute. The rest is on an MUP.
09-02-10, 08:49 AM
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Too many to count. They're all red, just some are lit up and some aren't 
09-02-10, 08:57 AM
#10
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14 lights (I didn't realize it was that many!) in 10 miles. On average, maybe 5 will be red. I have the timing of some of the lights figured out so I know how fast I need to go to maximize the greens, but it partly depends on when I get to the first in a series of lights. Out in the 'burbs near my house, the lights are at least partially triggered by sensors, so there's no way to time them.
09-02-10, 08:59 AM
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I've got 54 stoplights and 3 stop signs on my 15 mile commute, usually in the morning I hit them all red, on my way home (with a headwind) they always seem to be green . They just replaced one of the stop signs with another light that doesn't have sensors for bikes.
09-02-10, 09:05 AM
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I have one traffic light on my 15 mile commute home from work. Living in the middle on nowhere rocks!!!!
09-02-10, 09:05 AM
#13
You gonna eat that?
The route I take in the morning is about 15 miles.... let's see:
Total- 8 lights, 6 are usually red when I get there. one is 50-50 red or green. If that one is red I can do a right turn on yield and left turn into a parking lot to miss it. Of those 6 that are usually red, I follow the "Idaho Law" at half of them.
Total- 8 lights, 6 are usually red when I get there. one is 50-50 red or green. If that one is red I can do a right turn on yield and left turn into a parking lot to miss it. Of those 6 that are usually red, I follow the "Idaho Law" at half of them.
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I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.
Originally Posted by bragi 
"However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.
Originally Posted by bragi "However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
09-02-10, 11:03 AM
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Too many to count, 30, 40, 50? No idea. But if I maintain a decent pace I can make most of them. This morning I stopped maybe 5-6 times. Yeah, I stop at red lights...
Last edited by AdamDZ; 09-02-10 at 12:36 PM.
09-02-10, 11:08 AM
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09-02-10, 11:13 AM
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never counted, but there are several lights and stop signs on my route.
some i always stop for
some i slow down, look, go
depends on the situation
even if it is green, i slow down and look. I was almost hit last night while going through a green light by an oncoming car turning left in front of me. he was obviously only watching for cars.
some i always stop for
some i slow down, look, go
depends on the situation
even if it is green, i slow down and look. I was almost hit last night while going through a green light by an oncoming car turning left in front of me. he was obviously only watching for cars.
09-02-10, 11:16 AM
#17
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18 lights in 6.5 miles. Average of 4 red - I use the main roads which have priority over the side streets.
09-02-10, 11:19 AM
#18
aka Timi
Only one light... which I run if it's red and there ain't any cars in sight...
09-02-10, 12:09 PM
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10 in 10 miles plus 2 stop signs and one railroad crossing. Going home it's about the same, but two additional stop signs.
09-02-10, 12:34 PM
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10.5 miles in the morning. The one time I counted I hit 13 red lights.
09-02-10, 12:35 PM
#21
You gonna eat that?
Funny you should bring up railroad crossings- for a while I was commuting with a friend (not anymore because I like to ride in earlier than he does). Anyway, he knew the train schedules (freight trains) for the track we need to cross, and it is very consistent. This is something I never noticed when driving a car.
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I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.
Originally Posted by bragi "However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.
Originally Posted by bragi "However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
09-02-10, 12:36 PM
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Fixed!
09-02-10, 12:47 PM
#23
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I dunno, but for some reason I get many more red lights on the ride home than on the ride in.
Sometimes, in the morning, I can make it to work with two stops. Never on the ride home. Not even close.
Sometimes, in the morning, I can make it to work with two stops. Never on the ride home. Not even close.
09-02-10, 12:51 PM
#24
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13 lights, 4 stop signs on 5 mile commute to work. 9 lights, 4 stop signs and a round-a-bout on 5 mile commute home. Average about 1/3 red and I stop at all reds and stop signs.