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Originally Posted by delbiker1
(Post 23609907)
Most of the stop lights in my area include operating on a timer. They are not tripped by a car, nor do they change when pedestrians hit the crossing light buttons. It gets irritating in the off season when the traffic is lighter.
When I moved to Ocean City/Bethany beach. Md and DE, traffic lights were turned off from October 1 until May 1. That was stopped in the early 80's. Traffic is now year round. |
Originally Posted by I Like To Ride
(Post 23609854)
I am not sure why you're trying to pick a fight, but to answer your question I ride in the suburbs, where 99% of intersections have a light change button that people can push. Some of these light change buttons are along bike routes so cyclists can use them too.
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Almost every intersection in Toronto has a push button. If the light is taking too long and there's no traffic, I go. Guys on bikes look stupid sitting at a light with no traffic.
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I've never had a stoplight sensor detect me on a bike, that I know of. Most of the time push buttons are up on a sidewalk and awkward to get to on a bike. Though I will use those when needed. Fortunately, my state (New Mexico) recently passed the Stop-as-Yield Law (Idaho Stop), so if it is clear, I can legally cross on the red, not that I ever did that before:innocent:.
Of course, sometimes cross traffic can be very busy and you need the light to change to get cross traffic to stop. But probably 90% of the time, there is a car that will trigger the light anyway. |
It's been a long time since encountering one that didn't trip. Maybe a long as since I left Texas for Oregon.
I don't notice any difference between carbon, aluminum, or steel frames - all have aluminum rims. |
Originally Posted by MikeDeason
(Post 23609930)
Almost every intersection in Toronto has a push button. If the light is taking too long and there's no traffic, I go. Guys on bikes look stupid sitting at a light with no traffic.
P.S. Your sock is showing. lol |
In my city there are some intersections with a sensor under ground designated by three small yellow circles that will change the light that is used for cars. And some intersections also have a dedicated bike light too via some sort of sensor mounted on a pole. Other than that we are screwed here unless a car is also waiting for the light too.
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Originally Posted by Sy Reene
(Post 23609851)
I've heard the detectors use magnets.. so chalk up a benefit for riding a steel bike :-)
See post #6 for a link to a somewhat-thorough list of current bike detection technologies. |
Originally Posted by indyfabz
(Post 23609557)
Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. That why at least some states have laws that allow you to proceed against the red light if it won’t change.
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Originally Posted by Old man riding
(Post 23609550)
It seems that I have had to wait until a car pulls up behind me for the light to be triggered to change. It just doesn't notice bicycles. Has this happened to anyone else?
Technology continues to improve, but the basic principles don't change and neither does the lack of interest by traffic folks in detecting bicycles. If I ever get stopped by a cop for going against a red at an intersection with sensors, I'm ready to explain all this as an excuse. |
Originally Posted by indyfabz
(Post 23609685)
Do you ride in Fantasyville?
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Originally Posted by I Like To Ride
(Post 23609854)
I am not sure why you're trying to pick a fight, but to answer your question I ride in the suburbs, where 99% of intersections have a light change button that people can push. Some of these light change buttons are along bike routes so cyclists can use them too.
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The walk light push buttons in my town are not conveniently placed for a bike. They're often on the far side of a sidewalk, or off any pavement and you have to wade through knee high grass to find one, and/or they're placed on the back side of a pole. No big deal if you don't mind getting off the bike, going up the narrow handicap ramp, push the button, turn the bike around and be ready to race if the light changes quickly. Or straddle the bike, lift it up, swing it around, scooch it over to the pole, etc.
I'm not sure how forcing a cyclist to change a traffic light like that jives with the UVC's "Every person propelling a vehicle by human power or riding a bicycle shall have all of the rights and all of the duties applicable to the driver of any other vehicle under chapters 10 and 11, except as to special regulations in this article and except as to those provisions which by their nature can have no application." Does the driver of a car or truck have to do any of those things? Anyhow, most of the loop sensors I've run across seem to be activated by putting a foot down. Ride as slow as I can, try a track stand, it's only when I stop and put a foot down that the light starts to change. For a bicyclist, I think these should be renamed "foot-down sensors." :) |
Fortunately Oklahoma allows for Idaho stops. But I have noticed that my bike seems to trigger the motion detector a bit easier when I'm running my light in DRL mode. But the light may be my imagination, and I'm sure if it is, someone will provide a lengthy explanation how blinky lights won't affect a motion sensor.
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Originally Posted by downtube42
(Post 23609946)
It's been a long time since encountering one that didn't trip. Maybe a long as since I left Texas for Oregon.
I don't notice any difference between carbon, aluminum, or steel frames - all have aluminum rims. |
The intersections that bother me are local roads that cross busy state roads. The lights are controlled by motion cameras on the overhead wires. This is the Phila. suburbs and what used to be great roads to ride on have been fully developed. I try to stay on the smaller neighborhood roads as much as possible, but I have to cross the larger roads and their traffic is constant.
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I used to ride a motorcycle. If I were first in line at a red light at an intersection, it would not trip the induction sensor under the pavement. My only choice was to wait and just go or get off the pick and push the crosswalk button. If you are a bike, you'll have to wait until a car comes up alongside and trips the sensor.
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Originally Posted by cyccommute
(Post 23609678)
Traffic lights used to be almost all inductive loop sensors…wires buried under the pavement. If you can see the loop, those are easy to trip. This article details how to trip those. Finding the loop could be difficult after paving operations but if you can see the loop, riding directly over the wire will trip them. If the loop is a figure 8, the middle wire is doubled so it is most sensitive. Ride directly over the wire for as long as you can. See red lines in the picture below. The car in the picture is sitting on top of the left leg and thus has tripped the light but I can trip this light 100% of the time.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...88ec69071.jpeg The other sensor that has becoming more common is a motion sensor. They often look like a video camera on a stalk like the one below. These can be a bit more problematic because they are set to ignore small targets like pedestrians…wouldn’t want to trip the light every time someone walked by…but bicyclist are also small targets. Turning your bike sideways or waving your arms around in the air might trip them. But not always. If you do have one that is a problem, contact your local street division and ask for them to change the settings. If you can get 10 friends to call, so much the better. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...268e9ed3b.jpeg One thing to know is that every state has a provision for how to proceed if a light is malfunctioning. Wait for a reasonable amount of time…3 to 5 minutes…and proceed as if it is a stopsign being aware that the motorists don’t know that the light is malfunctioning for you. If you can’t get the light fixed, go over a block and cross at a stopsign. |
Originally Posted by I Like To Ride
(Post 23609579)
Majoritty of intersections have a pedestrian cross walk button which can speed up ligjt changes. It's no big deal to go and push one, I do it all the time.
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Originally Posted by Bmach
(Post 23612296)
if you are doing this then I hope you walk you bike across the intersection. Seeing you are using the pedestrian cross light and stopping traffic in all directions you should be a pedestrian. Cyclists want to be treated like vechicals then behave like one. If you are at a light and it does not turn for you are allowed to run it after a time set by your local laws.
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In my area (LA County South Bay), rarely.
In more bike-friendly areas I have seen markers on the pavement specifically designed for bike to trigger a traffic signal. |
Originally Posted by cyccommute
(Post 23609678)
Back in the late '60's I went for a ride with a fellow HS student in his GT350 who was proud to demonstrate how flashing his 'brights' approaching a T-intersection could trip the lights from red to green. I have to believe traffic control tech has come a long way since those days. |
Originally Posted by spclark
(Post 23612430)
Where I am now (and where I used to live and ride back a decade+) those devices were what tripped the EMS vehicle RED LIGHTS AT ALL POSITIONS protocol that made all non-EMS traffic stop at intersections ahead of EMS vehicles. They had nothing whatsoever to do with sensing non-vehicular traffic.
Back in the late '60's I went for a ride with a fellow HS student in his GT350 who was proud to demonstrate how flashing his 'brights' approaching a T-intersection could trip the lights from red to green. I have to believe traffic control tech has come a long way since those days. John |
Originally Posted by spclark
(Post 23612430)
Where I am now (and where I used to live and ride back a decade+) those devices were what tripped the EMS vehicle RED LIGHTS AT ALL POSITIONS protocol that made all non-EMS traffic stop at intersections ahead of EMS vehicles. They had nothing whatsoever to do with sensing non-vehicular traffic.
Back in the late '60's I went for a ride with a fellow HS student in his GT350 who was proud to demonstrate how flashing his 'brights' approaching a T-intersection could trip the lights from red to green. I have to believe traffic control tech has come a long way since those days. |
Originally Posted by cyccommute
(Post 23612634)
You are looking at the wrong sensor. Look to the left in the picture for the two smaller black objects on the stoplight arm that are much shorter. Those are for EMS control.
Thanks for the Wiki link BTW. Makes for interesting reading. |
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