Motorcycle Doesn't trigger traffic signal

[Mass_Shyster]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? MA

I sometimes ride a motorcycle to work in the early morning. There are several traffic lights that are triggered when a vehicle approaches. Unfortunately, my motorcycle doesn't trigger the light, so it remains red until a car also pulls up to the light and triggers it.


How long do I have to wait for a traffic signal that never turns green?

 

[You Are Guilty]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? MA

I sometimes ride a motorcycle to work in the early morning. There are several traffic lights that are triggered when a vehicle approaches. Unfortunately, my motorcycle doesn't trigger the light, so it remains red until a car also pulls up to the light and triggers it.


How long do I have to wait for a traffic signal that never turns green?

Technically, if you sit there for 15 minutes on your own and it doesn't change then blow the red, you can be ticketed and there's a good chance it'll be upheld. Unless the light is broken, you can never legally pass a red.

I realize this may be obvious, but have you tried bouncing the bike? If you can deduce exactly where the sensors are under the roadbed and get one of your wheels on them, a bounce may be enough to trigger it. Barring that, it's time to start complaining to your local Gov't Agency who controls traffic signals so they can increase the sensitivity of the sensors.

Good luck.

 

[CraigFL]

I've had this happen even in my car so if I can turn right on red I do it and come back around...

 

[Maestro64]

I realize this may be obvious, but have you tried bouncing the bike? If you can deduce exactly where the sensors are under the roadbed and get one of your wheels on them, a bounce may be enough to trigger it. Barring that, it's time to start complaining to your local Gov't Agency who controls traffic signals so they can increase the sensitivity of the sensors.

Good luck.

Why would you bounce?

The sensors are not pressure sensitive, they is coil of wire in the ground and when a large metal object cross the loops in interrupts the magnetic field and triggers the timing system.


It sounds like the sensor in those lights are probably old and were not sensitive enough to detect the presents of a motorcycle. This use to be a general problem in the past and most modern light sensors do not have this problem.

Try contacting the local road maintenance department and tell them this light is either broken or in not operation to the current standards in either case it is required to be fixed.

 

[The Occultist]

Insert heavy duty magnets into the shoes you wear while biking.

 

[Zigner]

Insert heavy duty magnets into the shoes you wear while biking.

But don't put your feet down on man-hole covers!

 

[FlyingRon]

Insert heavy duty magnets into the shoes you wear while biking.

I'm sure that was a joke, but none of the devices that have been sold (either passive or electronic) that are supposed to enhance the motorcycle tripping these sensors has been really show to do much good at all.

Turn around or make a legal right turn on red or walk the bike across a pedestrian are the "perfectly legal" alternatives.

 

[Maestro64]

Turn around or make a legal right turn on red or walk the bike across a pedestrian are the "perfectly legal" alternatives.

I was thinking the same thing...

 

[You Are Guilty]

Why would you bounce?

The sensors are not pressure sensitive, they is coil of wire in the ground and when a large metal object cross the loops in interrupts the magnetic field and triggers the timing system.


It sounds like the sensor in those lights are probably old and were not sensitive enough to detect the presents of a motorcycle. This use to be a general problem in the past and most modern light sensors do not have this problem.

Try contacting the local road maintenance department and tell them this light is either broken or in not operation to the current standards in either case it is required to be fixed.

Interesting, about 7 seconds of Google-ing shows you are correct. I was given this advice by a crotchety old MSF instructor several years ago, and there are no such sensors (that I know of) in NYC, so I plead ignorance based on bad advice

Still, can't hurt to complain about getting the sensors fixed to the appropriate agency.

 

[xylene]

positioning the bike directly over the road cuts helps tremendously.

This helps even on a bicycle.

 

[Maestro64]

Interesting, about 7 seconds of Google-ing shows you are correct. I was given this advice by a crotchety old MSF instructor several years ago, and there are no such sensors (that I know of) in NYC, so I plead ignorance based on bad advice

Still, can't hurt to complain about getting the sensors fixed to the appropriate agency.

I know due to my buddy's dad owns the patent on this from way back.

 

[Jim_bo]

Turn around or make a legal right turn on red or walk the bike across a pedestrian are the "perfectly legal" alternatives.

If you are in a turn lane or a lane with solid white lines, you can't turn right legally, you can't back up legally, you can't do a U turn legally, having a motor vehicle in a cross walk is illegal (and freakin' ridiculous). So, you are just stuck.

I'm an avid motorcyclist. When I face that scenario, I normally wait for one full cycle of the lights. If I don't get a green, I just go. As I stated above, anything you do is breaking the law (technically)... so I may as well break the law in a manner which is convenient to me. I have never been stopped, but it would certainly take some kind of pin-headded, a$$hole cop to write a ticket for that. I'd welcome the opportunity to face such a cop in court.

 

[racer72]

Most motorcycle shops sell an traffic light activation kit, it is basically a steel plate that is fastened to the frame under the bike. Light sensors now used capacitance to activate the signal, something metallic causes a change in the capacitance of the circuit triggering a relay to change the light. A buddy of mine has a BMW motorcycle and it has an aluminum frame, he had to install one of the kits so his bike would trigger the sensors.