[stonefly]

Um, what about putting a magnet on the bottom of your bike the the rest of us do? You could always have your passenger get off and press the pedestrian button...

 

[35286]

I had a Green Light Trigger and was uninpressed with it. Better to just stop, LOOK and go.

 

[pplassm]

Pedestrian button? Ain't no such thing out here in the sticks, boy!

 

[pplassm]

I also have had no success with such devices. I just break the law, and keep an eye out for the man.

 

[BillyO]

Stop lights,Would somebody explain to me what a stop light is ? sounds interesting,where can I find one ?

 

[12217]

I have to disagree with Pete and agree with (cosponsor and retired cop) Jake Knotts: if you decide that you've waited long enough, look both ways, and then proceed through a red light, it's clearly your fault if a collision ensues. Who else could be to blame?!?



Otherwise, the traffic engineer does have an interesting attitude. Perhaps he couldn't get the sensors he wanted because the other vendors paid for the right golfing trips.

 

[obandoj]

Those magnetic devises currently in the market do not work, however the idea of allowing motorcycles to go through red lights would make passing cagers on double yellow lines look like child's play! Legal or ilegal. You want to talk about road rage?

The obvious solution would be to have the manufacturer of the sensors make them motorcycle friendly, but to accomplish that, they would have to treat us bikers as equal citizens in this great country of ours, and what are the chances of that happening...

Anyone out there have any practical ideas?

 

[36967]

If the stop light has sensors embedded in the road put your bike in neutral and lower the kickstand on the spot where the sensors intersect.

 

[gojirasf]

But the problem is when there are NO other cagers around. When cars are around, then they can set off the light for us and we ccan be on our way. But if we run a red and nobody sees us do it, did we actually do it in the first place? This has nothing to do with roadrage ... I am just tired of fealing nervous about running a light when I have been sitting there for five minutes at a solid red light.

 

[Haird]

Interesting attitude? The only reason this is a problem at all is because the sensors don't work, either because they aren't designed to detect a motorcycle, are improperly installed or completely non-functional. Fixing them is goig to require an awful lot of digging -- with on guarantee that it will work. No, I think this will always be a problem. As long as there are traffic light sensors, traffic light sensors will fail. When they do it's time to run the red light -- carefully.

 

[9214]

I don'y know for sure where you are, but in Denver the sensors are tripped by the em field of the vehicle, not weight as stated in the article. I usually just pulse the starter once or twice and the light changes (my buddy on the BMW doesn't have that option-it sounds like he's grinding coffee if he tries). I have called the traffic engineer's office and (supposedly) they've adjusted the sensitivity to allow for bikes at intersections I've complained about, but I've never heard why they need to be adjusted in the first place.



Bryan...FWIW...

 

[48659]

It's the illuminated neon sign on the outside of your town's corner pup or tavern. They can also be found in the window of houses of ill repute.

 

[48659]

It would be nice if the stop, look, go tactic were legal. Even though I've always done it.



I've never been ticketed for doing so.



I think most metro area police are wise to the situation.

 

[Grover]

The best way to trip those sensors is to shutdown and restart your bike. The magnetic field generated by the starter motor is enough to do the trick. It's worked for me the first time, every time.

 

[Grover]

REPOSTING AT THE TOP, with more commentary:



The best way to trip those sensors is to shutdown and restart your bike. The magnetic field generated by the starter motor is enough to do the trick. It's worked for me the first time, every time.



If you know it's coming I recommend shutting the bike down before you come to a stop and starting it up again as soon as you're over the sensor, this way you're not a sitting duck with your engine off waiting to get rear-ended.

 

[23063]

Does that work? I have a couple of these donut magnets and I found one in the bottom of my Ford transmission pan a couple years ago. I always wondered if they were placed there to trip light signals. It didn't seem to have any other purpose.



Is that what they're for? They are really strong magnets.

 

[23063]

I use the stop-look-go method. But I'd be willing to stick one of those tranny donut magnets on the underside of my bike. Would that work?

 

[sick]

In AZ a red light is conditional. If there is no traffic within 500 feet (I think, maybe 1000?) you treat it like a stop sign. Stop, Look, Go. Most people don't know about the law, and are surprised when I do it. My driving instructor told me about it when I was a pup.



It just makes sense to me. I've always done it like that where ever I am, never had any problems. I thought it was like that everywhere.

 

[44744]

Here in Monterey CA, some intersection traffic lights have been "updated" to optical devices and nothing is inbedded in the road. AND some of these simply do not see me on my 800 lb Vulcan. So I treat these signals as a flashing red light. IN FACT, I asked a CHP officer and he said exactly the same thing.

 

[sportbikebandit]

LOL thanks for the tip. I have a degree in Electrical Engineering and I never thought about doing that. Like my wife says engineers are real great in the common sense dept. or maybe she was just talking about me. Next time I'lll try it. Thanks Grover.

Idiot in Seattle

kpaul