tripping stop lights....

[safety-boy]

Some lights are not MC friendly. I hear in North Carolina, the DOT is good about retooling the lights if cyclists call about them. Me... If I know the light won't change, I treat it like a stop sign. Look both ways!

I understand that in Texas, cyclists are allowed to treat any stop light like a stop sign. You might check for your state.

--Dave

[Andrew]

I understand that in Texas, cyclists are allowed to treat any stop light like a stop sign. You might check for your state.

Interesting. I hadnt heard that before, but it's definetly worth looking into.

[Christina]

I think this is one of the top 5 biker complaints - traffic lights that don't properly sense when a motorcycle is waiting. Everyone hates that especially during the early morning hours or late evening hours when traffic is so slow. Install a Signal Sorcerer and that should do the trick.

I have one on my S-10 pickup truck too. They do work – this is basic science, nothing fancy or complicated. The buried sensors are looking for a disruption which can be created by a large mass of iron/steel or a Signal Sorcerer. Signal Sorcerer emits a large magnetic field which trips the buried sensors. This in turn triggers the Henry meter. That's the mechanical device usually in a large box on the corner of traffic intersections that tells the light system, someone is waiting their turn. Signal Sorcerer® is totally worth the $19.95 - when you've been handed a $200 ticket for running the stuck light.

Ride Safe!!

[storysunfolding]

I think this is one of the top 5 biker complaints - traffic lights that don't properly sense when a motorcycle is waiting. Everyone hates that especially during the early morning hours or late evening hours when traffic is so slow. Install a Signal Sorcerer and that should do the trick.

I have one on my S-10 pickup truck too. They do work – this is basic science, nothing fancy or complicated. The buried sensors are looking for a disruption which can be created by a large mass of iron/steel or a Signal Sorcerer. Signal Sorcerer emits a large magnetic field which trips the buried sensors. This in turn triggers the Henry meter. That's the mechanical device usually in a large box on the corner of traffic intersections that tells the light system, someone is waiting their turn. Signal Sorcerer® is totally worth the $19.95 - when you've been handed a $200 ticket for running the stuck light.

Ride Safe!!

Most people pay for their advertising on this site...

[Loonette]

Install a Signal Sorcerer and that should do the trick.

I have one on my S-10 pickup truck too.

I'm curious - why would you want to spend any money at all to put one on a truck? Trucks and cars have plenty of metal to trip the sensors.

Loonette

[qwerty]

Loonette, cages do have more iron than bikes, but keep in mind who sets the sensitivity on the sensors--government workers. There are at least two lights near me that stay stuck all the time unless something like a '67 Cadillac pulls up. Pretty much anything with an aluminum engine block or sitting high like my Bronco won't set it off. Even a school bus will not set it off, I guess because the engine is so high off the ground.

Anyone have any real experience with these things?

I think when the rain stops later tonight, I will take a magnet over to one of the recalcitrant signals, drop it on the loop, and see what happens.

Maybe one of those flat advertising magnets in the bottom of a show will do the job?

[Dragonhawk]

You might find these articles informative. They are about bicycles tripping the detectors. If these tips work for bicycles, they should definitely work for motorcycles:

http://www.humantransport.org/bicycledr ... ection.htm

http://www.bikexprt.com/bicycle/actuator.htm

[Christina]

Loonette, cages do have more iron than bikes, but keep in mind who sets the sensitivity on the sensors--government workers. There are at least two lights near me that stay stuck all the time unless something like a '67 Cadillac pulls up. Pretty much anything with an aluminum engine block or sitting high like my Bronco won't set it off. Even a school bus will not set it off, I guess because the engine is so high off the ground.

Anyone have any real experience with these things?

I think when the rain stops later tonight, I will take a magnet over to one of the recalcitrant signals, drop it on the loop, and see what happens.

Maybe one of those flat advertising magnets in the bottom of a show will do the job?

Hey Qwerty,
Yep you could actually take a magnet Traffic Light Tripper out and run it over the loop and it woud trip the light cycle system......that's how we test them. Although you would need a very strong magnet to do that........the type you are referring to "flat advertising magnets" not sure they have the alsteds you would need to trip an inductive loop.............But have fun in the rain!!

[Cadgeek]

I've read about this on several boards and there have been several wrong answers. I worked at a traffic control device manufacturer for 8 years and still have some contacts there. There isn't an easy answer until more cities upgrade to video detection. adding a magnet won't have any effect. The loop in the lane is looking for an iron mass.

From his email.
In regards to the traffic sensor link you sent me, the inductive loops basically work off the iron content in the vehicle. They are really nothing more than several loops of wire where a low voltage is passed through. Remember your grade school science when you mad an electromagnet with some wire wound around a nail and then connect it to a battery? When a mass of iron is passed over the loop it changes the inductance and a device called the Loop Amplifier detects this change. Then the Loop Amplifier sends an output to the microprocessor (Digital Traffic Controller) to change the traffic light. The problem with a motorcycle is the fact they have a lower content of iron than other larger vehicles. When the Loop Amplifier is initially set up it has to be sensitive enough to detect motorcycles and bicycles but not overly sensitive that the vehicle in an adjacent lane would also be detected. It does become somewhat like splitting hairs. Another problem is with age and temperature these loops can change inductance causing them to be less sensitive. There is no simple solution. New detection technologies such as Video detection are not affected by the same issues but these technologies have their own nuances. Someone needs invents a 100 percent effective and low cost solution to the inductive loop. The key here is “Low Cost”.

[Chip Beazley]

I installed one of the magnetic stoplight triggers on both of my bikes and I do not have any problems anymore with the stoplights not changing. I have used them on several previously owned bikes with satisfactory results.

$25 is cheap if you are stopped by the local constabulary and they do not buy the story that your bike will not trip the light.

It must be habit, but I still ride on the line where they install the loop if it is visible.