Stuck at red light

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Coach B
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Stuck at red light

Post by Coach B »

Has anybody ever been stuck at a red light waiting for the green to be triggered by our Buddy's lack of metal and weight? I got stuck the other day and after three minutes I just went through the red light. I think that is legal in Colorado. Today I saw an ad for a Green Light Trigger. It looks like a small box that you put on the bottom of your bike. Does anyone know if these work?
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vitaminC
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Re: Stuck at red light

Post by vitaminC »

Coach B wrote:Has anybody ever been stuck at a red light waiting for the green to be triggered by our Buddy's lack of metal and weight? I got stuck the other day and after three minutes I just went through the red light. I think that is legal in Colorado. Today I saw an ad for a Green Light Trigger. It looks like a small box that you put on the bottom of your bike. Does anyone know if these work?
Everything I've read indicates that "green light triggers" are only really good at getting the green out of your wallet, but that they won't have much impact on the signal.

Like you, if I feel that the light isn't going to change, I just go through- providing it's safe to do so. There is one on my daily ride that I have to go through quite regularly, as only the Buddy never triggers it...
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bwilms
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Post by bwilms »

Here is a thread from the alt.scooter Google group that has some pretty good resources on the topic.

I face this all the time and am gradually learning which lights I can trigger and how. I think the best way to fix this problem is to contact the municipality of the light sensor to have them adjust the sensitivty. Your title, registration, and local taxes are just a few reasons why they should care.
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Kevin K
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Post by Kevin K »

Green Light triggers don't work. Ask me how I know.
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Post by sparty »

Kevin K wrote:Green Light triggers don't work. Ask me how I know.
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Coach B
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Post by Coach B »

Thanks guys. This gives me a few things to try without spending more money.
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GatsbyGirl
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Post by GatsbyGirl »

I haven't had this problem yet on the Buddy, but I know with Vespas you can tap your kickstand on the ground and it will trigger the sensor.
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hermitgirl
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Post by hermitgirl »

I have noticed that particularly with left green arrows (and ONE specifically), I need a car behind me to trigger, otherwise it simply won't go. I haven't run a red yet, but we'll see when I'm in a hurry one day.
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ericalm
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Post by ericalm »

GatsbyGirl wrote:I haven't had this problem yet on the Buddy, but I know with Vespas you can tap your kickstand on the ground and it will trigger the sensor.
Yeah, this works if you're positioned over the sensor (round cut out in the street). I just ease my foot back and lower the stand to tap the street. Presto!

I knew a guy college who would jump off his MC and push the pedestrian crosswalk button.

In some places, I believe, there are laws permitting you to run a red light if it has not changed after a certain time and you can safely clear the intersection. Might want to look this up before taking my word on it; could be an urban myth.
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rablack
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Post by rablack »

I had this problem on a left turn light on my regular commute. After reading a post somewhere with a link to how the "triggered" signals work (sorry can't find the post now) I learned that the sensors don't sense weight but the movement of metal over the embedded wires.

The next day, rather than pulling into the center of the rectangular cutout, I rolled up to the light on my Buddy along the full length of the right side of the cutout slot in the pavement and stopped over the slot as well. It triggered the light for me. Give it a try.
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bwilms
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Post by bwilms »

rablack wrote:The next day, rather than pulling into the center of the rectangular cutout, I rolled up to the light on my Buddy along the full length of the right side of the cutout slot in the pavement and stopped over the slot as well. It triggered the light for me. Give it a try.
I've found this to work as well, but only on some lights. Other lights I still haven't figured out how to trip.
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castleton
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Post by castleton »

Lights are not triggered by weight, but by your engine's magnetic field. There's a coil under the first "cut out" in the pavement (some actually have the word "loop" and an arrow spray painted on by the dept. of transportation). Scooter engines (and many motorcycle engines) don't generate the same magnetic field as a car engine.

I went to a hardware store and for 15.00 bought a large magnet (the kind that claims to lift 95 pounds) and placed it on the metal plate under the steering. I now can trip 2 lights that wouldn't trip for me before, but one that is on a newly paved road (so that the "loop" is under 2 layers of pavement) won't trip for me, so I turn right and do a u-ie.
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MrNatural
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Post by MrNatural »

I googled "red light green light motorcycle law minnesota" to find what I'd read in the DOT manual....
In MN it's legal to "run" the red light if....
(1) the motorcycle has been brought to a complete stop;

(2) the traffic-control signal continues to show a red light for an unreasonable time;

(3) the traffic-control signal is apparently malfunctioning or, if programmed or engineered to change to a green light only after detecting the approach of a motor vehicle, the signal has apparently failed to detect the arrival of the motorcycle; and

(4) no motor vehicle or person is approaching on the street or highway to be crossed or entered or is so far away from the intersection that it does not constitute an immediate hazard.
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hermitgirl
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Post by hermitgirl »

Quote from http://www.ducatigirl.com/california/dm ... ml#nogreen

for Californians:

If a light won't turn green, can I run it?

This is a complicated question for which I could not find any sort of answer in the California Vehicle Code. If a signal is defective (like it's out), you're supposed to make a full stop and then proceed through the intersection when it's safe. But just because it's not picking up your motorcycle, does that make it defective? Not really. If a cop sees you go through a light even though you've been sitting there for an hour, you can still get a ticket because, bottom line, you ran a red light and you had the "alternative" of turning right and trying other convoluted routes. So what should you do? I don't want to tell you what to do, but I will tell you what I would do: If the light won't turn after two cycles (usually those left-arrow lights), I would proceed against the red light only if it's safe (and after looking around for the police). Here's a good technical article on traffic sensors and why they won't trip for a bicycle (which is relevant to us).
If you happen to get ticketed for running a red under these circumstances, have a friend videotape you sitting at the light that refuses to turn. Show this to the judge and hope he or she lets you off.
What happens if you're sitting at a photo enforced intersection that won't turn for you? Will it snap a picture of you if you've been sitting there and decide to go against the red? I know someone who has done it and the cameras did not go off. The web site "How Stuff Works" has good info on red light cameras: "In most systems, the computer will not activate the cameras if a car is just sitting over the induction loops. To trigger the cameras, you have to move over the loops at a particular speed. In most systems, there are two loop triggers for each lane of traffic. When the triggers are both activated in quick succession, the computer knows a car has moved into the intersection at high speed. If there is more of a delay, the computer knows the car is moving more slowly. If the car activates only the first trigger, the computer knows it is stopped at the edge of the intersection."
Let me reiterate that I am not suggesting you run red lights, ever. I'm just telling you what I, um, might do, which is not the same as admitting that I've ever done it.
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Post by scarabmonkey »

I can't seem to find the right link again but I had this same problem on my commute with the same light every day. There were times I waited for 5 minutes for a car to turn the same way as me (2 left turn lanes). I then found out that it is legal in AZ as long as you have waited for a reasonable amount of time and it is safe to cross (and you can see all possible hazards, no turning with a blind corner). Now the question would be whether or not Officer Ramirez (actual Cop, pulled me over twice on my commute) knew about the law and understood and agreed that you had waited a "reasonable" amount of time.

Also, if you ride in Phoenix, beware that officer Ramirez can talk long enough to make you late for work about the dangers of lane splitting, even though he doesn't give you a ticket for aforementioned infraction. :?
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Post by lobsterman »

scarabmonkey,

Find out what transportation authority is responsible for that piece of road, call them and ask them to adjust the sensitivity on the proximity sensor. You are the owner of a legally licensed and registered vehicle, presumably also a taxpayer, and you are entitled to the same safe and legal use of that road as the driver of a big old smelly gas guzzling SUV that has no trouble kicking off the sensor.

If they don't adjust it, keep calling until they do. It's usually just the turn of an adjustment knob or screw in an access box at the light, so it's not a big deal for them. Tell them it's not safe and it's going to cause an accident.

I've been told that most of them can be adjusted to the point where a bicycle would activate it, so your Buddy should be enough if they adjust it right.
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ericalm
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Post by ericalm »

scarabmonkey wrote:Now the question would be whether or not Officer Ramirez (actual Cop, pulled me over twice on my commute) knew about the law and understood and agreed that you had waited a "reasonable" amount of time.
You could find a copy of the transportation code which permits this and print it out to carry in your scoot.
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Post by Keys »

...except that if they found out the last time Monkey paid taxes, they'd probably fire a warning shot through his spleen....

Sorry, Brad...I HAD to do it...

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Post by rajron »

I tried the tapping of the center stand to the ground thing – for me, at the two problem intersections of my commute, it has worked every time!
One intersection is a straight thru, the other intersection is a left turn.
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Post by ericalm »

rajron wrote:I tried the tapping of the center stand to the ground thing – for me, at the two problem intersections of my commute, it has worked every time!
One intersection is a straight thru, the other intersection is a left turn.
Awesome! Good to know it's not all in my mind.
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Post by ctpaddler2000 »

GatsbyGirl wrote:...I know with Vespas you can tap your kickstand on the ground and it will trigger the sensor.
:lol: This would not work to well on my Suzuki as putting down the kickstand or centerstand will kill the motor.
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Post by lobsterman »

ctpaddler2000,
This would not work to well on my Suzuki as putting down the kickstand or centerstand will kill the motor.
Clearly you are riding the wrong bike.
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avidgirl
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Post by avidgirl »

Ironically enough, this happened to me for the first time last night on my ride home. I had to work extra late and got to the train station around 2AM. A nice police officer cruised through the lot to check things out, I gave him a quick wave and hopped on the Buddy. I got to the traffic light and the bloody thing would turn, but not green for my direction. The nice officer pulled around and waved me through the light.

I'll try the center stand trick tonight as I will be working late once again.
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rajron
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Post by rajron »

Cops have a tough job, it is encouraging to hear when they are human as well.
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Post by soundofsingles »

This has been a very interesting thread. I've rerouted my trip to work to avoid as many triggered lights as possible. There is one light that I have to go through late at night however. So the last time I was waiting for it to change I put the kick stand down and ran over and hit the pedestrian walk button, and before I could get back to the bike the light had changed. I don't know if it was a) the pedestrian light button b) the kick stand c) the car that pulled up behind my riderless scooter.
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Post by ericalm »

soundofsingles wrote:This has been a very interesting thread. I've rerouted my trip to work to avoid as many triggered lights as possible. There is one light that I have to go through late at night however. So the last time I was waiting for it to change I put the kick stand down and ran over and hit the pedestrian walk button, and before I could get back to the bike the light had changed. I don't know if it was a) the pedestrian light button b) the kick stand c) the car that pulled up behind my riderless scooter.
As much as I'm convinced the kickstad trick works for some triggers, I'm also convinced that pedestrian walk buttons do nothing whatsoever. I think they're some kind of waiting placebo, or possibly a bizarre psychological experiment (run, perhaps, by a secret cabal, aliens, "the others," or whoever). ;)
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