I just read another thread about traffic lights not tripping when you pull up to them on your bike. Most times when I pull up the light changes and Im on my merry way. Some times when I get there, no matter how long I sit and wait, the light wont change for me (there are 2 in particular in my town that I just flat out avoid all together). On a few occasions I have finally said to Hell with it and just made the turn when the coast was clear. My question is two fold: Being a biker would you ticket someone for this? And also, if I were to get ticketed, do you think I could beat the ticket if Icould prove to the judge that the light would not change for motorcycles? Thanks for your input.

Since I posted this, a few of you guys said you stop your bike right on top of the detector strips in the road. I have started doing this and it seems to work every time. Even on those 2 lights thatI avoidedbefore. Thanks for the info guys! This forum is a very useful tool.

 

Used to have that problem in California years ago. I was riding a Honda 350 at that time and there wasn't enough iron to trip a few signals. So one Sunday morning, when there was just no traffic at all to help me out, I sat through four green light cycles with no change in the left turn green arrow. Finally, I went on through, and was promptly stopped by a police officer (where was he hiding anyway?). He gave mea ticket, even after I explained the situation to him. His response was to tell it to the judge, not in a smart aleck way, but he couldn't not issue the ticket. He did instruct me to demonstrate the problem which I did to his satisfaction, and he noted the signal was faulty. So it was canceled by the traffic court judge on that basis.

After that, I discovered if no traffic was around to trip the signal, I could just put my kickstand down on the buried wire where the crack sealer is, and the light would trip. I believe most kickstands are iron/steel.[8D]

Here in St George, all the traffic lights work on a timed cycle. If you don't get a green arrow in a left turn lane, you can still turn left when the intersection is clear, so we don't have that problem.

 

First question...because I'm a biker, no I wouldn't ticket you. I've had to do the same thing on occasion.

Second question...If you could prove the light didn't trip I would think you'd have no trouble in court. Not sure how you'd prove it though. If you're thinking, "well, I'll go back and have a buddy videotape me waiting for the light that won't trip", that may or may not work. It doesn't prove the light didn't work when you were ticketed, only that it didn't work at some point after that.

Better off just looking around really, really well before you do it!!

 

Washington state is currently considering legislation that would allow for a motorcyclist in this situation. These are the words being proposed: The operator of a street legal motorcycle approaching an intersection that is controlled by a triggered traffic control signal using a vehicle detection device that is inoperative due to the size of the street legal motorcycle shall come to a full and complete stop at the intersection. If the traffic control signal fails to operate after one cycle of the signal, the operator may, after exercising due care, proceed through the intersection. It is not a defense to a violation of RCW 46.61.050 that the driver of a motorcycle proceeded through the intersection under the belief that the traffic control signal used a vehicle detection device or was inoperative due to the size of the motorcycle when the signal did not use a vehicle detection device or that a vehicle detection device was not inoperative due to the size of the motorcycle.

FBL

 

In Tennessee at least you can make a left turn at a red light riding a motorcycle as long as it is safe to do so. It's a royal pain to be on a road that has the light sensors and you cannot get them to trip.

 

Here in Maryland they have started to go away from the plate buried in the ground and have gone to sensors that look like cameras mounted next to the light that monitors the traffic flow and that is what trips the lights to change.

 

Don't know if this is true or not, but I've heard that on some that have the magnetic sensors, if it doesn't trip, you can kill and restart the bike. S'posed to work, never tried it yet. It's probably just an urban legend, but if anyone knows for sure let us know.
Cheers [sm=icon_guiness.gif]

 

In Ohio if a traffic signal malfunctions, the intersection becomes a four-way stop. So you could legally proceed from you stopped position through the interection exercising due caution. Just be ready to articulate your dilemma clearly if you are stopped.

 

I have design a couple of these buried loops for some road intersections. The trick to having the loopnotice your bikeis try to and stop behind the painted stop bar approximately where the middle of a car would be if it was stopped there.

So far it has worked for me every time, but some states may use a different system than Michigan. The mounted cameras seem towork the best in catching bikes.

 

The lights are not malfunctioning, they just dont sense the bike is there.