Wilsons Sandbox

I know you are all familiar with those traffic light changers that sense the presence of a vehicle. Is it my imagination or does a motorcycle NOT set these things off? Are they weight or magnetic operated? It seems that the light won't change when I stop alone at my local lights. Maybe it is just my imagination and impatience. The light always eventually changes, but that seems to be because a car always eventually comes along. _________________________________________________________________ Get ready for school! Find articles, homework help and more in the Back to School Guide! http://special.msn.com/network/04backtoschool.armx

--- In DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, "Mike Peplinski" wrote:

> I know you are all familiar with those traffic light changers that sense the > presence of a vehicle. Is it my imagination or does a motorcycle NOT set > these things off? Are they weight or magnetic operated? It seems that the > light won't change when I stop alone at my local lights. Maybe it is just my > imagination and impatience. The light always eventually changes, but that > seems to be because a car always eventually comes along.

It's not your imagination. A number of states have passed laws allowing a motorcycle to go through a red light if it is controlled by one of these devices, isn't activated by your bike, and if no cross traffic is coming.

Tis true, but not in my state (VA) - yet - but we're working on it. Law enforcement will usually tell you it's best to make a right turn (where allowed on a red signal), then find the most convenient, safe, place to do a U-turn. I've been pretty successful in dropping a note to the local Traffic Engineer (Richmond), indicating which intersection is giving me a problem. All of the ones I made them aware of worked with my bike(s) in about a weeks time. Guy -----Original Message----- From: "Judson D. Jones" Sent: Aug 27, 2004 10:50 AM To: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com Subject: [DSN_klr650] Re: automatic traffic light changes --- In DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, "Mike Peplinski" wrote:

> I know you are all familiar with those traffic light changers that sense the > presence of a vehicle. Is it my imagination or does a motorcycle NOT set > these things off? Are they weight or magnetic operated? It seems that the > light won't change when I stop alone at my local lights. Maybe it is just my > imagination and impatience. The light always eventually changes, but that > seems to be because a car always eventually comes along.

It's not your imagination. A number of states have passed laws allowing a motorcycle to go through a red light if it is controlled by one of these devices, isn't activated by your bike, and if no cross traffic is coming.

Mike Peplinski wrote:

>I know you are all familiar with those traffic light changers that sense the >presence of a vehicle. Is it my imagination or does a motorcycle NOT set >these things off? Are they weight or magnetic operated? It seems that the >light won't change when I stop alone at my local lights. >

It's not your imagination. They are magnetic operated, but can be tricky to trigger with a motorcycle. There's a procedure to use on these guys: 1) Look for the lines on the pavement where the sensors were installed. Generally this will be a) about a foot from the left side of the lane, b) down the middle of the lane, and c) about a foot from the right side of the lane, at the head of the lane about a foot before the crosswalk line. 2) Position your motorcycle over one of the sensor lines 3) Wait. Bounce up and down a bit to try to get the bike's magnetic mass lower to the ground. 4) If after a couple of minutes it doesn't change, move your bike over a bit and put the kickstand down on the line. 5) Wait. 6) If it still doesn't work, call your city's streets department and tell them that the particular sensor in question needs to be re-adjusted. They will laugh at you. Contact your local city counciller and tell him that the streets department laughed at you. The city counciller will tell you he doesn't like "murdercycles" and you ought to get an SUV like everybody else. Or, if you're lucky, you'll live in a motorcycle-friendly place in California and they'll send somebody right out to fix it. Finally: Some lights are simply programmed to wait a long time. There was one left turn lane (Fair Oaks to Arques in Sunnyvale CA) that, during morning rush hour, would cycle only every second time that the light went green. Presumably this was done during the dot-com era when that was a busy intersection. Nowadays, naturally, that intersection is a virtual ghost town. But it is extremely frustrating to see the light turn green, and... no turn arrow. This happened whether you were in a car or on a motorcycle, but had nothing to do with the sensors, and everything to do with 5-year-old traffic measurements that the streets department defended as correct even though clearly they were now wrong. Sometimes streets departments will do anything possible to avoid work . -ee

-----Original Message----- From: Mike Peplinski [mailto:motormind72@...] Sent: Friday, August 27, 2004 7:44 AM To: airheads@...; DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com Subject: [DSN_klr650] automatic traffic light changes I know you are all familiar with those traffic light changers that sense the presence of a vehicle. Is it my imagination or does a motorcycle NOT set these things off? Are they weight or magnetic operated? It seems that the light won't change when I stop alone at my local lights. Maybe it is just my imagination and impatience. The light always eventually changes, but that seems to be because a car always eventually comes along. ****** REPLY ********** Hi Mike, Where I live, the lights are activated by metallic projection - that is, the size of the hunk of metal over the sensors at the lights. There use to be a fella on eBay selling a false signature projector (doodad that projects a metallic image the size of a semi) for bikes. Supposedly you just stick it on the bottom of your bike and voila! No more problems. I haven't tried one, maybe another lister has. They are relatively inexpensive IIRC. Tom _________________________________________________________________ Get ready for school! Find articles, homework help and more in the Back to School Guide! http://special.msn.com/network/04backtoschool.armx List sponsored by Dual Sport News at www.dualsportnews.com. List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html Unsubscribe by sending a blank message to: DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com . Yahoo! Groups Links

They are metal detectors in the road. Just the other day, I sat through 3 cycles of the light at an intersection, thought "Just go", then thought "Yeah, and with my luck, Mr Officer will see and ticket me". I knew that turning right would take me a mile or more down the road till my next available U-turn spot. Finally, I just turned around and went to the next intersection that had only a stop sign. ....sux Back in the 70's, when PA did not have legal "right turn on red", and virtually all U-turns were illegal (still are), you would see the poor souls at traffic lights who waited for days - weeks, even - for the next car to come along and trigger the light to change - too late for them. The skeletal remains of motorcyclists, their bikes all draped with spider webs, was a gruesome sight. Mike Peplinski wrote:

>I know you are all familiar with those traffic light changers that sense the >presence of a vehicle. Is it my imagination or does a motorcycle NOT set >these things off? Are they weight or magnetic operated? It seems that the >light won't change when I stop alone at my local lights. Maybe it is just my >imagination and impatience. The light always eventually changes, but that >seems to be because a car always eventually comes along. > >_________________________________________________________________ >Get ready for school! Find articles, homework help and more in the Back to >School Guide! http://special.msn.com/network/04backtoschool.armx > > > >List sponsored by Dual Sport News at www.dualsportnews.com. List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html >Unsubscribe by sending a blank message to: >DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com . > > >Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > >

Mike Frey writes:

>Just the other day, I sat through 3 cycles of the light at an >intersection, thought "Just go", then thought "Yeah, and with my luck, >Mr Officer will see and ticket me".

Here in TN they just made it a law to treat those light's, that don't recognize MC's, as stop signs. I take advantage of it quite frequently. Sonny '02 KLR650 http://home.earthlink.net/~sbulla http://www,louisemandrell.com

Mike P wrote: "..Is it my imagination or does a motorcycle NOT set these things off? (traffic light changers that sense the presence of a vehicle).." I went to Radio Shack and bought a couple of 1 3/4" x 1" x 3/8" rectangular shaped ceramic magnets for less than $2 each and double-stick tape and zip tied them to low spots under my frame. They help trigger the wire sensors in the street at stop lights. Funny, when I just went out to measure them, I noticed that they also collect other magnets from the road! Duncan (still hunting a KLR650) __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Address AutoComplete - You start. We finish. http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail

Does anyone know if this law exists in PA? Since Mike P brought the subject up, it has reminded me of the pain in the ass that it is ("it" being motorcycles not triggering the traffic signal)! Mike Frey Sonny Bulla wrote:

>Here in TN they just made it a law to treat those light's, that don't >recognize MC's, as stop signs. I take advantage of it quite frequently. > >Sonny >'02 KLR650 >http://home.earthlink.net/~sbulla >http://www,louisemandrell.com > > >

I have not tried this, but here is one of those automatic changers: http://www.greenlightstuff.com/trigger.html --- In DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, "Mike Peplinski" wrote:

> I know you are all familiar with those traffic light changers that

sense the

> presence of a vehicle. Is it my imagination or does a motorcycle

NOT set

> these things off?