Traffic-light weight switches?

[mysoxrstinky]

Hello all,

Just moved to the big smoke and I am really struggling with traffic lights. I ride a 225 cc and I myself only weigh 70 kgs so I am very rarely able to trigger the sensor that switches the traffic lights! I have tried jumping up and down, stopping more abruptly hoping the extra force will be detected, I have even parked my bike, walked over to the pedestrian crossing button and triggered the lights that way.

To make matters worse, some thoughtful cages stop their vehicles way behind me to give me extra space. I am thankful for that but it means that neither of us is triggering the lights and we are both caught up in this horrible situation. The other day I tried to indicate to a woman that she should scoot closer to me but instead she pulled up beside me, putting herself halfway outside of our land and inhibiting traffic! It was dangerous and frstrating and she still didn't trigger the light!

How do I fix this!? Should I just by a hunk of lead to strap to my bike? How do I indicate to other drivers where they need to stop? UGGGHHH

Cheers in advance

Edit: Thanks everyone. Lots of really good info. I have learned that lights aren't triggered by weight but instead triggered by an induction loop in the concrete. This work by detecting metal. Many people have had success in triggering these by just putting the kickstand down in the middle off the rectangle cut into the ground you can see. You can also try tipping your bike closer to the ground directly above this rectangle.
One user gave this very good link to show how this works and give you an idea of other possible fixes.
http://www.marshproducts.com/pdf/Ind...Write%20up.pdf

Thanks everyone!

[Laava]

If you look carefully you can usually see there is a double rectangle shape in the form of cut lines around about where you stop. This is the induction loop and it is detecting a large chunk of metal, not triggered by vehicle weight. If you stop and put your sidestand down, then lean it directly on part of the loop line, that should do the trick.

[skippa1]

Hello all,

Just moved to the big smoke and I am really struggling with traffic lights. I ride a 225 cc and I myself only weigh 70 kgs so I am very rarely able to trigger the sensor that switches the traffic lights! I have tried jumping up and down, stopping more abruptly hoping the extra force will be detected, I have even parked my bike, walked over to the pedestrian crossing button and triggered the lights that way.

To make matters worse, some thoughtful cages stop their vehicles way behind me to give me extra space. I am thankful for that but it means that neither of us is triggering the lights and we are both caught up in this horrible situation. The other day I tried to indicate to a woman that she should scoot closer to me but instead she pulled up beside me, putting herself halfway outside of our land and inhibiting traffic! It was dangerous and frstrating and she still didn't trigger the light!

How do I fix this!? Should I just by a hunk of lead to strap to my bike? How do I indicate to other drivers where they need to stop? UGGGHHH

Cheers in advance

Theyre not triggered by weight, magnetic

[bogan]

Hello there,

Traffic lights are just one of the many shitterisms of a big smoke; others include too many traffic, and hipsters.

Unfortunatly, it is common to have issues on abike with them. They are no tweight based, but inductance, which measures the metal content of a vehicle. Cars having wide flat surface closest to the ground are easily noticed. Often you can pick the square outline denoting the coil of wire used to measure this inductance; try to get your bike right over one side of this. Magnets advertised to trip these are just snake oil, if you want to put something on your bike, a bit of metal under the engine is about your only option.

[fxxk]

Personally i just ride further up in the but that's for push bikes so that cars behind me park over the sensor. Otherwise fuck pedestrians, park right up on their crossing 😏😏

[pritch]

I sometimes had trouble on the moped but don't recall it happening on the bike. These days I just get pissed off waiting at a red light when there's nothing in sight but that happens in the car too, it's just a result of whatever the local Council does instead of planning. .

[mada]

Turn bike off. Push bike along pedestrian crossing to side with green light. Start bike, wave to cagers behind you - ride away.

[iYRe]

They are supposed to trigger if even a bicycle stops on them (most do). If you find some that dont work, report them to the council and they come and re-calibrate them. They seem to be relatively quick at doing it... I've reported several now.

(at least in auckland anyway)

[nzspokes]

Read somewhere a magnet under the bike works. Could be BS.

[rastuscat]

Ride a Harley.

[Swoop]

Ride a Harley.

Do all of the badges worn on the leather vest, trigger the sensor?
Or has it got to do with the arseless trousers causing cars to crash, add to the metal content of the asphalt?

[Moi]

Do all of the badges worn on the leather vest, trigger the sensor?
Or has it got to do with the arseless trousers causing cars to crash, add to the metal content of the asphalt?

All of the above...

[nzspokes]

Do all of the badges worn on the leather vest, trigger the sensor?
Or has it got to do with the arseless trousers causing cars to crash, add to the metal content of the asphalt?

Nah man its the puddle of warm oil under them that does it.

[Cloggy]

Having owned a Scorpio and having lived in Wellington, I know what you mean.
One particular night while out getting a tag in the Welly Tag-o-rama game I had to stop at the lights coming out of Gibbons Street in Upper Hutt where it meets River Road heading South.
Red light so I stop. After 10 or 15 seconds a cop car stops behind me at the lights. Waiting, waiting, lights don't change. Maybe a minute passes and the lights are still red, absolutely no traffic coming down River Road as this is in the small hours of the night.
Next thing the cop behind me puts his flashing lights on, sneaks past me through the red light onto River Road, turns flashing lights off and proceeds down River Road as if nothing happened.
WTF!? Good enough for him, good enough for me, so I followed him through the red light.



But, yes, side stand down sometimes works.

[Scubbo]

mate if you have an old dead PC hard-drive pull it apart and take the 2 strong rare earth magnets out of it / stick to bottom of frame of bike, no need to glue etc, they are strong as feck don't get your fingers inbetween 2 of them -- should do the trick and cost you nothing...