Red Light Running

[Disco Dan]

Well i was coming along Royal road (from left in image) and sitting in the turn bay at the lights waiting to turn right onto Makora road.

Well i was there for fricking AGES... the lights kept changing etc etc letting everyone stop and go several times while i was stuck at a red arrow!

It seems there is a switch underneath the road surface that is trigger by the weight of the car and lets the traffic light controller system know you are there and change the lights.

well me on my little commuter where not heavy enough to trip the switch!

...well i dont care if any members of 'tha law' read this, I had no choice but to pick a safe time and run the red. :dodge:

If transit/police do not want me to run the red light on that intersection they better fix it! :angry:

Twice this has happend to me now, although the second time (wanted to make sure i was right!) a car stopped behind me after about 10 min and then 30 sec later the lights changed!

Surely there must be other intersections controlled in this way, if so how does everyone else deal with this situation?

Are we just meant to sit there for hours until a car pulls up behind us tripping the switch??

i avoid the intersection when i can from that direction, but there will be times when i have to, and again i will have no choice but to run the red!

[WarlockNZ]

I had the same thing at westgate the other day .. the lights were "on demand" and i pulled up .. i sat there through 3 phases and not once did my light go green.. i ended up turning around and taking a different route as there was a snake sitting up the road twiddling his thumbs.

[kickingzebra]

Roll back and forward, can try putting side stand down and back up, or turning off and starting up. The loops detect metal mass, and some of those things "may" help.

[WarlockNZ]

I saw something on tarde me a while ago .. something about a magnet you put on the bottom of the bike? ... fucked if i can remember .. and i have no idea if it would work.

Anybody using said peice of equipment ??

[Bend-it]

Yeah the sidestand thing seems to work... or maybe it's just something for me to play with while waiting...

[Disco Dan]

I saw something on tarde me a while ago .. something about a magnet you put on the bottom of the bike? ... fucked if i can remember .. and i have no idea if it would work.

Anybody using said peice of equipment ??

oh? ok? I thought it was a weight activated switch??

[Zapf]

not just you, usually in that case I move foward and get the cars behind me to move foward and trigger the lights. Otherwise they get annoyed waiting as well.

[WarlockNZ]

I'm pretty sure its a magnetic system .. but dont qoute me on that .. i used to live in an appartment in the city and we had parking, i would pull up to the gate and nothing would happen .. i figured out that if i lifted the metal drain grill and put it on the sensor line, the gate would open.

I assume that the lights work the same way.

[M1CRO]

Roll back and forward, can try putting side stand down and back up, or turning off and starting up. The loops detect metal mass, and some of those things "may" help.

Some lights set-up an EM (Electro Magnetic) field around the intersection (look at the top of the traffic light and you will see a little dome thing).. In this situation, stopping the engine and restarting it causes it to register that something is there... Well most of the time...

With the "plate" intersections, side stand may help

If you still have problems.. Buy a MACK truck! lol

[Disco Dan]

Some lights set-up an EM (Electro Magnetic) field around the intersection (look at the top of the traffic light and you will see a little dome thing).. In this situation, stopping the engine and restarting it causes it to register that something is there... Well most of the time...

With the "plate" intersections, side stand may help

If you still have problems.. Buy a MACK truck! lol

ah! fantastic! will look out for those!

...an excuse to turn off and turn on the engine with a bit of heavy revving at the lights :innocent: :innocent: :innocent:

[Disco Dan]

Also going up the hill of Makora, the lights (at the Royal road off ramp) seem to be weight activated? as i have no problems there, and i have worked out the exact point in the road that triggers the lights to change!


...whats the legal situation on what i did then anyone? I guess i still ran the red, but not like i had a choice really!

EDIT: "bikey cop" saw you veiwing.. hope that doesnt mean a ticket in the mail :innocent: :innocent:

[lukelin250]

its a bitch aint it

[Gremlin]

This has been done on the forums.... ummm umpteentwiddle times....

People say revving etc, but if I don't trigger it with my bike (not very often) side stand does the trick... then you can also have fun rolling up to lights, putting the side stand down while moving, then gently rocking it onto the stand...

Get a ZX7R :2thumbsup

As for legals, I think the consensus is 3 or 4 light cycles, if not that, then it is never legally allowed, not sure which...

[lukelin250]

legally allowed after a certain number of cycles? id like to know how to prove that to a copper when he tickets me for running a red.

[Disco Dan]

This has been done on the forums.... ummm umpteentwiddle times....

oh! cheers for that! :dodge:

[Karma]

On most intersections you'll see an outline of a box or two up until the intersection, these are where the cables are laid from what I know.

I've often found that heavy breaking up to, and over the top of these boxes triggers the circuit, and causes the lights to change. Failing that, it's completely legal to take the opposite turning, then pull a U turn and come back the way you actually want to go.

[Gremlin]

I've often found that heavy breaking up to...
You just squash the poor sensor into submission :bleh:

Quick search of KB pulled up these 2:
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=2042&highlight=traffic+light+side+stand
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=8362&highlight=traffic+light+side+stand

[Karma]

Oh it's like that now is it?

Gremlin = 100kgs (ish)
ZX7R = 200kgs

Weasel = 130kgs
ZX4R = 160kgs

Gremlin Total = 300kgs
Weasel Total = 290kgs

If anyone's got some weight to lose mate you're going first...

[Gremlin]

I weigh 95... and first thing to lose weight should be the 7, too hard, I'll replace her, AND lose weight :bleh:

Gremlin = 100kgs (ish)
ZX7R = 200kgs

If anyone's got some weight to lose mate you're going first...

[-df-]

I've had to wait quite a few times at red lights (both the 7R and my old YZF), I normally keep moving forwards and then the person behind me seems to set of the lights...only had to run a red once (was boiling hot and had already waited 3 cycles).

I'll definatly try the side stand thing next time as there is a set of lights in St Lukes by my brothers that always does this to me.

[slimjim]

Oh it's like that now is it?

Gremlin = 100kgs (ish)
ZX7R = 200kgs

Weasel = 130kgs
ZX4R = 160kgs

Gremlin Total = 300kgs
Weasel Total = 290kgs

If anyone's got some weight to lose mate you're going first...

well now,haha
vl k3 310kgs fill tank
slimjim 104kgs 185cms
total 418kgs, and yup still can get lights not to reg's .......

[Ixion]

It's nothing to do with weight. They work on an induced current in a loop in the road. the current is induced by metal moving across the loop. or by a electromagnetic field withing the loop.

Bikes tend not to have much metal compared with cars. Hence, the problem

Call your local council and complain. Loudly. They can adjust the sensitivity. But they are lazy, and will only do it if you nag them

EDIT von Klunken and I would together weigh way over half a ton, and still the lights ignore us.

[sunhuntin]

yep, i get this all the time.
when i used to work night shift, i had an exemption to ride after 10pm. [this was a midnight finish job.] it specified i had to take the fastest way home. well, i tried the fastest once right down the main street. first time, i turned left on the red and came back where the lights were set to green. i memorized what lights do what, but sometimes id get there, and they would be doing the opposite.
in the end, the "fastest" was at least an extra 10 mins out of my way, over the motorway bridge. lol. still a set of lights, but theres a parking bay/slip street right next to them, so id go that way. meant i never had to risk running a red.
ive also had to run a couple after turning up to work at 7, and no one being there to let me in. meant i had to go to another station to phone up the boss.

the states and canada allow legal right turns on a red, provided the way is clear and safe. it wouldnt hurt to allow us the same here, but for a left.

it doesnt always happen that theres cars behind you. as my comments above, the time meant there were no other cars to trigger the lights for me.

[Ixion]

yep, i get this all the time.
when i used to work night shift, i had an exemption to ride after 10pm. [this was a midnight finish job.] it specified i had to take the fastest way home. well, i tried the fastest once right down the main street. first time, i turned left on the red and came back where the lights were set to green. i memorized what lights do what, but sometimes id get there, and they would be doing the opposite.
in the end, the "fastest" was at least an extra 10 mins out of my way, over the motorway bridge. lol. still a set of lights, but theres a parking bay/slip street right next to them, so id go that way. meant i never had to risk running a red.
ive also had to run a couple after turning up to work at 7, and no one being there to let me in. meant i had to go to another station to phone up the boss.

the states and canada allow legal right turns on a red, provided the way is clear and safe. it wouldnt hurt to allow us the same here, but for a left.

it doesnt always happen that theres cars behind you. as my comments above, the time meant there were no other cars to trigger the lights for me.

If stuck, posiiton bike within the "box" (look on the road just before the white line, you'll see the box laid out in the seal) , turn engine off and restart with the leccy leg. Always does it, the EMF from the starter is detected

[Disco Dan]

cheers fot all this!! much appreciated! rep for all!!!!!

..know its a re-post, but hey was posted last year before i signed up!

REP FOR ALL! :done:

[Flyingpony]

Pushing the pedestrian crossing button works wonders too.

[Disco Dan]

Pushing the pedestrian crossing button works wonders too.

hehe, that would be sooo funny me jumping off my bike and legging it accros the road, pushing the button then dodging cars back and sitting on my bike again!!! :scooter:

nice one! ...sorry given out my rep limit for today :dodge:

[sunhuntin]

If stuck, posiiton bike within the "box" (look on the road just before the white line, you'll see the box laid out in the seal) , turn engine off and restart with the leccy leg. Always does it, the EMF from the starter is detected

i have tried the side stand trick a few times, but not the start up. im not often on the road at carless times anymore, so not really an issue. i know the boxes your talking about...only noticed those recently.
have had a couple of times when the car behind has left a huge gap between us [very generous cager, acknowledging the l plate] and ive had to wave them forwards to trigger the lights, lol.

[gijoe1313]

Yeah, this happens to me all the time too - I just rock onto the boxes and move my bike around a bit. Usually, I'll just move forwards and let the car behind activate the sensor too. Worst case example was me waiting for 4 cycles with no other cars in view ... only a cop car parked down the road! :doh: Ended up getting off my bike, wheeled it around the corner and then got riding again! :doh:

Nice advice here!