Red Light Running

**Disco Dan** · 7th November 2006, 22:43

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.

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

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** · 7th November 2006, 22:47

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** · 7th November 2006, 22:49

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** · 7th November 2006, 22:52

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** · 7th November 2006, 22:57

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

**Disco Dan** · 7th November 2006, 22:57

Originally Posted by 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 ??

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

**Zapf** · 7th November 2006, 22:58

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** · 7th November 2006, 23:03

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:Me** · 7th November 2006, 23:08

Originally Posted by 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.

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** · 7th November 2006, 23:11

Originally Posted by M1CRO

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

**Disco Dan** · 7th November 2006, 23:25

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

**lukelin250** · 7th November 2006, 23:31

its a bitch aint it

**Gremlin** · 7th November 2006, 23:38

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

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...