Traffic light changers: and a free gift to New Plymouth peoples

[Monsterbishi]

Marginally related,:
many moons ago one uncle was an ambulance driver in a big German city.
The Ambo had a transmitter to change the traffic lights.......
Somehow some clever people managed to make/get their own transmitters.....

This was before the interweb and all, so it was all hush hush haha

They still use them in many countries, even had them here in New Zealand for a while, TCS(the company whom we contract to install loops for us), installed them for the council at nothing short of great expense, and then they just sat unused for a few years, were then removed at yet more expense!

And to answer one of the earlier questions, yes, sensitivity can be adjusted on the loops.

[cooneyr]

I keep telling people you don't need these things. You can trigger the sensor every time by directly parking on top of it -- most motorcyclists don't, they park off to the RHS of the lane.

Exacty buddy. Stop right in the centre of the loop.

parking in the middle works. I used to park on the side, so what you said does work .

Look on the ground as you get to traffic lights about 2 metres prior to the white line is a figure 8 on the ground... but in a squarish shape...

[] < []


ride onto the tar lines.....

Finally some people who get it. I've noticed a few of these threads of the past couple of years and even drew and posted a picture (see this post).

You dont need magnets just stop in the correct place. The middle line of the loops is the most sensitive - it even works with an alloy framed treadly.

Cheers R

[thehollowmen]

Left hand lane, barbados st heading south across bealey in the early hours of the morning. That loop doesn't even pick up cars half the time.

Yes, for 99% or whatever of loops, positioning in the center of the loop works fine. But if there is one that always gets you stuck for ages on the way home, it might be byorked so try a magnet, and I've got some going spare.

god damn it is getting frustrating saying this again and again, if positioning doesn't work because the loop is screwed up, here is a solution.

Please, get with the program. You're talking about how to trigger responsive loops, I'm talking about how to attempt to trigger non-responsive loops.

Finally some people who get it.

[xwhatsit]

Left hand lane, barbados st heading south across bealey in the early hours of the morning. That loop doesn't even pick up cars half the time.

If that's the problem, it's probably worthwhile writing a (polite, sensible) letter to the appropriate council and alerting them to the fact the sensor is on the blink. I've heard of the councils in Wellington (didn't Jim2 write a swag of letters?) and up in Auckland being quite willing to calibrate them appropriately when told about the problem.

@cooneyr -- yup, I think you're the one who informed me about this in the first place. Thanks for informing us!

[cooneyr]

Left hand lane, barbados st heading south across bealey in the early hours of the morning. That loop doesn't even pick up cars half the time.....

......Please, get with the program. You're talking about how to trigger responsive loops, I'm talking about how to attempt to trigger non-responsive loops.

I'd defiantly be letting the Chch city council know if there is a problem. The induction loops are just a cable wound in a figure 8 a few times in the road surfacing. If the road surfacing breaks up for whatever reason the cable could be broken and the loops fail. However - there is a couple of guys sitting in the Chch city council offices continuously monitoring and modifying the system (for almost all of the signals in the upper half of the south island) so they should notice when loops fail or are unresponsive. Still if you think there is a problem then fire a letter or email at the council - CCC contact us page with an email addy.

It is likely that the phasings between about 8pm and 6am are on "on demand" for the side roads and the phase lengths will be very very bias towards the main road. If the lights change to allow the side road to go no matter how long you have to wait when the phasings are "on demand" the loops are working it is just that the phase times may not be very favorable. It is not unusual to have to wait up to around 30 seconds (with can seem like forever) on the side roads. Try waiting and timing it one time and see how long it actually takes - you may be surprised how short it really is.

Cheers R

[Hoon]

Yeah I have this problem not with my bike but when driving Army Unimogs. Because they are so high off the ground and the tyres so large, it often doesn't trigger the sensors. There are lights around our base which we avoid (or make sure we aren't first in queue) otherwise they don't change.

[Badjelly]

Yeah I have this problem not with my bike but when driving Army Unimogs. Because they are so high off the ground and the tyres so large, it often doesn't trigger the sensors. There are lights around our base which we avoid (or make sure we aren't first in queue) otherwise they don't change.

Call me a miserable SOB, but somehow the fact that someone else has this problem makes me feel better :-).

Perhaps you should contact the local authority and ask them to increase the sensitivity. Be polite and don't make any reference to automatic rifles or rocket launchers, initially.

[hayd3n]

Even in neutral?

what now i gotta go out of gear
what happens if some moron comes hooning behind me and i need to get the fuck out of the way?
vroom ohh fuck im in neutral ,clunck, arghhh to late!!!!!!!!!!!

[rwh]

You dont need magnets just stop in the correct place. The middle line of the loops is the most sensitive - it even works with an alloy framed treadly.

I do that most of the time, when I'm stopping for the lights. If I'm not planning to stop (ie when the light is green), I have other priorities for choosing my lane position. So there are occasions when I get the timing just wrong, and don't want to be thinking about changing my line just because the light has gone orange, or some other incident has caused me to change my plans.

Think I might try this (already know where to get some magnets).

Richard

[Big Dave]

I have an objection in principle to adding weight to my bike when the stand works just as well.

[Molly]

I suppose if it works and doesn't disadvantage other road users then there's no harm in trying it.

[Blackshear]

Dunno if anyone in the North shore has offered or anything, but I've got about a hundred of these cylindrical Neodymium magnets just sitting here. I WAS going to invent perpetual motion, but that was before the Laws of thermodynamics 101.
One per person!
I never really had a problem with lights, owing to the massive gait of my 250, but if it changed one light, I'd be happy. Not that i'd notice or anything.

[DougB]

I have just read on a USA site that the only way they can trigger their loops is to have a magnet attached to the instep of thier boot and when over a loop put the magnetic foot down.

[Mystic13]

Thanks "thehollowmen" for the thread and "blackshear" for the offer for North.

PM'd you, I'm in for one.

Just to comment on the discussion.

The loops don't always trigger. I have one near my home that mostly NEVER triggers. I blast up, look around and shoot the red multiple times a week. I figure if I ever get stopped I can talk my way out. Other than that there are many others I come across. I never sit for too long.

As for current flowing through the loop etc and moving bikes it's not quite like that as far as I'm aware. The loop doesn't need a moving object. An object that suddenly appears will trigger the electronics (although it would be hard to imagine that happening)

The thing in the ground is an inductive loop. So when it's connected to the electronics there is a certain impedance measured (not resistance). The arrival of a vehicle changes the impedance and if it's above a set level the electronics do their thing.

I'm guessing it would be similar to the hand held scanners customs guys use at airports. Except it's a portable inductive loop.

[vifferman]

I have an objection in principle to the stupidity of the traffic light controllers, particularly on the North Shore. Many of them are a simple program running with a timer for different days of the week and times of the day, taking no account of traffic volumes or sensors (apart from pedestrian buttons - go figure!)
Auckland City and North Shore City could help save the country $$$$ in fuel and ease traffic congestion heaps by replacing many of the controllers with 'intelligent' ones that are co-ordinated with one another, and that sense traffic volumes rather than just operate mechanically and stupidly.
[/rant]
Late at night, I sometimes ignore the lights (particularly red turn arrows) if there's no traffic - just pause, look around, and go.
Think about it: traffic lights are supposed to replace road signs and people making decisions based on road rules, traffic, etc. They should make traffic flow better and more safely. If they're being stupid, and actually hindering traffic flow, what's the point of them?