[RazorCO]

Alright im assuming most of you have had this happen A LOT! But here in CO we have a lot (if not all) of our stop lights have the weight sensors in the pavement that feel the weight of a car and change when they feel that. I have had it happen to me a ton where the sensor (either in a left hand turn OR late at night on a non busy road) cant tell if im there or not and the light changes 3 or 4 times for the other cars and never lets me go because it doesn't know im there. I know that if i wait for a car to come behind me it will change but sometimes its 2 am and im driving home and no one comes for forever!

What do you do? I usually dont run it, ill just hop in the lane thats green or turn right and then go around. Will i get in trouble if i run the light after waiting for like 15 minutes?? I know its against the law to run red lights but i didnt know if anyone else has done this in front of cops or have gotten in trouble from it and has some experience?

Thanks for your help!!:71baldboy:

 

[zippywonder]

U will have to check your local laws. But some areas do allow for motorcycles to go ahead granted its safe to do so if the light dont turn in a certain amount of time. I would never do this in an area where you cannot clearly see all directions.

 

[Oldman47]

It varies a lot from state to state. Here in Illinois I can proceed with caution through a red light after 2 minutes, but that us far from universally accepted. In most states I would be cited for doing it. I wish they used weight sensors here. I would always get a light to change since my bike and I come in at well over a half ton.

.

 

[NordicMan]

Not that it really matters too much, but the sensors here don't work on weight they work by detecting "metal". Sadly our bikes don't have enough of it (metal) for the sensor to trip

.. I've heard stories some bikers have glued some of those super powerful "rare earth magnets" to the bottom of their bikes, and THAT fools the sensors into tripping the light at the intersection.. but I can't confirm this works. Try it if you want to.

I've never heard that the law allows you to run the red after waiting "a long time" for it to change... If you have incredibly bad luck & decide to run the red after waiting for +10 minutes, do you think that cop that happened to drive up just at that moment will believe you were waiting that long?

At 2am you're better off to turn right then make a U-turn in order to go the direction you want to go. Yeah it sux

 

[Dodsfall]

There are two basic types of sensors used, a wire loop in the ground that acts like a metal detector and cameras that are positioned to detect vehicles at an intersection.

Stopping your motorcycle directly over the wires is the best strategy. You can often see the cuts made in the pavement where the wires are embedded. Most of the time they are filled in with a rubber or tar.

 

[hogcowboy]

Not that it really matters too much, but the sensors here don't work on weight they work by detecting "metal". Sadly our bikes don't have enough of it (metal) for the sensor to trip

.. I've heard stories some bikers have glued some of those super powerful "rare earth magnets" to the bottom of their bikes, and THAT fools the sensors into tripping the light at the intersection.. but I can't confirm this works. Try it if you want to.

I've never heard that the law allows you to run the red after waiting "a long time" for it to change... If you have incredibly bad luck & decide to run the red after waiting for +10 minutes, do you think that cop that happened to drive up just at that moment will believe you were waiting that long?

At 2am you're better off to turn right then make a U-turn in order to go the direction you want to go. Yeah it sux

Think about that statement. It really wouldn't have been safe then would it? When there are no other cars, it's safe. Pretty simple to me.

 

[OldDeadeye]

I don't even know the law around here, but I used to have to run one almost every day on the way to work, If it's safe I go through.

 

[NordicMan]

Think about that statement. It really wouldn't have been safe then would it? When there are no other cars, it's safe. Pretty simple to me.

Yeah well you must have heard that old saying, "if a tree falls in the forest but noone's around to hear it, did it make a sound?"

I'm just saying if a cop happened to come by at the moment you decided to run the red after waiting a "long time", unless he was watching you the whole time you were waiting, it's your word against his that you DID wait a sufficient amount of time.

..what if he was coming up from behind you, was still pretty far away but he COULD see you running the red light? Good luck with your story :wink:


Along with this topic.. If I've been stuck waiting for a light to change and I can see a car is FINALLY coming up behind me, I will creep my bike ahead as far as safely possible into the intersection to allow that car to get over the sensor. It doesn't help you if the 2nd car isn't spotted by the sensor..

 

[Tobacco Road]

I was unable to find any Pennsylvania state law statute pertaining to this problem. Word of mouth is, wait 2 cycles at the light then proceed with caution.

There is a well known light I must use that will not change if there is just a motorcycle sitting there, and I've tried everything. Also a sign reading "No right turn on Red." One evening about midnight, I was at this light, behind me was a state police car. I waited the supposedly correct 2 cycles of the light, then I went through it. Figured I'm gonna find out something one way or the other. Well, I went left. I could see in my rear-view mirror the cop pulled up, light changed and he made a left also. Never pulled me over. Guess I feel a little more confident now, but not over confident.

 

[CTX]

Not sure what the law is here in WI. But I've gone through a red light after waiting a few minutes with a cop watching. He just waved.

 

[Goliath616]

http://www.americanmotorcyclist.com/Rights/State-Laws.aspx

List of laws by state, it does not say anything about red lights on there for CO, but here in Missouri they changed it in 2009

Red light violations by motorcycles or bicycles, affirmative defense, when.

304.285. Any person operating a motorcycle or bicycle who violates the provisions of section 304.281 or section 304.301 by entering or crossing an intersection controlled by a traffic control signal against a red light shall have an affirmative defense to that charge if the person establishes all of the following conditions:

(1) The motorcycle or bicycle has been brought to a complete stop;

(2) The traffic control signal continues to show a red light for an unreasonable time;

(3) The traffic control is apparently malfunctioning or, if programmed or engineered to change to a green light only after detecting the approach of a motor vehicle, the signal has apparently failed to detect the arrival of the motorcycle; and

(4) No motor vehicle or person is approaching on the street or highway to be crossed or entered or is so far away from the intersection that it does not constitute an immediate hazard.

The affirmative defense of this section applies only to a violation for entering or crossing an intersection controlled by a traffic control signal against a red light and does not provide a defense to any other civil or criminal action.

which basically means that if the light does not change in a reasonable time and the traffic is clear, we can proceed through a red light....I have a light or two like that around me, in the early morning hours (1-4 am) that won't change...so I wait for a bit, then f there is no one around, I go on through....I've been pulled over once (right after the change in the law) and the cop had to call his supervisor to check, after that call he told me to have a nice night and went back to his car

 

[Tobacco Road]

Saw this before, no Pa info...

 

[Goliath616]

I've noticed that there are a lot of states that do not have the red light law....maybe they don't think it's a big enough problem or don't even know it's a problem....

a lot of motorcycle riders that were having problems started complaining about it, writing emails to the mayor and others in government

 

[distantThunder]

I have done all of the above.
BUT due to the high cost of traffic tickets in CA ... i prefer not to run the light.

Usually the problem is that the metal detector in the asphalt has not picked up the presence of your bike. you will find that if you mess around with the position of your bike, relativ to the "circle" where the detector is located, that you can gt a sweet spot where it does detect you. so you just learn to pull up on the sweet spot.

otherwise, I just give up, turn right, and go a different way to my destination.

dT

 

[junkbonds]

but the sensors here don't work on weight they work by detecting "metal". Sadly our bikes don't have enough of it (metal) for the sensor to trip

Around this part of Ontario they use both types of sensors.

The camera sensor works perfectly with me on my bike.

 

[Dodsfall]

The camera sensors seem to work better than the metal detectors.

 

[DianneB]

I have encountered that problem not only on a motorcycle but also in a car.

I don't know what the law states here but I generally allow two full cycles of the light. If it hasn't changed by then, it is fair to assume it isn't working and I will go when it is safe. I don't think any traffic judge would say two cycles is not sufficient.

 

[RobMoore]

Put it in neutral, put the kickstand down, get off the bike, walk over to the crosswalk button, press it, get back on the bike

Joking of course, I just run it if I can see, and make a right-uturn-right if I can't see well enough to cross.

 

[Luvs2Play]

In Nebraska, it's up to the individual officer if you will get a ticket or not. Most likely, they will give you a warning in the small towns near me, but in the larger cities, they are after the revenue. I know of two that won't change for bikes here, one is on a highway that will give a solid green light eventually, but will not give a left turn arrow for bikes. The other will not change at all for bikes, have to wait for a car to pull up. City tells us to just take a different route, they don't care and won't fix them.

 

[phatfish08]

I know in Indiana they are close to, if not already have, changed the law on it. If you sit at a stoplight for longer than 15-30 seconds i believe it is then you are free to run it.