Red Light... Go!
Monday May 19, 2008
Motorcycles don't always trip traffic light sensors because of their compact size, and the resulting impasse has forced countless riders to eventually break the law in order to get on with life.
According to the Charlotte Observer, South Carolina may soon join five other states which allow motorcyclists to break a light after waiting at a red signal for more than two minutes. The story quotes a skeptical Federal Highway Administration spokesman Doug Hecox, who says that the matter is up to individual states, and that the law is "... not something I think we would support. But we wish them well."
Do you think this law is reasonable, or do you share Mr. Hecox's belief that such a ruling would invite abuse? Share your red light experiences with a comment.
Photo © Christopher Furlong/Staff - Getty News Images
Comments
What a pain this problem is!!! We have had as many as 6 bikes within the space where a car would trigger the light; but we still couldn’t change the light. Save your money and don’t bother with one of the “stoplight triggers”. I plunked down the $20.00 for one and they do not work. There should be some kind of solution other than trying to rely on the compassion of the officer who catches you busting the light.
Makes sense to me. I’ve sat watching no one go by and finally done right on red to get around this legally just to end up turning left in heavy traffic a block down the road.
In most states, if the light does not trip for the motorcycle one could argue that the light is not functioning properly and should be treated as such. In PA, that requires coming to a full stop and proceeding when it is safet to do so. The greatest hazard is if you also need to deal with opposing traffic as that creates a problem for you to proceed safely.
What a pain indeed! I think its great parts of the country are starting to sit up and take notice of issues facing motorcyclists. I think they could have picked something a little more pressing like licensing laws, or outrageous insurance costs. However…
We’ve all sat through a light (or two) with 3 or 4 other bikes and still not had enough mass to trip the sensor.
This will be a great solution right up to the point where a bike gets T-Boned running a red light.
Get off your bike; walk over to the X-Walk button. This is faster yet, legal everywhere and probably a lot safer.
Texas now has a law that says that all new traffic signals, and any signal that has been inspected or worked on since the law took effect, must recognize the presence of a motorcycle. I’m not sure who gets the ticket if it doesn’t work though! At least it’s something and motorcyclists in Texas haven’t been forgotten.
I say we not hop off our scoots to push the crosswalk butt’n,instead we pull out our 9 and bust a cap into that crosswalk butt’n Shauntay J.
Shuantay ….
Texas…right?
I think that all motorcycles should be able to treat the red light as a stop sign. Patrick indicates that it is legal in PA to do that. I was not aware of that. I have been doing it for over a year now because there is a light at the off-ramp that will not change even though there is no traffic on the crossing road. I read that it is best to make a right on red and then make a u-turn and go through the green light. Wouldn’t you know that the space where I can perform a u-turn has a NO U-TURN sign. I guess it would be better to get a ticket for the latter. Some of my co-workers in cars are jealous that I did the stop and go thing at the light. So sorry. I refuse to sit at a light where there is no cross traffic. It should switch to a blinking red so that everyone can treat it as a stop sign. It is such a waste of gas to sit there for no good reason other than some one’s poor programing. This light does not use the sensor in the road, but rather the sonic sensor at the light. The main problem is that there are a lot of obstacles in the line of sight to where it is aimed. I have seen shows on Japan and all the motorcycles move to the front at a red light so they can take off first because they have quicker acceleration.
I like that if someone can’t get their lights to work properly then they should allow us to go when the way is clear. I can see both points of view on the subject. Yes riders will abuse the privlage, but then again I’ve had to sit through several light changes where everyone else got the green light and green arrow to turn, but me ( by the way, Pete, sometimes the crosswalk button doesn’t work, I’ve tried ). The only solution to the problem is to make the sensor more sensitive, but I don’t think our government will pay for that, even if it is our money.
Since putting the kickstand down seems to work, why not add a super strong magnet to the kickstand, one of those M50 neodymium magnets. They are so strong you can’t even pick them off the metal after you put them on.
Put a flat neodymium magnet in your boots, under the soft bottom liner at the toe end of the boot. Then, just step on the line with your foot. It might work. Or, if not you have cool magnets that are super strong.
I’ve nipped that problem in the bud long ago. I no longer even bother to stop in the first place…
I use the magnets on the center-stand & & so far that works for me.
Maybe we should adopt Harley-Davidson’s new moto, and say, “Screw it” and just go.
Does anyone know what the law is for this in Illinois? I read in another post that there are 6 states that allow you to proceed through a light that will not detect you after stopping of course but they did not mention whichthe 6 states were.
I thought of a way around the red light problem.
If you’re a pedestrian, you can cross in the crosswalk against the light, you always have the right of way in a crosswalk, as a pedestrian. At least in NY you do.
So similar to a bicyclist, you stop your engine, get off your bike, and cross like a pedestrian, who happens to be walking a big hunk of rolling metal.
i hate that. im told ur supposed to notify the state or something and they fix it. but no one knows who to talk to and give u the run around. i stop lok 4 traffic n go. screw it. a cop pulled me over once n didnt even give me a warning. he just asked if it has ever changed for me, cuz it doesnt for him on his bike either! haha