3 ms·
I used to bicycle along a route where there was a left turn like this, the light wouldn't detect my bicycle. If I sat in the left turn lane on my bike (like I'm
by gpm 2y ago
I used to bicycle along a route where there was a left turn like this, the light wouldn't detect my bicycle. If I sat in the left turn lane on my bike (like I'm supposed to if I'm turning left) and the car behind me stopped a reasonable distance from me the light would never change. This is a street that terminates into the cross street, so there's no one across from us to trigger it, no one going straight to trigger it, and right turners would clear out too fast to trigger it. If I was malicious I could easily have grown a pretty absurd line of cars and buses behind me.
I no longer bike through that intersection (because I don't need to very often, and because I found some nice side streets that happen to take me around it), but I doubt it's changed in the years since.
- Baeocystin 2y agoYou can attach a small permanent magnet somewhere on your bike's frame and it will trigger the ground loops. They're a common add-on for motorcycles, too.
- minitoar 2y agothat doesn’t work for the majority of these sensors as they rely on inductance
- waste_monk 2y agoIn that case, simply install a chunk of steel under the bicycle - 150kg or so should be sufficient.
- Baeocystin 2y agoIs there a way to visually tell what kind of sensor loop you're dealing with? I can verify that a magnet makes the difference for my steel-framed e-bike, but really there's only half a dozen lights in town (Gilroy, CA) that I frequently use.
- minitoar 2y agoAs far as I know all of the sensors that are embedded in the pavement use inductance.
- dhosek 2y agoI remember with one such intersection that one strategy was to lay the bicycle sideways on the pavement to trigger the sensor.
- bagels 2y agoI always stopped out in front of the line, and gestured for the car to move up to trip the sensor for lights like this.
- imp0cat 2y agoIt's also usually possible to trigger the green light by using the button that is at the crosswalk (inteded to be used by pedestrians when they need to cross).
- prmoustache 2y agoWhich 90% of the time leave the drivers puzzled and wondering if you are about to do them any harm if they get too close. Been there, done that.