My bicycle can trigger most traffic lights when I can see the lines for the
inductance cable. A few my 355 pound motorcycle can not trigger. Like Fritz
said we don't have to spend the rest of our lives waiting for a defective
traffic light in Pennsylvania. We do have to wait a reasonable while and then
cross when it is safe. I consider the length of time of a normal light
red-green-red cycle to be reasonable.

Michael Graff <michael.graff@...> wrote: In California, it's CVC 21800 for
an "inoperative" signal. However, I
don't know whether "won't detect a bike" has ever been tested in court
as qualifying as "inoperative".

Standard traffic sensors detect metal, not weight. A bike wheel should
be enough to trigger them, if the wheel is positioned carefully, and if
the sensor is adjusted properly. Here's a good description:

http://www.humantransport.org/bicycledriving/library/signals/green.htm

There are also some new video detectors that are supposed to do a better
job of seeing cyclists.

----- Original message -----
From: "Walker,Frederick H."
To: bicyclecommuting@yahoogroups.com
Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2005 11:25:57 -0400
Subject: RE: [Bicycle Commuting] COURT: Cyclist hits out at red light
penalty

You are correct (at least in Pennsylvania -- can't guarantee elsewhere)
-- if you wait a reasonable time for the light to change and it doesn't,
technically the light is 'broken'. It doesn't matter if it has a
trigger designed for a car's weight -- it isn't working for you.

I guess the question mark in the whole thing is what is a 'reasonable'
time.


Fritz



_____

From: bicyclecommuting@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:bicyclecommuting@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of karl mohr
Sent: Sunday, May 22, 2005 8:42 PM
To: bicyclecommuting@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Bicycle Commuting] COURT: Cyclist hits out at red light
penalty



> Somebody operating a vehicle ran a red light and got
> a ticket. The fact
> that it was a bicycle that he was operating makes no
> difference. If we want
> drivers to obey the law and treat us as equals then
> we need to obey the laws
> and expect to get ticketed when we don't.

I believe, however, that there are times when
judgement should supercede whatever the law says. For
example, there are lights in my area that will not
change if a bicycle is waiting for the light, and
there's no button for pedestrians to cross. It would
be ridiculous to wait 20 minutes or more for a car to
come and trip the light. So after stopping and waiting
at the light, at a reasonable time I proceed through
the light. (I believe that this is legal.) Ii think it
falls under a law about malfunctioning traffic lights.
I would be angry if I was ticketed for running this
light in this situation.




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