Kansas passes Red Light Bill for Motorcycles

[VEGASRIDER]

Well at least it passed thru the House.

For those who are not aware how traffic actuated signals work, it's based on the detection of metal, not weight. Have you ever found yourself not being to trip the light at an intersection?

Well, our friends in Kansas must be having a hell of time.

Kansas House Approves Bill Allowing Motorcycles to Run Red Lights - FoxNews.com#

 

[cdnSTIG]

Here in ontario canada i do it all the time. if the light wont change for you at the same intersection you can call the city and they will change the sensitivity of the induction loop that controls the light. just use your head when going through a red.

 

[PrivateCowBoy]

It's legal in Tennessee, but it is automatically your fault if a wreck occurs from it.

Be safe out there.

 

[wolfe1down]

Put your kickstand down near the detector (where the big cut-out in the concrete is). The detector will usually be able that up better. It's a PITA because it will trip the kill-switch, but you can always re-start the bike. I've been caught a few times in the wrong part of the lane for this to work. In that case, I guess you just get your pillion to dismount and go hit the crosswalk button??

 

[04fizzer]

Put your kickstand down near the detector (where the big cut-out in the concrete is). The detector will usually be able that up better. It's a PITA because it will trip the kill-switch, but you can always re-start the bike. I've been caught a few times in the wrong part of the lane for this to work. In that case, I guess you just get your pillion to dismount and go hit the crosswalk button??

Or you could put the bike in neutral before putting the side stand down.

 

[BamBam77]

Don't they sell magnets to glue to your fork for this same problem
and do the work?

 

[VEGASRIDER]

I heard you can get very strong magnets and put them on the bottom of your bike.

AS far as dismounting your bike and hit the crosswalk button, now you are abandoning your vehicle. Probably a citation in itself, but I'm not a LEO.

 

[discgolfdude]

I would like to know as well, do the magnets work?

 

[DownrangeFuture]

Generally abandonment is only against the law over 30 days, or if it interferes with the flow of traffic. Since the light won't change, and you're off for like 30 seconds, I doubt it'd be an issue.

I've only been stuck once, and as it passed the first cycle and was starting the second a LEO pulled up in the "go straight" lane beside me. So I got off and tapped on his window and told him the sensor wouldn't pick up my bike so I can't turn left. He hit his light trigger and told me he'd put in the report. It was fixed by the next morning.

I always put my wheels on the line on the box, and my front tire on the corner of it if it's safe.

EDIT: They might, but I doubt they're any more effective than a large piece of steel strapped to your bike. I've heard that realistically it'll take a bike that gets around 70% activation up to around 80% activation. A large electromagnet would work better.

 

[Senior]

Put your kickstand down near the detector (where the big cut-out in the concrete is). The detector will usually be able that up better. It's a PITA because it will trip the kill-switch, but you can always re-start the bike. I've been caught a few times in the wrong part of the lane for this to work. In that case, I guess you just get your pillion to dismount and go hit the crosswalk button??

I was gonna mention this but got beat to it. :BLAA:

Yes, put it in neutral and it works well . . . . if I go to work real early when there's nobody else around I'll be waiting for ages at the first set of lights I get to, now I stop and stick the side stand down on the sensor and hey presto the lights change . . . :thumbup:

 

[deeptekkie]

It's legal in Tennessee, but it is automatically your fault if a wreck occurs from it.

Be safe out there.

REALLY? I did NOT know this! Dang......all of the time I've wasted!

 

[nextfriday]

The only time this has been an issue for me is when i'm the lone vehicle at a light during a late hour. if it won't recognize me i ride through it. I actuually feel more safe running it than sitting there alone in a lane.

 

[CCHOUSEKY]

Yet again, I'm gonna have to dispel some myths about triggering red lights. Don't we have this conversation about once every year or two? :spank:

Yes, a lot of traffic lights are triggered by induction loops in the roadway (you can see them...you'll notice a large rectangular cut in the road where the first vehicle in line will sit). Unfortunately, most motorcycles don't have the metallic mass to trigger the sensor to send the signal to the traffic control cabinet to serve that particular lane. Got it?

You'll read about all kinds of fixes that a motorcyclist can try to cause the loop to notice them...magnets, adding a piece of sheet metal under the bottom of the frame, and yes, putting the kickstand down right on top of the loop. Unfortunately, none of these actually work. You may THINK it does, but I promise you, it doesn't. If the entire metallic mass of your motorcycle won't trigger the sensor, why do you think the small tip of your kickstand will? Is the logic that it somehow "grounds" the motorcycle to the loop, like a ground wire? Nope. It doesn't work.

One thing you can do when you're the first in line and there's other traffic behind you...roll up. Roll far enough forward that the front end of the car behind you is over the loop. If they won't come closer, turn around and motion for them to move forward (politely).

And, in case you're wondering, I work in the Traffic Engineering field so I actually know what I'm talking about. One thing we're doing locally to try and solve this type of problem is to stop using these loops in the road. Instead, we're using detection cameras that "see" you from above. These seem to work MUCH better at detecting motorcycles, simply because they're based on motion and mass...and not magnetic detection.

 

[cmor15]

I live in Kansas and I get stuck at red lights all the time and gotta run them. I'm so glad this passed, always get nervous about it even though there are usually no cars around and it's perfectly safe.

Some people disagree with it and think the police officer should be able to have the ability to make a judgment call, I think thats rubbish though. It seems like so many cops around here bust people for petty sh*t just to raise revenue for the city.

Speaking of, its interesting that we can spend 289 million + dollars renovating the Topeka capitol building but cant fix up the streets that are littered with potholes and almost SCARY to drive on. People are blowing out tires and bending rims left and right around here.

Is anyone else having the pothole problem in their cities?

 

[04fizzer]

I live in Kansas and I get stuck at red lights all the time and gotta run them. I'm so glad this passed, always get nervous about it even though there are usually no cars around and it's perfectly safe.

Some people disagree with it and think the police officer should be able to have the ability to make a judgment call, I think thats rubbish though. It seems like so many cops around here bust people for petty sh*t just to raise revenue for the city.

Speaking of, its interesting that we can spend 289 million + dollars renovating the Topeka capitol building but cant fix up the streets that are littered with potholes and almost SCARY to drive on. People are blowing out tires and bending rims left and right around here.

Is anyone else having the pothole problem in their cities?

Pot holes are always a problem around here, especially this time of year because of the freeze/thaw cycles that we get. It just destroys the pavement. Throw in the snow plows digging up the loose chunks, and it just expedites the process.

 

[Andz]

Potholes are a national disgrace here. A friend recently had a narrow escape when he hit one at speed on his ZX-14. He hit the hole so hard that the rear subframe broke and the shock mount broke out of the swingarm.