Not tripping traffic lights

C

climberman

Likes Dirt
The inductor loops sometimes don't go far enough to the footpath side of the lane either, so if you sidle up the LHS of the lane you don't trip them. This was a classic at a major Sydney bike lane access into the city. Cyclists pull up on the far left, foot on the gutter and wait..... wait..... wait..... wait...

And then some tosh from RMS had the gall in a media release to say it was 'cyclists not knowing how to use the system'... FFS. Car drivers don't know how to do it either, it just works for them.

Use the centre of the lane, take a fair bit of time crossing the loops. Usually works.
 
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ozzybmx

ozzybmx

taking a shit with my boobs out
Minlak said:
Learn to track stand...... The lights will change as soon as you loose balance and put a foot down.
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Or like I did, track stand at a busy junction to laying upside down on the road... like a turtle, bike still clipped to my feet, much to the amusement of 100 rush hour drivers.
 
John U

John U

MTB Precision
ozzybmx said:
Or like I did, track stand at a busy junction to laying upside down on the road... like a turtle, bike still clipped to my feet, much to the amusement of 100 rush hour drivers.
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Gold. Did you get the lights to change with this method though?
 
link1896

link1896

Mr Greenfield
ozzybmx said:
Or like I did, track stand at a busy junction to laying upside down on the road... like a turtle, bike still clipped to my feet, much to the amusement of 100 rush hour drivers.
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everyone's done that at least once, maybe not with such an audience.

I laid bike down thanks to greasy moss on a footpath a couple of years ago, amazing how instinctively one goes into the "no one saw that right, pretend they are not here, no it doesn't hurt" mode
 
Fred Nurk

Fred Nurk

No custom title here
gregb said:
Centre line of the inductor loop usually has two wires, they loop off left and right for the two squares. I roll pedal down up that line.Seems to trigger ok, even with a carbon roadie.
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Some intersections you can see the cuts in the bitumen where they've fitted the loops, I roll over the left hand cut slowly and the traffic light triggers every time.

If there aren't cuts in the bitumen that mark it, eventually you can guess where they are. None of them are near enough to the shoulder that you can avoid pulling up in front of a car though, although I found there was enough room to roll over the loop and swing left to the shoulder / bike lane.
 
ozzybmx

ozzybmx

taking a shit with my boobs out
John U said:
Gold. Did you get the lights to change with this method though?
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Nah... I got to see every single one of their happy little faces cruise past me with a smirk... even grandpa and grandma couldn't keep a straight face. I was on my CX... but to them, I was nothing more than a failed trackstanding, lycra clad roadie who got his deserves and broke up the monotony of their traffic jammed commute with some humor.
 
Minlak

Minlak

custom titis
Ridenparadise said:
Is it legal to press the pedestrian button and then ride across?
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It depends on the state.

You can press the pedestrian button and wait for the lights to change and ride with the traffic or in the bike lane.
You can press the pedestrian button and walk your bike across the crossing
 
scblack

scblack

Leucocholic
On my commute to work there is one T-intersection where I ride onto Richmond Rd in Sydney, which is 4 lanes heavy traffic 80kmh zone. No chance my carbon roadie would set any loop off. So I lean across, press the pedestrian button, and ride away from the car lane when lights change.

Then I turn off Richmond Rd after 200m, before any 80kmh traffic reaches me.
 
W

wilso1

Likes Bikes
Minlak said:
It depends on the state.

You can press the pedestrian button and wait for the lights to change and ride with the traffic or in the bike lane.
You can press the pedestrian button and walk your bike across the crossing
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Did you mean state? Or State? I didn't realise there was any difference from NSW to Victoria etc.

If you meant state (as in context), then I completely agree with you: if you ride your bike with the pedestrians, then you are not using the crossing correctly. Whether you are consequently afforded less protection than a pedestrian might be one for the courts.
 
The Duckmeister

The Duckmeister

Has a juicy midrange
IF it is a shared or segregated path crossing with bike-specific signals you may ride across. Any other crossing you must walk your bike across. If you wish to ride, use the road.
 
Minlak

Minlak

custom titis
wilso1 said:
Did you mean state? Or State? I didn't realise there was any difference from NSW to Victoria etc.

If you meant state (as in context), then I completely agree with you: if you ride your bike with the pedestrians, then you are not using the crossing correctly. Whether you are consequently afforded less protection than a pedestrian might be one for the courts.
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Yeah State as in QLD or Vic etc there is different rules in different States.

I have seen these in Brisbane they offer the alternative of running the red or dismounting.

traffic light.jpg
 
4dabush

4dabush

Likes Dirt
I just jump off and walk the intersection...have one on my alternative commute where I need to get across a dual turning lane to continue straight on... It's always safer there to hop off and go with the pedestrian crossing, or if I'm impatient, cross when there is no traffic so i can continue straight on. Same I have a really dodgy rh turn where I find it safer to turn left, do a u turn 30-40m from the lights, and line up with the traffic to cross straight across the 7 lane road...find that far safer and less stressful than crossing 3 lanes of 60kmh traffic to turn across 4 lanes of oncoming traffic.
Guess you just work out what's right for you.
 
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