New law in Chicago!

[beacher]

What do you think of this?

https://tinyurl.com/7o7d5dj

Luckily, here in Tacoma, most of the "light pads" seem to be set up for weights low enough that motorcycles will change the lights. . .

 

[allrider]

You gotta wait 2 minutes? I don't know anyone here that has that much patience.

A couple years ago they upgraded an intersection nearby with those so called "Smart Lights" but it wouldn't read my bike even with one of those pos traffic light magnets. I called SDOT and asked if they could adjust it to be more sensitive. They said they would get right on it. Yeah, right!

30 min later i get a call by the guy who just adjusted it to say it's done to, "let me know if it doesn't work better." I nearly fell over.

It's worked great ever since. Whocabelieveit?

 

[airboss]

Applies to all of Illinois, except Chicago (see last sentance).

"CHICAGO (CBS) — Illinois motorcycles and bicycles will be allowed to run red lights starting in 2012, but only in certain instances.

Motorcycles and bicycles often aren’t big enough to trigger magnetic sensors that switch traffic lights from red to green, WBBM Newsradio’s Alex Degman reports.

That could mean the riders either break the law and run the red light, or wait until another vehicle comes along.

State Rep. Dan Beiser (D-Alton) says the new law means bikers can go through a red light if they wait a reasonable amount of time, but that amount isn’t yet defined.

“A reasonable amount of time, which was not defined in the bill, will be 120 seconds,” says Beiser. “So two minutes, that’s what we’ve come to agreement on and that was part of the governor’s concern.”

The governor issued an amendatory veto of the measure because he wanted a set amount of time the vehicles must wait.

But lawmakers overrode the veto, assuring the governor’s office it would be addressed during the upcoming session.

The law applies to municipalities with fewer than 2 million people, meaning it wouldn’t apply in Chicago. "

 

[networkguy]

Here in Phoenix I believe we have this law too. We have many lights that dont detect me...especially the ones on on ramps (metering lights). If I dont have a car right behind me when I hit one, I dont even slow down. I just blast through it.

 

[RaYzerman19]

You must at least treat it as a flashing red, i.e., you must come to a stop before proceeding.....

Try shifting to neutral and putting your kickstand down on the sensor wire. Works 99% of the time when you have to wait for other traffic.

 

[Bounce]

covered under pre-existing laws dealing with malfunctioning traffic lights. treat it as a stop sign when blinking red or not running at all. fail to sense the bike? how can you tell? wait a full cycle and then go.

 

[Brodie]

Good law.<br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; ">Many times I found myself stuck at a malfunctioning left turn light on my predominately aluminum and plastic sport touring bike. After 2 cycles of the light I treat it like a stop sign and proceed when safe for me to do so. The problem with many traffic intersections is they are camera enforced. I'd risk getting a ticket for running a red light if it weren't for laws like this. Here in California I've actually had a Milpitas police officer pull up to me in his patrol car one morning at 3 am to suggest I do just that after watching me wait for that left turn light to cycle several times.

 

I have to agree, the author of the article showed his bias by giving it such an absurd title. It sure got a lot of people to show their "evil"side.

 

Door 'em…
 
I think we will be hearing a lot of splats in the future. Motorcycles and bikes are dangerous enough…
 
I am going to take all of the money that I made on Norwegian butter and invest in Illinois coffins…
 
This should be a good test of Darwin's theory of Natural Selection…
 


 

Makes me kinda glad I don't live in Chicago, although the left coast isn't that much better.

Brodie

 

[Harald]

What do you think of this?

https://tinyurl.com/7o7d5dj

Luckily, here in Tacoma, most of the "light pads" seem to be set up for weights low enough that motorcycles will change the lights. . .

They're probably set up correctly because I've already complained about them. :lol: I make it a point to complain about any lights I come across that don't trigger, although sometimes it's hard to figure out who's responsible (state or city or county). In the last couple years I've filed 2 complaints in Seatac, 1 in Puyallup and 2 in Sumner. In all cases the response has been quick and the problem taken care of.

And as a suggestion for future use, always save copies of correspondence in case you end up with a ticket for running a red light. I'm thinking the judge would be impressed with my proactive actions to address broken traffic lights. I always stop, but won't hesitate to run the light once it's safe if I know it's not going to change.

 

[wheatonFJR]

This law is somewhat vague...

...the law that concerns some of our speedier FJR riders is a law previously passed. Watch yer speed when yer passing vehicles on a 2-lane highway

The FJR can easily reach some of those thresholds if there is more than 1 vehicle being passed. Personally, I am not liking this statute...as the safest pass is the one that gets you over and out of the oncoming lane in the shortest amount of time available.

I obviously don't speed normally, but I do hate being in an oncoming lane...

 

[wheatonFJR]

...Try shifting to neutral and putting your kickstand down on the sensor wire. Works 99% of the time when you have to wait for other traffic.

...OR put the centerstand down against the pavement...works for me 99/100.

 

[SacramentoMike]

I like the idea of this law too. Not many officers would ticket you if you really waited through a couple of cycles and then proceeded when it was obviously safe--I don't THINK. Still, it's good to have it clearly in the books that it's OK to do this. (By the way, to me, "safe" to proceed means when I don't see any cops.)

Now for the next law we need. Here in Cali, anyway, cars can generally do 65 on the freeway, and trucks are frequently limited to 55. Why? Because they can't stop as quickly, they don't maneuver as well, don't see other traffic as well, and probably other reasons too. So how about, say an extra 10 mph for motorcycles, that beat cars in all of the above categories. Write your legislator!

 

[Bounce]

I personally think that the stack of statutes is already needlessly complex. Many of the micromanaged additions can be addressed with a few general statutes like cares/reckless driving, etc. The malfunctioning signal clause covers everything we need. Increased complexity simply makes it more likely that everyone, eventually, becomes a criminal.

We're 20 years behind the curve but clearly determined to comply with Orwell's final state.