Traffic light detectors

[Inlaw1]

I read about this trick in a bike rag about 10 years ago and it works great. When you pull up do as effbee says and stay one side or the other, or above the wire so to speak because that does seem to help.

If the light doesn't change then flip your high beams on and off as fast as you can. If that doesn't trigger the lights, hit the kill switch and restart the bike. The loop in the ground goes off the magnetic field above it. If your bike isn't quite enough to trigger it, the electrical field created by your lights / alternator can trick the sensor.

About 80% the high beam trick does it for me, the rest of the times hitting the kill switch and restarting almost immediately gets the light to change.

HTH,

 

[Ignacio]

Often, the problem is in where you position your bike. Most people think that the entire area inside of the "sensing loop" buried in the asphalt is sensitized, so they stop their bikes in the middle of it. In reality, only the perimeter of the sensing loop can detect a vehicle. By stopping in the middle, you probably have your steering head over the front part of the loop, and your rear tire over the rear part. Not exactly a strong metal presence in either case.
Instead, try stopping at the extreme left or extreme right of the sensing loop. By doing this, you position your engine and centerstand directly over the wire. You stand a much better chance of having the system detect you when you're positioned this way. Try it. It seems to work for virtually ever signal I've ever encountered.

A possible enhancement to that is even to try and stop on the corner as well. Extreme left or right, but where the wire does a 90 degree bend. I have one light in town that's right on the threshold of detection and have the best luck with the corner.

Newer intersections are now going to a round loop sensor and they seem to be much better in general for smaller masses of metal.

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

Sorry for being so "chatty", but I'm kind of retarded when trying to explain things like this in words.

19 posts over a 22 month time span is not exactly "chatty"

You obviously wait until you have something to contribute, unlike some of us that share every thought that pops into our heads.

Do try to break it up into paragraphs though. Eyeballs get a break that way

If the light doesn't change then flip your high beams on and off as fast as you can.

The emergency vehicles have something like that. Lights change pretty quick for them. I've often wondered if those strobe lights could used be with any stealth by Joe Citizen.

 

[Inlaw1]

If the light doesn't change then flip your high beams on and off as fast as you can.

The emergency vehicles have something like that. Lights change pretty quick for them. I've often wondered if those strobe lights could used be with any stealth by Joe Citizen.

There are strobes that emergency vehicles use, but they are set to flash at varying cycles in order to trip the sensor set up for the purpose of turning the lights to green, none of which you could do fast enough with your headlights.

The flashing of your headlights is not to trigger these devices, as mentioned I doubt you could, it's to disrupt the magnetic field above the loop sensor in the ground used to trigger the light.

 

[AntiqueCarNut]

But does it REALLY work?

I've tried a couple of these, the most recent being the Signal Sourcerer. These are the magnetic version of snake oil, IMO.

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

If the light doesn't change then flip your high beams on and off as fast as you can.

The emergency vehicles have something like that. Lights change pretty quick for them. I've often wondered if those strobe lights could used be with any stealth by Joe Citizen.

There are strobes that emergency vehicles use, but they are set to flash at varying cycles in order to trip the sensor set up for the purpose of turning the lights to green, none of which you could do fast enough with your headlights.

The flashing of your headlights is not to trigger these devices, as mentioned I doubt you could, it's to disrupt the magnetic field above the loop sensor in the ground used to trigger the light.

I understand. My question was this: I wonder if your average joe could purchase one of those strobes and mount it on their personal vehicle to trigger the signal changing mechanism. Using them without drawing too much attention to one's self would be key, because I'm sure a LEO wouldn't need to much imagination to cite the user of such a device.

 

[RonBB]

The May 2007 issue of Motorcycle Consumer News has a pretty good article on how the traffic signal loop sensors work. As was pointed out above it talks about the sensitivity near the wire loop itself. I recommend a read if you can find the article. Best of luck.

 

[Inlaw1]

My question was this: I wonder if your average joe could purchase one of those strobes and mount it on their personal vehicle to trigger the signal changing mechanism.

Oh! Yea, of course, my bad.

I would imagine you could get one. But the strobes are a bit obtrusive in size for, say, a bike. And yes, you would look somewhat like an emergency vehicle approaching the intersection when you turned it on to change the light. Not to mention, it would have to be an intersection that was set up for such devices. I'm not sure they are all that common in municipalities. And you'd have to have the frequency they were set to receive the flash at to make it work.

Anything is possible though, but it doesn't strike me as probable at all. And if caught you'd probably be arrested for impersonating an emergency vehicle.

 

[Bounce]

The emergency vehicles have something like that. Lights change pretty quick for them. I've often wondered if those strobe lights could used be with any stealth by Joe Citizen.

i've often considered working up a modern version of the 60's strobe lights (with the dial to vary the speed of the strobe). hook it up in a dc method to the bike, hood it from side view, aim it upward, and dial up/down the speed at a light until you have it set for the rate needed for your local city.

 

[evil_henchman]

I'll refrain from providing a link but you can find traffic light changer strobes with a simple google search. Expensive to buy and risky if used stupidly. Lonely intersection with nobody around, no problem. Busy intersection and you're in a hurry, change the light, cause a wreck, somebody gets hurt or killed and it's all over for you if you're caught.

 

[RonBB]

I think that I remember reading about some guy getting caught with one of the signal strobes somewhere (NYC?). I think they picked it up with a traffic camera when the camera operator noticed the same car getting LOTS of light changes to green. I seem to recall he was fined something like $250 or so. He had bought the thing at a police auction or something like that and after paying the fine and considering the cost of the strobe & length of time he had used it, and the amount of time he had saved in traffic felt that it was worth the cost.

 

[one day]

Solution: Move to Minnesota
The law here is: 169.06, Minnesota Statutes 2006

Subd. 9. Affirmative defense relating to unchanging traffic-control signal. (a) A person

operating a motorcycle who violates subdivision 4 by entering or crossing an intersection

controlled by a traffic-control signal against a red light has an affirmative defense to that charge if

the person establishes all of the following conditions:

(1) the motorcycle has been brought to a complete stop;

(2) the traffic-control signal continues to show a red light for an unreasonable time;

(3) the traffic-control signal is apparently malfunctioning or, if programmed or engineered

to change to a green light only after detecting the approach of a motor vehicle, the signal has

apparently failed to detect the arrival of the motorcycle; and

(4) no motor vehicle or person is approaching on the street or highway to be crossed or

entered or is so far away from the intersection that it does not constitute an immediate hazard.

(B ) The affirmative defense in this subdivision applies only to a violation for entering or

crossing an intersection controlled by a traffic-control signal against a red light and does not

provide a defense to any other civil or criminal action.

That defense saved me a few coins last summer.

Or Tennessee. We got the same deal last year.

 

[pawtracks]

After a month of owning my FJR in San Diego and doing a daily commute I got really tired of "hoping" to get behind a cage or playing a real life game of frogger on about 3 San Diego left turn traffic lights.

For the early morning or late night times running the light after stopping was no problem.

I have one of these "snake oil" magnets on my centerstand and it worked on about 70% of the lights that gave me problems in the past. I picked it up on ebay for $15 brand new. I think the issue with the lights it did not work on were the ones where I could not find where the trigger was buried. For some reason the city chose to pave over the entire intersection after a period of time and did not mark where the trip wire was buried.

For the $15 it cost me to get a 70% increase in lights working for me was money well spent IMHO YMMV.

If you can't see where the trigger is buried it will be a waste of money.

Notes:

-The magnet is really small (2" long x 1/8" thick) TINY!

-When I got mine a year ago they only had one model, the green box SS-1, now it looks like the G-42 is meant for motorcycles (maybe it is new & improved, better than before)

Edit: After looking at the new model web page, G-42, I don't know if I would put that thing on my bike. Compared to the size of the SS-1 it is huge. With the results I had with the SS-1 I have no doubt the G-42 would work. Probably with similar results (You must know where it is buried to trigger the light)

Just my $0.02 and personal results

 

[TheAxeman]

After reading through this post I decided to do my part for two wheeled safety here in Sag Harbor so I got on the phone to see if I could get anybody on the line that might give a shit about fine tuning the one stop light we have in town. After getting the usual bureaucratic run around and making no less than 5 phone calls to different agencies, I got to leave a message on "Joe's" voice mail. Evidently "Joe" is the guy. Tomorrow we shall see if he calls back. If he does, maybe you all can call "Joe" also and have him come out and fix your fubared traffic signal. I'll report back... <_<

Holy Crap! Joe called me back! He explained how the triggers work by electromagnetic field and if the motorcycle isn't tripping it they will probably have to replace the loop detector. He corroborated what Iggy had said earlier that the best chance of tripping it is to pull the bike up over the corner of the saw cuts. He is going to come out here and check it out and wants me to bring the bike over so they can get it right....My faith in humanity is renewed. One thing he mentioned also was that the reason it never happens on the main road as opposed to the side roads of the intersection is that the light is set to always default to green whereas the side roads will remain red until tripped.

 

[mdisher]

Interesting...

I just put in a call to my local municipality. They knew right who to send me too... and I just left a voicemail.

I often have to wait for what seems like forever. During rush hour if I'm the first person in the queue, the light will never give us the left turn arrow. I have to move forward almost out into traffic so the car behind me can move up to make it go.

We'll see how well this exercise works for me.

 

[abarron576]

In the event you read Motorcycle Consumer News, they had a good article on how the things work, where the loops run, and where to park to get their attention (NOT the LEO's) I don't know if old articles are on line, but you might try it.

 

[Malve]

The magnets probably pay for themselves with all the spare change they pick up.

 

[Auburn]

I read about this trick in a bike rag about 10 years ago and it works great. When you pull up do as effbee says and stay one side or the other, or above the wire so to speak because that does seem to help.
If the light doesn't change then flip your high beams on and off as fast as you can. If that doesn't trigger the lights, hit the kill switch and restart the bike. The loop in the ground goes off the magnetic field above it. If your bike isn't quite enough to trigger it, the electrical field created by your lights / alternator can trick the sensor.

About 80% the high beam trick does it for me, the rest of the times hitting the kill switch and restarting almost immediately gets the light to change.

HTH,

Inlaw1, as a former Signal Superintendent in Washington (went back to the private sector building them), flashing your headlight is an old wise tail. The optical sensor is programmed to receive a strobe light that is flashed at a digital rate. And yes they can program the pre-emption card in the controller to allow certain ones and deny others. There is a product out there called MIRT, which is illegal in just about every state contrary to their web-site, that will pre-empt some of the old cards that do not have up to date software on them. It is funny to watch someone flashing their headlight. :grin:

Here is a link to Reno A&E, they are probably the industry leaders in loop technology and loop detectors. https://www.renoae.com/ then click on the loop FAQ.

You can root around this site an find out more about loops then you will probably ever want to know.