traffic lights

[wintershurt]

whats with traffic lights, i travel to work at 4.00am, and when i approach traffic lights, i can sit for ages i have tried flashing them,(be clean now) maybe its just cause the light on my nx650 is piss poor. did nip on through once and got caught by the old bill, they just give me a good telling off, so i refrain from this activity at this early hour,

Any thoughts.

[GSF K1]

I thought that flashing lights was a myth!

I know some lights near my house have a sensor in the road.. if you’re going too fast down the road they’ll change on you to stop you… b*st*rds!

[Scouser]

If the lights have a white sensor on top they will detect your light within a given distance, and assuming that there is no traffic waiting in the other direction, they should change for you; you have to flash before you reach them.

If there is no sensor on top then they will work off a timer for the normal duration. Some units have a wire loop in the road which detect your vehicle but i’m not sure that a bike can be detected by the loop?

[imperialdata]

I believe that many of the UK’s traffic light systems still use an inductance method so there are basically several electro-magnetic coils in the ground which detect large areas of metal over the top of them (cars) and then signal to the logic circuit inside the light control box that you are waiting. If you are on a bike then you may not trigger the inductance required by the coil. ::Unzips anorak::

My suggestions:

1) Find the coil position by trial and error and park your bike directly over it when found. Imagine where a car would have to be parked to trigger it and centralise yourself there.

2) Take a metal plate down there and put it on the floor where you think the sensor coils are. Don’t forget the lights will not change immediately.

3) Go on a night-time raid and dig up the tarmac then you know where the coils are.

4) Take a different route

Now I’m basing all this on the fact that we still use this system in the UK so I’d be happy if someone contradicts me here. That’s if anyone is still awake at this point []

[wintershurt]

Some good points there, i have tried flashing the lights with limited success, i will try the to position the bike differently, when i approach. On the way back in the work van they change immediately, so the pressure plates sounds about right,

[GSX Rat]

paddle it thru slowly with your feet down and one hand on the kill switch, if the old bill turn up it stalled as you were crossing the junction and you were pushing it to a safe position….

or just ride thru and keep your eyes open.

[imperialdata]

quote:

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Originally posted by GSX Rat

…..if the old bill turn up it stalled as you were crossing the junction and you were pushing it to a safe position

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What’s the chance they’ll ask why it stalls in the same place every morning[]

[Author]

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