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Bicycles, Traffic Signals, Loop Detectors -- rules where you ride?
Different jurisdictions seem to have very different attitudes towards
whether their traffic signals are supposed to detect bicyclists. Some local cities say they definitely should detect bicycles, they mark the location of the sensor loops and they'll adjust a signal's sensitivity after just one complaint. Others say bicycles should be using the pedestrian buttons to trigger the light. (Personally, I've never seen a pedestrian button that triggers the left-turn lane....) I thought it might be intersting to know what the rules are elsewhere in the U.S. these days. Do your local traffic light sensors reliably detect bicycles? Does your local transportation department mark traffic light sensor loops for bicycles and motorcycles? Will your local transportation department adjust the sensitivity of signals if they don't detect bicycles? -- is Joshua Putnam http://www.phred.org/~josh/ Braze your own bicycle frames. See http://www.phred.org/~josh/build/build.html |
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#2
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Bicycles, Traffic Signals, Loop Detectors -- rules where you ride?
On Mar 17, 5:25 pm, wrote:
Different jurisdictions seem to have very different attitudes towards whether their traffic signals are supposed to detect bicyclists. Some local cities say they definitely should detect bicycles, they mark the location of the sensor loops and they'll adjust a signal's sensitivity after just one complaint. Others say bicycles should be using the pedestrian buttons to trigger the light. (Personally, I've never seen a pedestrian button that triggers the left-turn lane....) I thought it might be intersting to know what the rules are elsewhere in the U.S. these days. Do your local traffic light sensors reliably detect bicycles? No, but there's a law on the books for motorbikes, which aren't detected as well that lets you treat it as a stop sign after a cycle or reasonable amount of time. I stretch that to cover bikes as well. :- P |
#3
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Bicycles, Traffic Signals, Loop Detectors -- rules where you ride?
every state has searchable bicycle laws. the major cycling groups have
legal advice on cycling laws. For example, see sheldon brown books as there's a primer on new england cycle law, right? somehting to remember: if cycling and not in compliance with the laws and you get sqaushed by an SUV, you ****ed away your rights by illegal cycling tho the SUV may be at fault, the SUV may not be legally responsible for causing your damages. an excellent example: riding on sidewalks is illegal in Florida. The law is not enforced except in areas of "village commerce" such as street fair type commercial areas where old folk ($$$) are not to be intimidated by cyclists. Florida did provide extensive shoulder bike lanes but convience and real time safety often brings me to ride on empty sidewalks. however, if I come down the wrong side of the street on a sidewalk, and I do that every day caws i ride upwind of the smog, and surprise an SUV at a side street intersection and get squished, i assume I lose a large percentage of my legal rights from sidewlak riding going the wrong way. |
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Bicycles, Traffic Signals, Loop Detectors -- rules where you ride?
What can be really aggravating are intersections programmed to give an
extended left turn phase for opposing traffic while keeping your side red if the sensor doesn't detect you. As far as waiting is concerned, in New York bicycles and motorcycles are required to wait two minutes before proceding through an intersection on red. One intersection I frequent is a 4-way with high volumes of traffic on three of the legs but very little on the fourth leg which is the one I usually approach the intersection from. I usually run the aforementioned red light on the extended left turn phase because the cross traffic will always get a green phase before two minutes is up and it is pointless to wait an eternity for a car to show up on a low traffic volume road. Even if a car does turn up behind you at these intersections you can still be screwed if they are turning left in a turning lane and the lights are programmed to only give the left turn arrow when through traffic is undetected. |
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Bicycles, Traffic Signals, Loop Detectors -- rules where you ride?
In article
, wrote: Different jurisdictions seem to have very different attitudes towards whether their traffic signals are supposed to detect bicyclists. Some local cities say they definitely should detect bicycles, they mark the location of the sensor loops and they'll adjust a signal's sensitivity after just one complaint. Others say bicycles should be using the pedestrian buttons to trigger the light. (Personally, I've never seen a pedestrian button that triggers the left-turn lane....) I thought it might be intersting to know what the rules are elsewhere in the U.S. these days. Do your local traffic light sensors reliably detect bicycles? Does your local transportation department mark traffic light sensor loops for bicycles and motorcycles? Will your local transportation department adjust the sensitivity of signals if they don't detect bicycles? The loops here are fun. Some intersections have a second loop for bicycles. I ride up onto the bicycle loop. Wait. The cross traffic light gets an amber. I move off the loop. The cross traffic gets a red. My light is still red . Then the cross traffic gets a green an I still have a red. I am supposed to stay on the loop until I get a green. To hell with that. I have plenty of time. I keep cycling the signal; giving the cross traffic an amber then a red for a few seconds, then to green again; until a car comes up on the loop, or a pedestrian pushes a button. -- Michael Press |
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Bicycles, Traffic Signals, Loop Detectors -- rules where youride?
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Bicycles, Traffic Signals, Loop Detectors -- rules where you ride?
an excellent example: riding on sidewalks is illegal in Florida.
This is a myth, specific to Florida, that keeps getting perpetuated. It is *legal* to ride on the sidewalk in Florida: From http://www.dot.state.fl.us/safety/pe..._bikeLaws1.htm --------------------------- Sidewalk riding (Section 316.2065(10) and (11), F.S.) When riding on a sidewalk or crosswalk, a bicyclist has all the rights and duties applicable to a pedestrian. Comment: Sidewalks are not designed for bicycle speeds, but bicycle use is allowed except where prohibited by local ordinance (e.g. in the central business districts of many cities). Although a cyclist riding on a sidewalk has the rights and duties of a pedestrian, he is still a "bicycle rider" and his bicycle is still a "bicycle". Consequently, laws that pertain to required equipment and to carriage of passengers (see above) are still applicable. Since a cyclist riding on a sidewalk does not have the duties (or rights) of a driver, he may ride in either direction. (However, it is safer to ride in the direction of traffic, since drivers do not expect cyclists to come from the other direction at driveways and crosswalks. Crash risk is 3 to 4 times as great for sidewalk riders who ride facing roadway traffic as for sidewalk riders who ride in the direction of traffic.) At a signalized intersection, a sidewalk rider must obey the instructions of any applicable pedestrian control signal. That is, he may start to cross a roadway in a crosswalk only during a steady Walk phase, if one is displayed. If no pedestrian signal is provided, the cyclist may proceed in accordance with the signal indications for the parallel roadway traffic flow (Section 316.075, F.S.). A person propelling a bicycle upon and along a sidewalk, or across a roadway upon and along a crosswalk, shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian and shall give an audible signal before overtaking and passing such pedestrian. ---------------- -- Phil |
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Bicycles, Traffic Signals, Loop Detectors -- rules where you ride?
On Mar 17, 11:17 pm, mark wrote:
wrote: Different jurisdictions seem to have very different attitudes towards whether their traffic signals are supposed to detect bicyclists. Some local cities say they definitely should detect bicycles, they mark the location of the sensor loops and they'll adjust a signal's sensitivity after just one complaint. Others say bicycles should be using the pedestrian buttons to trigger the light. (Personally, I've never seen a pedestrian button that triggers the left-turn lane....) I thought it might be intersting to know what the rules are elsewhere in the U.S. these days. Do your local traffic light sensors reliably detect bicycles? Does your local transportation department mark traffic light sensor loops for bicycles and motorcycles? Will your local transportation department adjust the sensitivity of signals if they don't detect bicycles? CDOT (Colorado Dep't of Tranportation) has consistently readjusted sensor loops after one phone call, IME. Almost all the traffic light sensors around here work for bicycles. mark Where in CO are you? They sure don't around Boulder. Mostly small side streets that cross bigger streets, like most of the cross streets of north 28th...by my house, a good example. |
#9
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Bicycles, Traffic Signals, Loop Detectors -- rules where youride?
Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote:
On Mar 17, 11:17 pm, mark wrote: wrote: Different jurisdictions seem to have very different attitudes towards whether their traffic signals are supposed to detect bicyclists. Some local cities say they definitely should detect bicycles, they mark the location of the sensor loops and they'll adjust a signal's sensitivity after just one complaint. Others say bicycles should be using the pedestrian buttons to trigger the light. (Personally, I've never seen a pedestrian button that triggers the left-turn lane....) I thought it might be intersting to know what the rules are elsewhere in the U.S. these days. Do your local traffic light sensors reliably detect bicycles? Does your local transportation department mark traffic light sensor loops for bicycles and motorcycles? Will your local transportation department adjust the sensitivity of signals if they don't detect bicycles? CDOT (Colorado Dep't of Tranportation) has consistently readjusted sensor loops after one phone call, IME. Almost all the traffic light sensors around here work for bicycles. mark Where in CO are you? They sure don't around Boulder. Mostly small side streets that cross bigger streets, like most of the cross streets of north 28th...by my house, a good example. Summit County. Most of the lights I pass through are on CO Rte 9 or US 6 (come to think of it, most of the lights in Summit County are on those two roads), so quick call to CDOT gets them readjusted if needed. Summit County has a much lower population than Boulder, which probably helps. |
#10
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Bicycles, Traffic Signals, Loop Detectors -- rules where you ride?
well, that's good to know! its legal but...
consult the local laws. as ghandi said, "there are signs everywhere" it was the information i had that the cyclist was legal as a "pedestrian" only when not riding the bike that is all references to cyclists under the category pedestrain did not apply to cyclists riding a bike but walking a bike along the sidewalk or specifically in the crosswalk, the litigious area, "even though" it would "appear" the law spoke of legal cycle activity. In other words, and this is endless, once the word "pedestrian" appears references to cyclists are to be thought of as people walking bicycles not riding bicycles. that was the common law interpretation of the law by a lawyer in other words when brought to court that was what you could hear. as noticed nationally and then internationally, florida is not an area where laws are equally applied. the attactive young woman riding a bright yellow goldwing down the sidewalk at 75 mph can be legal when the following canadian riding a singer is ticketed after the local gendarme consult the canadian's bankroll. it is entirely possible the state of florida will tell you that cycling is cycling and pedestrainism is pedestrianism when in fact that concept is completely false down here at ground level. ?? Also, there's a law against aprking your H-D on the sidewalk enforced at Walmort but off course not at the dewdrop. Let me say that one of those signs stands on a signpost 6-7' up off the sidewalk. balancing the squid's information and what I read is probably some of what you should consider as reality in bicycle law that is in other words the law sez this but in reality the law doesn't say that which is the concept the squid refered to... further, yes there's more!! riding a bicycle among pedestrians involves the risk taking in a concept called "negligence" where you consciously ( and viciously depending on your speed and the endangered pedestrains perception of your viciouc and negligent speed) decide to endanger pedestrians when the state and county gave you a bike lane to ride on. Is this the probelm in river city Iowa? I dunno. If you live there that's your problem. but when I get there, I'm a gonna make a complete stop at every intersection. |
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