Do you run red lights?


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redwing-2001

New Member
EddieFx4 said:
yea that is not coming to Texas. why the hell would someone run a red light?? do they want to get killed??
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the title of that article is very mis-leading. The Kansas bill and a similar one in Georgia would allow motorcycles to proceed with caution after 60 seconds if a traffic actuated signal did not change. Basically, this allows motorcyclists to treat these types of red lights like stop signs but only after 60 seconds has expired. The Dept of Transportation is ok with this idea.
Incidentily, these signal sensors are magnetic, not weight activated like a lot of people think. Since motorcycles do not have a lot of metal, the actuators often don't work. To answer the question, 8 other states have laws already in place for motorcycles to treat a traffice actuated signal like a stop light.
 
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Fenixgoon

New Member
redwing-2001 said:
the title of that article is very mis-leading. The Kansas bill and a similar one in Georgia would allow motorcycles to proceed with caution after 60 seconds if a traffic actuated signal did not change. Basically, this allows motorcyclists to treat these types of red lights like stop signs but only after 60 seconds has expired. The Dept of Transportation is ok with this idea.
Incidentily, these signal sensors are magnetic, not weight activated like a lot of people think. Since motorcycles do not have a lot of metal, the actuators often don't work. To answer the question, 8 other states have laws already in place for motorcycles to treat a traffice actuated signal like a stop light.
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yep i've had that happen. i sat at a light for a good 2-3 minutes with the other directions having 0 traffic but the light did not switch for me until a car came up behind me and activated the sensor.
 
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Rabbitman109

Lumen Junkie
Elite Member
Most of the time, I end up making a right turn, turning around and making another right, that will allow me to go straight legally. It is a pain, and I have gone through a light after it hasn't changed but I always make sure that it doesn't have camera's because I will still get a ticket if it had a camera.
 
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Brock Kickass

New Member
I talked to a guy who attached 4 rare earth magents to the bottom of his bike, and he said it solved the traffic light actuation problem.
 
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Chucker

Active Member
I make whatever legal turns I can to get around the problem. I've considered running the red, but I always think that, if caught, the cop won't necessarily take my excuse as a good one, and I'll end up with a ticket.
 
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ajskillz13

New Member
In the short time I have been riding, I have already had this situation happen in a left turn lane. I ran it after missing one sequence. I would do the same thing on my bicycle. I would imagine most police officers would understand if you explained to them that you had been waiting and it wasn't obvious that any cars were going to join your lane to help you trigger the sensor.

Edit: I'm not sure how I could have made any legal maneuvers from the left turn lane. Turning right from there would have been as illegal as going through the light.
 
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MikeN02

New Member
This was a major problem I ran into. I usually ride at night/morning. about 1am to 5am and the lights go on a sensor instead of rotation during the day.

I first tried the Red light green light magnet from Cycle Gear but that didn't work.

Then I waited 2 cycle changes and still nothing so I ran the red light making a left turn on to the freeway. Cop pulls me over and I told him why I did it I guess because he was watching me. He agreed with me since I told him MSF course told me to treat it like a stop sign in which I did and it was safe to proceed. He let me off, but of course he rode a bike himself.

I never run if there's a camera on there, I might right hand turns then a U-Turn.

Rode one night and it didn't detect my buddy and I, so we made the left (no cars in sight) and the car behind us went as well.

I don't run the red light just because there's no camera and my neighborhood is on the left.
 
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dart1963

Super Moderator
Elite Member
I remember when lights used to turn to flashing after 11 and didn't start back up until 6-8am.... what happened?
 
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FZ6R_Blue

Mn red light law

Additional Information:

MINNESOTA RED LIGHT LAW

Sec. 42. Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 169.06, is amended by adding a subdivision to read: 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.
 
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stuna

New Member
YOU CAN IN WIS. YOU WAIT OUT ONE CYCLE , IF IT WILL NOT CHANGE AND ALL CLEAR YOU CAN GO . HEC SOME WE COULD WAIT ALL DAY AND THEY DONT CHANGE :surrender:
 
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JSP

Super Moderator
I will absolutely go through it if there is no traffic and I dont get the light within a cycle or two or if it just flat out wont change. If there is traffic and I am the lead person, I pull up and wave the vehicle behind me to come up a little to trigger the sensor. That usually works.
 
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Spunky99

New Member
jacobdahl said:
I talked to a guy who attached 4 rare earth magents to the bottom of his bike, and he said it solved the traffic light actuation problem.
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How big were these magnets?
I have some Neodymium-Iron-Boron rare earth magnets I use on wah wah pedals to change the inductance and the sound. They are 1/4' x 1/8" in size.
I could glue them to the bottom of my fairing.

I've run a left turn once. I look now and try to stop centered on the sensor pad to activate the light or figure out how to get to where I'm going without left turns or take advantage if a car is already there. This sounds like a great big hassle if it impacted cagers so since I pay registration fees like they do I should not be limited in my legal use of the streets. I guess we are lucky we have steel frames on the FZ6R, I think that helps.
 
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Jaralaccs

New Member
I do all the time.
They sell red light changers on ebay and places but I've read mixed reviews on how well they work.

One time a cop was waiting in a parking lot but still facing the intersection. Of course I'm stuck in the left turn lane and the thing's not changing. I waited at least 2 red/green light cycles hoping he would notice I've been sitting there forever. But it never changed so I kickstand down and walk over the the crosswalk button by the time I hit it and get back on my bike a car pulls up behind me :rolleyes:
 
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MikeN02

New Member
Weird thing is, during the day time I was trying to turn left. There were about 2 cars in front of us but the light didn't change for 2 rotations. People got out of their cars and looked up at the front to see if they're at the line.

Everyone was at that light for about 10 minutes, and I was late to work... while it was 80 out.
 

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Spunky99

New Member
dart1963 said:
nah... they're sensor based and biased towards the main flow of traffic... wouldn't want to stop a main highway just based on time if there are no cars coming the other way.

That's what usually get us, when trying to turn onto a main highway, or left off a highway. But when they did this, they through common sense out and got rid of the "after hours" stop/yield flashing sequence
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As it turns out, "Common Sense" isn't so common is it?
 
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