Motor Bike @ traffic light

[southpennrailroad]

I usually wait till car comes and activates light. Or go on if not busy.

Once got a ticket at 3am with no one gonna drive up for hours for "running" a red light.
Cop said I should of
1- right on red
2- u turn
3- right turn back on to original street

Yeah, right! Like I'm gonna do that.

Thats what I had in mind. Safer and no tickets

[southpennrailroad]

I usually wait till car comes and activates light. Or go on if not busy.

Once got a ticket at 3am with no one gonna drive up for hours for "running" a red light.
Cop said I should of
1- right on red
2- u turn
3- right turn back on to original street

Yeah, right! Like I'm gonna do that.

Thats what I had in mind. Safer and no tickets

The U turn would have put me on one of those triangle turns that lead to my destination. Will do that from now on.

[Richard A.]

I ride bicycles, a 49cc scooter and a 650 cc motorcycle ... and have that problem with all of those vehicles (depending on the particular intersection)

Often (if no one comes up behind me) I will make a legal "right turn on red" (if your state allows it) .. then .. make a u-turn .. and then another right turn (if necessary another right turn on red).

[southpennrailroad]

I ride bicycles, a 49cc scooter and a 650 cc motorcycle ... and have that problem with all of those vehicles (depending on the particular intersection)

Often (if no one comes up behind me) I will make a legal "right turn on red" (if your state allows it) .. then .. make a u-turn .. and then another right turn (if necessary another right turn on red).

I now do this same thing.

[olds-cool]

Different lights have different sensors but as said before, many of them are magnetic. A few rare earth magnets on the bottom will help out with those ones. I remember one light in particular though that wouldn't change after midnight no matter what you parked over the sensor. I waited in my car for close to 5 minutes one night just to see what would happen. Finally got tired of waiting and just drove through it.

[TJinPgh]

I've done the U-Turn thing. Sadly, the place where this is the biggest issue for me (On Neville Island in the turn-off lane to go onto I-79 North), you cannot make a U-Turn. It's prohibited. So, you need to go down to the next intersection, turn around in the parking lot and then come back.

Got tired of that so I just started taking an alternate route.

We asked about such things when we took the state sponsored MSP safety course a couple of years ago. The instructor said that what he does is to either wait through 2 light cycles (if it's a left turn lane) or a specific amount of time (forget how long he said to wait... several minutes, though) and then goes.

At that point IF you get caught you can usually tell the court that you waited and the light failed to change so you came to the conclusion that the light wasn't working properly.

Never tried it. Like I said, I just take an alternate route.

[southpennrailroad]

I've done the U-Turn thing. Sadly, the place where this is the biggest issue for me (On Neville Island in the turn-off lane to go onto I-79 North), you cannot make a U-Turn. It's prohibited. So, you need to go down to the next intersection, turn around in the parking lot and then come back.

Got tired of that so I just started taking an alternate route.

We asked about such things when we took the state sponsored MSP safety course a couple of years ago. The instructor said that what he does is to either wait through 2 light cycles (if it's a left turn lane) or a specific amount of time (forget how long he said to wait... several minutes, though) and then goes.

At that point IF you get caught you can usually tell the court that you waited and the light failed to change so you came to the conclusion that the light wasn't working properly.

Never tried it. Like I said, I just take an alternate route.

Nevile Isl. Know exactly where your from. Use to live in McKees Rocks.

[olds-cool]

TJ, the light I waited at was in Robinson. It's on the road coming down from the town center plaza, right across from the 60 on ramp (turn left to go twoards walmart or right to go back to the mall). Been about 8-9 years since I lived down there so maybe it's changed a bit by now.

[TJinPgh]

Yeah, instead of going onto Neville Island I just stay on 51 now and hop on 79 right before Coraopolis. Shoot across the bridge from there then onto 65.

No stop lights at all that way until you get down past the Speakeasy.

Olds,
I know right where you're talking about. I haven't been through there on my bike so I can't say if it's any different now or not. I know that the left turn coming the other way (where you're talking about making the right to head toward the mall) is a chronic pain that even sometimes misses a car at that light.

Not much that can be done about it, I guess.

[dmdc411]

In Minnesota its legal to drive through a red if you have sat through a full cycle of the light. But what happens if its a sensor type? When I worked 3-11pms I would sit and wait for a bit, then just ride through, usually no traffic hardly. One night the local small town D-Head was sitting in the shadows, watched me the whole time!! The next night in my truck he tried to give me a ticket for the night prior!! Told him I didn't have a clue what he was talking about and should have stopped me then. I asked if he could give me a ticket for driving intoxoicated when I was 20? He didn't understand..(that was about 28 years ago) I try not to go that way anymore.

[TJinPgh]

Personally, I think we should just wait a couple of minutes and just go through.

When a cop pulls you over, kindly accept the ticket then proceed to the nearest attorney's office. Have him defend you at the hearing on the basis of malfunctioning traffic signals. Arguing that it MUST be malfunctioning since you are driving a state licensed motor vehicle and it failed to cycle through.

If that doesn't work, have said lawyer sue the city for having unsafe traffic signals.

On the other hand, unless you're riding a 900 pound Goldwing, you could always get off the bike and push it through the light.

If the cop stops you simply say "sorry, I'm not sure I understand the problem. I didn't drive through a red light. I walked through it. I was unaware that there was an ordinance against that."

Of course, he'd probably respond by giving you a ticket for jay walking.

[Sam I am]

I've had that happen many times over the years. If the light won't change, I wait till the road is clear, and go through it. I've heard that it's legal in PA to go through after coming to a complete stop, but I've never seen it in writing.

[Gary and Cheri]

Check your local state laws. In Wisconsin you have to wait like 2 minutes and if the light has not changed you can legally run the red light. This law is spreading to other states. I know we were not the first.

Gary

[TJinPgh]

I can't find anything on the PA DMV website relating directly to motorcycles and traffic signals that don't recognize them.

There was this, though...

Chapter 31, subsection 3112.

(c) Inoperable or malfunctioning signal.--If a traffic-control signal is out of operation or is not functioning properly, vehicular traffic facing a:
(1) Green or yellow signal may proceed with caution as indicated in subsection (a)(1) and (2).
(2) Red or completely unlighted signal shall stop in the same manner as at a stop sign, and the right to proceed shall be subject to the rules applicable after making a stop at a stop sign as provided in section 3323 (relating to stop signs and yield signs).
(Dec. 21, 1998, P.L.1126, No.151, eff. 60 days)

Now, technically, if the light doesn't change it's a malfunctioning signal. All traffic signals are supposed to be able to be triggered by all street legal motor vehicles.

So, IF you got stopped you could probably cite this and, if you're lucky, the cop will let it go at that. If not, the magistrate will probably go with it.

Although, if you have to go before a magistrate you would probably be well served to call the local municipal office and report the light as malfunctioning. It's unlikely that you'd get away with it twice if you don't.

[jeff0520]

I've had that problem before. I solved it by cutting a piece of 1/4 inch plate steel to the size that just fit in my underseat storage. I welded a chain link onto it as a little handle. If the light wouldn't turn, I'd toss the plate on top of the loop. As a bonus, It was nice to have for under the kickstand when parking on grass