Traffic Lights - Induction Loop vs. Camera Detectors

[ajcadoo]

Newer technologies are evolving in the world of traffic lights. Idk about the rest of the country, but a lot of intersections in San Diego contain traffic detection cameras:



For those who have experienced both the old-school induction loop and newer camera detection signals, which have been better for motorcycle detection?

For me: the Cameras notice me far better. I can be the only vehicle trying to turn left, and the dedicated left will go green, every time.

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by ajcadoo

Newer technologies are evolving in the world of traffic lights. Idk about the rest of the country, but a lot of intersections in San Diego contain traffic detection cameras:



For those who have experienced both the old-school induction loop and newer camera detection signals, which have been better for motorcycle detection?

For me: the Cameras notice me far better. I can be the only vehicle trying to turn left, and the dedicated left will go green, every time.

I had a lot of trouble with the cameras at night in San Diego (commuted to/from a grave shift there for three years). They were both $#!7. In a city with as many motorcycles as SD has, they should be ashamed that their signals were is such disrepair.

[leed]

Mmm.. Definitely didn't read the poll right. Majority of mine have induction loops, and they suck.

[gadgetguy1288]

All the ones around me have the loop. Only time I get the cameras is if I make the trip up to the Norfolk/Chesapeake area.

Luckily for me though NC and VA both have a law that allows you to treat a redlight as a stop sign if the light hasnt detected you after 2-3 minutes/light cycles.

[ajcadoo]

Originally Posted by CZroe

I had a lot of trouble with the cameras at night in San Diego (commuted to/from a grave shift there for three years). They were both $#!7. In a city with as many motorcycles as SD has, they should be ashamed that their signals were is such disrepair.

Yeah, at night is a different story. I have tried high beams and the cam seems to work some of the time.

[blink]

It's by weight or magnetic pull sometimes isn't it?

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by blink

It's by weight or magnetic pull sometimes isn't it?

The inductance, which is a disturbance in a magnetic field. The weight sensors are usually for gates and such.

[ajcadoo]

Originally Posted by blink

It's by weight or magnetic pull sometimes isn't it?

The metal in a vehicle causes some magnetic disturbance with the loop which triggers the signal.

[Boom King]

Induction loops are horrible for our little bikes. It's really hit or miss. I once sat in the left turn lane and had the lights go through two cycles before I gave up on a lost cause and made a right turn across two lanes.

[miss_syn]

Timed intersections FTW?

[blink]

Originally Posted by CZroe

The inductance, which is a disturbance in a magnetic field. The weight sensors are usually for gates and such.

Originally Posted by ajcadoo

The metal in a vehicle causes some magnetic disturbance with the loop which triggers the signal.

That makes sense =p I didn't know what the "loop" was

[alex.s]

i dont bother stopping at traffic signals.

[Sailariel]

Ours here in Maine are the loops--some by weight. A lot of times my bike does not trip them--and my bike weighs 560lbs and I weigh 180. I think the damn things are designed for tanker trucks.

[massacremasses]

cameras

[cbdallas]

We have cameras, but it still takes forever to get a green light at some intersections. I sit there rotting with no cross-traffic wondering why they make us wait so long. Car or bike is the same. The people who time our lights are stupid.

[alex.s]

with the cameras here, i found the trick that if you sit in the #2 position and wave your arms or flash your lights, it tends to change faster

[cbdallas]

You'd be good to have around as entertainment while I'm sitting there rotting.

[KawiKid860]

I'm pretty sure we have mostly cameras here and they detect me pretty good most of the time but last night I sat at one through several cycles until eventually a car came and it turned green for us. flashing my brights on and off didn't help, also I ride with my brights on all the time

[Jono]

Most of the older traffic lights around town are the Induction Loop kind. But as they put up new traffic lights they are all using the cameras. So I have both in my town. But the majority are the induction loops.

I haven't had any major problems with either. But most of the time there are cars in front or behind me. If they don't detect me after a full cycle I will usually just run the light. (Of course making sure it is safe to do so.)

[ajcadoo]

Originally Posted by alex.s

i dont bother stopping at traffic signals.

haha

[ajcadoo]

Originally Posted by alex.s

with the cameras here, i found the trick that if you sit in the #2 position and wave your arms or flash your lights, it tends to change faster

Just imagining a rider doing this made my day

[exarch]

Idk if this applies to cam lights(im sure it would though) but they put up a few speed cams in my city and the surrounding citys. I hear u can fight the ticket because it goes against our constitutional rights if a cop is not present to give you the ticket. I cant remember which city, but one of the citys near by recently had a lawsuit filed agains them and lost. They had to pay everyone back that they gave tickets to from the speed cams in that city. Ill try to find a link to post.
Too lazy to find a better link, this is a link to a similar suit about 1.5h away from where I live, this should validate my point, or u can look up more info on ur own. http://suealtmeyer.typepad.com/cleve...ll_county.html sorry, on a phone I dont got that amazing bbc.
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[exarch]

Oops, I totally missunderstood lol, we have both here, aswell as timers. I prefer the ones on a timmer, cuz sometimes the cams are screwed up, once was at a red light for 12minutes before I decided to run it lol(ok I didnt run it, I just turned right into an immediate u-turn.)
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[exarch]

I beleive in Michigan if I am not mistaken, that it doesn't matter if your the driver or not, the ticket is issued to the owner regardless and cannot be fought(obviously unless the car was stolen, but thats a whole nother story)

Also, as you mentiomed the light could of been yellow, but if a cop is present there is no dispute(most the time) in which case the ticket is unlawful. Although once I got away with running a red light(it was green) cuz the cop couldnt keep his story right, and me and the car infront of me had the same exact story without ever talking to eachother or meeting eachother.

You may be onto something if they dont have a clear pic and you state 'i do not recall' ill have to remember that one

I didnt realized they were issued by private companies, those tickets arnt worth the paper they are written on anyhow, I have so many parking violations in my own neighborhood(parked facing the wrong way) that I just throw away cuz they dont mean squat, I payed one(well my wife payed it) for expired tags(I was out of state cuz of the army) it was like a $50 ticket. I dunno why she payed, they cant add it to our rent, cant tow our cars, and cant force us to pay it. All they can do is turn it in to the board of trustees, and they could care less cuz every last person on the board is good friends with someone in our family. hec she been livin in this area for all 26 years of her life, and I been here for 6years, and I work for the Same security company that patrols our neighborhood(too bad i.cant.work here,.conflict of interest BS)
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[ai4px]

In SC the law says you can legally run a red light if it is safe to do so AND the light has not changed in 120 seconds. In NC it is 180 seconds. The law says if the light doesn't change in the allotted time, it should be considered malfunctioning.

Traffic lights most often use an inductive loop under the pavement. They are sensitive to the a mass of metal that changes their inductance.... or a magnet that moves across the coil and induces a voltage spike in the sensor. To say they are tripped by weight is not exactly correct... they don't measure the weight of the vehicle, but heavier vehicles have more metal, which is easier to detect.

I put a magnet on my bike's underside and I can't say for sure it trips the traffic lights. If a car pulls up behind me, I'll signal for them to pull up a bit so they are on the sensor, and every one I've done that with gets it. If it is not a busy time of day, I'll run the red after stopping. I hate to do it when there is a lot of traffic around... not for safety, but because most cagers don't know the run the red light law and they'll get a bad impression of bikers.

[ai4px]

and one more thing... I printed a copy of the "run the red light law" and keep it with my registration just in case the cop that may pull me over doesn't know the law.