Triggering green lights.

[MattV]

I have heard of a few products such as green light trigger and red light changer that are suppose to help trigger the light. I was wondering if anyone here has tried something like this and if they had any luck with it.

Thanks

[wyrdness]

I don't think that they work.

Sometimes bikes can get stuck at lights that have a traffic sensor. The sensor doesn't detect the bike so stays on red for ever. I've been told that if you stop the engine and then restart it, this can trigger the lights, as the starter motor produces a pulse that triggers the lights induction loop sensor. Google for it, if you're interested.

[ophic]

handy to know cos i got stuck at one just the other week. Tried moving, bouncing and everything, and eventually just jumped the light - well it was about midnight with no traffic whatsoever :shock:

[Clunk]

I think temporary lights at roadworks etc have a sensor which triggers if you flash high beam at them.

[Sid Squid]

This refers to a system unlike the ones found in the UK, very simply the 'trigger' that can be fitted to the bike is a sizeable lump of metal, often incorporating a magnet.
The reasoning being that the sensor in the road, which tells the traffic light's control system of vehicle presence, will sense the mass of something larger - a car for instance - but wouldn't always reliably sense a bike, so if you fit said 'trigger' - usually fitted down low on the bike horizontally - it would stand more chance of knowing you're there.

It won't fool the control system into changing all lights magically as you approach, but is intended to change lights when you're approching on a red and there's nothing going the other way. In the UK there is a similar system, not magnetic, using a camera like IR sensor on the light pole, or rubber strip switches in the road before the lights, but that type is much less common now.

[Skip]

I think temporary lights at roadworks etc have a sensor which triggers if you flash high beam at them.
I always wondered if that was true or not.... :?

[BillyC]

In the UK there is a similar system, not magnetic, using a camera like IR sensor on the light pole, or rubber strip switches in the road before the lights, but that type is much less common now.

I always thought that most major traffic lights, modern ones anyway, that weren't solely operated by a timer; were equiped with an induction coil behind the stop line at each approach.

Effectively a large metal detector, it sensed the presence of a metal object above, car, motorcycle, or in this case, not. The large lump of metal under the bike increases the likelihood of being detected by the apparatus.

[SVeeedy Gonzales]

Some London buses have magic boxes that trigger lights in their favour, though the lights in question have to be the right type... it wouldn't be that hard to make one, I'm sure - some kind of radio frequency thing, I guess?

Lights with just the vehicle detection boxes are a pain... on a 125 I once got caught at the front of a huge queue of traffic, yet the lights wouldn't change as I was at the front and so it didn't detect anything. Took me about 5 mins to work out what the problem was, then I went another way :oops:

[Captain Nemo]

I think temporary lights at roadworks etc have a sensor which triggers if you flash high beam at them.
I always wondered if that was true or not.... :?


it isnt.

[Mariner]

Some London buses have magic boxes that trigger lights in their favour, though the lights in question have to be the right type... it wouldn't be that hard to make one, I'm sure - some kind of radio frequency thing, I guess?


This is the future of bus travel :lol: There are priority bus routes which have control of lights to ensure that buses are quicker than cars. There are many trial sites throughout the UK and all of them are failing to attract new bus users. It seems that unscrupulous bus operators put up the prices on these "express" routes :evil: These express routes will be very handy for us bikers when the legislation for bikes in bus lanes is approved. :roll:

[Clunk]

I think temporary lights at roadworks etc have a sensor which triggers if you flash high beam at them.
I always wondered if that was true or not.... :?


it isnt.

So what is that little black sensor look-a-like box which sits on top of the lights ?

[wyrdness]

Everybody sing along....

I like traffic lights,
I like traffic lights,
I like traffic lights,
No matter where they've been.

I like traffic lights,
I like traffic lights,
I like traffic lights,
But only when they're green.

He likes traffic lights,
He likes traffic lights,
He likes traffic lights,
No matter where they've been.

He likes traffic lights,
He likes traffic lights,
He likes traffic lights,
He likes traffic lights,
But only when they're green.

I like traffic lights,
I like traffic lights,
I like traffic lights,
That is what I said.

I like traffic lights,
I like traffic lights,
I like traffic lights,
But not when they are red.

He likes traffic lights,
He likes traffic lights,
He likes traffic lights,
He likes traffic lights,
That is what he said.

He likes traffic lights,
He likes traffic lights,
He likes traffic lights,
He likes traffic lights,
But not when they are red.

I like traffic lights,
I like traffic lights,
I like traffic lights,
Although my name's not Bamber.
I like traffic lights,
I...oh God...

[Warren]

ive been stuck at a set of lights before for about 5 mins (was dead quiet)

i tried jumping, going backwards and forwards, flashing my headlights,
nothing

just jumped it in the end (it was safe to do so)


but when on holiday in newquay. we got in a cab and told us if you flash the lights at a junction 3 times, they go green,

not sure if it was luck, but he done it about 5 times, flash flash flash . . . green.


so captain nemo, tell us if this is true, and are there any ways of making lights go green ?

[tigersaw]

Modern multi junction traffic light systems are pretty complicated beasts, being able to take into account time of day and traffic flow. They should never 'get stuck' for 5 minutes, they will sequence regardlessly after a while. However, they are often programmed by someone who has not spent enough time studying the junction or just set to default, and so end up with a huge queue on just one lane. The temporary ones are worse, the muppets usually just set them to default, estimating the length of the road works, and leave the approach detectors set to off. The only tip I can think of is to get into your lane early - there are usually several under road detectors along the lane prior to the light, to gauge the length of the queue, they often look like V`s in the tarmac. If you pass over all of them the lights are aware of you coming, rather than pulling in right at the end.

[Captain Nemo]

I think temporary lights at roadworks etc have a sensor which triggers if you flash high beam at them.
I always wondered if that was true or not.... :?


it isnt.

So what is that little black sensor look-a-like box which sits on top of the lights ?

those are infra red sensors that pick up vehicle movement on the way to the controlled area, a lot of traffic signals run on minor proirity, which means that unless traffic is approaching the signals on the major route, the signals will show green for the secondry route and red for the primary.

this means that traffic on the major road will see a red signal even if there is no traffic on the minor road, as the major vehicle approaches the signals will turn green for the primary. this stops vehicles on the primary route being "surprised" by the lights turning to red as they approach and running the red .

the sensors also alter the phasing of the lights when a pedestrian phase is involved. Convential with conventional ped crossings when the buton is pressed, x seconds will elapse then the xing phase will begin,
ith the infra red senser xing, if the sensor is picking up traffic and the xing is activated the ped phase will be delayed to stop traffic building on the approaches to the junction or xing.

hth

[Richie]

Everybody sing along....

I like traffic lights,
I like traffic lights,
I like traffic lights,
No matter where they've been.

I like traffic lights,
I like traffic lights,
I like traffic lights,
But only when they're green.

He likes traffic lights,
He likes traffic lights,
He likes traffic lights,
No matter where they've been.

He likes traffic lights,
He likes traffic lights,
He likes traffic lights,
He likes traffic lights,
But only when they're green.

I like traffic lights,
I like traffic lights,
I like traffic lights,
That is what I said.

I like traffic lights,
I like traffic lights,
I like traffic lights,
But not when they are red.

He likes traffic lights,
He likes traffic lights,
He likes traffic lights,
He likes traffic lights,
That is what he said.

He likes traffic lights,
He likes traffic lights,
He likes traffic lights,
He likes traffic lights,
But not when they are red.

I like traffic lights,
I like traffic lights,
I like traffic lights,
Although my name's not Bamber.
I like traffic lights,
I...oh God...

Yet another Monty Python Fan..... I was singing along till I got very worried about the baggage retrieval system the've got at Heathrow..

[Stig]

Moved to Biking Issues

[MattV]

Thanks for all the replies. I'll do some more homework and find out what I am fighting here. Thanks!!!!

[Mogs]

Some London buses have magic boxes that trigger lights in their favour, though the lights in question have to be the right type... it wouldn't be that hard to make one, I'm sure - some kind of radio frequency thing, I guess?

I read about this system somewhere, I'm sure the system is digital and works for the emergency services also. (It may have only been a prototype), You would have to get the code somehow.

I have a set of lights near home that never detect the bike, I travel early enough to work that there is very little traffic, there's good visibility so will on occasion run the red (it's a tee onto a one way system). If I stop and a car approaches behind that's not detected either until I drift six foot over the stop line.

[SVeeedy Gonzales]

Got caught at a light this morning cos some **** cyclist decided to keep on going down the bus lane (which gives priority for buses and cabs)instead of following the main road. He triggered the lights and there's me and several cars stuck for 30 secs, with a red light camera watching us... just so we don't decide to go through the light and cause absolutely no problem to any other traffic.

Grr... cyclists!

Or more precisely, Grr, stupid road systems that are totally thoughtless and have no capacity to judge the situation, cos actually being able to decide for ourselves would be crazy, right?