Motorcyclists the go-ahead to run red lights

Al.Fisherman

Al.Fisherman

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-- Illinois: Lawmakers in Illinois stayed busy this year. For one, they passed a law that gives motorcyclists the go-ahead to run red lights. Motorcycles and bicycles aren’t usually heavy enough to trigger ground sensors that switch traffic lights from red to green so many two-wheeled motorists stay stuck at intersections and have to wait for a larger vehicle to come. Under the new measure, when a motorcycle comes up to a red light or a left-turn arrow and waits for two minutes or more for the light to change, they will be able to legally proceed if the coast is clear....Takes effect 1/1/2012

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...state-laws-to-take-effect-2013/#ixzz2GGxrLpI6
 
That seems like such a sensible idea. Look left, look right and if the coast is clear, proceed ahead.

I can't believe Illinois legislators allow adults to make adult decisions - i never would have thought that concept could exist in a nanny state...
 
Hmmmm The Loops in the road are inductors, not weight scales.

The traffic switching systems, operate on loops of insulated wire being embedded in the road, and when a usually STEEL car body with it's steel axles etc., wave past it, being a big weak electromagnet, it creates a variable pulse in the wire loop that registers in the switching equipment and this adds that lane / road etc., into the traffic light (go/stop) cycle.

The problem arises, when the said vehicle, has an insufficient amount of steel in it, to create enough of a magnetic field, to actually cause a strong enough electromagnetic fluctuation in the loop, to switch that light into the switching sequence.
 
Interesting

Just recently, i spent two weeks in Thailand, and never obeyed "any" traffic signals. This may seem shocking, but the locals never obeyed traffic signals either.
What i can say is that unlike western methods of traffic control, where traffic is constantly at a standstill due to observance of traffic lights and traffic law, the oriental method of ignoring traffic signals and traffic laws makes for much, much better traffic management.

The moment you can squeeze through a gap or jump through an intersection, regardless of the colour signal or road signage, you're able to keep progressing forward in traffic.
I was stunned at how effectively this method works and never witnessed an accident in the two weeks that i was over there. I was expecting total carnage when first observing how they do things over there but it wasn't long before i can honestly say that i felt safer on the roads in Thailand than in Melbourne, Australia where we have insanely outrageous traffic penalties for the most minor traffic infringements, yet everyone seems to crash into each other with regular occurrence because they're too busy looking at their speedo, trying not to go 1 kilometer over the speed limit.

If i drove a motor vehicle in Melbourne as i did in Thailand, i'd be thrown in jail for the next 50 years and branded a criminal worse than anything that's gone before a war crimes tribunal.

Common sense dictates that traffic signals and traffic law need not be observed if there is no traffic (i.e. midnight) or the signal system doesn't work.
 
I found the same thing in Saigon in 1976.... Want to see how the traffic flows? Google "traffic Saigon" and watch it. You'd be amazed at the LOW number of traffic accidents.
 
Makes perfect sense. I used to get stuck at traffic lights with my 50cc scooter especially at night time when there were no other cars on the road.
 
There's a guy who works at a motorcycle accessory store here in town who's an ex motorcycle cop. I asked him about those traffic signals that don't sense you, and he said the cops hate 'em too. Legally, (he said) your option is to put the bike on the kickstand and press the pedestrian button.

"But cops don't do that, right?" I asked.

"**** no."

"So what you're saying is running a light like that is no big deal when there's no one around, and it's safe?"

He grinned. "You didn't hear it from me!"

So well done to Illinois for legalizing rational behavior.

[edit] Hmmm... Just noticed the auto censor considers the name of the place where bad people are cast on the day of judgment to be profane language. Makes it look like I said something much worse. But, well, OK (shrug). [/edit]
 
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