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No left on red?

GunNut37086

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Today was going to be a great day. I went to bed early, got a solid 7+ hours of sleep, was out the door 15 minutes early for work, and was already looking forward to getting to work early enough to hit the omelet bar in the cafeteria before I started work. The I pulled up first at an intersection where I had to make a left turn.

I was on my bike and the sensors under the road just wouldn't give my bike a left turn arrow. I even tried shifting to neutral and lowering the kickstand (I heard that works sometimes). I'm sure somebody would have eventually pulled in behind me and maybe that would have tripped the sensor for me. But sometimes, I have to pull completely across the crosswalk to let a car behind me trip the sensor. That leaves me way out in the intersection, which make my butt twitch. So I figured best bet was to wait for a clear spot and turn anyway.

The cop that pulled me over a block down the road didn't agree. He asks why I think I got pulled over, so used that opportunity to respectfully and politely explain the phenomenon about motorcycles and traffic sensors (in case he didn't know that was "a thing"). He says I still should have waited; I respectfully and politely asked until when; and he walked off to his patrol car with my license/registration/proof of insurance.

I don't know if it was my respectful and polite demeanor, the fact that I have a clean driving record going all the way back to 1986, or my "Boobies make me smile" license plate frame that won him over. Furthermore, I don't care. I'm just happy he let me off with a warning and was starving by the time lunch finally rolled around.

Anything similar happen to any of you?
 
I rarely think about sensors and why the d*&m red won't turn green.
Quick peripheral check, and off I go. Sometimes, it's not even a left turn.

Traffic rules are for traffic, if there is none, I make up my own rule and
explain if necessary, but never had the occasion to.

How silly we have become, that some actually wait for the green light
at 4 AM when there is no traffic, let's say somewhere in Okiela-homer....
 
A lot of states have the "motorcycle clause" where if you are sitting at a light and it doesn't change "within a reasonable amount of time" you are allowed to legally proceed with caution.
 
If the light doesn't recognize you then it is faulty and you go by the faulty light rules for your state which for most means stop and proceed with caution.
 
I won't bother to cite any specific sources, but if you Google "Tennessee motorcycle traffic signal law" there are many references to a 2003 law that allows motorcyclists and bicyclists to proceed after stopping at a red light. Perhaps the officer was (sadly) misinformed.
 
The law may look black and white here in California, but just like the maximum speed law, there is always flexibility. If you were young hotshot on a sport bike I would say you have a high likelihood of getting a ticket if you go before it turns green. Most of us older folk that ride the NC would probably just get off with a warning for doing the same here, but please don't quote me.
 
I live near where Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri come together. All three have some provision for this but it is different in each state. Lately I have noticed the sensors here in Oklahoma have been set to a more sensitive setting and I have had no problems.

The officer in this case may have just wanted an excuse to check for license and insurance. They are allowed to lie to you about why they pull you over.
 
We got the law here in Oregon last year that allows bicycles or motorcycles to proceed through a red light if they have waited one full cycle without the light turning green.

The officer in this case may have just wanted an excuse to check for license and insurance. They are allowed to lie to you about why they pull you over.

That probably happens a lot. However, doing so violates the 4th amendment if they really have no probable cause. According to a 2014 Supreme Court ruling they need to at least "reasonably believe" you have broken a law before they can pull you over, even if it turns out that you haven't.
 
I had a light between work and my apartment in Salt Lake City that NEVER switched for me when I was on my bike.
I'd leave work at 2:00 a.m. after a marathon programming session and have to sit there until nobody was around to drive through.
 
I don't know if a police officer would agree... but my prepared defense is...

When a traffic light DOES NOT WORK, you're supposed to treat it as a stop sign. For my motorcycle, the traffic light fails to work properly, so I ... treat it like a stop sign.

Maybe the "... make me smile" license plate frame would work better... hope I never have to find out.
 
the trouble is that none of these statutes prevent you from getting a ticket -- it just means you'll have a good defense in court. The officer can still write the ticket and create a lot of hoopla for you to get it dismissed. Most of the time I'll do the "right turn - U turn" solution on the theory that the 30 seconds it takes to do that beats the hours/days it will take to get the ticket dismissed.
 
I omitted that the officer told me the sensor pads at intersections are long enough for the 2nd vehicle to activate the light. I don't believe this to be 100% true, because I've had to across the cross-walk before to allow a car behind me to get close enough to trip the sensor. I'm sure he's right about some intersections having a long enough sensor, but I highly doubt there's an international under-the-asphalt-traffic-light-sensor-pad length standard.
 
Ah, the Tennessee officer is stupid. TN law allows motorcycles to proceed thru red lights if it doesn't change: You may want to contact the police officer and inform him of the below signal regulation...
Tennessee*(2003) After coming to a complete stop, motorcyclists and bicyclists may proceed through a steady red light when it is safe to do so. (Tennessee Traffic Control Signals 55-8-110)
 
I omitted that the officer told me the sensor pads at intersections are long enough for the 2nd vehicle to activate the light. I don't believe this to be 100% true, because I've had to across the cross-walk before to allow a car behind me to get close enough to trip the sensor. I'm sure he's right about some intersections having a long enough sensor, but I highly doubt there's an international under-the-asphalt-traffic-light-sensor-pad length standard.

The loop is generally quite large, and the cut lines in the asphalt can usually be seen.

electrical engineering - How does a traffic light sense the proximity of vehicles? - Engineering Stack Exchange
 
Yes, I was not clear. If he knows you are not breaking the law and pulls you over on a fishing expedition that is not allowed. In the case mentioned there is a good chance the officer didn't know the law. And of course the Fourth has been decided as not absolute, as witness drunk driving checkpoints.
 
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