Can it really be legal for motorcycles to run red lights? The answer in some places is “Yes.” Here’s why, and a list of every state where this is the law.
“Run” red lights? No, not in any state. “Proceed cautiously after stopping to make sure it is safe to cross?” Yes, in several.
“Running a red” suggests passing through without stopping or checking at all.
Yeah but they have to drive clicks with hyperbole!
Honestly, I’m fine with it. I’ve decided to always like Jalopnik after they posted this article.
Oh god. I had this problem SO OFTEN with my moped. I was even pulled over once for cautiously proceeding through a red that I knew my bike could not trip (on my regular commute). The idiot cop demanded that in the future I make a right turn and then a U turn, as if that’s somehow safer.
I used to have to use an intersection that sometimes wouldn’t trigger even for cars. I almost always had to hit the pedestrian crossing signal to trigger it.
traffic light detection system is the inductive loop sensor, […]
there’s often not enough magnetic material in a bike to measurably change the inductance. So motorcycles can end up sitting at an unchanging red light
Should be a very simple thing: 1 general law that says that such systems must be built reasonably and work properly. Every person can now sue the city that still operates such a perverted sensor.
At least it’s only 90 seconds in Utah.
And then they let every one of their “states” make their own laws for road traffic. No wonder…
You gotta stop on the groove. Some intersections have a little motorcycle painted to indicate that you should stop at that specific spot to trip the light.
I’ve also heard about people attaching magnets to the bottom of their bikes to try and trigger the EM sensors
I do wish the sensors are marked better in some intersections, but in my city there are fairly noticeable black strips on the pavement surface in front of the stop lines. Maybe standards are different where I live because I don’t have any issues triggering them with my steel frame bicycle
Or instead of tearing up millions of dollars of infrastructure for literally no reason, just make it legal for motorcyclists to stop, look both ways, and ride across an empty intersection, lol.
Making traffic safer is literally no reason for you?
Well, I disagree.
And if you want to do it all very slowly, you can start making it a requirement for everything that gets built or changed next year and later.
I mean, my preference would be to simply remove all traffic signalling and implement raised pedestrian crossings at all intersections. But no one listens to me.
Meanwhile, I fail to see how this law makes anyone less safe, assuming it is followed appropriately. It is essentially the same law that many cyclists are allowed to follow - stop, look both ways, go if safe. Basically, treat it like a stop sign.
I fail
I agree.
Nothing needs to be torn up, they just need to adjust the sensitivity for the inductive loops. They work just fine for bicycles in the Netherlands, and those have way less metal than a motorcycle
I’ve had to do this several times on my bicycle when commuting. I would sometimes stay late and there were some red lights in the industrial park that would not detect me and there was no traffic that late.
Washington recently(ish) made it legal for bicyclists to run stop signs. I am skeptical that this improves their safety.
It’s counter intuitive but reduces accidents by about 14%
https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/new-law-allows-cyclists-to-yield-at-stop-signs
Yeah, stop signs were designed for cars since people can’t be trusted not to speed. On a bike your top speed is in most cases slower than any residential speed limit, so coming up to an intersection is usually done at the same speed as a car would be while doing a rolling stop.
What people miss about the Idaho stop is it isn’t giving carte blanche to run blindly thorough stop signs, we just get to use them as yields which makes it much easier to maintain momentum. Anybody who’s ever ridden a bike in traffic knows how much it sucks to come to a full stop and then slowly start cranking back up to speed while cars are kissing your back tire.
Idaho stop
Fuck, Where I’m from, we call it a California Stop (slowing down at a stop sign, but not fully stopping)
Only if nobody else is present. This is more for quiet city areas where you have a clear line of sight, and nobody is even around. If someone is at a stop sign, you legally have to stop too.
It’s yield, so yep, it’s not a do whatever you like rule. That said, it’s good for safety everywhere.
Good job washington!
Washington, more like Basedington!
It doesn’t, but it allow cyclist to cross when it’s safe to do so, guilt free. Shitty rider gonna run it anyway without looking at the traffic.
Except for the part where allowing cyclists to yield at stop signs does make them safer, of course. That there is a fact that’s been repeatedly proven to be true.
You are entitled to your own opinions but not your own facts.
Washington state baby 😎😎😎💪💪💪🫡🫡🫡
Self filters
