traffic light sensors ?

bones srt-4

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some guy on facebook is telling people that there are sensors in the white lines at traffic lights. and that if you pull up onto them and there are no other cars that it will trip the light to turn green. can you guys tell me yes or no on this ?
i have done some research on it and turns out some places do have sensors but not in the white lines.
please enlighten me.
 

HYBRED

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Some lights have weight sensors, some have light sensors, some don't have anything.

Weight sensors are under the pavement and can look like:
Red-Light-Sensor-in-Newton-300x225.jpg
 

N2DAMYSTIC

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Yep to the above. Many have light sensors. Try hitting your high beams at the light when you are about 100 yards away from the light. I know of many on my area that work this way and have figured out how to time them so I never have to stop.
 

oilwell1415

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Confirmed. We actually just passed a law that allows bikers to run a red light after waiting 2 minutes because their bikes may not be heavy/dense enough to trigger the sensors. I mention dense because I think some actually measure the magnetic field of the vehicle and I have known of some tall trucks that have problems getting lights to change.
 

FL-Orange

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Confirmed. We actually just passed a law that allows bikers to run a red light after waiting 2 minutes because their bikes may not be heavy/dense enough to trigger the sensors. I mention dense because I think some actually measure the magnetic field of the vehicle and I have known of some tall trucks that have problems getting lights to change.

An EE buddy explained the magnetic field type to me.
2 minutes and it's OK to blow the red light? That sounds like a great plan to me....<sarcasm off>
 

oilwell1415

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An EE buddy explained the magnetic field type to me.
2 minutes and it's OK to blow the red light? That sounds like a great plan to me....<sarcasm off>

Nobody here (other than the bikers of course) is very fond of the law either. The bikers here have a hard enough time staying alive as it is.
 

aaandht

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An EE buddy explained the magnetic field type to me.
2 minutes and it's OK to blow the red light? That sounds like a great plan to me....<sarcasm off>

I take it you never have ridden a motorcycle? You don't "blow" the light. You wait 2 minutes, when the road is clear, you proceed through the intersection.
They actually now make large magnets to place on the bottom of your bike to trip these sensors. Haven't used one yet. My area is generally populated so when I come to a light with those sensors I pull forward to allow the car behind me to trip it. Only really annoyance I've had is a couple times on the NJTP the ticket window wouldn't shoot a ticket out. Had to go through the the toll once and pay a lost ticket fee at the next toll, plus the max fee.
 

FL-Orange

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I take it you never have ridden a motorcycle? You don't "blow" the light. You wait 2 minutes, when the road is clear, you proceed through the intersection.
They actually now make large magnets to place on the bottom of your bike to trip these sensors. Haven't used one yet. My area is generally populated so when I come to a light with those sensors I pull forward to allow the car behind me to trip it. Only really annoyance I've had is a couple times on the NJTP the ticket window wouldn't shoot a ticket out. Had to go through the the toll once and pay a lost ticket fee at the next toll, plus the max fee.

I have ridden, quite a bit in the past. I understand the concept but I can see it being abused greatly.

he keeps saying that the sensors are in the white lines. give me some evidence that this is not true.

The white lines are paint. :shrug: Send him out into an intersection with a putty knife.
 

TheShadow

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he keeps saying that the sensors are in the white lines. give me some evidence that this is not true.

The sensors are not in the white lines; they are generally visible as straight line cuts in the pavement with sealer applied on top. Look closely at the pic Hybred provided, or check the next intersection you enter.
 

bones srt-4

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i have showed him proof after proof of where the sensors are and i have asked him for his proof that they are in the white lines and he says " i just know for a fact that they are." arguing with him is like aguing with a religous person, no proof ,just faith. ugh, i give up.
 

oilwell1415

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It depends on which white lines he is talking about. If he's saying the lines that separate the lanes, he's full of shit. If he's talking the stop bars it is possible they are under there. If he means they are actually in the paint/plastic, that's just stupid.
 

WireEater

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I was an inspector for road projects. The white lines (stop bars) do not have sensors. But some lights have what they call traffic loops, or inductor loops that trigger the light when the wheels roll over them. You can see them in most spots. They are cut groves in the pavement with what looks like wires with a rubbery sealant around them in rectangular shapes.
 

zak88lx

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I'm pretty sure this is false but I've heard that you can use a universal remote control to turn some traffic lights green by pressing 9-1-1 while pointing the remote at the traffic light. :shrug:
This will supposedly replicate the signal that Fire Trucks are sending.
 

oilwell1415

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I'm pretty sure this is false but I've heard that you can use a universal remote control to turn some traffic lights green by pressing 9-1-1 while pointing the remote at the traffic light. :shrug:
This will supposedly replicate the signal that Fire Trucks are sending.

I will join you in calling BS on that one. Fire trucks around here don't wait on the light to turn green, they just proceed with caution and run the light when they get there.
 

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