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/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> The Cafe >> Illinois red light districts /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1357063250 Message started by 360k+ on 01/01/13 at 10:00:50 |
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Title: Illinois red light districts Post by 360k+ on 01/01/13 at 10:00:50 Ha! I knew that title would get your attention. 8-) I saw on the news where, as of 2013, Illinois is now allowing a motorcycle to proceed thru an intersection on a red light that fails to change. Here is the official synopsis from the Illinois.Gov web site... "Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that the driver of a motorcycle, facing any steady red signal which fails to change to a green signal within a reasonable period of time because of a signal malfunction or because the signal has failed to detect the arrival of the motorcycle due to the motorcycle's size or weight, has the right to proceed subject to the rules applicable after making a stop at a stop sign." I'm sure many (all?) of us have faced the dreaded "red light dilemma", where you are in any of the left lanes to either cross or left turn the intersection. During the daytime, when there is reasonable traffic, I would simply wait for a car to pull up behind me. Cars have enough metal mass to trigger the road sensor, thus, allowing me to proceed. But much of the time I rode to work at 4am with virtually no traffic, so waiting for car was not always an option. In that case, once I determined that the light was not going to change, I would proceed against the red (after thoroughly scanning all around for cops, of course). The question is, what is the alternative? I guess you could dismount, then push the bike to a corner of the intersection. However, for those of us who have done so, pushing an 800lb dresser is not a realistic option, and even so, what do you do when you get to the corner anyway? At a local donut shop, I even asked a cop about this once. As he was a rider himself, he said he would not pull the rider over, as long as he proceeded in a safe manner. He understood there was really no alternative, but he admitted he was not sure what the official law was, and warned me that I could possibly be ticketed by another patrolman. Sorry if this subject has already been thrashed before, but I just found the new Illinois ruling interesting. |
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Title: Re: Illinois red light districts Post by Serowbot on 01/01/13 at 10:02:38 Run it... :-X... |
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Title: Re: Illinois red light districts Post by youzguyz on 01/01/13 at 10:22:08 I have one like that coming out of the 'hood. Reported it a few times, got fixed a few times, goes broken again. Their latest fix: The light has 3 states. Geen East and West, Green North, Green South IF the light is Green for North, and a South bound vehicle approaches, it will turn East/West Green for a few seconds even if NOBODY is there. And that tells me that they know darn good and well that it can't, and never will, detect a motorcycle on East/West. I usually go to work between 2am and 4am. Ain't no way I am waiting for anybody to come along and trip that light. If I see a southbound coming and it is red for him, I will wait until he trips East/West green for me. Otherwise, I stop, I look, I go. And I almost wish a cop would try to give me a ticket. ;D |
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Title: Re: Illinois red light districts Post by youzguyz on 01/01/13 at 10:27:04 There is another one I encounter when out riding the hills at a highway intersection. Had a few sport bikes piled up at it one time. I pulled up.. got off the bike, hit the pedestrian button (it is sort of by a school), got back on. Smiled.. They roared off and got stopped by a County Mounty half a mile down the road. Usually I do a right and a U-turn then another right. |
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Title: Re: Illinois red light districts Post by hexnut on 01/01/13 at 10:48:13 Yeah, we have had that law in Tennessee for awhile that allows you to run a red light that doesn't change. |
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Title: Re: Illinois red light districts Post by verslagen1 on 01/01/13 at 10:59:25 I believe we have the same law in CA, but you'll have to look it up. Of course, the issue will be what a reasonable time is as you'd have to be vary familiar with the light in question to know when it normally changes. On lights I know won't change, a complete stop and wait for a safe time to cross is enough. I once encouraged a trucker to pull up to me cuz the light wouldn't change at a busy intersection. |
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Title: Re: Illinois red light districts Post by newriverjunkie on 01/01/13 at 21:26:42 SC actually determines that a "reasonable time" is 120 seconds exactly...I don't know about you guys but I don't sit at stop signs for exactly 120 seconds before rolling on... ;) |
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Title: Re: Illinois red light districts Post by ToesNose on 01/02/13 at 04:50:51 I remember reading in NC that if the light doesn't trip for you on a bike you can legally run it on the third rotation. Easier is just to mount one of the tripper magnets under the bike if you have lights that cuse you reoccuring problems. I have a buddy who used the magnets out of old computer hard drives and he says it has worked to trip lights near his house that never did before. http://www.spotmotorcycles.com/traffic-red-light-changer-trip-sensor-magnet-motorcycle-moped-scooter-gadget-universal-mount/ |
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Title: Re: Illinois red light districts Post by hexnut on 01/02/13 at 06:58:33 magnets will not trip the lights around here. |
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Title: Re: Illinois red light districts Post by kimchris1 on 01/02/13 at 09:51:19 I've not had that problem with my S-40. I did on my Rebel. If a car came up behind me I would motion for them to come a little closer so it would trip the light. A couple times I did after waiting a couple rotations of the light, decide to just go. |
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Title: Re: Illinois red light districts Post by SALB on 01/02/13 at 10:59:23 Idaho has a similar law....If the light doesn't change after one cycle, your free to proceed when safe. Boise has been slowly phasing out the sensors in the ground in favor of cameras, which can even detect bicycles in the bike lane. They work great, unless the sun is hitting them at just the right (wrong) angle. |
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Title: Re: Illinois red light districts Post by ZAR on 01/02/13 at 18:33:18 383B382C3A323C590 wrote:
And I'd be willing to bet the cameras were installed to catch people running the light,not to help drivers,no matter what the state people say. |
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Title: Re: Illinois red light districts Post by SALB on 01/02/13 at 20:17:15 0C1704560 wrote:
And I'd be willing to bet the cameras were installed to catch people running the light,not to help drivers,no matter what the state people say. [/quote] I've actually seen the camera room at the Ada County Highway District. I've never heard of anyone getting a ticket for running a red light yet, and I'd probably be one of the first. :o |
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Title: Re: Illinois red light districts Post by ZAR on 01/02/13 at 21:37:47 02010216000806630 wrote:
And I'd be willing to bet the cameras were installed to catch people running the light,not to help drivers,no matter what the state people say. [/quote] I've actually seen the camera room at the Ada County Highway District. I've never heard of anyone getting a ticket for running a red light yet, and I'd probably be one of the first. :o[/quote] Your LEO's must be a whole different breed than the ones we have in Kentucky. Nope! Correct that.......it's not the LEO's,it's the greedy yahoos in the state and local offices pushing the LEO's to write more tickets and bring in more revenue! >:( |
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