OFF THE WIRE
I spoke to Officer Dan Roberts of the San Diego Police Department's Red Light Team this morning, and asked him the question of "When I come to a red light on a motorcycle, what is it that triggers to let the light know that I am there" ?
He said that in San Diego there are coils of wire, covering six feet of area, that detect METAL. You can see the circles or squares cut into the blacktop, in the road BEFORE you go over the limit line. He said that the best place to position a motorcycle within the circle, and one foot off center, so that you cover the most lines of Flux. This is how 99 % of the lights are triggsered.....the other one percent are detected by CAMERA.....These are the intersections where red-light-camera's are functioning.
If you are traveling up north, or in other states in a real old part of town, you may see plates or large pieces of rubber-looking stuff set into the road.....These sense the weight of a car on them..
John Del Santo
(619) 223 - 0421
"QUESTION AUTHORITY"
Benjamin Franklin
99% of the traffic light sensors sense METAL. Red Barron reminds us :
"One minor detail, the metal must be ferrous to be detected. That means aluminum and stainless steel are not "seen" as well as steel."
Some bikes, such as my honda valkyrie, have aluminum fenders and engine block, even though I have had very little trouble with intersection sensors. John
