Traffic lights that turn green for bicycles

Seems an excellent idea :-)
QUOTE:

Crossroads in California have been equipped with radar that can
differentiate between bicycles and cars, and triggers a green light
for cyclists.

The ‘Intersectors’ use microwaves to determine whether a vehicle has
two, four or more wheels and adjusts the traffic light accordingly.

“To the city of Pleasanton, this is the best of both worlds —
providing additional green timing and green extension timing only when
bicycles are present, while utilizing more efficient traffic signal
timing more appropriate for vehicle traffic the remaining times,” said
Pleasanton’s senior transportation engineer Joshua Pack.

http://www.eta.co.uk/2012/01/06/traf...green-bicycles

--
Simon Mason

On 08/01/2012 05:57, Simon Mason wrote:
Seems an excellent idea :-)
QUOTE:

Crossroads in California have been equipped with radar that can
differentiate between bicycles and cars, and triggers a green light
for cyclists.

Pointless.

Cyclists ignore red lights anyway.

--
Dave - Cyclists VOR. "Many people barely recognise the bicycle as a
legitimate mode of transport; it is either a toy for children or a
vehicle fit only for the poor and/or strange," Dave Horton - Lancaster
University

On 08/01/2012 11:06, Dave - Cyclists VOR wrote:

On 08/01/2012 05:57, Simon Mason wrote:
Seems an excellent idea :-)

QUOTE:
Crossroads in California have been equipped with radar that can
differentiate between bicycles and cars, and triggers a green light
for cyclists.

Pointless.
Cyclists ignore red lights anyway.

Not so frequently in California as in (say) London, though.

OTOH, the scheme referred to might be a good one. At least it doesn't hold up
traffic when there are no cyclists to cater for (whether they ought to be so
catered for being another issue).

On Jan 8, 5:57*am, Simon Mason wrote:
Seems an excellent idea :-)
QUOTE:

Crossroads in California have been equipped with radar that can
differentiate between bicycles and cars, and triggers a green light
for cyclists.

The ‘Intersectors’ use microwaves to determine whether a vehicle has
two, four or more wheels and adjusts the traffic light accordingly.

“To the city of Pleasanton, this is the best of both worlds —
providing additional green timing and green extension timing only when
bicycles are present, while utilizing more efficient traffic signal
timing more appropriate for vehicle traffic the remaining times,” said
Pleasanton’s senior transportation engineer Joshua Pack.

http://www.eta.co.uk/2012/01/06/traf...green-bicycles

--
Simon Mason

Of course with me having a carbon bike, I would have to lay it down in
order to trigger the lights for the poor dears so that I do not hold
them up for too long.

--
Simon Mason

Simon Mason writes:

| The ¡®Intersectors¡¯ use microwaves to determine whether a vehicle has
| two, four or more wheels and adjusts the traffic light accordingly.
|
| [...]

Of course with me having a carbon bike, I would have to lay it down in
order to trigger the lights for the poor dears so that I do not hold
them up for too long.

No. If it really is a microwave detector capable of counting wheels
visible from the front, then it should work even if your bike has carbon
fibre tyres (as long as they are not of stealth profile). It'll
probably go insane if you ride up to it on a diamond-framed tricycle,
though :-).

--
Mark

On Jan 18, 7:14*pm, Mark Williams ] wrote:
Simon Mason writes:
| The ‘Intersectors’ use microwaves to determine whether a vehicle has
| two, four or more wheels and adjusts the traffic light accordingly.
|
| [...]

Of course with me having a carbon bike, I would have to lay it down in
order to trigger the lights for the poor dears so that I do not hold
them up for too long.

No. *If it really is a microwave detector capable of counting wheels
visible from the front, then it should work even if your bike has carbon
fibre tyres (as long as they are not of stealth profile). *It'll
probably go insane if you ride up to it on a diamond-framed tricycle,
though :-).

--
Mark

You are right - diamond does have a rather high refractive index,
luckily I ride another allotrope of Carbon though. :-)

--
Simon Mason

On 08/01/12 05:57, Simon Mason wrote:
Seems an excellent idea :-)
QUOTE:

Crossroads in California have been equipped with radar that can
differentiate between bicycles and cars, and triggers a green light
for cyclists.

The ‘Intersectors’ use microwaves to determine whether a vehicle has
two, four or more wheels and adjusts the traffic light accordingly.

“To the city of Pleasanton, this is the best of both worlds —
providing additional green timing and green extension timing only when
bicycles are present, while utilizing more efficient traffic signal
timing more appropriate for vehicle traffic the remaining times,” said
Pleasanton’s senior transportation engineer Joshua Pack.

http://www.eta.co.uk/2012/01/06/traf...green-bicycles

--
Simon Mason

That sounds like a good idea. It is far from ideal (for all concerned)
for me to have to initially stop at a red light with nothing around,
then be held there just long enough for a nice big queue to build up
behind me, only then the light changing to green.

Simon Mason writes:

No. *If it really is a microwave detector capable of counting wheels
visible from the front, then it should work even if your bike has
carbon fibre tyres (as long as they are not of stealth
profile). *It'll probably go insane if you ride up to it on a
diamond-framed tricycle, though :-).

You are right - diamond does have a rather high refractive index,
luckily I ride another allotrope of Carbon though. :-)

Buckyballs ;-)?

--
Mark