Illinois Bikers Get Ready to Run Red Lights
- Thread starter jefflthomas
- Start date
Griffin
Well-known member
Several US states have had similar legislation for a long time that allows motorcycles to proceed cautiously through a red light once they've waited some period of time. The description of the amount of time varies. The Illinois legislation is very fuzzy about how long one must wait.
mikem
Well-known member
I'm down in Niagara, on my way home from work there's a light I run almost every other day. It's on a service rd with an advanced coming the other way, I wait till the last car goes through from the other direction then go. One day for the heck of it I sat through three lights trying everything I've read about triggering the sensors and nothing worked.
Legally?
If it is permissible to make a right turn from the lane that you are waiting in (e.g. 1 lane in each direction - no designated left-turn lane) then make a right followed by a U-turn or turn around in a driveway. U-turns are legal in Ontario unless either prohibited by a sign or if there is obstructed visibility.
If there is a lane to the right of you then to legally make that right turn, you have to back up and then go into the right lane, then do the above.
Reality on questionable grounds ... get off the bike and go press the pedestrian crosswalk button. I've heard that this is technically illegal on the grounds of parking/stopping/etc in a traffic lane, but as long as that light is red, you are not going anywhere anyhow, and if there is no one around, where is the cop that is going to give you a ticket for that ... particularly if he understands what is going on, and even if you were to get such a ticket, an explanation to the prosecutor in court is likely to get it tossed. Done it many times, never had a problem.
Just waiting and waiting, then going across on the red, is begging for trouble from that cop who just happens to come into view on the cross street at the moment that you do it.
If it is permissible to make a right turn from the lane that you are waiting in (e.g. 1 lane in each direction - no designated left-turn lane) then make a right followed by a U-turn or turn around in a driveway. U-turns are legal in Ontario unless either prohibited by a sign or if there is obstructed visibility.
If there is a lane to the right of you then to legally make that right turn, you have to back up and then go into the right lane, then do the above.
Reality on questionable grounds ... get off the bike and go press the pedestrian crosswalk button. I've heard that this is technically illegal on the grounds of parking/stopping/etc in a traffic lane, but as long as that light is red, you are not going anywhere anyhow, and if there is no one around, where is the cop that is going to give you a ticket for that ... particularly if he understands what is going on, and even if you were to get such a ticket, an explanation to the prosecutor in court is likely to get it tossed. Done it many times, never had a problem.
Just waiting and waiting, then going across on the red, is begging for trouble from that cop who just happens to come into view on the cross street at the moment that you do it.
Send the municipality a letter explaining the problem. There's a reasonable chance that they'll fix it.
mikem
Well-known member
I did, they told me they had fixed it but no. I would do turn right and do a u-turn but it's a busy street and you have to be 50' from an intersection to do one (got a ticket for doing one too close one time)
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Then tell them that they didn't fix it well enough. It involves tweaking sensor sensitivity.
u turns are hard to do in mississauga, becuase of the concrete islands that run forever. on a bike without a fairing, you still bottom out your pipes or centre stand. alot of grief just to turn left. i run reds, when the light doesnt know i'm there. i wait as short as possible but do it safely.
I am unaware of other states that have this provision. Do you have a list of these posted somewhere ?
Griffin
Well-known member
No, but there is an extensive discussion about it on ADVrider. (Sorry to mods if this is inappropriate reference).
if the mod squad doesnt like it...they will delete it anyway.
