Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > Motorbikes and Traffic lights

[Monty]

Copied from DOC Webring

"Last Tuesday night I was riding back to Coventry from Lincolnshire on
my old Guzzi.
I took part in a go karting event with my son and his mates based at
RAF Wittering and RAF Cottesmore. I left Cottesmore at 12:30 am.
Arriving at a set of traffic lights in Market Harborough I found they
would not change from Red. I sat there for maybe 5 minutes before
gently easing forward and crossing on red. To my horror a police car
pulled out of a side road ahead. I slowed thinking I would be pulled
over - then thinking at least I will have the opportunity to report
this. The car did not stop and as it approached the lights they
changed.
At another set of lights in the middle of the same town I had the same
experience until a car pulled up behind and the lights changed. This
started to ring alarm bells.

Later going through the village of Shilton I was again stuck at lights
that would not change. In desperation I wheeled the bike back to the
inductive loop and then crossed the loop several times. They still
would not change. Eventually a car came from the opposite direction
and they changed.
Finally half a mile from home and yet another set of lights would not
change.
I have heard many cyclists claiming push bikes will not trigger lights
but would never have thought that this could happen to motor bikes,
especially a lump weighing nearly 500 lbs. The chances of finding four
sets of traffic lights that are faulty in an 80 mile journey is very low.
I have never knowingly experienced this kind of event before, probably
due to the fact that normally there is enough traffic about to mask
what is (or maybe isn't) happening.

It does raise a few questions:

1: Have other motorcyclists experienced this? (surely they have). Have
Police motorcyclists noticed this kind of event?

2: What would the legal stance be with regard to the Police and courts?
Presumably crossing lights on red is an offence unless you can prove
they are faulty.

3: What are the specifications for traffic lights?

4: Is anyone aware of any legal cases?

Apart from the legal aspect this potentially raises some serious
safety concerns. Traffic lights are not just at junctions, what about
narrow hump back bridges, narrow streets in some villages etc. While
this kind of issue is a nuisance to cyclists they can at least wheel
their bikes across and therefore have the same legal status as
pedestrians. This is not possible for motorcyclists."

Any similar experiences??

John