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Posted on 01/16/2006 10:10:17 AM PST by Between the Lines
They’d have to stop for red lights and check for traffic but then could proceed.
Street-level complaints sometimes inspire letters to lawmakers. But Sumter resident Billy “Reb” Richardson took his concern one step further.
He was inspired to write a law.
Richardson got tired of getting stuck at traffic lights riding around the state on his Harley-Davidson Electra Glide motorcycle. His solution: Let motorcyclists drive through a red light once they have stopped and checked for traffic.
Traffic lights often are triggered by sensors that pick up metal and mass when a vehicle stops on them, but some modern motorcycles are made from plastic and aluminum that can fail to trip the sensor.
“It got to buggin’ me, so I wanted to do something about it,” Richardson said. “You’re not going to find this problem in metropolitan areas; most of those areas are on timers.”
Richardson did some research, cribbing from similar laws in Tennessee and other states, and with the help of a legislative odd couple, he got Senate Bill 1027 introduced.
The measure would allow those riding motorcycles to drive through a red light with no punishment if the light has remained red for at least 20 seconds and it is safe to proceed.
The bill was introduced by Sumter Democrat Phil Leventis — whose buttoned-down demeanor contrasts with that of the bill’s co-sponsor, Lexington Republican Jake Knotts, a bike enthusiast.
Leventis said he sponsored the bill at Richardson’s request.
“I may have a bow tie,” Leventis said in introducing the bill, “but I do not have a motorcycle.”
Leventis compared the bill to a current law allowing right turn on red.
“The responsibility is on the motorist proceeding,” Leventis said. “This is the ultimate in driver responsibility. You do it wrong, and you’re going to get smacked.”
Knotts, who does ride a motorcycle, said waiting out traffic signals can be an inconvenience.
“They can sit there on some of these controlled sensors five or 10 minutes,” Knotts said. “They sit there and they sit there and they sit there.”
The bill would discourage a practice Knotts calls the “Lexington slide,” where a motorcyclist makes a right turn, followed by a usually illegal U-turn, to bypass a traffic signal.
The fate of the measure is not clear. Senate Transportation chairman Greg Ryberg, R-Aiken, said he had not studied the bill, but that it would receive a hearing.
If the proposed change clears the Senate, it would face a similar round of hearings in the House.
Barnwell motorcyclist Clay Morris said he supports the legislation because it encourages making a safe stop.
““Let’s make sure we don’t have young guys coming up and just pulling through,” Morris said.
There were 96,234 motorcycles registered in South Carolina in 2004, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Rick Werts, director of traffic safety for the Department of Transportation, said his department receives some complaints about the problem of stuck lights and is taking action.
The agency has changed the standard for traffic signal sensor loops, which are about 6 feet wide, can extend as far as 30 feet from the intersection and are embedded in the pavement.
As the state does routine maintenance on signals, Werts said, it will upgrade the sensors. Werts said DOT also will upgrade an intersection if someone files a complaint.
Werts also noted that some traffic signal cycles take longer than 60 seconds, so requiring a 20-second wait might not be long enough.
Officials with the state Department of Public Safety, which patrols state highways, declined to comment, saying they do not discuss pending legislation. Local law enforcement agencies contacted also declined comment.
Richardson said he would defend the proposal at any hearing, especially because it will not cost the state any money.
“It’s just common-sense legislation,” he said. “And it’s cheap.”
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Had to click through the story to discover that this is in South Carolina. We could use a similar law here in California.
I have edged my SUV right up behind a motorbike that was stuck at such a light so as to trigger the automatic light changer, and done this more than once. The riders always get it right away. Some riders look to make sure there is no cop in sight and then go, some wait for a car to come up to the light, which is rarely a long wait in this crazy town.
I'm not a motorcyclist, but I support this bill. There's a sensor in Myrtle Beach that somehow managed to miss my '96 Ford Bronco. I can only image what bikers have to put up with.
"Lexington slide?" How come Lexington gets the credit for this maneuver?
Sometimes, also, the signal is not triggered by a car sitting there, but the car needs to move a little, just a few inches usually, which makes intersections look like a bunch of jumpy drivers at a drag race.
Then there are the jerks who pull their bikes up on the line between traffic lanes ~ we could further modify these systems to zap them with a taser. After a couple of hits they'd stop doing that.
Very smart, IMO. There's a spot here where we have to wait at a stop light on either side of a sort of tunnel under some train tracks. Neither side can see the other because the road bends on each side. It sucks having to sit there and wait for a cage to come up behind you so the light will change - LOL!! We have, however, found a nice little detour around thru the town now so we avoid it now.
I have gotten pulled over for this several times. The police are well aware of this and most of the time they understand. But BE CAREFUL.
Aside from letting those bikers who drive between lanes or pass on the right shoulder be treated as fair game so if they get smeared between two trucks it is a non-fault non-event, I have no problem with bikes going wherever they can on the public rights-of-way.
But I was a little disappointed - I thought it would a gadget that triggered the green signal on command! IIRC some buses have these things...
You can kill flies with a shotgun, but it's a bit over the top, don't you think?
Traffic cops tell me that a bicycle is supposed to trip those lights, but, being an electric device, you just can't trust it.
The light sensors are triggered by the iron in the car's mass inducing a current in the sensor loop. Since many bikes are largely aluminum, they lack the ferrous component that would induce the current. I have often thought that a strong electromagnet on the sole of a boot would do the trick, but you then run into the problem of picking up road debris.
Actually I think that this should be extended to include all vehicles, not just motorcycles.
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