Where I live most of the lights are triggered by wires burried under the pavement at the intersections. My bike, like most,I assume, just doesn't have enough metal to trip the sensors. Have any of you tried the magnet trick, or anything else, with any success?

The other night I had to wait through two light sequences at three different lights before I gave up and ran the light. Very uncool!

 

Don't know how well they work, but I have seen some kits you can buy that are supposed to trigger the lights.

 

I hear the neodymium magnets work.

 

Look for the saw cuts in the pavement, thats where the wiring is ran. You want to put your bike pretty much right on one of the cuts, maybe just a tire width towards the center of the 'box'.

If its a double 'box' then put your bike on the center cut in the middle of the two boxes.

The magnet thing may work if its strong enough and close enough to the road. The only time I've seen it work was with a guy that actually counter sunk it into his riding boot and he could trigger it just by walking out over the previously mentioned 'cuts'.

Good luck.

For the record I have gotten off my bike, ran over and hit the button on the pole when nothing else worked.

 

We have a 'red light law' here in Tennessee for those traffic signals that are activated by in-pavement devices. See below. Note that the absence of such a device is not a defense for running a light.
T.C.A. 55-8-110
.......
.
.(b) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the driver of a motorcycle approaching an intersection that is controlled by a traffic-control signal utilizing a vehicle detection device that is inoperative due to the size of the motorcycle shall come to a full and complete stop at the intersection and, after exercising due care as provided by law, may proceed with due caution when it is safe to do so. It is not a defense to a violation of § 55-8-109 that the driver of a motorcycle proceeded under the belief that a traffic-control signal utilized a vehicle detection device or was inoperative due to the size of the motorcycle when such signal did not utilize a vehicle detection device or that any such device was not in fact inoperative due to the size of the motorcycle

 

I LOL'd on that one!

 

In Guernsey all of our's are controlled by a light sensor at the top of the traffic light set, on the bike I just flash repeatedly coming up to them. When im driving I have a laser pointer

 

yeah a couple of those small neodymium magnets stuck on the bottom of your bike works. I usually just put my bike in the middle of those boxes if you can see where theyre cutout like zaqwert said or ill put my kickstand down which has worked before too. If all else fails ill wave the car behind me up onto the box or just run it after a couple of minutes once theres no traffic if its not cycling too.

 

Ok, thanks for all of the information gang. I think I'm going to try neodymium magnets in my boots and what kind of results I get.

 

Me too.