From: erick@sactoh0.sac.ca.us (Erick L. Parsons)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics,rec.bicycles,rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Sticky Demand Traffic Light problem solution
Keywords: inductive vehicle detectors, traffic lights
Date: 14 Apr 92 02:28:07 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Sacramento Public Access Unix, Sacramento, Ca.

In article <10175@inews.intel.com> dpeterso@mipos2.UUCP (David Peterson) writes:
>In article <1992Mar31.190727.2381@ncsu.edu> steve@bucolix.ece.ncsu.edu (Steve Garnier) writes:
>>In article <peterd.702047076@pjd.dev.cdx.mot.com> 
>>peterd@pjd.dev.cdx.mot.com (Peter Desnoyers) writes:
>> ... stuff deleted ...
>
>I just remembered something - when I attended U.C. Davis some 
>signals around town had bike sensors, sensors in bike lanes
>made to detect bicycles. Ask local athorities, maybe adjustments
>could be made :^). Then again you probably would have to get
>half the population to threaten a recall vote to get a city
>council to do anything for the general population ;-(.
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------
>David Peterson 
>Intel Corp., M/S SC4-69, 2625 Walsh Ave.
>Santa Clara, Ca. 95052-9940
>dpeterso@mipos3.intel.com
>Dave Peterson
>SC4-69
>765-5109
>dpeterso@mipos3

	I work for Sacramento County as a traffic signal technician
and can tell you that there are in fact street sensors that will
pick up a bicycle. As a matter of fact almost all of the sensors or
loops as we call them will sense a bicycle, though the threshold of
dection is only gauranteed for a motor bike the size of a honda 90.
There is one intersection (close to a college) that was used as a
test case to put a pedestrian call in to accomodate bicycles (in
the provided bike lane). But, pedestrians move slower than bicycles.
You might have noticed while driving around that a signal appears
to be stuck red for you when there is no traffic coming in any
direction; well this is usaually because a bicycle rider pressed
the pedestrian push button to cross the street. The bicyclist gets
his/her signal to walk but the Intersection controller can only
assume that there is a pedestrian there. It will stop all traffic
to let the supposed pedestrian to cross when in fact the bicycle
rider will zip across the intersection in a fraction of the time
alloted for the pedestrian. Are ya with me so far ?. The problem
with this is a major interuption in traffic flow, yes, even during
rush hour. In a City the size of Davis (small) this might be OK,
but in a city the size of Sacramento this just doesn't cut it.
Traffic is a priority and pedestrians are a necessary evil
when it comes to getting the commuter home. Hence it never became
popular here, or proabably anywhere for that matter. I am familiar
with Davis as it is only 10 or so miles from here (Sac.). I am also
aware of the fact that Davis is a bicyclist's dream which is great,
but one must not compare apples with oranges when thinking in terms
of traffic control or local authorities answers to solving traffic
problems. 
	In short I wouldn't want you to get your hopes up when it
concerns bicycle control at automobile oriented signalized
intersections. As things here in California get more and more
congested the demand to move people in cars will become more and
more critical to the people who make the decisions. As a matter of
fact bicycles are being viewed as automobiles, note the change in
law concering which side of the road the bicyclist must ride on, in
Californial it is with the flow of traffic. Pedestrians must walk
against the flow of traffic. This is a monumental distinction
concerning bicycle riders as it relates bicycles to automobiles.
Case in point, I witnessed a bicylist getting hit by an automobile.
After giving my deposition I was informed that the bicyclest was at
fault and had to pay for the damage to the drivers automobile. Why,
you might ask, the bicyclist was riding his bike on the wrong side
of the road.

Realize: the facts stated here are as I, myself percieve them and
not necessarily the views of the County of Sacramento.

L8tr....o .e
-- 
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  Erick Parsons    //    Words for the wise:   *If it works don't fix it.*
  Sacramento Ca   //        mail to:   ...pacbell!sactoh0!americ!erk