Bicyclists are unnecessarily delayed and put at risk by demand-actuated traffic signals that will not turn green for bicyclists. Bicycles with metal rims (aluminum or steel) are easily detected by inductive loop detectors that have been properly designed and adjusted to do so. Appropriate loop sensor designs also detect motorcycles, cars, and trucks over the loop without detecting large vehicles in the adjacent lane. The State of California has standardized on traffic signal sensor designs and adjustment procedures to detect bicycles. Unfortunately, most communities in North Carolina do not have a policy to design or adjust signal detectors to detect bicycles. BikeWalk NC recommends that NC adopt practices similar to California.
Read the technical background paper on bicycle detection here.
Read BikeWalk NC’s position paper on bicycle detection here.