07-24-2017, 11:27 AM
The inductive loop is a detector of cars, in that it's virtually guaranteed to detect any and every car.
The inductive loop is an imperfect detector of bikes, in that you need to know where to go to be detected. Sometimes it's easy to find (painted spots), hard to find (plastic edges of detector), or impossible to find (neither), and sometimes the detection location being designed for cars could put a cyclist in an uncomfortable spot to try and activate it.
The "beg" button is begging because you always need to press it. If a car is in a left turn lane for a cross-street that has a left turn signal, the light doesn't go only left turn signal (red to straight for the same direction, red to all for the opposite direction) when it changes, it accommodates the driver who activated it as well as any other drivers who also arrive at the light before the change and during their phase. A beg button means that even the changing of the signal to accommodate crossing by vehicles won't trigger it for pedestrians, or worse that you have to press it for both (!) sides. Foolishly assume that the cluster of people around the button have pressed it, and you wind up not being able to cross.
The inductive loop is an imperfect detector of bikes, in that you need to know where to go to be detected. Sometimes it's easy to find (painted spots), hard to find (plastic edges of detector), or impossible to find (neither), and sometimes the detection location being designed for cars could put a cyclist in an uncomfortable spot to try and activate it.
The "beg" button is begging because you always need to press it. If a car is in a left turn lane for a cross-street that has a left turn signal, the light doesn't go only left turn signal (red to straight for the same direction, red to all for the opposite direction) when it changes, it accommodates the driver who activated it as well as any other drivers who also arrive at the light before the change and during their phase. A beg button means that even the changing of the signal to accommodate crossing by vehicles won't trigger it for pedestrians, or worse that you have to press it for both (!) sides. Foolishly assume that the cluster of people around the button have pressed it, and you wind up not being able to cross.