One sure way for the City to get into my good graces is to post press releases like this that just make me swoon:
The City of Santa Clarita submitted an application to the Bicycle Transportation Account to request $390,564 in funding for the Bicycle Video Detection Project. If approved, the project will add bicycle video detection devices along two local roads to better detect vehicles and increase cyclist safety.
The Bicycle Video Detection Project uses cameras mounted on traffic signals to automatically detect the presence of a bicycle waiting at a traffic signal. The devices eliminate the need for cyclists to wait for a car to trigger traffic signals or dismount their bicycle to push the pedestrian button.
If funding is approved, Bicycle Video Detection devices will be added along Bouquet Canyon Road from Seco Canyon Road to Plum Canyon Road and Soledad Canyon Road from Canyon Country Park to Shadow Pines Boulevard.
“By applying for the Bicycle Video Detection Project, the City of Santa continues its commitment to the local cycling community,” said Mayor Frank Ferry. “Because the local roadways selected for the project feature Class II bicycle lanes, video detection would significantly increase safety and enhance the riding experiences for Santa Clarita cyclists. “
Video Detection cameras are viewed as a superior solution to in-pavement loop detectors currently in place because they are not dependent on metallic objects for vehicle detection. The City selected the project due to its eligibility for the funding source, transportation benefits, connectivity, cost, safety, constructability, and potential for multiple uses.
I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to ride up to an empty intersection, stop and wait. And wait. And wait some more. And wait until you are so tired of waiting for the light to change that you either get off your bike and push the crosswalk button or run the red light like you stole the bike you’re sitting on. And at some intersections in the SCV, the crosswalk button simply doesn’t work, which means you have no other option but to run the light.
Some SCV intersections, however, have bike friendly detectors in the ground. The new bike lane on 16th Street, for example, culminates over a patch of freshly-buried sensors that treat bicycles in the intersection the same as cars.
The solution above, if the City wins the funds for it, strikes me as an elegant and less expensive method to detect cyclists in intersections. Not sure it will work as well as ground-based sensors, but I welcome it.
Put an end to traffic light discrimination of cyclists and support the city in this application!
Ah, Jeff, I see you have been to the intersection of the Old Road and Calgrove too!!!
Yes, that’s a terrible one! Also Sierra Highway and Placerita Canyon. Awful.
While we’re at it, turning left from Tourney to Valencia is awful too.
These cameras are just going on spots of the road with Class II bike lanes, but it’s a start.
We now need more people to ride their bicycle to/from work and to/from the local stores so that we have less congestion and less pollution. How about everyone on weekends uses the 23 plus miles of bicycle trails/paseos we have!
Jeff,
I have been under the assumption that all bike riders are just plain color blind. I can’t count the number of times I have been waiting for the light to change while a bunch of cyclists have riden right through the red light.
This is a great idea. Just this past Saturday I had to run the light at Placerita Canyon on Sieera Hwy because not only could I not cross with the traffic light, but now the cross walk button doesn’t work. This is in my opinion a responsible use of tax dollars.
Do bicylists trip the red light cameras?