Traffic sensors give bicyclists green lights

It’s hard to miss the growing number of bicyclists in central Ohio. But to some city traffic signals, they are all but invisible.

Columbus officials say they are changing that.

Nearly all the city’s 1,000 traffic lights are connected to road sensors that detect the presence of autos at the intersections and adjust the lights accordingly.

Bicycles are another story. These sensors are basically metal detectors, and bicycles don’t have enough metal to trigger a light change.

That has caused some cyclists to go through a bizarre system of steps to get noticed.

Some ask drivers to replace them at the front of the line at a red light to trip the sensor. Others lay their bicycles flat on the road to increase the odds. Desperate cyclists might even get off their bikes and push the pedestrian button to signal a change.

And as a last resort, some cyclists look both ways and run the red light that won’t change.

“It’s a big safety issue,” said Ray George, president of Yay Bikes, a Columbus organization that advocates for cyclists. “It’s not the best situation for anybody.”

But local bicycling advocates are giving the city high marks for what they say is a stepped-up response to their concerns.

Calls to 311, the city’s service line, and online requests at the 311 website will result in the city checking out a particular intersection and possibly recalibrating the sensors to detect bicycles.

“It’s been a process of going intersection by intersection for a while now,” said Rick Tilton, assistant director of the city’s public-service department.

Since February 2012, Columbus has made improvements at about 45 intersections, Tilton said. Tricia Kovacs said she has reported three intersections — Stelzer Road and Morse Crossing near Easton Town Center; High Street and Lazelle Road near Highbanks Metro Park; and High Street and Kanawha Avenue in Beechwold.

She said a city worker worked with her during the process.

“He called me after I reported some signals, to explain how they work, and has called me after they were adjusted to ask me if they are working properly,” she wrote in an email.

The city can paint markings on the street to show bicyclists exactly where to place their wheels, or it can recalibrate the sensors.

Recalibration isn’t complicated and doesn’t require digging up streets.

Gordon Renkes, an Ohio State University chemist who has been a certified instructor with the League of American Bicyclists for more than 15 years, said the response has been a welcome improvement, especially for cyclers who are sticklers for safety.

“This is one of the simplest, easiest and least-expensive things the city and traffic departments can do to help lawful cyclists,” Renkes said.

Relatively few Columbus residents — less than 1 percent of the population, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures — regularly commute to work by bicycle. But advocates say the number is growing.

Cities such as Austin, Texas; Portland, Ore.; and Berkeley, Calif., which have a reputation for being bike-friendly, have taken similar steps to recalibrate their sensors to accommodate cyclists.

The technique is recommended by the National Association of City Transportation Officials as a way to reduce delays for cyclists while increasing safety and promoting cycling as a viable form of transportation in cities.

“We’re working with the cycling community, and Mayor (Michael B.) Coleman wants to make this a more bicycle-friendly city,” Tilton said.