nobody researching what the sensors do ?
I presume they check the traffic density and turn green accordingly to facilitate movement and lesser waiting.
But as bikes don't trip this sensors they have to wait until the whole time period finishes or until some heavy vehicle comes.

I don't presume they would be that dumb to make any odd laws would they?

The sensors and the waiting need more clarification how it works in normal scenario.

LOL what an ignorant thing to say. As the article suggests, the lights are not on an automatic cycle. They sense traffic and turn green/red. But bikes are too small for the sensors to account for, which means a lone biker could possibly never get a green signal.

IMO they need better sensors or just standard non-sensing traffic signals than this stupid rule. It's downright dangerous.

Folks,
In states like california, the signals are trigerred by Traffic density (input from several sensors) as many of you have rightly said.

when I was riding in the streets of the LA, I had this same problem, the weight of rider and the motorcycle does not trigger the several sensors on the road. Most of the time I used to wait for a CAR, then lights would turn green. If it was just me, then the sensors think that there is no one on this road, so the signal never turns green. However in LA, during civilized hours, there always used to a car around. Thus I did not have to worry about the signal.

Now in LA county alone, the population is quite high 3,819,702 (2011) so the chances of car in your lane is quite high
However when it come to Nebraska state, the population is - 1,855,525 (2012), what are the chances of cars being in the same lane at the same time?

Hope this justifies the new Law that Nebraska is trying to pass ....So bikers will get a sigh of relief post this law.

Now you could argue that they should change the sensors? right, sure there is a reason or plan to do it in the future or the cost involved in the changing the sensors is not making economical sense at this time!

The Country is recoveing from the worst recession since the great depression.

Why are they passing this strange law, imagine the imense pressure the law makers are having from the Biking Community

~Enthusiast

this is what i was also thinking, while reading this thread...

this is very stupid, first you install traffic lights based on sensors that can't detect a certain type of vehicle and then you try to find a work around by passing a stupid law in the name of recession.

this is perfect example of corrupt politicians...lol... they exist everywhere.

imagine the situation that there are four bikers - one on each road facing a traffic light junction, they wait for some time and decide to go all at once- at the same time...what will happen...everybody can imagine.

instead a better solution is to make a small change in the program on the micro-controller so that the moment sensors sense no traffic they shift to a time based sequence giving a green light to each road every 15 secs or so, till the sensors sense traffic again.

simple solution to simple problem.

For your example - There is something called YEILD which is normally used during the night at signals (when traffic lights blink RED) or 4 way STOP Signs, the person reaching the junction 1st, has the right of way. Here they have to just follow the same, instead of racing to at each other!

if 2 ppl reach the junction same time, one of them normally communicates using hand signals and yields to other.
Regarding the sensors, they are quite huge unlike you think.
Take a look at the picture - RoadTrax BL Piezo Sensors
Embedded Traffic Light Sensors | Mental Floss

I leave it for you to imagine how viable its to fix all the sensors all the sensors in Nebraska.