How do car parks work? :D

[MC]

Went to a shopping centre this morning, and the car park had an automatic barrier, which you pressed a button to get a ticket. Sitting in the queue I thought hmm... this is the kind of thing that'll go wrong for me, and sure enough it wouldn't give me a ticket, no matter how many times I prodded or pushed the button.

So pressed the help button, was told "press the button", told him I was then he raised the barrier to let me in. After parking up saw the cars behind had no problem getting in, so is there a sensor or something my bike didn't trigger, or was I just being particularly noobish today?

tl;dr refused entry cos my bikes black
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Yamaha MT-03 '08 (crashed)
Honda XR-125L '04

[P.addy]

Bike weighs nothing on their pressure pad.

[yen_powell]

Your bike doesn't have enough metal in it to trigger the electrical loop buried in the ground. Driving over a corner of the loop gives a better signal than crossing the middle (I used to lay temporary loops for traffic counts).

Usually if they allow bikes they cut the barrier short so you can ride round it.
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Blackmail is a nasty word........but not as nasty as phlegm!
XT1200Z and a DR350 in bits

[Nope.]

Won't be a pressure pad, will be inductive like traffic lights.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induction_loop

If you'd rolled the bike forward and back a bit it might have worked, but you might not have even been on it (I'd be willing to bet it's in the middle of the road and you were at the side).
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Former: Derbi GP1 50, Sachs XTC 125, Suzuki GSXR 400 GK73A, Kawasaki ZX7R, Suzuki DR250, Yamaha RD350
Current: 2011 Yamaha XT660Z Ténéré, 2003 Yamaha YZR-R1 5PW (In Build), 2009 Kawasaki ZZR1400

[MC]

I was quite far out, was a full barrier so next time I'll ride over the 2cm kerb and go round it, or just park on the pavement like I normally do
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Yamaha MT-03 '08 (crashed)
Honda XR-125L '04

[doggone]

I remember being similarly bewildered on the péage autoroute, but bikers had to press a different button higher up

[P.addy]

Ah, still thought it was ghetto pressure stuff, fair enough, traffic lights are never that bad for me but i seem to ride metal ridden blimps

[Rogerborg]

I can't think why there's an induction loop at all - is there really a problem with chavs pressing the button to get tickets just for giggles?

Would ride around if possible, and if not, take my "business" elsewhere.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Walloper]

[martyn107]

I work on traffic lights and it'll use inductive loops like others have said. Once found something on eBay which said it would "make the lights change super quick". It was basically a slab of steel.

[Bubblin77]

[Benno]

Often bikers don't need to do this at all, and simply have to go around the barrier and into the free bike parking bay.

Same at Drake Circus Plymouth, same at Q-park all over central London. If it's free in London then nowhere else has any excuse for charging us!
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I'm autistic. That means I'm smarter than you.

[Ariel Badger]

I have so much metal in my leg I can lay on the floor and open gates
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Bikers make great organ donors, get 115 on your licence today.

[Ste]

You're meant to ride around the barriers.

[Tristan.]

[Rogerborg]

^^^
I'm so inherently honest that had never even occurred to me.

Now, I'm off to park at the local shopping centre and scam their front facing registration camera.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[c_dug]

I've done that when out with mates before, when ready to leave I've scooted around the barriers on the bike and picked them up a ticket on the way back in, then used that one in the ticket machine for their car.
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.