It's every motorist's nightmare - stuck at a red light that refuses to turn green.
But for Dunedin man Oscar Macdonald it is a daily reality that has driven him to take the law into his own hands.
For the past four years, the 22-year-old student has been carefully running red lights across the city, as they failed to register the presence of his small 125cc Suzuki GN125 motorcycle.
Mr Macdonald said the problem occurred whenever he was alone at an intersection, particularly at night, or in a turning lane with no other vehicles behind him.
He had endured waits of up to 10 minutes until larger vehicles arrived at the sensor-activated lights and triggered a green signal, he said.
The alternative to a long wait was to run the red light, relying instead on basic intersection give-way rules to stay safe, he said.
''It happens at any time, but it's a lot worse at night, because there's less traffic and that means you can't rely on another car to come along and activate the sensor for you.
''If there's no other cars coming up behind me, lights won't change for me.''
He has faced the problem since he began to ride about four years ago, he said.
He was initially ''really nervous'' about breaking road rules, but ''over time I realised it's stupid. There's no reason why I should wait there''.
''I'll just go, anyway.''
Mr Macdonald said he always ensured it was safe to move before ignoring a red light, followed basic give-way rules instead and had not had any close calls with other motorists.
He was also yet to attract the attention of police, but ''I think if I was pulled over by the police I would be able to explain myself'', he said.
Mr Macdonald said his ''very light'' bike was heavier than an average scooter, and he would not be surprised if other riders were experiencing similar problems.
Southern District Command Centre Acting Senior Sergeant Jared Kirk said if police saw Mr Macdonald running a red light, he would not be let off.
''We can't condone anyone running a red light because they are not setting off the sensors,'' Acting Snr Sgt Kirk said.
It was just a matter of having to wait for another car to activate the lights, he said.
Council transportation group manager Gene Ollerenshaw said Mr Macdonald's problem was ''not a desirable outcome'' for him or the council, and would be investigated.
''We do not encourage running red lights, and nor do we encourage a situation where that is occurring and holding his travel back.
''It comes back to the service that we provide, and we would be striving to make sure those types of road users are catered for,'' Mr Ollerenshaw said.
Council senior transportation engineer Lisa Clifford said the city's signal-controlledintersections were governed by ''stopline loop detectors'' in the pavement, which detected the metal in a vehicle above.
Mr Macdonald's lightweightbike ''probably has less metal in its composition, so the sensors are not detecting it'', she said.
She was not aware of other similar complaints received by the council, but anyone striking problems could also try adjusting the position of their bike above one of the sensors, as some parts were more sensitive than others.
