I'm trapped in my subdivision behind two actuator traffic signals. Like Blanche in "Streetcar Named Desire," "I've always depended on the kindness of strangers" for their cars to trip the light. But now that I'm commuting to work....I had to take matters into my own hands. So I "borrowed" six big honker rare earth magnets from work and threw them in my backpack.

There I was at the subdivision traffic light that night trying everything including getting off the bike and dragging my backpack over the acutator lines. Nothing. Then I noticed that three cars were behind me taking all this in and deciding that that lady down the street with the new bike REALLY IS CRAZY.