If a traffic light seems to ignore your e-bike, check the intended waiting position before blaming the bike. Look for a bicycle detection marking or a bicycle push button while staying out of moving traffic. A long wait is frustrating, but the time you have spent there is not, by itself, permission to cross on red.
Look for the Request Point
Some intersections mark where a bicycle should wait to request a green. Portland's Wait for Green markings are one example. Elsewhere, a bicycle stencil or a dedicated button may identify the intended request point. Follow the instructions at that location rather than expecting every city to use the same paint.
Also identify the signal that applies to you. A bicycle signal may control a different movement from the nearby vehicle light. The bicycle signal and marking guide covers those recognition questions.
No visible marking does not prove that the signal is broken. You may not be able to identify its detection method from your stopping point. Do not ride forward into the crossing or wander between lanes looking for a hidden sensor.
Stay in the Marked Position
A pavement loop detector responds to the presence of metal through an electrical effect; it is not a scale waiting for more weight. Riders on electric bikes still need to use the intended detection position rather than assuming a heavier bike will trigger the light from anywhere in the lane.
Place the bike according to the local marking and remain in the detection area while waiting. A successful request does not mean the light must change immediately. If there is a clearly signed bicycle button that you can reach safely, use it as directed.
Keep the bike upright. Do not lay it across pavement cuts, add magnets as a roadside experiment, or push beyond the stop line to try to make the system notice you. If the marking is unclear or inaccessible, keep a safe position rather than guessing a universal sweet spot.
Leave Safely and Report the Approach
If you still cannot obtain a signal, choose a lawful alternative from a safe position. That might mean reaching a permitted pedestrian crossing and following its signal, or using another controlled intersection. Do not assume a rule about unresponsive lights in another state applies where you are.
Report the location to the responsible road authority once safely stopped. Include the cross streets, your direction of travel, lane, time, marking or button used, and what you observed while waiting.
A useful example would be: "Eastbound bicycle approach at the named cross streets, this morning. I waited on the bicycle marking while other approaches received greens, but my signal stayed red." Add actual details, not a guess about the failed component. That gives the authority an approach to inspect without claiming you diagnosed the signal from the saddle.
