Waiting on the Ride of Silence, and the Feed

No, I’m not forgetting about the Ride of Silence. It’s just that this year I’m going to be in a place without a Ride and also without a bike, which makes me a little depressed about the Ride. I’ll get over it, but for now I’m a bit on the down side. That’s why I’m not posting as many links in the run-up to the Ride as I usually do. Also this is the first time I won’t be able to make the Mother Ride. I mean I have missed a few RoS because of scheduling snafus (the BPAC meeting being held on the same day and a couple of cities away from the Ride being the biggest impediment to attending the Ride), but this is the first time I have had absolutely zero chance of making the Mother Ride.

I’m not going to post any links to the death of the cyclist killed when she hit the back of a team car during a race in CA, but that doesn’t mean I disregard the death. It was just as meaningful as any death, but it was during a race on closed roads and there is nothing I can say that would apply to people riding on the roads in “normal” traffic. So while I feel just as bad about this wreck as I do about all the rest of them, I’m not going to link to this story.

Up first a NC cyclist was wearing clothes instead of a glow in the dark clown costume so it was obviously his fault he got hit, right? Cyclist was wearing dark clothing, lacked large reflectors on bike The cyclist in this case was seen to be drinking prior to the wreck, so there is a possibility he was impaired and rode out in front of the driver too close to be avoided. To avoid use intersection protocols and wear lights on the bike, to prevent get the infrastructure right so cyclists don’t have to cross busy high-speed highways to get to or from things like restaurants.

A little away from that wreck the guy that died on Folly Road in Charleston was also charged in a DUI death of a pedestrian on the same stretch of road. Skinful felony DUI suspect under legal limit for alcohol, tested positive for THC I’m still trying to get a handle on this wreck as a local tells me that there were no parked cars on the street where the cyclist was killed, but that this was a street that saw a lot of bike traffic because of the bridge it connected to and that trying to ride on side streets would cause you to keep crossing Folly as the through streets crossed the road several times. As far as the previous wreck is concerned he may not have had enough alcohol in his blood to be legally drunk but add a contact high from pot… and I’m still of mixed feelings about this. Sure he was a drunk/impaired driver who killed a pedestrian, but he died a cyclist… So does he go to the hot place of eternal torment because ha drove drunk and killed a pedestrian, or the comfy place with bad music because he died a cyclist? Questions like that are beyond my pay grade and security clearance…

A CT cyclist and several passengers are injured when a bus is hit from behind as the cyclist was loading his bike on the bus front bike rack. Several Injured After Truck Hits Bus OK there is no earthly way a cyclist can avoid this one as it was a pinball wreck where a second vehicle hits the cyclist after being hit itself, and in this case the bus was hit out of the field of vision of the cyclist or any of the rest of the passengers of the bus. To prevent this would be a good case for installing bike/bus lanes so that there would be no trucks in the lane to hit the bus from behind at a high rate of speed.

A really nasty hit-and-run in PA. Charges Expected In Weekend Hit-And-Run From the information in the article I would say that this was either a case of an impaired driver or a deliberate assault on the cyclist for being “in the way”. To avoid use the hit-from-behind protocols from the link at the top of my blog, to prevent get the stupid infrastructure right so drivers don’t feel compelled to get angry at a cyclist “in the way”.

A cyclist in Enn Zed gets right crossed (the equivalent of the left cross for those that drive on the wrong side of the road). Cyclist hit in rush hour traffic Not much I can say about this one really except the usual platitudes about using intersection protocols to avoid a similar wreck and getting the infrastructure right to prevent a wreck like that from ever being able to happen.

Infrastructure! news from around NY. Westfielder Walker Makes Strides for Safety at Tamaques Park Apparently pedestrians feel like they should walk in the bike lanes. And the sidewalk, and anywhere else they feel?

Another article ranking infrastructure along with intangibles for cycling in the US, by city. Minneapolis Ranks #1 For Cycling…. Again. I noticed that Dallas and Garland both failed to make the top 1000 of cities in their size…

Cyclists in Jolly Olde don’t like being stationary targets. We jump red lights for our own safety, cyclists claim I have been hearing this for years, and there is some factual evidence to back them up on this one, specifically the study on why more women than men are killed by HGV at intersections. Advocacy & Safety – “Are women cyclists in more danger than men?”

Links to Ride of Silence events. The Ride of Silence: a loud cry for bicycle safety and Freeloaders: Two wheels are better than four

And those are all the links that gave me fits today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Wow is this late, and the Feed

Life is conspiring against me getting this out before midnight tonight, but I will try. Dad is improving daily, with the steps back being smaller and smaller and the steps forward getting bigger and bigger. Me on the other hand, I’m just trying to keep circling without going down the drain.

Up first, the guy with the dog that stayed with his body after the cyclist was killed in a hit-and-run was on a memorial ride for his best friend. Cyclist killed in coastside hit-and-run was on memorial ride for his dead best friend He was just a day’s ride from completing his ride across the country in memorium to his friend when he was killed. There are words I could use, but they fall so short of the real meaning of this story that it makes me want to cry.

Update on the driver that hit a cyclist from behind on Hwy 360 in Austin. Driver who hit cyclist on 360 was trying to pass traffic The driver was trying to pass on the shoulder, illegal in TX, when he killed the cyclist. But still somehow they managed to not file any charges against the driver?TANJ! Fix the legal infrastructure starting with the LEO that investigated this wreck.

Back in CA a PG&E utility vehicle left crosses a cyclist causing serious injuries. Cyclist critically injured in collision with PG&E vehicle Left cross, intersection protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

A sidewalk cyclist in WI gets truck-smacked. Sparta cyclist struck by cement truck That has to hurt. AFAIK this was a salmon cyclist riding on the sidewalk and crossed with the green light in front of a turning truck and almost cleared it, but got knocked off the bike. That got caught under the rear wheels while he slid out into the street. To avoid don’t ride on the sidewalk and ride with traffic, also intersection protocols, to prevent get the infrastructure right so kids don’t ride on the sidewalk.

Another WI wreck. Vehicle strikes girl on bike in McFarland The driver went about 50 feet after hitting the cyclist in a 15 MPH zone. Either excessive speed or driver distraction or a combination of both were factors in this wreck, not the cyclist’s lack of a helmet. There should not have been any huge SUVs that a driver can’t see out of around the school during an active school zone, I’m placing a great deal of blame on the infrastructure in this one after the driver.

A serious non-fatal wreck in LA. DeRidder teen seriously injured in Vernon Parish crash From what I can tell the kid rode into traffic from a driveway without looking, something drivers do to bikes all the time. It’s much more painful when the bike does it to the car. To avoid use intersection protocols at all driveways and parking lot entrances, to prevent… well I think everybody is starting to get the message by now.

A NJ kid is hit because drivers don’t slow for a blind corner in a residential area. Eight year-old boy suffers serious injuries after being struck by car The driver was doing the speed limit but was driving too fast to see the kid riding legally in the road in front of him. Nothing the kid could do to avoid this wreck, but the driver… I also place a great deal of the fault in this wreck with the infrastructure for placing too high a speed limit on a curvy residential road that will have children on it, as well as adults riding bicycles and jogging or walking. notice from the video there were no sidewalks or any kind of bike infrastructure, you’re either in the grass/ditch or you’re in the street.

In the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike 6 years running, a blind driver killed another cyclist. Boy, 12, killed when SUV hits his bike Note the driver was absolved of all guilt by the media outlet, the car did it… Hit from behind wreck, use the proper protocol to avoid, and stop letting drivers get away with negligent assault when they can’t see where they are going to prevent.

A fatal wreck in VA from cyclist on a group ride. Reston Bike Club Rider Dies From Injuries My condolences to the victims in this wreck. Bike v bike wrecks are mostly non-fatal, except when they aren’t.

The driver in a hit-and-run turns himself in after taking the time to detox after the crash. Man charged with hit-and-run death of bicycle rider turns himself in I find the bond set to be oddly specific at $101,092. I think they left a few charges off the list, they “forgot” obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence that he was (possibly) DUI…

I think this wreck was in CT. Cyclist injured in collision Because this is a paywalled link I can’t figure out the mode of this wreck…

In the Great White North the driver that hit a cyclist has been charged with a crime. Driver charged after cyclist struck in Kitchener I still haven’t figured out how this wreck happened, but the police have and they decided the driver was at fault, so I’m going to assume the wreck was not exactly as described.

Another wreck north of the border. Cyclist injured in Melton Apparently this was an intersection wreck caused by the driver violating the cyclist’s right of way, LEO in the case being very quick to assign blame. To prevent, get the infrastructure right, but the legal part of the infrastructure seems to be working fine.

Another Canuckistan wreck has LEO on the lookout for a hit-and-run driver. Burnaby police looking for hit-and-run driver So, ninja cyclist is hit from behind, driver sees the cyclist and then bugs out. Lights and reflectors to avoid, and get the freaking infrastructure right to prevent.

A cyclist in Oz is injured when a semi towing multiple trailers (road train) fails to make a legal pass and hits him with the last trailer in the train. Cyclist struck by road train Hit from behind protocols to avoid, some way for cyclists to get between cities without sharing roads with trains that don’t have tracks would prevent a wreck like this.

Last link, from TX, a guy riding a unicycle naked is given a ticket for distracting drivers. Weird News: Naked unicyclist charged for distracting drivers The cyclist was a little off on the date of the World Naked Bike Ride.

And that was all the news that gave me fits today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

People sent me lots of links today, and the Feed

I got a lot of links that were sent via e-mail and Facebook today, about changes to the legal infrastructure that allows people to add another crime to their event and actually reduce their punishment. I’m referring of course to hit and run. In the vast majority of states in this country if you are DUI and you hit and kill someone you are leaps and bounds ahead to leave the scene. The difference in sentences between hit-and-run and DUI homicide are huge, in many states the maximum for hit-and-run is less than the minimum for DUI homicide. But our first link is an attempt to reduce the incentive to leave when you’re drunk and you hit and kill someone. End Hit and Run Loophole Yes, they are doing something about the disparity between hit-and-run and DUI manslaughter in CO by making them virtually identical in punishment and allowing additional charges to be filed in cases where DUI is suspected but can’t be proven because the driver failed to remain at the scene.

Another one that came both in the Feed and people sending me the link in e-mail and on FB is the news that the man who allegedly killed a cyclist in the bike lane on the Rickenbacker Causeway in Miami in the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike will be getting less than half the sentence he deserves because he left the scene and destroyed the evidence he was drinking. Trial Date Set For Driver In Fatal Rickenbacker Hit & Run The max he can get is only 15 years, but he should get life for hitting 2 cyclists and killing one. More Hundreds ride in memory of cyclist killed and Memorial Ride for Cyclist Killed in Hit and Run

In CA they are sure the cyclist ran the stop sign, but the driver left the scene which makes the wreck automatically his fault. Bicyclist Seriously Injured In Hit-And-Run To avoid, if the report is accurate then don’t run stop signs, otherwise use intersection protocols. To prevent, get the infrastructure right and make hit-and-run a serious crime like hitting someone while DUI. The rumor is that DUI in the Netherlands is a permanent loss of license, which is not as serious to the driver as it would be in this country where everything is designed for the motor vehicle to the exclusion of all other modes of transportation. I don’t even want to contemplate the horrors you suffer as a ht and run driver…

Another CA hit-and-run. Two cyclists injured in Soquel hit-and-run In this case the cyclists were doing nothing wrong, the driver just failed to make a safe pass and took out two cyclists, by cutting back too fast after passing the rear cyclist. To prevent get the idiots in cars away from cyclists.

On the same theme, a cyclist’s parent wonders why the person that hit her child still wanders the streets while her child remains in a hospital. Injured cyclist’s mother criticizes lack of arrest Depending on who you pay attention to LEO either know who hit the cyclist or they think there is someone else that knows but hasn’t told them yet… Hit from behind wreck, use the appropriate protocols to avoid, and getting cyclists where they need to go without having to ride on major highways would prevent any future wrecks like this.

In PA a cyclist is hit by an errant piece of farm equipment being transferred by trailer. Bicyclist flown to hospital after being struck by farm equipment in Silver Spring Township Yikes! I can’t even contemplate what it must be like to get hit by the mower bar of a tractor, even if it isn’t powered up. There was nothing the cyclist could have done to avoid this wreck as the mower bar was extending from the side of the trailer and below the cyclist’s line of sight, but getting the infrastructure right so that a bicycle was not sharing the road with a commercial vehicle would have prevented this wreck. More UPDATE(2): Teen seriously injured in unfortunate accident with farm machinery

In NJ a cyclist is hit on another busy highway. Update: Bicyclist Hit By Car on Route 1 Has Died I tried to read the comments to find out more from locals about the wreck, but the comments would not pull up for me to be able to read them. Definitely a hit-from-behind wreck, but I can’t say how to avoid a similar wreck. I do know one thing from looking at the crime scene pictures, that this was an infrastructure-related wreck. The two highways basically acted like walls cutting across the landscape for those not in cars, and none too friendly for people in cars that are trying to get from one side of the highway to another.

Update on that hit-and-run in CA where the dead cyclist’s dog stood watch over the body until someone else found it. Santa Cruz: Bicyclist killed in hit-and-run on Highway 1 identified they now Know where the cyclist was hit, and he wasn’t in the road. So the driver had to leave the road to hit this poor guy… More CHP announces suspect vehicle in North Coast fatal hit-and-run with bicyclist

Another link to the cyclist killed riding the Natchez Trace. Doctor killed riding bike on Natchez Trace As I pointed out this is what passes for intercity bicycle infrastructure in this country, which is shared with cars and light trucks at a speed limit of 50 MPH… And death lurks around every turn…

Death and destruction in the Great White North as cyclists get hit in droves. Two killed, one critically injured following weekend crashes At least one wreck was on a straight, flat, road with no impediments to the sight lines when the cyclists were hit from behind by a driver that was not paying attention to the roads. I think you know what comes next:To avoid a similar wreck use the hit-from-behind protocols, to prevent it get the infrastructure right. but since this is in Canuckistan they actually have a decent chance of getting that infrastructure.

And to wind things up, another link sent to me by a reader, this one about legal Infrastructure! Do Passing Distance Laws Really Protect Cyclists? Do laws against murder really prevent people from getting killed? Most people say it’s unquestioned. Then why do they question if laws requiring a safe distance to pass that specify what the minimum is also not protect cyclists from passes that are too close?

And those are all the links that gave me fits today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Why no post yesterday, and the Feed

Dad took a serious turn for the worse yesterday as his pain levels spiked and his digestive issues went really bad. I won’t go into deep details because he’s my Dad and deserves privacy, but the parts I can tell aren’t very good. He had been not eating even though he enjoyed what little he ate he just didn’t want anything except ice cream (that I had been spiking with protein powder) and even ice cream he wouldn’t eat very much of. When we decided to take him to the hospital it was mostly for he intractable pain levels he was experiencing but what he was admitted for was he was in early stages of renal failure which apparently started about the same time as all the other difficulties. They caught it in time and had him on IV hydration and nutrition when I left him last night. They were also checking to make sure he hadn’t caught any kind of diseases from being in the creek however long he was in there. The doctors think that would be a high probability cause of the loss of appetite and kidney shutdown. UPDATE: As I was putting this post together Dad called from his hospital room to tell me he was feeling much better, and that they keep finding things wrong with him. I’m going to be seeing him this evening so there will be an additional update late this evening as a separate post.

Up first by way of severity and proximity to WoaB World HQ in the beautiful suburbs of Hell, a cyclist is hit from behind on the shoulder of a busy highway and bike route in Austin TX. Fatal wreck on Loop 360 concerns Austin cycling groups and Cyclists: Do you ride on Loop 360? also Cyclist dies in accident on Hwy 360 AFAIK the cyclist was in the shoulder when he was hit from behind by the weapon vehicle. LEO are still trying to determine why the weapon vehicle left the road and hit the cyclist. Because of the speed involved the cyclist’s helmet was not a major factor in the wreck aside from adding to the debris field. I’m not sure anything could have been done by the cyclist to prevent the weapon vehicle from hitting him in the shoulder of the road, but SBR would have prevented that from even being an issue.

Still in Austin the victim of a hit-and run will be left with permanent paralysis to the left side of his head a well as loss of hearing. Update released about injured cyclist’s condition Best wishes for the cyclist, curses and doom on the driver. May the driver somehow be required to compensate the cyclist for his damages.

An idiot in a fast car hits-and runs a cyclist in Houston. HPD: Driver runs over woman, strikes building and Driver hits cyclist before crashing into building The driver was arrested and immediately made bail from comments on the articles and the FB page. No way to avoid a wreck like this as the cyclist was crossing the intersection legally when she was hit. SBR might not even have prevented this wreck as it depends on drivers also following the laws which wasn’t happening with this speeding driver that ignored the signals when he hit the cyclist.

An 11YO salmon cyclist is severely injured in SC Pickens boy hit by car while riding bike and Child Injured While Riding Bike The kid was pretty busted up as they say in the south. Be conspicuous and ride with traffic to avoid, SBR that even m American 11YO can understand and use to prevent.

Kid in a bike hit and injured in MA. Car hits Easton teen on bike in Norton LEO is blaming the cyclist for not wearing a glow in the dark clown suit despite it not saying the time of day the cyclist was hit from behind. At this point I can’t say what would have definitively avoided this wreck, but SBR that can be used by people wearing normal clothing would definitely prevent the wreck.

Kid hit by a bus in Vancouver WA. Boy’s death spurs concern over C-Tran route The video linked in the article comments showed the cyclist about 1/3 of the way across the intersection when the bus started moving and impacted the cyclist with the side of the bus. the cyclist was crossing the road with the light in the crosswalk but riding salmon for the direction he was travelling. I’m just agog trying to figure out how this could be avoided because there was wrong on both sides, the cyclist riding salmon and in the sidewalk, the bus driver failing to yield to a person legally using the crosswalk and there before she started to move the bus. Even Dutch-style infrastructure would have had bikes and buses on the same street in this downtown setting but would have had a speed limit of ~18 MPH (30 km/h) so the bus and the bike would have been about the same speed. More 11-year-old bicyclist dies after collision with bus in Vancouver also 11-year-old bicyclist dies after collision with bus in Vancouver And for all the people screaming about helmets, this kid died of blood loss after losing an arm in the wreck, but his head was practically untouched.

Another wreck in the ‘Couve. Cyclist critically injured in Hazel Dell crash Just enough given about the direction of travel for the weapon vehicle, for only cursory advice about intersection protocols to avoid and SBR to prevent.

Another kid is hit in AR. Lonoke County Child on Bike Hit and Killed by Car Combining the video and the text reports I still have no idea what happened in the wreck to be able to tell you how to avoid the wreck, or to be able to say if SBR really would have been able to prevent it.

Update on that wreck in Temucula CA. PHOTOS: Crash Leaves Bicycle Rider in Hospital Yes very bad wreck. see the previous post (Saturday’s) to find how to avoid/prevent another wreck like this.

Either another report on the WI wreck from Saturday, or another wreck near the site of the first one. Horicon man critically injured after being hit by car If this wreck is as reported to avoid use the first protocol in the intersection protocols, when at a stop sign you need to stop and yield for oncoming traffic. To prevent SBR with Dutch-style intersection treatments.

Last link to a wreck story is another report on the 3 cyclists that were hit riding in GA. Report: Two Central Florida bicyclists killed on Georgia road and Osteen, Sanford cyclists killed in Georgia Again this wreck was 100% the fault of the driver as the cyclists were wearing the glow in the dark clown costumes and had lights on both their persons and their bikes when the driver “didn’t see” them. The cyclists had done everything possible to avoid this wreck and the driver failed to have the due diligence required to not hit vehicles on the side of the road.

And last link, “Bo knows” how to ride a bike as he completes 300 miles in 5 days riding across AL for tornado relief. Special Report: Bo Bikes Bama and Bo bikes ‘Bama to help tornado victims also Bo Jackson’s bike tour raises $410,000 for Governor’s Emergency Relief Fund (photos) more Bo Jackson finishes 300-mile ride Not done yet Heisman winner Bo Jackson finishes 300-mile bike ride for tornado relief, raises $413K so far still more Heisman winner Bo Jackson raises over $400,000 with 300-mile tornado relief ride also Bo Jackson finishes 300-mile tornado relief ride Still not done Way to go, biker Bo More, more, more Bo knows biking, too getting close now Bo goes over top again, makes all happy this time around another link Bo Jackson’s bicycle trek ends in Tuscaloosa last link Bo raises more than $400,000 for tornado relief effort Now, be honest. Could I have raised nearly a half a million dollars if I had been the one leading a ride across AL? Didn’t think so. There are times when famous people can help just by being famous, like this time.

And those are all the links that gave me fits today, more tonight when I update y’all on Dad’s condition after the hospital visit.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Today is Super Mule Day, and the Feed

Mrs. the Poet has instructed me to lash our rucks to Blue as payday has arrived and we need to restock our pantry with non-perishable foods. This means that Blue will be loaded to the creaking and groaning point, ditto my back, and Mrs. the Poet shall be tasked with whatever Blue and I can’t carry. Since one of my X-mas/Solstice gifts was a set of tie-downs for externally carried cargo on Blue we have been able to carry large bags of stuff that would not fit in the buckets or the ruck previously. Actually to be precise I can load one large bag of non-refrigerated food per trip, in addition to what fits in the buckets and ruck. Also I am working on new kitty-litter bucket panniers that are removable, meaning I don’t have to ride up to the back door and back the bike up to it. I could just remove the buckets from the bike and carry them into the house where they could be unloaded at leisure. And I could leave them at home on trips that won’t require cargo capacity. This would make such trips a little quicker as the current setup is about as aerodynamic as a cab-over semi with no trailer fairing. Also, I will be able to make the new panniers more weather-tight as I won’t have to drill through the inner shell of the bucket to install the mounting hardware. I have learned much since my first attempt at making kitty-litter buckets work as cargo capacity.

Up first, Albany CA residents ask if the 25 MPH speed limit on an arterial that runs through a residential neighborhood will ever be enforced. You Ask: Do Police Enforce Speeding on Buchanan? This was a street that saw a cyclist killed a few weeks ago that was partially blamed on the driver of the weapon vehicle speeding. The description of the road makes it sound like a good candidate for speed-sensitive road mines what with drivers routinely driving in excess of double the posted limit. I have been working on a compact unit that would be about 1m long, with a shaped charge that would disable the vehicle without damaging the pavement road surface (changed to account for the heavy increase in non-US readers I have gotten recently, outside of the US pavement is a thing, a sidewalk, rather than a surface).

First wreck report is from the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike. Injured cyclist cited for not having lights Another ninja cyclist, part of the reason why FL leads the nation in cyclist deaths. This does not excuse the drivers that hit pedestrians at night because they have badly-aimed or otherwise ill-functioning headlights, but really reflectors are cheap, easy to get and install and make the back of the bike really shine even with bad headlights on the weapon vehicle. I have a couple of square feet of reflective materials on the back of Blue, and as soon as I finish building the charger I’ll have a blindingly bright taillight with a rechargeable battery. More Milton bicyclist hurt in accident

A wreck in San Diego has LEO puzzled as the initial impact location of the cyclist remains unknown after the cyclist was hit 3 times (this is a similar wreck to the salmon cyclist a while back on the same street, but this cyclist was riding with traffic). Witnesses Sought in Fatal Hit-and-Run Bike Accident You notice that in this wreck the cyclist ended up in the correct location and the initial vehicle to hit the cyclist left the scene and has not been located unlike the salmon cyclist wreck where the same make vehicle remained at the scene and the driver rendered aid to the cyclist. All the same 2 wrecks in a short space of time and on the same street gives me a bad feeling. (cue the Lucasfilm logo and Star Wars theme). The same number of vehicles that hit the cyclist is another striking parallel.

A SWSS wreck in far south TX. Victoria woman hurt when pickup hits her bike The only witness that was still conscious to make a report was the driver of the weapon vehicle, so until otherwise verified, this is a hit-from-behind wreck, use the appropriate protocols to avoid, and SBR would prevent a wreck like this.

A WI wreck with independent witnesses for a 11YO boy crossing against the light. Bicyclist, 11, in serious condition after crash Yeah, crossing with the light would most likely prevent this, and SBR would have no impact at all as the 11YO would still have to wait on the light.

A youth in ME is hit walking his bike on the side of the road in a school zone. Boy hit by car back at home The mother in this one is seriously over-reacting, the kid was walking when he was hit by a car that went off the road in a school zone at more than the posted speed limit. Seriously woman, the kid was 100% innocent in this wreck, and the bike made 0% difference in the wreck. This would be like forbidding him to carry a backpack because he had one on when he was abducted by aliens, as if wearing a backpack (or riding a bike) had anything to do with the situation. Unless the driver targeted him because of the bike, of course.

More on the CO wreck initially reported as a “booby trap”. Police: Injured cyclist not the victim of a ‘booby trap’ I still can’t wrap my mind around why the fisherman would have had to be fishing across a bike path, the narrative doesn’t make sense, but glad to know it was not a deliberate attempt to cause injury.

LifeStyle in TX. Cycling notebook: Bike-to-work days roll out this spring Bike to work in Houston, sponsored by the Kevorkian bike club and the organ donors league. Juuust kidding folks, riding to work in Houston is no more dangerous than riding to work in many cities around the world, like Khandahar or Beirut or even Baghdad.

And those are all the links that gave me fits today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Really annoyed at my cable provider, and the Feed

This is something I should really just chill about, but I can’t. I think I might have mentioned this a couple of times, but I’m a geek. I’m not a Geek with a capital “g”, just your average garden-variety geek. One of the geeky things I do is watch anime, animated cartoons from Japan. Or I should say I used to watch anime, because my cable provider decided that not enough people were watching the anime channel (Funimation Channel), and without so much as a “would you like to pay extra for that?” dumped it from the lineup. The excuse given was that not enough people watched the channel to make it worthwhile to carry it. Well I’m sure that out of the 400 or so channels they offered there were more than a few that did not get watched very often, but none of those channels were dumped, just the one that I was watching on a daily basis. Back in the old days when a credit card that wasn’t maxed out was good enough to get territorial distributorship rights I sold anime VHS tapes at local cons, but now you have to have storefront and web access to get that, no more case lots sold at cons, so the only contact point I had was Funimation Channel programming. Now I don’t even have that, and there were 2 series that had not finished (one was 2 episodes in, the other was 2 episodes from finishing) that I will never get to see the endings. Actually more than that as they had just started on the new seasons of 2 other series that were open-ended (crime dramas that always had new criminals popping up, just like the real world). Plus I wanted to catch up on the repeats of series I had already seen but missed some episodes of (I finally caught the middle 3 episodes of “Birdy the Mighty: Decode” that I missed when I was visiting my dad in TN last summer, but I kept missing the “Chobits” episodes because they would get re-aired when I was away from the house doing things). And of course in spite of the fact that I no longer have access to that channel I still have to pay the same amount for my cable/phone/Internet package. TANJ!

Up first be proximity to WoaB World HQ in the beautiful suburbs of Hell (which is actually pretty nice this time of year) a SWCC wreck in Beaumont. Cyclist critically injured in late night traffic wreck No further information has bee released on the direction of travel for the cyclist or his condition. Apparently intersection protocols should be applied given what little information I have at this point.

A little further east from that wreck we have a SWSS. Cyclist killed in Livingston Parish and Vehicle crash claims life of young cyclist also Vehicle crash claims life of young cyclist Apparently the LEO in this case has not been apprised of the LA 3 foot to pass law. Nor most of the rest of the vehicle code for that matter. You know the one about the passing vehicle must always make sure the pass can be completed safely, that is in the vehicle code of every state. To avoid with built infrastructure use hit-from-behind protocols, or make SBR part of the infrastructure instead of sharing with people that can’t drive.

Sliding a tiny bit further east, a driver that hit a cyclist on the shoulder of the road from behind while she was riding sweep on a tour group on a charity ride, is indicted for the death. Driver charged with killing female cyclist, 22, during a charity bike-ride and Former DeKalb County investigator indicted in cross-country bicyclist’s death also DeKalb County man indicted in death of charity cyclist last link Man Indicted in DeKalb County Cyclist’s Death OK I’m sickened by this, the most lenient possible charges that could have been brought for killing an innocent human being who wasn’t even riding in the road but hit from behind on the shoulder of the highway where the truck did not even belong. Hit-from-behind protocols but the only thing that will prevent wrecks like this is SBR. And taking away cars from people that kill. Even if we don’t lock them up, when you kill with a car you should lose that car with no insurance payout to replace it. We don’t give the guns that kill back to the shooters, do we? Then why allow drivers that kill continued access to their weapons?

Continuing the eastward slide, a little girl riding a tricycle on a sidewalk is killed by a hit-and-run driver in the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike, (or trike). A 5-year-old girl struck and killed in Fort Lauderdale by a hit-and-run driver I don’t know what the child could have done to prevent someone from driving a large cargo van over her while she played in front of her house.

Another wreck in the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike 6 years running. Fatal bicycle crash in Lutz Another SWCC wreck as the cyclist “went into the part of a Ford Fusion” which I interpret as the cyclist got inside the car before he was hit, or maybe as he was hit (“Pardon me, but I think that may have killed me, can I take a rest in your car?”).

And completing the slide east, the killer of 2 cyclists in NC faces trial. Jury selection begins Monday in Grooms murder trial and Jury for Doolittle deaths to be chosen in Jacksonville The good thing is this is getting charged as a murder, as the driver was both drunk and stoned on “bath salts” at the time of the wreck. I have zero qualms about people getting drunk or stoned, as long as you are not in control of a deadly device like a motor vehicle do what you want with your body. however if you are driving in that condition and you kill a cyclist, I want your butt under the jail, in a coffin, filled with concrete and a stake through your heart, after you get shot with a silver bullet. IOW I want to be absolutely sure there is no way you will ever drive a motor vehicle again.

A wreck in Canuckistan that is almost a carbon copy of an earlier wreck. Cyclist killed by semi I don’t know if it was the same road or driver but this is the second wreck where a cyclist was killed by a truck turning right onto the road he was riding on. I can’t find the link to the earlier story, so I guess I must have missed posting it earlier. To be brutally honest I can’t see any version of this wreck that isn’t 1000% the fault of the truck driver no matter where the cyclist was hit. The truck was turning from one road to the road the cyclist was riding on, exactly like the previous wreck, and should have yielded to the vehicle that was already on the road. For you to avoid a wreck like this, Intersection protocols with the built environment, or ideally SBR to keep bikes and semis from ever coming in contact with each other. A later link that just came in Police identify cyclist killed over the weekend

Another wreck in Canuckistan, this one between a jogger and a cyclist. Police need help to identify injured cyclist Another example of why you should have wearable ID when you ride a bike.

Another truck killing a cyclist in Canuckistan, with about the same degree of information as the other link. Cyclist killed after hit by truck on highway The headline makes it sound like he was put down like a horse with a broken leg instead of dying from getting run over by a semi. More Cyclist killed in collision near St. Anne Ahh the cyclist was hit-from-behind on a clear road with unrestricted visibility and good lighting, and the one comment I see says how sad it was for the driver of the truck. Hey, bud how about how sad it is for the cyclist that was run over from behind?

From that same town where a driver hit a kid from behind in LA, an Infrastructure! link. Groups pedaling a message of safety Enforcing the laws would help, for cyclists as well as for drivers, as was pointed out in the link to the wreck that killed that kid.

LifeStyle in NYC. Rides in Five Boroughs Call Attention to Bike Safety Annual Tour de Ghost Bikes, bigger every year…

Another ride in NYC, this one for a recent fatality. Cyclists honor RJ Tillman, Wagner student killed in hit-run crash The sad part was as they gathered at the wreck site they were repeatedly buzzed by rude drivers attempting to disrupt the ceremony.

A pretty bike picture. Twin Cities Bike Picture of the Day: 3.19.12 If Washington Irving had been born in the 20th Century just think how different “The Headless Horseman” would have been.

Last link for those who think the government is of the insane and by the insane (as if the previous links weren’t enough). 9-year-old boy summoned to jury duty in Mass. And people wonder why we can’t get decent infrastructure with people like this running things?

And those are all the links that gave me fits today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Going on a “date” with my wife, and the Feed

As I checked the Feed this morning I only had a single link, so I’m going to do things with my wife while she has a break from work and have a ‘date” at the local B&N coffeeshop and check back later with the results of the “date” and also see if there are some more links. Of course you won’t see this until after I get back, because I won’t do the rest of the post until then, so stop reading for a few minutes, and worry about the “date”, then read the rest of the post…

OK I’m back. We looked at some books in the “School reading” section of the store, and compared the books to the ones we had to read 35-40 years ago (some of the books had not been written when we were in school) looked at a few magazines (and cried over the prices, $7 and up), and had a beverage and split an Oreo Stack dessert at the coffeeshop, the wife having Black Tea, hot and I had a no-foam latte. It was nice and we had a nice chat away from the usual distractions of home and SQUIRREL! (church joke)

Up first because I like nice things at the start of the links is this picture. Twin Cities Bike Picture of the Day: 3.15.12 Isn’t that pretty?

The big story is a cyclist hit by a drunk driver in NC. NCHP: Cyclist Critical After Being Hit By Drunken Driver and Cyclist Hit, Critically Injured By Drunk Driver In Lexington more Bicyclist remains in critical condition after accident” last link Share The Road On An Interstate? Bicycle Laws Clarified. OK from what I can get from this the cyclist was in a grey area because the road was I-85 Business, not an actual Interstate. At any rate the driver was almost twice the legal limit on BAC%, and ran off the roads to hit the cyclist. If the cyclist was in fact legal in this wreck, hit-from-behind protocols would have helped prevent this wreck. SBR would have prevented the two from ever having to share the same stretch of pavement and made the wreck impossible.

Bad news in CA as LEO treat the victims of a bike v car wreck like criminals. Cyclists Terrorized On The Wiggle, Police Side With Angry Prius Driver SFPD shows again why cops need to get out of their cars frequently and find out how the other side lives. Really, the cyclist deliberately rammed the car? Is that cop insane? BikingInLA had a link to a funny picture that I can’t find now that capsulated the whole thing, a car that had run into a thin pole with bad results and an undamaged bike parked in the crease in the front end… If only that were possible in the real world without pre-crashing the car…

A cyclist is hit in AL. Cyclist Killed on Schillinger Road About all they’ll say on this one is that the bike was in the road, I’m betting they’re still figuring out how to blame it on the cyclist.

A UK article about an American bike wreck. Driver jailed for killing Fetcham medical student says sorry I covered this a week ago but sometimes news travels slow over the Pond.

Another wreck in AZ. Phoenix cyclist killed after being hit by car Notice they mention the street was dimly lit, but not that the cyclist was or the car had defective headlights. More Bicyclist towing homemade trailer killed by motorist in Phoenix and the Street View of the wreck site 3500 W Georgia Ave Notice the terrible sight lines caused by the privacy walls Phoenix bicyclist dies after being hit by car and one more 60-year-old bicyclist killed while crossing Phoenix street

More information on the Mathieu Lefevre wreck in NYC. New Video Shows Brooklyn Cyclist Moments Before Death, May Prove NYPD Wrong Another video that proves the truck driver had faded far left but did not have his signal on prior to the cyclist pulling up on the right in a gap of about 8 feet in width from the curb.

Another link to the cyclist hit by a cop car in the Great White North. Elderly Cyclist Hit By Cruiser Still the same level of information being given as they try to figure out a way to blame the cyclist for being there to get hit…TANJ!

Infrastructure! news from CA. Initiative in Tulare County urges bicyclists, motorists and pedestrians to ‘share the road’ Why do I think that drivers will see that sign and interpret it as “Cyclists and pedestrians get out of the way”?

One of the problems with regenerative braking on e-assist bikes has been that batteries would not accept the high currents that regen can produce without dumping some of the current through resistors and wasting that energy. Now an improved supercapacitor may allow using 2 energy storage media for steady-state and accelerating/deccelerating. Graphene Supercapacitor Holds Promise for Portable Electronics The problem with available supercaps has been poor energy density preventing installing a large enough cap bank to use for all the accel/deccel cycles, especially for long downhills.

And those are all the links that gave me fits today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Monday on a Saturday, a huge Feed

Well because I allowed the real world outside my computer room to interfere yesterday I have a 2-day Feed to filter and place into something cogent resembling order. The Full Moon service went wonderfully as we used fine-point markers to place the runes that symbolized our goals and desires for the coming year, then inscribed the rune on a paper cup so we would know which bean sprout had which rune on it then planted the bean in the paper cup with the matching rune. I have a flower bed that hasn’t had flowers in over a decade that I will plant the sprouts in and allow them to grow to maturity. I hope I like fava beans, because that’s what we used for our bean runes.

Up first because it’s in the same state as WoaB World HQ in the beautiful suburbs of Hell, a TX man is found guilty of killing a cyclist while driving with a BAC of 0.14%. Valley man convicted of killing cyclist The cyclist was hit-from-behind by a drunk driver, speeding was suspected but not provable. Hit-from-behind protocols might have either reduced the degree of injury or prevented the wreck, bur SBR would have made the wreck pretty much impossible. More At trial, police procedures criticized and Guilty verdict in death of cyclist The fact that the DA could get a guilty verdict after the police botched the investigation and lost the video of the driver failing a field sobriety test says mountains about the determination of the DA’s office and the eloquence of the prosecutor in this case.

Still in TX a man is brought back after being hit by a heavy-duty tow truck in Tyler. Update: Tyler cyclist struck by wrecker identified Nothing about the mode of the wreck, but it happened at an intersection that had previously killed a pedestrian, so intersection protocols, and this might have been a short light from some of the comments I read which could mean that the cyclist was caught in the intersection for several seconds after the light changed in spite of going when he had the green. More Tyler bike accident victim evicted from home…long entertainment career and 70 year old cyclist hit by tow truck had ‘Showbiz’ past also Cyclist hit by tow truck was clown and singer

Non-TX links from OR. Bend Cyclist Badly Hurt in Collision With SUV and Drunk Bicyclist Hit By Car I’m of two minds on this one, first the cyclist was drunk, and cycling while intoxicated is never a good idea, but also the cyclist was hit head-on on his side of the center line. It is possible that the cyclist went on the wrong side of the road and then corrected faster than the motor vehicle could dodge back, or the driver could have been playing “chicken” with an obviously impaired cyclist, or aliens could have abducted them both and dumped them in the middle of town with the cyclist under the SUV. I place the likelihood of the last two possibilities as about equal with maybe the aliens being slightly more probable. This is an area that has had many abductions in the past.

A PA cyclist is killed at a dangerous trail intersection. Palmer Township man hit by car dies; some local residents concerned about crosswalk safety Intersection protocol, but the restrictions placed on cyclists at this intersection will result in wrecks with injury. Requiring cyclists to dismount and push their bikes results in longer clearing times than even regular pedestrians.

A cyclist is killed in a SWCC. Cyclist killed on White Lane near S. Real Rd. Nothing indicated the driver was actually speeding except the fact that after hitting a cyclist the car had to be towed from the scene. I used the link in the article to find out the speed limit for that stretch of road, but I was unable to see one after looking for about a mile back up the roads from the wreck location. One thing I did see was the road was located through a residential area with houses on both sides for the entire mile I was looking for a speed limit sign. I also noticed the street was way overbuilt for a residential area, with a total of 7 lanes of width including the median turn lane and parking in both directions.

A L.I. NY cyclist is hit-and-run in front of her children’s elementary school going to pick them up. Woman falls off bike, struck by hit and run driver and L.I. Mother Riding Bicycle Critically Injured By Hit-And-Run Driver Something of the wreck can be blamed for the cyclist riding too far to the edge of the road and riding salmon, but the driver speeding and leaving the scene was all on the driver. Obviously if the cyclist had not run into the mirror and fallen this would not have been a wreck.

There were a lot of links from the UK about HGV being allowed to roll through the same streets as heavy bicycle traffic especially after the release of the report that cyclists were almost 5 times more likely to be killed by an HGV than by a car or light truck, but they were all pretty much a re-hash of links from earlier this week, so I’m going to save bandwidth by not sharing those links.

And those are all the links that gave me fits today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

The rains came and the lawn is still unmowed, and the Feed

Yep, didn’t get to mow the lawn yet. As I was filling the gas can a light drizzle started that became a steady drizzle that has prevented my from navigating my yard with my disability (although this would be the perfect time to run a roller over my yard, had I such a thing to run). One of the things about my wreck is the fact I have to wear a lifted shoe on my left foot to compensate for losing 17mm of length in that leg after the wreck and also I have weak ankles because of the muscle damage caused by the compartment syndrome. That is a bad combination as the lifted shoe has a longer lever arm to cause my ankle to turn, with less muscle strength to resist that turning moment, resulting in more than a few sprained ankles since the wreck that I would not have gotten otherwise. Fortunately I have developed a defense against sprains in situations like this, the controlled fall. I look at it like this: I’m going to get hurt no matter what, I can get a few scrapes and maybe a bruise or two, or I can get a sprain that might keep me off my feet for weeks. Given the choice I take the controlled fall, but the real prevention is to avoid situations that I know ahead of time may require me to make that choice. Hence no mowing when rain makes my footing treacherous.

Just up the road from WoaB World HQ in the beautiful suburbs of Hell, a wreck where they have no idea what happened. Flower Mound teen seriously injured in car-bike crash At this point about all they know and are releasing is the location of the wreck. I can make some assumptions about this one because I know the LEO in the area, but I will refrain until more information becomes publicly available, More links Teen struck by vehicle (updated) and Automobile Accident involving Flower Mound Bicyclist also Teen struck by vehicle

Another IN teen is hit on a bike, with slightly better results this time. 13-Year-Old Bicyclist Injured in Hit and Run Notice that this time they went after the perps with a vengence, including setting dogs on them to get one out of hiding. Nothing on the mode of the wreck, but that’s not what makes this report important, the reaction of LEO is what made the difference here. Thumbs up to all the LEO involved in this wreck, far catching the perps and getting them off the roads. More Speeding driver seriously hurts teen biker and Pickup hits 13-year-old; 2 in jail after chase and this one Two arrested after truck bicycle crash in Kosciusko County still more Two men arrested after crashing into Amish bicyclist, fleeing police not done yet Teenager hit by speeding drunk driver almost there Hit-skip crash injures bicyclist, 13 last link 2 in Kosciusko charged after crash with cyclist OK after reading all the links we find the cyclist was hit by a speeding vehicle that ran a stop sign while being driven by 2 drunks (?) who were quickly caught before they could sober up. I don’t know if the cyclist was hit from the side in the intersection or hit after the intersection from behind, so I still can’t tell you if there would be any way to avoid this one. If it was hit from the side there was no way the cyclist could have avoided this wreck, otherwise hit-from-behind protocol. Having Separated Bicycle Roads would have reduced the chance of this wreck happening, but not eliminated it completely.

Hit-and-run in VA. Update: Arrest Made in Deadly Hit and Run Hit-from-behind with pretty much no chance to react on the part of the cyclist. More links UPDATED: Suspect arrested in deadly hit and run crash in Lynchburg and Man arrested in fatal Lynchburg hit-and-run and last link to this story Lynchburg police seize truck in hit-and-run death of bicyclist OK from the other links we find the driver crossed the centerline to hit the cyclist head on when he was taking the lane to make sure he wasn’t hit from behind. This was a murder, not an “accident” and in no way could any human cyclist have been able to avoid this wreck. SBR could have prevented this wreck by both separating the cyclist from exposure to the truck driver, and eliminating a source of anger for the driver of the truck (“damn cyclists slowing people down make me want to kill them”). I’m firmly in favor of chaining the driver to the steering wheel of the murder weapon when they recycle it. I would suggest a shredder rather than a crusher for less mess and a more humane execution.

One of the juveniles that attacked a cyclist in PA was sentenced in the assault that resulted in 2 of the 3 attackers being shot by the cyclist who had a CHL. Pa. boy, 16, sent to juvenile facility for attack on Pa. cyclist that ended with 1 teen killed Good.

In OH another “ninja” cyclist is hit. Man hit by truck while riding bike near railroad tracks As I have said many times before, if you’re going to ride Ninja, you have to ride like you’re invisible because for most drivers you are invisible. Half the time they can’t see a cyclist wearing a glow in the dark clown suit covered in lights, why tempt fate by riding Ninja? And I’m not talking about the Kawasaki motorcycle of the same name.

Our first sentencing story from CA. Man learns fate from drunk driving crash that killed cyclist Ten months, that’s all a cyclist’s life is worth. Pardon me while I go visit Ralph driving the porcelain bus.

Another sentencing story with slightly better results. Four years in prison for Nipomo driver who killed English cyclist Well that’s a little better, still not right.More Driver gets 4 years for cyclist’s death in South County

Signs that they are finally starting to take death by motor vehicle seriously in the UK. Driver will face crown court over causing death of cyclist Karl Austin This change of venue will ensure a minimum prison sentence instead of probable community service in this death. I still can’t understand how any death with culpability can result in a sentence of community service.

A one-woman campaign for bike/ped safety in the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike for 6 years running (grammar error deliberate to emphasise how deadly this place is) Island resident begins bicycle, pedestrian safety campaign She is doing something similar to what I was doing here, trying to tell people how to use the built environment safely. The problem is the built environment is not safe. She is working on one of the 3 “E”s of bicycle transportation safety, “Education”. The others are “Engineering” and “Enforcement”. All 3 are required to make people safe, but sometimes you have to go with what you have. If you can’t change the engineering or do any enforcement, all you can do is educate.

Another “Helmets First” bike safety story. Ask the Pediatrician: Bike Helmets Well I can cut a little slack, because it isn’t about bike safety in general, and because doctors have tunnel vision because they only see kids that get hurt, not the thousands that get the health benefits of cycling.

Infrastructure news from the Great White North. Changes sought to bike lanes

And a LifeStyle article I’m linking to too many times here lately. Cyclists honor victim of hit-and-run Something must be done to stop this epidemic of hit-and-run. The only thing I can think of is raising the penalty for hit-and-run to include mandatory loss of the vehicle, with a permanent loss of license if the victim dies. More Memorial Ride, Ghost Bike for cyclist killed by hit and run driver

And final link, for those that think riding a bike is just too easy. How To Walk Across America

What if riding a bike was as dangerous to drivers as drivers are to bike riders, and the Feed

A little thought experiment here: What if bicycle riders were as dangerous to car drivers as car drivers are to cyclists? To be honest I can’t see a whole lot of difference in driver attitudes except maybe a little more respect on the roads. Drivers already act like the presence of cyclists is somehow damaging to them, but when they hit us many times there is little to no damage to the car and a seriously injured cyclist or a fatality, But if hitting a cyclist did as much damage to the driver as it did to the cyclist by some magical means, don’t you think that drivers would back off from cyclists? Lets examine a situation IRL that two road users face an equal chance of injury or fatality: the Bike/Ped wreck. There are some parallels between the bike/ped and the bike/car wreck, in that there is usually one party to the wreck that has a significant speed differential over the other party and that in most cases it is perceived that the faster-moving party bears the most responsibility in the wreck. In most bike/ped wrecks the wreck happens in shared space, in almost every bike/car wreck the wreck is in shared space or in immediately adjacent space (cars hitting bikes in a bike lane). In bike/ped wrecks casualties are about 50/50 between cyclists and pedestrians, in bike/car wrecks the casualties are about 99% on the cyclist. How many cyclists complain about the danger that pedestrians pose to their well-being (in places that actually have a significant pedestrian presence), and how many pedestrians complain about the danger cyclists pose? Well there is some psychological transfer of fear of getting hit by a car to getting hit by a bicycle for pedestrians, but even in the days BC (before cars) pedestrians saw cyclists as a mortal peril, ditto for cyclists’ view of pedestrians. But the thing is back then pedestrians knew that cyclists had as much to fear from hitting them as they did from cyclists, a sort of M.A.D. pre-nuclear weapons. Now peds assume they will always be the injured party in a bike/ped wreck because of having their perceptions warped by car/ped wrecks where the pedestrian is 100% likely to get injured and drivers near zero. But B.C. everyone hated everyone because no matter who caused the wrecks someone was going to get hurt, and the probability was as high on the innocent party as the guilty party, with the actual cause of the wreck as likely on the pedestrian as the cyclist. But in my magical fantasy cyclists will be respected by car drivers because drivers are as vulnerable as cyclists and have equal probability of getting hurt.

Most of the links today are updates on wrecks from earlier, most of those from this week. A wreck that has drawn a lot of media attention was the wreck in Anderson (home of a former GF of mine) of the man hit from behind on his bike after running to the store to pick up a light dinner. Man Killed While Riding Bike In Anderson Identified and Friend says bike rider was rebuilding his life before fatal accident and also Anderson cyclist killed in crash with car In that last link you can see the blinky light in mid-blink. Also note that they are blaming the cyclist for not wearing a glow in the dark clown suit (“Welty was wearing dark clothing“) and not having the lights that are visible in the picture… Anyway, hit-from-behind use the protocols to avoid a similar wreck and maybe a glow-in-the-dark clown suit and a Honkin’ Huge Taillight™ or 20, with police style flashing lights (red only).

A driver runs a red light and hits a cyclist in the cross street. Boy Struck While Riding Bike In Fairfield I can’t find anything about this wreck that indicates the driver stayed at the scene except that they didn’t call it a hit-and-run. Anyway, the driver ran the red after the cyclist had already entered the intersection, nothing any cyclist could have done to prevent it no matter what their age…

Still in CA the defense attorney for a driver accused of hit-and-run claims the whole thing was a set-up to frame his client for a lawsuit. Attorney for driver in Saratoga hit-and-run case blames cyclist Yeah, all those independent witnesses were all conspiring to frame this guy for a share of the payout? Lawyers like this are the reason my late uncle Vito claimed to be a hitman for the mob, it was (is?) held in higher regard than being a lawyer… and Vito was a corporate lawyer, not a trial lawyer. Poor Uncle Vito would have been really heart-broken from the stuff that went down on Wall Street after he died.

Moving up the road to OR from CA, a cyclist is hit from behind by a drunk driver. Police arrest DUII suspect after crash with cyclist on bridge The original link said the cyclist and the truck “somehow came into collision” but by the time I read it during filtering it was a drunk driver hitting the cyclist from behind. More Pickup driver hits cyclist on St. Johns Bridge and Driver charged with DUII after striking bicyclist on St. Johns Bridge From the later links it appears the driver has been released on his own recognizance or that charges were dropped somehow… Who did the driver know and what did he know about that person? Portland police arrest a man after his pickup hits a cyclist on St. Johns Bridge

An infrastructure story that has me mad, with several links. Family Sues UC Santa Cruz for Fatal Bike Accident and Family and friends remember UC Santa Cruz student a year after his death amd Gathering memorializes UC Santa Cruz student who died in accident on campus bike path If the statistics on that bike path are accurate, that in less then 5 years more than 18 people have been medically transported for injuries and 2 fatalities on a bike path not shared with motor vehicles, then there is a serious design deficiency with that path.

And infrastructure from OR. Many drivers in Clark County continue to break cellphone law Also up, bears poop in woods and sky blue when clouds not present.

And that’s all the links that give me fits today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus