I can hardly lift my arms, but here’s the Feed

Well, I pruned some more today, on the live oak out back. I don’t have much upper body strength or endurance any more, so I lopped a few branches off with the pruner and had to call it quits. Then I filtered the Feed and now here I am to post the reports and make comments.

Another SWSS/SWCC wreck in the Pelican State (Louisiana). Cyclist killed at 171 and La. 394 and Bicycle rider killed near DeRidder I find the description of the wreck highly suspect. Especially the part where he was going east on 394 and then turned around to go east on 394…

What sounds like a left cross wreck in CA. Cyclist killed in traffic accident identified CA has the same laws about turning vehicles as TX that requires turning traffic to yield to traffic that is not turning, whether that traffic is oncoming traffic on the same street or road or traffic on the street or road that is being turned on. Hopefully there will be at least a ticket filed against the driver that killed the cyclist.

Another report on the DC cyclist killed by a cop cruiser. Md. cyclist who was killed by police cruiser identified Yeah, anyone that believes the cop was going under the speed limit, I have some oceanfront property in El Paso I would like to sell. I’m not saying the cyclist wasn’t at fault, just saying the likelihood of the cop driving under the speed limit is so low as to be invisible. The fact that they made the statement thus renders all of their other statements suspect. The grain of salt required is about the size of a semi-trailer.

Another report on the kid killed in DE. Teen cyclist killed on 273 ID’d Again the rider was thrown into a car that was in front of both vehicles. This indicates to me that traffic was stopped and the kid did not run the red light like the cops say.

More on the NY state cyclist that was hit by a transit bus. Cops: Greenburgh cyclist was riding alongside bus; bikers invited to ride at funeral The cyclist appears to have been doing exactly what he should have, I still don’t know why LEO haven’t charged the bus driver with running down the cyclist. NY law requires the passing vehicle to pass safely, which means far enough away that you don’t scare the other operator to death. That didn’t happen this time. So why no ticket or charges?

A TX lawyer thinks that Gov. Goodhair’s veto of the Vulnerable Road Users Bill (SB488) may have contributed to the driver that killed 2 people on a tandem bicycle not getting any kind of ticket or charge. Texas Governor Perry Vetoes Safe Passing Bill: Cyclist Deaths The Result? I just want to know what the Helotes LEOs were thinking when they decided that the guy in the truck did nothing illegal when he killed the 2 cyclists.

A case in Scotland that just floored me as the police report wasn’t allowed to be read into evidence. Scottish jury finds case against driver who killed cyclist ‘not proven’ Of course it wasn’t proven, the judge threw out the most important evidence against the driver. Again, what was he thinking?

Again I had to pick myself up off the floor when I read about a multiple repeat drunk driver was facing in the way of charges in Enn Zed. Drink-drive charge ‘appallingly inadequate’ “Downer, who has two previous drink driving convictions, could face a maximum of five years behind bars.” Five years for drunk driving that killed somebody, that’s just a travesty.

And a trio of people that train together for bicycle riding suffered similar wrecks. Cyclist tells of horror crash The man was killed while the wife was recovering from a previous crash, and the personal trainer was in a coma for 5 weeks from the wreck that killed the man… What a mess.

The 2010 Tour of the Battenkill will have a stage dedicated to Veterans. 2010 Tour of the Battenkill Announces Ride to Benefit Injured Veterans If you can do this next year Witch on a Bicycle says do it.

And that’s all for tonight.

Billed @$.02, Opus

After last night I need a lighter day

Fortunately the Feed was smaller today, as after yesterday’s “Deep into the Night” marathon blog posting session I just don’t have the energy for filtering a large Feed.

I only have one new report of a bike wreck. Bicyclist killed in Woodstock collision The mode of this wreck was the cyclist riding on the sidewalk coming the “wrong way” was killed by a driver not paying attention to anything coming from his right as he crossed the sidewalk. Plenty of blame to go around, but I reserve the most blame for the driver that killed the cyclist while both were on the sidewalk. I just wonder if LEO are going to actually use the law that says cars must yield to traffic on a sidewalk when they cross one while getting to the road, or if they are going to blame the cyclist for being there to get hit.

And an update on a report linked here yesterday, they identified the 13 YO cyclist killed in DE. Cyclist, 13, killed in crash identified Interestingly enough now that we have more details on this wreck the physics don’t add up with the rest of the report. The victim was thrown into the back of another vehicle that was in front of the wreck, which indicates that the vehicle was close to the wreck and that the vehicle that struck the cyclist was moving at a greater rate of speed. Why would even a 13 YO go between vehicles that close together if the light wasn’t in his favor? Things just aren’t making sense in this wreck, something smells.

From Jolly Olde another hit-and-run. Man injured in hit and run Interestingly enough there wasn’t anything about the cyclist actually getting hit. “A car turned into Craddock Road in front of him, causing him to fall off his bike.” Now did the man fall off his bike because the bike or his person were grazed by the car or just because he had to stop suddenly and lost his balance?

First of our infrastructure articles is from SF CA. The Bad Motorist Column Never mentioned in the article was the number of drivers that exceed the speed limit even when that limit is too high for conditions, but then this is an Entertainment column, not a traffic safety column for this paper.

More on infrastructure, which dominated the Feed this morning. Queens Boulevard Bike Lane Not Happening, Despite Demand Interesting that in spite of the number of cyclists that use Queens Boulevard and the increasing number killed there, because it wasn’t placed on a document made years ago as a part of the master bike plan NYCDOT won’t even consider adding a bike lane there. Traffic has changed, but the traffic plan hasn’t and bureaucrats must stay with the plan no matter how much things have changed in the real world.

More on infrastructure and users of same from Newton KS. METZLER: Nice fall weather calls for outdoor safety Interesting how bike riders are admonished to be careful, but drivers who are the ones that can actually kill people that are just out to enjoy the nice weather are rightfully placed with the greatest amount of responsibility.

More infrastructure reports on the increasing toll wrought on pedestrians in spite of a falling share in trip mode in the worst areas for pedestrian fatalities. Report: American Cities Dangerous for Pedestrians and Cyclists This was predicted decades ago, design streets without considering pedestrians and pedestrians will get killed, because there is no way to prevent people from using their feet to get around when things get tight.

And another newspaper weighs in on TTTWLAMWAMD Cyclists and motorists on collision course You might remember the first time this article was posted in the LA Times, but as the paper proves by running it for their readers it still is applicable to current events.

And that’s all I have today.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Hoping my ancient computer doesn’t crash, a huge Feed

Well, I went to the lab rat keeper’s place again. I’m still alive, and I still have a pulse that’s slightly faster than a corpse’s after I drink my 3rd cup of coffee for the morning, no telling what it would be without coffee. I was advised again to get a medic alert bracelet or dog tags to let people I’m not dead if I’m found unconscious in the street before I get my morning coffee. The bad news is I gained 3.2 pounds since last month. The funny part is I have 2 sets of clothes now, one set of pants and shirts for “fat days” and another for “skinny days” and the “fat” clothes I can get over my thighs but when I stand up they fall off, the “skinny” clothes are a fight to get on over my thighs but when I get them on they don’t fall off Also I can now see the entire upper lobe of my rectus abdominus clearly now including the striation between the upper lobe and the middle lobe. I still have some more fat to lose yet, but I have lost a bunch already.

Up first is a story with multiple reports about a cyclist killed by a police car. Cyclist killed in collision with SDPD car in University City and Collision with police car kills bicyclist also SDPD calls fatal collision with bicyclist an ‘unfortunate accident’ and finally Police car headed to call hits and kills bicyclist Notice that aside from the comments there is nothing in the reports that wasn’t cleared by the killer’s employers the police department. The claim that the police officer was driving under the speed limit would be laughable if the consequences hadn’t been so dire. I mean when was the last time you saw a driver doing the speed limit, much less under the speed limit?

More on that drunk cyclist who crashed into a tree while riding on the sidewalk. Bike Crash Victim Seriously Hurt and Santa Rosa cyclist remains in critical condition OK there are a number of things that could have prevented this wreck. Not riding drunk is the first and foremost, not riding on the sidewalk second, and third is wearing a helmet when you ride. If you prevent the crash you don’t need the helmet, but you can’t always prevent the wreck so wear the helmet. Ideally you do everything you can to prevent the wreck first then protect yourself from getting hurt in the wreck.

I keep posting about not riding on the sidewalk, this is why. Cyclist Injured In Traffic Crash See, drivers don’t expect you when you’re riding on the sidewalk and do things like pull in front of you when you’re crossing the road even after you’ve already started across, with life-threatening consequences in this case. Ride in the street with the rest of the vehicles…

A recurring theme today seems to be cops killing cyclists. Bicyclist struck, killed by Bladensburg police vehicle Again the ridiculous claim that the cop was driving under the speed limit. But apparently the cyclist deserves some of the blame for not watching out for other vehicles on the road, and now he’s dead. Again, watch out for other vehicles when you pull out from parking lots and driveways.

Not your normal bike wreck, by a long shot. Police arrest Boise man after they watch him mug a bicyclist Downtown early Saturday Can you get any more stupid than this? He tries to steal the guy’s bicycle, in front of a bunch of cops. At least that’s one more anti-bike nut taken off the streets.

And another kid is killed just going for a bike ride near Newark DE. 13-year-old cyclist killed near Newark Nothing much about the wreck except that the cyclist was killed by cardiac arrest, apparently caused by blunt trauma to the chest if the rest of the report means what I think it means.

A memorial is planned for the cyclist killed by a transit bus in NY state. Memorial planned for cyclist killed by bus This was one of the good guys for transportational cycling, and I’m sorry his voice was silenced. but, his death will also speak volumes as even a cyclist of his vast experience was not able to navigate the traffic on that street because of poor design, that he pointed out almost a decade ago but that still hasn’t been changed.

A point that hinges on bicycle safety, pedestrian safety. The 10 most dangerous American cities for pedestrians and Pedestrians beware: Study ranks Orlando worst in nation for pedestrians and from one of the best cities, where things are still pretty bad Taking a walk shouldn’t be a contact sport And finally Path to good health, less pollution is the sidewalk: report Studies have shown a positive correlation between pedestrian safety figures and cyclist safety figures, safer pedestrians make for safer cyclists and vice versa. It’s interesting to note that the 4 worst cities are all in FL, the state that kills the most cyclists in spite of not having the most cyclists to kill.

Darcy Sheppard is getting a Ghost Bike. “Ghost bike” memorial placed on Bloor St. for Darcy Allan Sheppard, cyclist killed in August Just for the record I really don’t want a ghost bike, but if I get killed riding my bike there better damn well be a white painted bicycle where I got hit or I’m going to haunt someone until there is a Ghost Bike. So Ghost Bike, or real ghost riding a bicycle. Y’all better hope I die in my sleep from old age. I never had the chance to meet Darcy, he might have been a real SOB. But nobody deserves to die the way he was killed by a driver trying to smear him off the side of his car.

Another blameless wreck in Jolly Olde. Cyclist suffers head injury in collision with car in Purley I hope the cyclist recovers, and that the real story comes out so I can tell you what to do to keep safe in a similar situation.

And shades of TTTWLAMWAMD, someone semi-famous in Jolly Olde is handed down a severe sentence for using his vehicle to injure a cyclist. Former showjumper Christopher Robertson jailed for injuring cyclist From what I understand felons have a hard time getting a driver’s license in the UK, especially if the crime they committed used a car as a weapon…

Media stirring poo in DC against cyclists. WTOP Report Provokes Anger Among Area Cyclists I wonder if this station is a Faux News outlet?

And a bike ride for a veteran. Group bikes in honor of Canton man killed in Afghanistan Thank you veterans.

And that’s it for today. I was wondering if this computer would continue to run as it crashed twice trying to compose this report, once while filtering the Feed and a second time while composing the post, fortunately after I had saved so nothing was lost. If you happen to have a computer that works good and you’re either local or willing to ship, leave a comment.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Strange referral, and the Feed

I had a couple of strange referrals today. For some reason Facebook has a click on their home page that directs people to my blog. I’m not on Facebook so I have not a clue why there would be something for people to click on that directs them here. Facebook users, could you post a comment and help me out here?

Up first is a wreck where a cyclist crossing the road was hit by a car. BRIEF: Cyclist killed in crash with car in Blaine and Bike Rider Killed In Blaine While Crossing Street And that is pretty much all I know about it at this point. Nothing on if there was a signal light, who had which signal if there was a light, stop signs, nothing.

And after what must qualify as one of the slowest lab analysis in human history, charges have been filed against the Boise teenager that left crossed a cyclist in the bike lane. Officials promise justice for cyclist Kevin Pavlis They promise justice, but because the killer was a minor we will never know about it even extending to the name of the killer…

And the man that claimed to not see a 6 foot tall driver in an orange bunny costume and her brightly lit pedicab gets a trip to jail. Man convicted in orange rabbit pedicab hit-and-run Apparently hitting someone while digging for your cell phone is OK but hit-and-run is still illegal. From this and previous reports on the wreck there wasn’t anything the pedicab operator could have done to avoid the wreck since the driver wasn’t watching and didn’t slow down.

A pair of reports on the wreck near Toronto reported on here ealier this week. Memorial in Cambridge for cyclist killed And UPDATE – Cyclist killed I fail to see where sidewalks would have made any difference in this wreck, but bad infrastructure is bad infrastructure even if it’s not our (bicyclist) infrastructure.

Apparently somebody has decided that it’s OK to have huge blind spots on big trucks because it would cost too much to fix…Cyclist Death Ruled “Accidental” Why is not being able to see an “accident” and not a defective vehicle?

A motorcycle/bicycle wreck in India puts the motorcycle rider in jail. Biker held for Shivranjini mishap A little confused as to who hit whom, but the guy on the bicycle came out the worst for it.

A loudmouth in Oz changes her tune after making a massively untrue statement on Australian national TV earlier this week. Going berko over a bisycho Yes, she did say that cyclists had no legal place on the roads earlier this week, which is contrary to the laws of every civilized nation which includes Australia, and now she’s back-pedaling so hard if she was actually riding a bicycle the tire would be smoking.

SC cyclists try to remind drivers that cars are not the only thing on the road. Cyclists urge motorists to share the road “People aren’t watching,” Connelly said. “We’re not getting any respect out there. We do have a right to the road. We’re considered a part of traffic, and drivers don’t seem to understand that.” He said it better than I could.

Same song, different verse in CA. Bikes and cars: Can we share the road? Between 1998 and 2008, for example, bike commuting in Marin County increased 66% as bicycle crashes declined 34%. The best practice is to get as many bikes on the roads as possible.

Still in LA is an article on cyclist safety that is highly car-head. Bicyclists should stay on the defensive to stay safe Watch out for cars, but don’t give up the road to them.

And that’s it for tonight, have a spooooky Halloweeeeen [evil chuckle].

Billed @$.02, Opus

Computer problems, and the Feed

My computer’s power supply is in the process of dying, it stays running if you get it to run, but getting it cranked up is a hit or miss affair. After reading some of the articles in the Feed I almost wish it had stayed busted.

Up first because it’s closest is a kid killed in Edinburg TX. Edinburg teen killed riding bike late at night It took until just before I posted this link for someone to notice that the bike riders were riding the wrong way when they got hit. I know my readers don’t do that, except when they can’t get through otherwise or if they have to backtrack out of a one-way section of road, but how often does something like that happen? Don’t be a salmon.

BikingInLA has a man in the courtroom in the trial of the thing that walks like a man with a medical degree. Evil on trial: UPDATE — Christopher Thompson takes the stand I hope the prosecuting attorney gives him a new one on the stand. Maybe two new ones.

More reports on the man arrested for the death of a Dutch cycle tourist. Man indicted in death of cyclist from Netherlands and Man charged in cyclist’s death Great, stoned on opiates and driving a car. Not any better than drunk, just different impairing substances. Bring on the bicycle chain floggers.

They found the truck in the NC hit-and-run crime, driver to follow. Troopers seize damaged SUV and Editorial: A careless and shameless act And the lawyer’s take on the wreck Hit and Run Driver Kills Bicycle Rider in Guilford County, North Carolina Again I advise against reading the comments unless you already have brain damage and can’t get hurt any worse by stupid people.

Another reason not to run red lights, drivers think they mean “go like hell” instead of “proceed when clear”. Decatur Central Student Killed in Bicycle/Semi Accident But I really can’t blame the truck driver in this wreck, it appears that the truck was already moving well before the cyclist ran the red and ran into the truck. Again, don’t run red lights, unless you think death or serious injury are fun.

And they just don’t take us witches seriously at the ME’s office. Bicyclist died of traumatic head injury, M.E. rules Nobody saw the truck I guess.

Great, the law firm that employed that pedestrian killed by a hit-and-run cyclist is out for blood. Caesar Rivise law firm wants justice in death of beloved longtime employee Why couldn’t they get this worked up over someone getting killed riding a bicycle? And don’t hit the pedestrians, they are on the same side as us cyclists, the bad guys drive cars.

From Jolly Olde, an MP gets a burr up his butt and the police catch a bad case of stupids too. Police launch crackdown on cyclists Just because a cyclist can see where they are going on a well-lit street, does not necessarily mean that they are fully visible to motorists approaching with their headlights on. Yep, car drivers are blind as well as stupid. Just because you’re in the headlights doesn’t mean they will see you. They will run into you but they will claim to never have seen you. That’s why I always use the Honkin’ Huge Taillight^tm when I ride at night. Look like a motor vehicle and avoid that “run down” feeling.

Boris makes more noise about making London safer for cyclists. Newton unsure about London Olympics The article about making London safe is down the column from the headline article.

The rest of the post tonight comes from Oz, AKA the Land Down Undah.

And speaking of having a case of the stupids, some cyclists have near fatal cases. Cyclists not given free ride by police Aside from the helmet laws most traffic laws make sense to follow if only because it makes your actions more predictable so that drivers can better avoid hitting you. That’s the main reason why I say to not run red lights, as it makes where you will be on the road unpredictable and drivers don’t expect to see a bicycle crossing their path when they have the green light, as an example.

It appears that Australian cars are even more deadly than US cars as shown by the graph that goes with this article. Cut speed to let our cyclists live Their near-zero survivor speed is 60 km/hr, but the “knee” speed is about the same as US statistics, roughly 30 MPH (50 km/hr) with an initial rise at 20 MPH (30 km/hr). I didn’t even bother to try reading the nearly 500 comments that went with the article at the time I made this post.

And letter to the editor about a proposal to make bicycles have license plates. Identifying cyclists will not cure road rage apparently this was precipitated by a bus driver nearly hitting a cyclist, who then was able to catch the bus in traffic, get on the bus and beat the tar out of the bur driver for nearly killing the cyclist. This is not something I would recommend but it is something I understand. and I bet this was the fastest extended sprint on the part of the cyclist in a long time if not ever.

And that’s all I have today, maybe I can do another one tomorrow, if the power supply holds up and doesn’t die.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Back at work on my “Other job”

The software glitches over at examiner.com have been solved so that I can again submit my deathless prose for remuneration. Check it out at Change of focus, let’s keep you alive on your bicycle The subject should be familiar to most of you here, it’s the protocols I tell you about nearly every day on how to not get hit, or at least how not to get hit so bad you get killed. I’ll be doing a regular report of the North American wrecks also, Monday through Friday if I get any North American wrecks to report that day. It will be pretty much a cut’n'paste from here but with some language cleaned up, and also more attribution for my fellow writers over at examiner.com. Since I will be getting paid over there I will be using a different closing then my usual here. No “Billed @$.02, Opus” for those guys (I don’t get paid that much there), instead it will be “Have fun riding your bike”.

Also I’m in negotiations for a monthly column with a startup car magazine. I can hear jaws dropping all over the country at that news, but really I love cars, it’s the drivers I have problems with. I may never actually write the column, we’re still way far apart on the word count and rate at the moment, as well as for access to their technical department. but if I get that gig it still won’t reduce your favorite blogger’s output, except I might cut back on weekends. I do want to get some time to actually ride my own bike(s) other than to the store and church, and I do have responsibilities at church that will need to be taken care of.

And that’s all I have right now.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Terrorist acts in ABQ, and just general stupidity, the Feed

Yep, we got terrorist acts in Albuquerque with fatal levels of stupidity elsewhere, and dangerous levels all over. I used today’s commute to church as a spin training session and managed to keep an 11.4 MPH average running a 49″ gear with hitting a top speed of 19.3 MPH twice, still running the 49″ gear. That’s a peak of 132 RPM and an average of 78. That little bit was for the people that think I spend all day at the computer, and never actually ride a bicycle. I admit my rides are getting fewer and shorter lately, but I still ride when I can, or when I need to.

Up first are those terrorist attacks on cyclists in Albuquerque. Cyclists face new hazard along paths and 3 wires strung across Albuquerque area bike paths You have to wonder about someone that sets booby traps on public right of way. All you ABQ riders be careful out there, or you could really lose your head.

A KS cyclist has a suspected run-in with a car. A woman riding her bike was killed by a hit and run OK it’s not suspected any more, they are now calling it a hit-and-run. The new article makes the wreck sound like a hit-from-behind wreck (again). I think y’all know how to find the hit-from-behind protocol in other posts in my blog.

If you’re in the area you might want to drop in on this. Concert to benefit cyclist injured in auto collision The driver that did the hit-and-run on this guy is facing charges, but to be honest the consequences of those charges are minor.

A typical UK wreck report. Cyclist, 12, killed

As the trial is completed we finally get to know what happened in the wreck of Derek Witt. Drink-driver Michael Filgate cheated us of Derek Witt, says family and Cyclist’s death ‘a devastating blow to family’ The cocktail of drugs and alcohol in the driver’s system was just phenomenal, that he was even capable of getting the car started was amazing. Unfortunate but amazing. He got seven and a half years in prison and that appears to be the extent of his punishment, no lifetime driving ban after he gets out of prison, since he was already driving without a license.

Oz is the location for the next several reports.

A teenager is charged in the hit-and-run killing of a cyclist. Teenager charged over cyclist death The list of charges are appalling.

Another hit-and-run in Oz. Cyclist killed in hit-and-run Not a good weekend to be a cyclist in Oz, eh?

Still things are looking up in some parts of Australia. Safety in numbers for cyclists

Enn Zed has a frustrating issue with a drunk driver. Drunk granny gets licence back Yes, incredible as it might sound, they could only hold her license for 4 weeks after a fatal wreck with an alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit.

A web page has been started to support a cyclist killed in Enn Zed. Webpage honours cyclist killed in hit and run I hope they catch the driver and then forget where they left him or her, for 50 years or so…

Finally an article on overcoming car-head thinking. Perspective: How to keep roads safe for cyclicsts Well, we can hope for the future, but right now there are too many people that have never seen a road except through the windshield of a car.

And that’s all for today.

Billed @$.02, Opus

A rant at the end, and wrecks at the beginning, nice stuff in the middle

Today’s Feed combined with the Welcoming Congregation classes I have been taking have brought about an epiphany. More about that at the end of the blog post. First we have wrecks, then we have lifestyle reports, then you get the rant.

Up first for no particular reason is a rather sparse report on a hit-and-run against a cyclist in the Delmarva region. Cyclist injured in hit and run At least the police are not blaming the victim in this one, but beyond that I can’t say what exactly went down in this wreck besides the cyclist. I do know that intersections were until recently the most likely place to get hit on a bicycle because of the omnidirectionality of threats. You still have to be aware of cars hitting you from behind, but you also have to be alert to cars hitting you from either side or turning in front of you. This is where you have to keep your head on a swivel to keep alive.

A cyclist injured in a right hook incident who was impaired in efforts to recover expenses incurred in the wreck because of PD failure to cite the driver has won a suit against the city responsible, Portland OR. City to settle with injured bicyclist over North Portland intersection When someone makes a right turn across an active traffic lane without checking to see if the lane was clear before turning and causes a wreck with injury normally there would be a citation for failure to yield, and there is a special law that applies to bike lanes with an enhanced penalty because of the relative fragility of cyclists compared to motor vehicles, but that law was not enforced here and the cyclist suffered additional harm because of the city’s failure to enforce the law. Hence the lawsuit, hence the settlement when the city found itself in an indefensible position.

And on the subject of lawsuits, one has been filed over the wreck of a cyclist with an 18 wheeler. Old Dominion Freight driver accused of badly injuring cyclist while using wireless device The list of injuries the cyclist suffered just boggles the mind: Helwig suffered a broken pelvis, broken ribs, broken back, lacerated liver and spleen, head injury, and a badly damaged left arm. He lost one kidney and his small intestine. That pretty much defines the term “basket case”. Go get ‘em.

A competitor to RoadID has a different product to offer. Is it a better product? Yikes ID Helps Cyclists Make Smart Safety Decisions So They Never Have To Ride Alone Assuming there isn’t more than one cyclist involved this might be a good idea, and it might also help return stolen bikes with really stupid people involved. I think it might be a good idea for commuters.

A charity ride against cancer. Brett’s ride rolls on

More on the story of Alice Swanson’s Ghost Bike saga. Alice’s Blend: The people behind the ghost bike saga I see the anger, and I understand the frustration of the people involved with the struggle.

The Saratoga Springs school that banned riding a bicycle to school has become international news, here’s an update from the local newspaper. A sensible way to get to school

And final article from the Feed, is it possible to design roads so that nobody dies while using them? People don’t have to die on the road I don’t see how you can re-write the rules of Newtonian physics just because people die trying to break them. Mass has consequence, velocity has consequence, and no amount of complaining about it is going to change those facts. Even if bicycles are given completely separate facilities, in order to get to places people find useful those facilities will have to interact with motor vehicle traffic at at least two points, the point of origin and the destination, unless you somehow create infrastructure to deliver goods that doesn’t require the use of roads and trucks to bring goods to their point of sale, and ban the use of private motor vehicles. And even if you do all that, people will still run into one another and get someone killed, even if they’re on bicycles.

And now the rant I promised:

In the class I session I just took this Sunday we discussed Oppression (with the capital “O”). One of the characteristics of oppression is to declare a “norm” so that anything outside of that norm may be oppressed, in this case the “norm” is a car driver. It is not enough that one be in control of a motor vehicle, that vehicle has to have 4 wheels to go with the motor, just ask all the motorcycle riders that are run over and severely injured or killed because “I didn’t see him” is accepted as an excuse from responsibility.

One of the other characteristics of Oppression is that people outside the “norm” are not given equal enforcement of the law when they are victims. To wit most recently the Bexar County incident where 2 people were killed by a truck driver that went off the road repeatedly, but the truck driver did not suffer any kind of legal consequences for killing 2 people on a bicycle.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be confined to “bicycle infrastructure” any more than black people wanted to be confined to “Colored Only” drinking fountains, but I even more don’t want to be banned from the roads like black people were banned from voting or other meaningful participation in the political process. I’m not saying bicyclists are the new [offensive and derogatory reference to people of African descent], but just going by the number of lynchings, we may be getting close.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Backlash on cyclists hit in Bexar County, and more from the Feed

Well the story on the pickup truck that hit the tandem bike from behind on the improved shoulder in Bexar county TX has heated up with people making numerous calls to the DA’s office and the Sheriff’s Office over the incident, and others in Bexar county. Also there were other wrecks and questions raised about them in other parts of the world. We got wrecks and inquiries about wrecks from almost the span of the Anglophone world, so hang on tight.

Up first there may be an inquiry launched into the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office over their handling of wrecks as was brought to a head over the tandem bicycle hit from behind on the shoulder of TX 16 near Helotes. Pickup truck strikes couple on tandem bike on Bandera another report on the initial wreck and this article is the follow up Answers sought in cyclists’ deaths From the article and the comments it is apparent that victims of motor vehicle crashes that were not driving or passengers in cars were found at fault or the drivers were not ticketed or charged, that in the majority if not the totality of cases involving a victim not driving or riding in or on a motor vehicle the drivers were allowed to leave without penalty. Just probability will tell you that ain’t going to happen, there had to have been some drivers that were at fault for hitting people not in cars. This sounds like a severe case of car head bias against people not in cars, on an institutional level. Or as my wife puts it “looney”.

Another case of car head bias a rider that had been drinking was hit from behind by a pickup truck. Truck hits, kills cyclist on Poplar Level Road and Bicyclist struck by truck identified also Bicyclist Killed In Road Accident Answer me this: had the drunk been in a car that was hit from behind, would it still have been the drunk’s fault for being on the road?

The victim of a hit-and-run from behind returns to work but still has a long way to go before he’s recovered. Injured bicyclist back at work A rarity in today’s post, a live cyclist hit-and-run or hit from behind victim. For this cyclist we know there wasn’t enough time nor space to escape the wreck; rock, meet hard place.

It took a long time, and an opinion from the AG, but a driver that hit a cyclist was finally given a ticket. Sheriff Files Charge Against Driver Whose Truck Hit Bicyclist It took from July to late September to decide if a truck that hit a cyclist from behind had passed with 3 feet of clearance? The mental gymnastics these LEO went through makes discussions of the number of angels dancing on the head of a pin seem like nothing. As for how to avoid that was one of the problems in this case in the first place as the cyclist had left the road to avoid getting hit which caused the difficulty in deciding the driver violated the 3 foot law. Do you still have to pass with 3 feet of clearance if the cyclist is not on the road?

A 65 YO cyclist that had been racing at the club level in the UK for 50 years is remembered after “being in collision” with a truck. Tributes to cyclist killed in A1 accident Nothing here about how he died, but since there was a big truck (semi?) involved you can assume the death was pretty gory, and probably quick.

Another wreck in the UK in the form of a door prize. Cyclist injured in accident in Burnham-On-Sea town centre Door prizes are rare in the UK, probably because they are dealt with rather severely. To avoid the door prize, the easiest way is to avoid the door zone beside parked cars, if they can’t get to you they can’t hit you, but should that option be taken away by a mandatory bike lane in the door zone, watch the parked cars (while you are watching for road debris and behind you for hit from behind drivers) for heads on the side of the car closest to you. If you see a head you can assume there is a body attached to it that will shortly want to leave the car, or the car leave the parking space. Be ready to dodge the opening door or hit the brakes if there’s no room to dodge.

More on the family of a dead cyclist in Scotland suing the drver that killed him. Killed cyclist’s family sue van driver Do you really think £500,000 ($795,950) is going to be enough money for such a promising young man?

For such a sparsely populated country NZ sure does have a lot of bike v car wrecks. Somebody else thought so, too and is trying to do something about it. Safety forum promotes road sharing City transport chairman Ken Baguley wants the forum to come up with ideas for how all users can share the popular waterfront route more safely while “moving beyond the motorist versus cycling antagonism which has this week dominated media and blogs”. This after a wreck that left a cyclist severely injured on a popular cycling route.

OK I still haven’t figured this one out except that there was a bicycle and a motorcycle involved and there was one person killed at the scene and 3 more injured, and one of the injured died in hospital later, 2 killed in Panchagarh road mishapThis is what happens when English is the official language, but nobody speaks English as a first language, you get news reports that leave you unable to figure out who was riding which vehicle when they were killed or injured.

At first I though Mrs. Gore had another “problem”. Tipper turns killer, yet again This was just another dump truck that hit-and-run another cyclist in India.

And to close out the post we have another example of why it’s so hard to get people to ride a bike in the US. Cycling or Walking to School Will Not Be Tolerated! Yes, you read that right. There are schools that call the cops on parents that allow their kids to ride a bike to school, or to walk. You can be charged with a crime because your kids ride a bike to school. There’s a crime going on, but riding to school ain’t it. It’s a crime to be that stupid! What is wrong with people?

And that’s all I got today.

Billed @$.02, Opus

“Stuff” still happens, this is the “stuff” that happened to cyclists

Well today’s Feed was a major bummer to filter through. As if just the reports on cyclists getting hit and injured or killed wasn’t bad enough, I have been getting reports that even if you are fortunate enough to buy insurance that covers you while you ride a bicycle, the coverage you think you bought was not the coverage you get. More on that later.

Up first are 2 reports on TX tandem cyclists hit from behind on the shoulder of the road. Tandem bicyclists die in pickup accident and Couple killed when truck slams into, drags bicycle Interesting comments section, because people are starting to ask questions about why the lack of enforcement against drivers that kill, specifically why did a driver that left the road and hit another vehicle (bicycle) not even get a ticket, and second why did a driver that was most definitely at fault not even get a ticket for killing 2 people? Even people that don’t ride bicycles are asking this. I’m asking why a driver that hit a vehicle the length and half the width of a compact car can claim he didn’t see the vehicle until right before he hit it, and not lose his license for visual impairment?

And way out west of me in NM a cyclist is killed. Deming bicyclist hit by pickup, killed Another driver that thinks the speed limit is the speed you should drive at all times even if you can’t see where you are going can’t see a cyclist, cyclist dies.

Another report on the sentencing of a man that killed a cyclist after running a stop sign at high speed. SUV driver gets probation in crash that killed bicyclist As I said yesterday, since the next of kin in his role as speaker for the dead signed off on this I can accept it. If however the PA on this just blew it off and told the husband that this was the best they were going to get, hang them both, the PA and the driver.

And apparently it isn’t just TX that it’s OK to kill someone not in a car. No charges for driver who hit and killed cyclist and Driver won’t be charged in collision that killed cyclist at Milwaukee and Emerald Not having access to the witness’ testimony places me at a disadvantage, all I have to go by were subtleties in the report and a Google satellite view of the intersection, but things don’t match up. The driver had a green light, not a green arrow, but the cyclist ran a red when the driver turned into him. If the driver had a green light then the cyclist should have had a green also, but if the cyclist had a red, then the driver should have had either a red or a green arrow. Like I posted, I’m at a disadvantage not being able to see the witness’ statements or view any other evidence. Even if the driver had a green light or arrow, drivers are still required to yield to oncoming traffic before turning.

More not so jolly from Jolly Olde. Cyclist killed in Great Park crash is named At least they have the perp, who went to jail (temporarily).

Nothing about the driver in this UK crash, but we know he was driving a blue Rover. Cyclist seriously injured in South Elmsall road crash

The driver who killed a Scottish cycling champ may have escaped serious charges criminally, but he won’t escape civil retribution. Cyclist’s family sue for £500,000

More on the 70 YO that was found with severe head injuries. Injured cyclist dies There was a couple words changed from the article previously posted at the site.

A woman demonstrates why pedestrians need to wear helmets as much as cyclists do. San Jose woman walking on trail gets tangled in dog leash, falls and dies Now how this was cycling related was the dog was out for a run with the owner on a bicycle, when they got tangled with the pedestrian.

El Tour de Tucson will have a changed route this year because of construction and a streetcar line. Race to have new start/finish line Hopefully the $150K that ETdT officials are paying LEO this year will prevent a mess like what happened last year when a driver turned left into a 60 rider peloton and almost killed a man and severely injured 4 more. The LEO that was supposed to be directing traffic at the corner left his post to explain why he was directing traffic to an angry driver.

Another Wounded Warrior ride in western MD. Bike ride Sunday benefits Wounded Warrior Project If you are in the area the Witch on a Bicycle says do this.

If on the other hand you happen to be in the Lake George NY area, then do this. Plan ahead The bike story is the second one down the list.

And in a really nice place to ride a bike except for all the idiots in cars. Norman police encourage bike safety Maybe they should be talking to the drivers that have hit 9 cyclists from behind to find out what drivers can do to help bicycle safety… Just sayin’.

And a state that thought they had solved the car insurance problem with no-fault insurance and adding riders to cover bicycles finds coverage a bit threadbare. OFIR Hears Public Testimony on Uninsured Motorist Coverage Yep, you can buy coverage for riding a bicycle when you live in MI and own a car. Just don’t expect to actually get anything should you survive your wreck.

And that’s all I have today.

Billed @$.02, Opus