After pruning the ash in the front yard a mild Feed

Sorry I’m late today, I had hunnydews to take care of first, like pruning one of our three trees. It is now possible to walk out the front door to the mailbox without swatting branches out of the way, and to walk down the sidewalk without having to duck. Likewise I can now mow the lawn without contortions. Well the front lawn at any rate.

Up first for no particular reason is the ID story about the driver that killed Kevin Pavlis. Boy who hit cyclist Pavlis will be charged Monday, prosecutors say The most frustrating thing about this situation is the juvenile status of the driver which prevents us from knowing exactly what’s going on after the charges are filed and the judge takes control of the case.

On the other side of the country a woman is killed by a transit bus. Police: Bicyclist killed by Bee-Line bus in Greenburgh Don’t read the comments. At this point they either don’t know or aren’t saying about a lot of this wreck.

Another article about the sleeping deputy in CA. The Ultimate Overtime Bill: $4.3 Million for Dead Cyclists Just think these are reduced settlements, and ponder what might have happened had these all gone before a jury.

Interesting article about bicyclists not stopping at a stop sign with absolutely nobody getting hurt or delayed or otherwise inconvenienced. New York Newspaper Busts on Bay Area’s Bikes There are so many stop signs that are there to make cars slow down and not because the intersection is dangerous enough to require a stop sign, that for the most part if a bicyclist slows down and looks they can ride through without stopping most of the time. The problem is telling intersections where the stop signs are to slow down cars from the intersections where the stop signs are there because the intersection requires a stop sign. I propose a new sign a red octagon like the current stop sign, but inside a white triangle like the current yield sign but with a bicycle symbol on the triangle. The sign would mean “motor vehicles must stop, bicycles yield” and would be used where jurisdictions are using stop signs to slow cars down now.

Much like the TTTWLAMWAMD past transgressions are catching up to a cyclist’s killer. Manslaughter of cyclist: Two new charges Just because someone didn’t die and wasn’t seriously injured doesn’t mean that the problem will go away, in some jurisdictions injuries causing facial scars are a felony.

The rest of the report is from Oz.

A grandmother dies after getting hit by a person riding a bike. Grandmother hit by cyclist dies, woman killed at Wongan Hills From what I have read in other articles about this wreck that no longer have valid URLs the woman died of a head injury. Pedestrians should be wearing helmets. Seriously there are more pedestrians killed by motor vehicles, who die from head injuries, and more vehicle occupants that die from head injuries, than cyclists killed by all forms of injury, why is there not a huge cry for all those other people to wear helmets?

A driver that killed a cyclist will face charges in Oz. Youth charged over cyclist’s death at Lewiston I hate to see people go to jail, but I love to see people prosecuted when they kill a cyclist with a several thousand pound WMD disguised as transportation.

And lastly, as the number of Australians riding bikes for transportation goes up the number of tickets issued to cyclists goes up along with it. More cyclists flout the law, figures show Obey the laws, even when they don’t make any sense for bicycles…

And that’s it for today. Remember I have a gig to do tomorrow, so no Sunday post.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Another breathless Feed

Again today we have a Feed deprived of air. I dunno why, just is that way. So without further adieu…

The only new wreck was a kid that ran in front of a bicycle race in TX. Child injured during Bear Downs This is more a matter of poor crowd control at an event than traffic problems, but still, watch out for kids in the street when you ride in areas where such can be found.

Update on the man injured in UT when a closed race course wasn’t closed. Mesa cyclist recovers after nearly fatal accident in August I covered this wreck back when it happened when participants in a bike race were expecting a particularly dangerous part of the course to be closed to all traffic until the race passed found themselves mixed with 2 way traffic at high speeds on a narrow and twisty road. Some of the traffic that wasn’t supposed to even be there got upset that there were bicycles on “their” road and brake-checked the cyclists causing the wrecks. The man that was the subject of this article was the most seriously injured of the victims.

And speaking of brake-checking drivers, much of the Feed today was commentary on TTTWLAMWAMD and his conviction for assault with a deadly weapon, 5 other felonies and a misdemeanor. Justice Served? was Bob Mionske’s take on the situation with Roy Exum: Rage Rides A Bicycle the opinion of an E TN newspaper, notice the blame in the headline is assigned to bicycles instead of the people driving the deadly WMDs used as transportation.

And what I hope will be the last thing I have to write about the sleeping deputy hitting 3 cyclists on the other side of the road head on at high speed last year. $800,000 for dad of bicyclist killed in crash Actually there’s one more suit to be settled as the surviving victim seeks damages for medical bills, loss of income, and pain and suffering.

An idiot attacks a cyclist for leaving the scene when the victim was removed. Tewkesbury dad attacked cyclist with wrench The cyclist left when the little girl was removed from the scene to a nearby house, the idiot with the tire iron showed up because he thought it had been a hit-and-run and tried to kill the cyclist. The cyclist in this case did leave his contact information and thought the pedestrian victim had been removed to her home, which is not a hit-and-run. Had this been a real hit-and-run the idiot with the tire iron would not have known where to find the cyclist. Logic is just lost on some people. Hopefully the girl’s mother has more native intelligence than her father, leaving some hope for her.

And the story that has been the rage in the UK cycling world for the week, 2^nd quarter 2009 KSI stats on cyclists made an alarming jump over the year. Cyclist deaths and injuries increase as more people take to the road and Sharp rise in UK cycling casualties I can’t say anything about the statistics except that KSI is not the same as deaths because it includes cyclists that survive their injuries. From what I understand the KSI was instituted because the rising standards of trauma care has resulted in many more victims surviving their wrecks than had been the case previously, skewing later numbers because timely medical care rather than severity of the wreck had become the determining factor in fatality rates. Now most of the victims of fatal wrecks either died at the scene or during transport, with very few dieing once they get to the hospital. The KSI statistic is people that would have died given mid-1950s state-of-the-art care, more or less.

And that’s all I have today. Reminder, no updates the next 2 Sundays as I will be otherwise engaged.

Billed @$.02, Opus

More strange referrals, and a normal Feed

Of course “normal” is subjective, much of the stuff I get in my Feed has little or nothing to do with what is “normal” otherwise it wouldn’t be in my Feed.

Up first because it so definitvely illustrates how not normal “normal” is around here, a man in OR is hit by 2 drunk drivers and there is a possibility he was hit before that by another driver. Fatal Bike Crash in North Portland Last Night and AHS grad killed in Portland Yes, both of the drivers that were seen to have hit him were drunk, and there is some difference of opinion about how he ended up in the road where he got hit. This is another one of those that I can’t tell you what to do to avoid a similar situation because the whole situation is so bizarre as to defy understanding.

Just down the road a bit from that wreck we find this wreck. Bike rider injured in Gresham accident Apparently 3 drivers saw him and stopped while he crossed the street, but one didn’t and hit him. Again this is one of those wrecks that can’t be avoided by the cyclist because it depends on the other driver(s) obeying the law. The cyclist was obeying the law by using a crosswalk as permitted under OR laws, and the other 3 drivers were obeying the laws by yielding to someone in a crosswalk who had waited for traffic to yield, and then comes this last yahoo with no brains at all and just runs over the guy in the crosswalk. I say this calls for at least a one year loss of driver’s privileges with a mandatory written and road test for at least 5 years after the privilege is conditionally restored, with a permanent loss if he fails either test at any time. I would also put a zero wrong limit on the written test, miss any and you fail, forever.

More lawyer blather on the Greenville SC rider killed in vehicular assault. Update: Arrest Made for Greensboro Cyclist’s Hit-and-Run Death Again, why would they catch this person just to let them go? If someone had been shooting people at random on the freeway, would they have just let him go after paying a small bond, or would they lock him up and wait until trial to determine if he was innocent to protect society?

And another pedestrian is injured by a cyclist, fault not determined yet. Pedestrian hospitalized after being struck by bicyclist At this time, the mode of the wreck and even the location of the pedestrian are in dispute. The only thing that isn’t in dispute is the cyclist was not drunk or on drugs at the time of the wreck, which means that the cyclist hung around long enough to get tested.

Treehugger has a report on how cyclists get killed, and amazingly enough 70% of cyclists are following the law when they were hit. How To Get Killed On A Bicycle Of that 30% who were breaking the law, an unknown number would not have made any difference because they were already squarely in front of the driver when they were hit because the driver was looking in another direction than where they were going.

Nothing about the wreck in this update on a report linked here earlier. Burnham-On-Sea cyclist’s injuries more serious than originally thought I’m sorry that the woman was hurt badly (when is it ever good to be hurt?) but I really wish that UK media laws would allow for more information about the actual wreck.

In Portland OR an Episcopal church creates a shrine to a pre-Roman mountain Goddess that was made a Catholic saint of bicyclists, is that ecumenical or what? OREGON: Portland church dedicates shrine, space to Our Lady of the Cyclists The Lady Ghisallo’s original name has been lost to posterity, but Her followers still remember Her Spirit and honor Her.

The LA Times still doesn’t get it. Cyclists and motorists on collision course The majority of traffic laws were written for cars and don’t really apply to bicycles, but the writer expects cyclists to obey them anyway,

Philadelphia is having a hard time getting out of the car-head psychology and into complete streets. Bikers, walkers, drivers: Can’t they all get along? First, do something so that it isn’t like a jungle out there with everybody fighting for space either on the street or on the sidewalk, make a space for everybody somewhere. Then when there are spaces for everybody where those spaces intersect you will get more cooperation between users.

Some concern about the increase in the number of cyclists killed and/or injured in the UK this year. Sharp rise in number of cyclists killed on roads

Some shop owners have a hard time separating problems with infrastructure from the general downturn in the economy. Bike lane’s killed shop, says owner I loved Vancouver BC back in 1968, but I haven’t been back since then but people are people wherever you go, and some are going to blame changes they don’t like on things going wrong even if the two have nothing to do with each other.

And we finish up with a lifestyle report from Philly. Freewheelers Old people on bicycles, you gotta love it, especially since I’m (becoming) an old guy on a bicycle.

And that’s all I got today. Just a note I will not be doing posts for the next 2 Sundays, as I will be doing a non-computer gig Sunday nights. This gig is not open to the public, so don’t be looking for me, or Gigi

Billed @$.02, Opus

More on the thing that walks like a man with a medical degree, and other news In The Feed

The last 2 days have generated more traffic to this blog than I have ever seen, what with Dr. Christopher Thompson (the thing that walks like a man with a medical degree) being convicted of all 7 counts against him and BikingInLA telling me about it so I could link to their breaking story. Well that wasn’t the only story breaking in LA yesterday about people using their vehicles as weapons against cyclists.

But the big news first (other than the Blog reports) is still the conviction of TTTWLAMWAMD of 6 felonies and one misdemeanor. E.R. Doc Guilty in Road Rage Attack on Cyclists and Physician accused of deliberately injuring two bicyclists is convicted and Dr. Thompson is found guilty of all counts in LA road rage trial. and comments here Mailbag: Road rage, getting along and Floyd Landis I hope that this is just the first of many prosecutions that have previously been ignored by LEO and prosecutors for assault with motor vehicles.

Lost in the hubbub of TTTWLAMWAMD’s conviction was this tidbit. Texting Driver Guilty in Death of 14-year-old Boy He was driving under the influence of 2 powerful prescription drugs, and texting at the time he killed a cyclist, and the defense tried to make this look like an unavoidable accident due to a medical condition. I have heard some mighty weak defenses in my day, but this one is less than a kitten.

They identified the bike ninja that was hit Sunday in Austin TX. Guns, drugs found during arrest; cyclist killed on Texas 71 identified Ignore the comments unless you already have brain damage…

In the other big story of the day they finally arrested and charged the driver of the SUV that hit a cyclist head on and then made a U turn to escape. Woman charged in hit-and-run death of David Sherman and Driver charged in fatal hit-and-run of bicyclist, released on bond I love it when they publish the booking pictures of drivers that hit cyclists, they invariably look like something the cat drug in and the kittens tried to bury. From the description of the wreck released by LEO it seems this was a deliberate action on the part of the driver to try to kill or hurt a cyclist, why was she given a bond at all unless the Durango was the only vehicle she had access to. I also love that the accused’s home address was given in the article. I’m not saying to do anything bad to the person or her home, but if you happen to have a dump truck load of male bovine digestive byproduct and you need a place to get rid of it…

And in what is almost positively a cut and paste from one news source to another we have the same article from 2 very different sources. Bicyclist struck and killed by AC Transit bus in Hayward and Bicyclist Struck And Killed By AC-Transit Bus In Hayward It could be they both did the cut and paste from a press release, not one copying the other. As to the wreck I can’t tell you who was doing what from this article. Or if the cyclist was lighted and reflectorized, but since the only lights mentioned were the defective streetlights I would say the cyclist had all the legally required lights etc.

Last report if from Jolly Olde where news reports are required by law to be missing 2 Ws and the H out of the standard news reporters 5Ws and an H. Cyclist injured after Toxteth collision And people wonder why I have a tag about UK news reports.

That’s all I have tonight.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Another large Feed with little actual bicycle content

Yes we had another massive filtering session today as there were many articles about bike wrecks, where after almost a page of reading it stated the vehicle was a motorcycle and not a bicycle. Sometimes I had to interpret this as I decided regular bicycles don’t have pillion riders, or if they do the article will state the vehicle was a bicycle rather than a motorcycle. And just for the record there was one wreck that killed 3 and injured one in a single vehicle wreck of a motorcycle that I had to read just out of morbid curiosity about if there were that many people on the one motorcycle or did he hit a bunch of pedestrians or what that turned out to be 4 people riding a 125 cc class scooter with 2 on the seat and 2 more on the floorboard. It’s no wonder he crashed.

Up first because it has been in the Feed every day for days now, more on the MN man killed riding his bicycle in Blaine. Cyclist killed in crash with car in Blaine A little more is known now as we know at least the ages of the driver and the cyclist. There is still suspicion that the driver may have been impaired by alcohol but the test hasn’t come back yet. Nothing on the mode of the wreck yet, but it appears to have been at an intersection, which means the cyclist should have been using intersection protocol to avoid the wreck. Of course with a drunk driver you can be doing everything right and still get hit.

Nearer to my home, a Longview cyclist is injured in a hit-and-run. Police investigating hit-and-run wrecks Since this wreck was in TX had the driver been sober and stayed at the scene the cyclist would have probably been at fault, but since hit-and-run is a felony then it doesn’t matter, the driver becomes at fault. Had the cyclist died from the wreck then the driver could have been charged with Capital Murder and been eligible for the death penalty under a clause in the TX laws that makes a death that takes place as the result of a felony Capital Murder even if that death was an accident and not deliberate. Fortunately for the victim there will be no murder charges in this case.

Still in TX but a little further away is a wreck where the victim did die. Crash with pickup in SW Harris kills bicyclist well they know the make and model of the vehicular weapon, why no ID on the killer? I’m going to classify this as a SWCC until I get more information on the wreck.

Our first wreck from Jolly Olde has a broken collarbone. Cyclist injured in Burnham-On-Sea town centre accident I don’t see how they could have put a roundabout in that intersection, from the pictures it looks like a T-junction, unless the houses are in the middle of the traffic circle. Anyway, intersection protocol with extra attention to vehicles entering the roundabout as they “don’t see” bicycles until they hit them.

Also in Jolly Olde is a cyclist hitting a guard rail for some unknown reason. Cyclist hurt after crashing into Coventry ring road barrier This may have been a cyclist run off the road, or it may have been a case of no brakes in the wet or other traction issue. Because of UK media laws we won’t know about it for several months at least and most likely it will never make the news when adjudicated.

We think we in the US have it rough, in Lebanon they use heavy weapons besides their cars against cyclists. Cycling revolutionaries take to streets for ‘critical’ ride One of the few places where Kevlar is more suitable cycling gear than spandex.

More on not getting killed on a bike in SC. Motorists, cyclists urged to coexist How about “Motorists required to coexist with cyclists, it’s the law” or is that too subtle?

And finally an article about injured soldiers and Marines training for Paralympics competition after partially returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Champions in training Not trying to be funny here, just making the point that just because a soldier is alive when he comes back doesn’t mean he came all the way back, they leave pieces of themselves on the battlefield, sometimes literally as in limbs and bits, sometimes pieces of their minds. Support your local Veterans.

And that’s the whole mess. And for those asking, the ritual last night had a few glitches in that the original priestess was laid up with the flu (hopefully not H1N1) and we had to dragoon a replacement at the last minute who did a wonderful job. Kudos to all the other participants.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Interesting search results, and some bicycle articles, The Feed

Well, if the search strings used to find articles are any indication, there will be a lot of witches using Cat Stevens in their full moon rits tonight Not a lot of bike related stuff in the Feed, mostly infrastructure articles.

More reports on the MN rider killed crossing a road, still nothing about traffic controls or what the cyclist was doing, which usually means the driver was at fault because the MSM loves to tell us when the cyclist is at fault. Bike rider killed in Blaine while crossing street and Bicyclist Killed In Blaine for the lawyer take on the wreck.

More on the trial of the thing that walks like a man with a medical degree. Cyclists have a lot riding on L.A. driver’s trial I don’t see what other cyclists do has any bearing on what the thing that walks like a man with a medical degree did to these particular cyclists. If cyclists in general are on trial here, why not all drivers as well?

And other places are trying to figure out what to do about finding a cyclist in front of you on a road. Bicycles, cars need to share the road The thing that is missing from all these articles is the fact that “Share the Road” doesn’t mean for bicycles to get the hell out of the way. It means that drivers should pass safely when they come up on a cyclist that is riding slower than they are driving.

And to wind up the post, a really cool, if not very useful, bicycle. Eco Bikes: Cadillac bicycle gets half the looks of a car and full bicycle functions I wonder if it comes in pink?

And as short as it was, that’s all I have for you today.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Do people lose their minds when they turn the ignition key? And the Feed

After filtering the Feed today I have come to the conclusion that everyone that drives a car is Goofy. Goofy in ‘Motor Mania’ (1950) Yep, it has been one of “those” Feeds. I advise just ignoring the comments section of every article, unless you already have brain damage and then you’re immune, like me.

Up first is not directly bicycle related but more “Why can’t they see me?” related as a psychology experiment involving a clown riding a unicycle asks people talking on their cellphones if they saw anything unusual. Perceptions: What Clown? I Was Talking With My Mom This is why cell phones should be banned, because the people on the other end of the conversation can’t change their behavior when you are doing something that requires concentration and expect you to be hanging on their every word in utter rapture. Tip of the chapeau to Mad Dog Media for alerting me to this article.

Another report on the multiple DUI killer getting the maximum sentence possible, plus another 20 years probation. Woman Gets 20 Years In Prison For DUI Death Of Bicyclist What didn’t hit me at first on this case was a woman was really smacked down hard in this case, which is a rarity. Most killer female drivers get even less of a slap on the wrist than their Y-chromosomed counterparts, but this one got the maximum prison sentence plus the maximum probation, plus a lifetime ban on driving. She must have been a real horse’s patootie to the judge either during the trial or during sentencing.

Nothing else about recent wrecks in the US this time, but a cyclist hit in the bike lane in Montreal ain’t happy. Cyclist with no helmet, lights injured in Rosemont I’m really sure the lack of helmet contributed to the driver driving into him in the bike lane! Lights might have helped, but to be honest, really? It was a well-lighted street, would a bike light less than one of those miniature stadium lights really have stood out enough from the clutter for the driver to see the guy riding his bicycle? Does that mean the driver would have hit a pedestrian on the sidewalk if one had been there to be hit? I refer you back to the video at the beginning of the post.

And what appears to be a hit from behind wreck near Toronto. Cyclist killed in Cambridge identified You would think this was a UK paper instead of a Canadian one.

They finally charged the driver that ran over 4 cyclists in a pack in Enn Zed. Woman charged over cycle crash on Tamaki Drive Charges are one thing, getting to trial and punishment are another.

And front channel confirms what I was told on back channel about the driver of the Toyota that killed a doctor out cycling was involved in another hit-and-run against a different cyclist. Hit-and-run driver ‘targeting cyclists’ The reach of the Witch on a Bicycle is just amazing, but the fact that the same vehicle has been used to hit-and-run at least 2 cyclists in separate wrecks is just disgusting.

Whee! more infrastructure going in in Huntsville. Bicycle safety rolls to forefront in aftermath of Huntsville cyclist’s death I love the picture they put up of the RoS from this Spring, with the recumbent tricycle followed by the penny-farthing. But cute pictures aside, cyclists are over-represented in fatal wrecks in Huntsville. Something needs to be done, and if the drivers won’t share then they will have to be kept out of parts of the street so that others can get to where they have to go without getting killed.

Bike lanes in Philly get enthusiastic cheers from cyclists, mixed reviews from drivers. Changing Skyline: Pedaling in a lane that’s their own I love the preliminary finding that removing a lane from cars didn’t reduce car throughput because of poor driving before the bike lane was installed. I again refer you to the video at the top of this posting.

And another look at the findings that bike wrecks are getting more severe. Phys Ed: Do More Bicyclists Lead to More Injuries? This is the other half of the equation, as more cyclists use the streets and roads the types of wreck changes from the bicycle equivalent of the fender-bender at low speed, to impacts that involve major trauma to many parts of the body that require significant intervention to repair enough to make the cyclist mobile again. Fewer people are getting hurt but the ones getting hurt are getting hurt much more severely. The answer? Well, so far the best practice has been to make the driver of the more dangerous vehicle responsible for wrecks unless he can prove that the more vulnerable driver was breaking the laws and that that led directly to the wreck. It’s not enough that the vulnerable user was at fault, the vulnerable user has to be at fault and breaking the law. Places that have done this have reported significant decreases in both the frequency and the severity of wrecks involving vulnerable users.

And finally a school principal rides a bike to school every day regardless of weather, to set a good example. Principal pedals 700 miles to and from school Actually 700 miles since the day after Labor Day in the US is nothing to sneeze at. The principal is the skinny guy with the big legs wearing the obnoxiously colored jacket.

And that’s all I got today. I have a Samhain ritual to attend at my church tonight, so no late updates. FYI we are having the Dumb Feast to honor the departed and our ancestors, and I spent hours trying to match place settings from the yard sale castoffs we have as flatware at my church. The only complete setting with all the forks and spoons was set aside for the Seat For The Dead, but everybody else has a knife, fork, and spoon with at least two of the three matching, most with all three. I also am baking a special loaf of bread for the occasion.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Not much in the Feed was bicycle related

The filtering process on the Feed went pretty quickly after ignoring all the reports about who was riding which motorcycle next season after someone else was injured in an off-track wreck. It seems like about half the SuperBike field is laid up from off-track or testing wrecks which require extended recuperation periods. I’m angry about the off-track wrecks, as every one reported was either a left cross or a right hook, something we riding bicycles can relate to. Testing I’m not angry about as crashing during testing is just one of the hazards of the sport, but I do still feel sympathy for the injured riders, all of them. Aaaand, back to the meat grinder.

Up first is VeloNews’ report on the trial of the thing that walks like a man with a medical degree. Dr. Thompson takes the stand in his trial on assault charges. I think my description of the defendant pretty much covers my opinion of this trial. Again let me state I wish that the punishment include a permanent ban on his ever owning or driving a motor vehicle again ever in his lifetime, and after. When he dies he can walk to the graveyard.

Much of wasn’t motorcycle related was either from Jolly Olde, or lifestyle, like this report from KS. Scout finds new life for old bikes I’m thorouoghly in favor of reusing or recycling old bikes. One of my favorites is to recycle a BMX bike into an adult SWB recumbent by welding a boom to the head tube and changing the rear to a multispeed hub. My favorite trick is to leave the cranks in place and cut off the crank arms and use the chainwheel as an idler. It’s very cool and also ensures a stable chainline to the rear wheel. One of these days I’ll post on my stable of Trashbikes, recycled recumbents.

A ride similar to the Ride of Silence to honor riders who gave all just to ride a bike. Ride pays tribute to those injured or killed in bicycling accidents Why should riding a bicycle have to be a death defying act of heroism? Why can’t it just be transportation?

Another not-so-jolly report from Jolly Olde. Appeal after cyclist threatened in Leicester park Yes, someone pulled a knife on a cyclist after a minor bump. I would ask what is this world coming too, except I already know. When impeding a motor vehicle is considered an act worthy of killing the one not in the motor vehicle (which was not the case in this report) then I start looking for the handcart we are in. There must be some way for the sane amongst us to find a way out of this situation. Getting killed or injured just because you are in a different mode of transportation than someone else is beyond stupid, beyond insanity, just beyond everything that makes us a civilized society.

Someone throws a brick at a cyclist. Cyclist injured by flying object See the above paragraph for directions in how to find the handcart and how to get out of it.

Finally, a wreck, in the UK. Cyclist injured after collision with van Typical UK wreck report, long on meaningless details but dreadfully short on useful information.

From Oz comes a mixed infrastructure/lifestyle report. Cars and bikes ‘in harmony’ I fail to see how moving bicycles completely away from cars and placing them on a low speed path that instead of cars is clogged with oblivious pedestrians and pets is creating “harmony” with cars. It brings to mind a certain Brit named Nigel after giving away Czechoslovakia to Hitler. Something about “peace in our time” that was less than 3 years from the invasion of Poland.

And that’s everything bicycle in the Feed. More later.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Mass insanity, death, destruction, and a really cool bike, the Feed

See what happens when I take a Sunday off? People lose their minds. Actually people have lost their minds a long time ago, I just document the process when it comes to bicycles. I also found a really cool concept bike from Lexus (Toyota).

Up first because it affected a lot of people over on BikeJournal.com is multiple reports on a hit-and-run in NC. Motorist sought in death of cyclist and Summerfield Cyclist Killed in Hit-and-Run The U turn after the wreck indicates to me that this was pre-meditated, the driver was going to kill one of those annoying cyclists and teach them all a lesson. I don’t know that it would help much but you could use the hit-from-behind protocol to keep you from ending up the same way. The problem with the H-F-B protocol is it was designed to protect you from drivers that aren’t paying attention to where they are going, not from drivers that are trying to kill you.

Not much information at this point, but there was a bicycle fatality in AL. Wrecks claim at least three lives in Huntsville Saturday Other than the fact it was a hit-and-run I don’t know anything about this wreck.

More violence against cyclists in Boise. Police looking for two hit-and-run drivers Both riders appear to have been riding legally when hit, aside from this again I can’t say anything about the wrecks except I’m running low on rabid badgers and I still haven’t found a way to make people allergic to kittens. Perhaps we should just stick to flogging drivers who hit-and-run against cyclists with bicycle chains, the logistics are much easier. And if you don’t understand the badgers and kittens reference you really need to read some of the older posts in my blog.

And I really expected better than this from USAToday. Two-wheel troublemaking: Have motorists let bicyclists’ ‘rights’ go too far? Have bicyclists let motorists’ “rights” go too far? Drivers act like they own the roads and every piece of pavement around it. Oh, don’t read the comments unless you already have brain damage.

A scholarship has been created at the alma mater of a cyclist killed on the roads. Scholarship created to honor cyclist Mr. Novotny’s memory will live on long after the reason for his death has been forgotten.

Another Ghost Bike this time in Lawrence KS. Friends seek ghost bike memorial for hit-and-run victim People in Lawrence are so nice, most of them. It just makes the minority of fucktards so much more annoying and prominent.

Another one from the UK Black Bridge crash – cyclist seriously injured At least the driver hung around after the wreck, even if it was to complain about all the damned cyclists in his way. (J/K I don’t know if that was in fact why the driver stayed at the scene.)

Things are getting uncomfortable for politicians in Enn Zed. Politicians duck as cyclist’s widow targets drink-driving loophole I agree on this one, why should a repeat drunk driver get to drive again after being caught for the third time?

An interesting article about where cyclists get hit by cars in NZ. Danger lurks for cyclists One of the first things to do when faced with road deaths is to determine if this is an infrastructure issue or an attitude issue. The first step for that is mapping the wrecks, and investigating the sites where the most wrecks have happened.

Now that seriously cool e-assist bike with a carbon fiber frame and most of the structural and non-structural bits also make from CF composites. Eco Bikes: Lexus debuts carbon fiber pedal-assist electric bicycle at Tokyo Motor Show The e-assist bike for the rich. It was reported that this was a running bike at the show, with fully developed electronics and is ready to go into production at the drop of an oil barrel.

And that’s all I have today.

Billed @$.02, Opus

It never ends, the Feed

No, it never ends. People will remain people and conflict over whatever will never end, even if it is something as stupid as to a slower moving vehicle in front of a faster one. People (some people) will still think it is perfectly alright to try to kill or injure you because you cost them 10 or 15 seconds of their precious time on the roads. We call those people sociopaths when they act that way outside of a car. I don’t know what you call them when otherwise “normal” people act that way in a car. My wife says “sociopaths” still, but I think there is a better term.

Speaking of sociopaths, the trial of the thing-that-walks-like-a-man with a medical degree continues, with supporting testimony from another cyclist run off the road. Cyclist testifies in car-versus-bike case Even the “liberal” LA Times has more than their fair share of car-head bias showing in this case.

A cyclist is injured in NB. Omaha cyclist hit, injured by car Yeah, watch the signals because people think that green lights mean “Everyone else get the Heck out of my way”, not “Proceed when clear”.

Another “invisible” cyclist is hit in CA. Bike rider injured in crash People just don’t see a bicycle in the street, when the lights change they go.

Another SWSS in the most deadly state in the US for cyclists. 1024 POLICE BRIEFS: Man on bike hit by truck I take all reports that the cyclist “swerved” into the path of the other vehicle with a grain of salt about the size of the vehicle involved, because of the fact that many people don’t see a cyclist until they hit them, and then say “Where did that come from?” This is a good time to remind my readers about hit-from-behind protocol usage.

Yet another cyclist is killed in CA. Elderly Bicycle Rider Killed When Struck By Pickup Truck OK the driver was displaying signs of intoxication, but wasn’t drunk, did anyone test for drugs? Or think to charge with impairment other than alcohol?

More on the woman killed in Chicago now that they have their stories straight and reached consensus on what happened. Woman killed on bicycle loved freedom of riding My advice on this wreck continues, don’t “filter” to the head of the line.

This is the kind of wreck that is impossible to avoid. Cyclist injured in collision with tree At first I thought why should a cyclist hit a tree, since roads go around trees, but then I read further that the tree fell in front of the cyclist, and blocked the road. It doesn’t take a very big trunk or branch to knock down a cyclist on a road bike.

Another cyclist/pedestrian wreck, this time in Jolly Olde. Woman injured by cyclist Don’t hit pedestrians, if you hit a pedestrian, don’t leave until contact information has been exchanged. Don’t hit pedestrians, if you hit a pedestrian, don’t leave until contact information has been exchanged. Don’t hit pedestrians, if you hit a pedestrian, don’t leave until contact information has been exchanged. Got it?

Well, at least they know they have a problem, that’s the first step to fixing it. Northamptonshire has highest accident toll of young children in region It seems that walking is much more dangerous than riding a bicycle even when you’re very young and still ignorant.

And large amounts of money are being spent to plan for safety in London. Mayor and TfL plan to improve cycle safety Now if they just do something to improve bicycle safety.

More on the Enn Zed doctor killed while riding his bike. Tower of strength mourned by friend Last I heard back channel (yes I have back channel communications with Enn Zed) the police were going and checking the registered Toyota pickups for damage, but they think there’s a possibility the vehicle was not registered so that it can be used to kill cyclists.

Local infrastructure news. White Rock Lake spillway project nears completion For those not local, when the spillway collapsed it too out a chunk of the bike path around the lake, and the repairs are going to address some long-standing safety issues with the existent infrastructure.

They claim something will be done to make a bike trail safer from out of control vehicles on an adjacent highway. Barrier promise along Wantagh Parkway bike path welcomed I want to know why there is a requirement for cyclists to park at the end of the bike trail during the summer but not cars to park before they enter the same area. And also why they didn’t install the guard rail or Jersey Barrier when they built the bike path or the freeway, whichever came second.

And that’s all for today, have fun tomorrow.

Billed @$.02, Opus