Another mild Feed

Yes we had another mild Feed today, with only 6 bicycle-related links, and one of those was not related to a wreck or infrastructure, with one other infrastructure article, so 4 wrecks or related to wrecks. That’s a Good Thing in my book.

Getting to the one that wasn’t a wreck or about infrastructure first, there was a bike-jacking in Daphne AL. Man shoots Eastern Shore teen in the arm, steals his bicycle, police say A bike thief with a gun, joy. Well if you’re too stupid to cut a chain or pick a lock then you have to steal them when they aren’t locked. I hope when they catch this guy they throw a couple of tons of books at him, but since he’s already 24 and still robbing kids on bicycles (with a gun) I don’t hold much hope that trying to educate the perp is going to help much, you can’t cure stupid. To avoid a similar situation, shoot back and aim center mass.

A situation that a little more experience and judgment on the part of the cyclist might have helped prevent. High school student on bike injured after hitting firetruck in Santa Rosa The cyclist was riding the wrong way in the bike lane and the firetruck had the flashers going and the backup alarm sounding and still the kid hit the firetruck. I am hopeful he learned something from this experience. I am also hopeful he continues to ride his bike with a greater appreciation of the safe way of doing so.

From Jolly Olde a bad wreck. Cyclist fighting for life after accident The driver was uninjured, joy.

They laid a cycling advocate to rest in Greenburgh, NY. Riders pay tribute to Greenburgh bicycle advocate killed in bus collision The best thing I can say about this wreck is it illustrates exactly what the guy was trying to tell people, that frequently the only option to get someplace by bicycle is to ride in traffic on high speed feeders and arterials because there are no other connecting routes. This is the same problem we have in Garland, the planning done in the 1970s and ’80s created superblocks that were only connected by arterials with 40-45MPH speed limits, and all the commercial development (grocery stores and other retail) was on those arterials. This is great as long as everyone has a car, not so great if people want to walk or ride a bicycle.

A NYC weekly complains about infrastructure that is supposed to protect cyclists from cars still being overrun by motor vehicles. Make bike lanes safe The wreck in question was on a protected bike lane that was commandeered by a garbage truck. An analogy would be herded animals on a freeway, they don’t belong there and create a hazard for those for whom the infrastructure was intended.

And finally if your bike is equipped with an Easton EA30 stem, stop riding it immediately (well, you might want to ride home very carefully and then park the bike) and contact your LBS about a replacement. Bicycles Recalled by Easton Sports; Stem Failure Poses Fall Hazard The stem was OEM and also available as an aftermarket replacement part, so be sure to check which stem came on your mountain or hybrid bike. I built the stem on Gigi myself, so I don’t have to worry about this recall, just the quality of my workmanship.

And that’s all I have for this morning.

Billed @$.02, Opus

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

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

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

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