A near-empty Feed

Not much cooking in today’s Feed, but a lot going on with me. I had committee meetings out the wazoo today starting at 10 AM and not ending until after 5 PM at church, plus more in the coming week. Yuck! Being in an Organized Religion is a lot of work. Imagine all the work you have to do as a solitary and then double it as you have to either teach your rituals to someone else, or learn how to do their rituals. This ain’t like sitting in a Christian church and listening to the preacher spout, uh-unh. Not only are you responsible for your religious celebrations but you have to bring along the nubes and hold their hands until they get up to speed and can work without the training wheels. It’s called giving to the next generation and passing on what you have learned. And it’s my turn.

Up first because something had to be, is a family asking LEO to be more cognizant of dealing with human beings when they kill someone while on duty. Cyclist’s Family Wants Cops to Care Yeah, good luck with that one guys.

A compliment to the previous article is this one on s cyclist killed in the turn lane blamed for his death because he was riding a bicycle in the street. Death highlights bike safety The cyclist was more than visible enough under the street light while trying to make his turn to be seen and avoided, but to remain blameless you need to have a headlight and taillight on your bike. I strongly recommend such any time you are out after dark, so that you can be seen and also so you can see. It doesn’t do any good to be lit up like a Xmas tree for drivers to avoid hitting you if you can’t see where you’re going.

Infrastructure in CA, funded by a Girl Scout door-to-door fund raising drive. Girl Scouts go door-to-door to raise funds for speed bumps on 38th Avenue What gets me about this was not that the cyclist was hit, but the drivers honking their car horns at the people trying to help because they blocked the road, and then the people having to raise money to protect themselves from the city’s poor planning and failure to enforce the speed limits.

People helping other people while riding bicycles. Taking the chai road Raising money for a kids hospital and riding in Israel, what a deal.

And that’s all I have today. Just a reminder I will be out having a life tomorrow after church, so no blog post until Monday evening.

Billed @$.02, Opus

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

Saturday’s Feed is like the dog’s breakfast

For those not familiar with the saying “like the dog’s breakfast”, the Saturday Feed was all over the place. Usually the phrase refers to geography, but since the Witch on a Bicycle covers the world we are always geographically scattered, but subjects and themes are also capable of being scattered which was the case today. Fortunately for you I got rid of the really “out there” stuff, and kept the subject matter strictly bicycle-related. You’re welcome.

Getting through the truly ugly stuff first is this report from the trial of the thing that walks like a man with a medical degree. Cyclist testifies that doctor deliberately caused Brentwood collision Actually I think the doctor’s own words will convict him in this case. …a police officer testified that Thompson, who complained that cyclists frequently travel down the residential Brentwood street, said he had stopped his car in front of the cyclists to “teach them a lesson.” That sounds like he planned the maneuver ahead of time before he used his 2 ton WMD to maim and disfigure the cyclists.

Hit-and-run assault with a motor vehicle is a popular pass-time in CA. Cyclist injured in Sebstopol-area hit and run From the sparse description of the wreck given in the article this appears to be a hit-from-behind wreck mode, but it might also have been deliberate rather than just driving stupid. If it was deliberate then you would have to have super-human reflexes and awareness to avoid the wreck, being merely human will keep you alive, like it did in this case.

A lawyer’s take on a bike wreck in MN. St Paul Bicyclist Killed In St Louis Park The advice on how to avoid wrecks is good, and what to do after the wreck is priceless.

I don’t read TMZ very often (like never) so without my search ‘bots I would have never found this gem. Cops: Terminator Star’s Victim Was 17 Years Old Another DUI hitting an innocent cyclist. Bring on the rabid wolverines, or maybe because this is Hollywood, Hugh Jackman in a really bad mood.

More lawyer nonsense. Maryland Personal Injury Bulletin: Bicyclist, 14, struck by car, hospitalized Even this supposedly intelligent person buys into the SWSS claim. As I posted earlier on this wreck, until and unless I see something from the other cyclist on the scene that the injured cyclist did in fact make a sudden sharp left turn mid-block into oncoming traffic for no apparent reason, I will not believe what the media is saying about this wreck.

At least this time the driver admits being visually impaired at the time of the wreck, maybe some serious repercussions will ensue. Driver did not see cyclist until crash Deputy North Derbyshire Coroner Louise Pinder recorded a verdict of accidental death. Apparently not, the cyclist was found guilty of riding in the road exactly where the law said to ride and with all the legally required equipment, but not having reflective clothing.

Things are starting to look up a smidge in Enn Zed. Police hunt killer of cyclist doctor There’s another dead cyclist, so how can I say things are looking up? The police are treating this as a homicide, that’s how. They have a description of the murder weapon, and someone saw the vehicle being used as a weapon, and LEO is treating this like they would any other homicide. That is a major step or three up.

Sad news in Amherst MA. Ghost bike hit by Amherst vandals Maybe they should treat this as a hate crime?

High school students in CA aspire to leaving their cars at home for an entire day. Samohi students aim for car-free day Oooohh! an entire day without a car! (The author of this blog has been car free since 1995)

Elementary school students celebrate bicycles. Raymond Elementary fair stresses bike safety Since there was a death of an adult cyclist near the school the kids were trying to find places to put bike routes and paths that would keep cars away from bikes.

Who you gonna call when you wreck your mountain bike and get hurt? Fat Tire Rescue Squad I know, I didn’t believe it either.

And that’s all I have today, except of the forty-eleven jillion motorcycle wrecks.

Billed @$.02, Opuds

Another trip to the Lab Rat Keeper, and now the Feed

I survived another trip to the lab rat keeper, and actually maintained my weight in spite of getting not one, not two, not even three, but four birthday cakes since the last visit. (Everybody said, “He likes to eat, lets get him a cake instead of a present.”) My blood tests came back within normal limits for everything tested. I was advised again to get some kind of medic alert to let people know I might have as much as 2 seconds between heartbeats if found unconscious otherwise I might be mistaken for dead when I’m just knocked out. Seriously, after 3 cups of coffee for breakfast and walking a half mile from the bus stop my pulse was 48. If taken first thing after getting up I might have a resting pulse of less than 30.

Up first because it’s almost local is this report from Austin. Austin cyclist killed in Miss. This is another cyclist killed on the first (only?) Federally designated bike route, without legal repercussions to the driver (so far). Use hit-from-behind protocol to keep yourself from winding up the same way, maybe.

Still in TX a driver trying to evade LEO runs a stop sign and kills a cyclist just minding his own beeswax. Bicyclist Killed In Waco Hit-And-Run Identified This was not an avoidable wreck by anything the cyclist could have done short of not being there.

A bike ninja is hit by an SUV, another one of those DARPA vehicles that rides around without a driver. Bicyclist injured in Truro crash flown to Boston Hospital with serious injuries Lights and reflectors, people. Don’t give the hater drivers an excuse to hit you.

A MI rider is killed while riding the inside lane of travel, which kind of precludes the “I didn’t see him” defense. Bicyclist struck by car, killed Aside from that, I don’t have anything more to tell you.

Another reason why you have to look when you ride through a stop sign. Bicyclist not injured in Tuesday collision Yes, look before you cross!

Another hit-and-run between a bicycle and a semi. Driver says he didn’t know he hit and killed bicyclist in Redwood Shores From what I was able to find out about this wreck, the cyclist was in the driver’s right side blind spot and unable to get away when the truck turned right. To avoid finding yourself in a similar situation move to the right when a semi passes you, the driver probably won’t know you’re to his right unless he can see you. And because of the enormous mass of a semi compared to yours (80,000 pounds of truck to maybe 300 pounds of you and your bike) there is zilch chance of the driver even feeling the impact. Among my many careers I used to drive a big rig, so I know this first hand and also know drivers that stayed with the job. A driver I knew actually knocked over a small cinderblock building with the rear tandem of the trailer loaded to the maximum weight limit of about 60,000 pounds, and he never knew it until he got to his next destination about 50 miles away.

An article from MT tells how not to bust your butt while riding this winter. Experts, students share tips on winter biking This is good advice from people that have done it before. No wrecks, unless you count the thousands of times you lose traction and slide out.

Other countries are noticing our cycling death toll. Bicycle injuries in U.S. becoming more severe Yeah, when Indian news agencies write up articles saying you are killing and maiming too many cyclists, you have a problem.

A cyclist is injured in the Emerald Isle of Ireland. Cyclist injured in Holywood LEO are not even sure how the cyclist had his wreck, but they want to talk to the driver of a red Jeep.

Hit-and-run, the international language of motoring. Hit-and-driver sought after cyclist critically injured Yep, pickup truck drivers are pretty much the same the world over.

Still in Enn Zed, a discussion of a major bike route and the negative interactions between cars and bicycles. Critically injured cyclist on mend as Tamaki Drive forum looms Aaannnd the comments section is full of fools demanding that cyclists be registered, taxed, and licensed like drivers, ignoring the fact that drivers are licensed because they use WMDs for transportation.

A debate in Seattle over the legal infrastructure. Cyclists call for tougher driving laws in Seattle and Deadly car vs. bike accidents: Should they be a crime? Should death by car be raised in seriousness? Is there a criminal connection between not perceiving a cyclist is there because he isn’t a threat and letting that non-perception kill? Or just where it can be proved the driver actually used their car as a deadly weapon? What would the penalty be for killing someone with a firearm in a similar situation?

Do you have a friend or relative who was wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan? Have you ever wondered what you could do personally for that veteran? ‘Spin for Soldiers’ fundraiser in Croton supports wounded veterans

If you have a basket on your Electra bicycle you might want to turn it back in to the dealer for a replacement following this recall. More Electra Bikes Recalled Due to Defective Baskets, Trays

A model for re-using the US Highway system that existed before the Interstate System was built. Off the Interstate: Turning ‘Blue Highways’ Green This is basically the way I use to get from city to city on my bike, except I use the existing version not the enhanced version in the plan that is presented in the article.

And that’s all I have today.

Billed @$.02, Opus

So where do you find gopherwood in TX anyway? And the Feed

Another cloudy, rainy day in TX. The headline is a Biblical reference to the story of Noah and the ark (built with gopherwood and sealed with pitch), as the soils around here are saturated and we get minor flooding every time someone spits good, much less when it rains. At least the Feed was not a similar deluge, but it was still more than what I like to see. What I like to see are headlines like “No traffic collisions involving bicycles since first of month sets new record”. You know, uplifting stuff like that.

Up first because there was more than one report is what appears to be a SWSS at first glance. Cyclist, 14, hospitalized after crash with car and Bicyclist, 14, released from hospital after collision with car There was another cyclist who wasn’t hit, but apparently nobody asked him what happened. I want to hear what the other cyclist had to say.

And another wreck that has me asking questions. N.J. woman seriously hurt in bicycle accident in Rockland taken to NYC hospital How does a jammed front derailler cause a wreck like that? That sounds like LEO were really reaching for a reason not to investigate this wreck as a collision. As the death of Larry Schwartz proved you don’t have to hit the bike to severely injure or kill a cyclist, you just have to hit the cyclist’s arm or head with a mirror on the vehicle.

Another candidate for being flogged with a bicycle chain. Akron man charged with driving drunk in crash that killed bicyclist Not only was he drunk at the time of the wreck but he left his disabled vehicle and fled the scene on foot, making this a hit-and-run. And my feelings for hit-and-run drivers are not suitable for the Internet. At least not suitable for a blog that expects to get some teen and younger readers. Sorry kids, this is grownup stuff.

Another cyclist is hit in the Great White North. Cyclist injured in crash This was another one of those reports that require careful reading. There is a question about the wreck: Did the cyclist run a stop sign, or was the SUV speeding such that the cyclist did not have enough time to clear the intersection after entering because the SUV was not in clear sight when the cyclist entered the intersection? As I don’t know what the sight lines for the intersection were like I can’t say, but the fact that LEO can’t say the cyclist ran the stop sign is a good indicator that the SUV driver was speeding, or “driving too fast for conditions.” Not that I don’t think cyclists run stop signs, they do, with a fair degree of frequency.

I don’t know what it is about being a fitness instructor that cause so many to get killed riding bicycles. Gary Lewis named as cyclist killed in Marchwood road accident Typical UK media wreck report, we know the occupation of the victim but we don’t even know if the cyclist and the Volvo truck were both driving the same direction on the road.

And a nice old lady was hurt by a mean man with a car. Elderly woman cyclist hurt in Alderman’s Green crash Actually the driver of the car was a woman, and most probably is a fairly decent individual away from a motor vehicle. And aside from the serious injuries the victim suffered there was nothing about her personality either.

Another report on the crash in Wales. Cyclist killed in Bethesda collision is named

Another report on the Waste of human skin that killed one and crippled another cyclist in a hit-from-behind wreck in Oz. Driver took LSD before fatal crash, court hears Now we hear the driver was a serial drunk driver. My loathing knows no bounds for this pitiful excuse for a human being, who was drunk and stoned at the time of the wreck.

And that’s all I have today.

Billed@$.02, Opus

Monday blahs, It’s raining again

Weather here is just ducky, for a duck. For us humans riding bicycles it’s been a little dampish and chilly. It has been nice to be able to leave the sweat control headband at home for the last few days, but the high humidity and chilly temperatures has made selecting bike clothing a bit interesting, as my wet weather clothing is usually the same thing I wear in dry weather, just a little more damp than usual. I’m equally wet regardless of the precipitation 8 months out of the year in Dallas, so my rain gear is a little lacking.

Up first because it’s in the same state is a report on another SWSS fatality in Houston. Cyclist dies day after being struck by van Again avoid the comments section.

A woman cyclist is injured near my in-laws. Woman bicyclist injured in accident in Nyack At this time I don’t know if this was a hit-and-run or what, with the police withholding further information on the wreck. Initially it was said there was another vehicle involved but the story now is they aren’t saying.

An 88 YO driver hits a cyclist from behind in mid-block. Bicyclist injured in crash Not much I can say about his one except to use hit-from-behind protocol to avoid being hit from behind. And that senior drivers need annual vision and hearing checks to make sure they are still safe to drive.

Not all car drivers are &@$%@%$ with #&*% where their brains should be. (I’m trying to be nice here) Motorist helps injured biycle rider He had only superficial head injuries but now everyone in the family wears bike helmets, including when they are taking a shower

MA police get grants to make cycling safer so they buy helmets and do red light stings? Walking or rolling, safety rules I just don’t see this as promoting bike and pedestrian safety when the major cause of cyclist and pedestrian deaths is unsafe operation by motor vehicle operators.

A bizarre case of rage against a cyclist leaves a man in a coma and without part of his skull> Mum tells of family’s anguish over Ewell cyclist attack No word yet on why the man was attacked and beaten.

And more wrong-headed advice on cycling safety. Cyclists advised to wear a helmet Look, even I say to wear a helmet when you ride, because there is always that chance that the hit you take will be the hit the helmet was designed to save you from. However I also temper that advice with the knowledge that bicycle helmets are designed for preventing injury in a fall from a bike, not a collision with a moving car or a stationary object while at speed. If you can’t get unclipped and you fall over and hit your head, a bike helmet will probably prevent serious injury, but don’t expect miracles when confronted by 3000+ pounds of motor vehicle moving over 20 MPH.

And that’s the Feed for today, check back in for more news and rants, later>

Billed @$.02, Opus

Trying to fix a broken link, and yes, we had a Feed

I’m trying to fix my links from this site, but I’m having some issues with Wapsi Square because of the recent site change to ComicPress, the web comic version of WordPress. When I checked my links I got a 404 page that redirected me to the same URL as my link but with the comic. The site admin and I are working to resolve this so you can get your fair share of Mexicans in Minnesota weirdness Seriously if you haven’t checked out Wapsi Square yet, why not click the link, and leave a comment if you have any troubles with the link, I will change the link if needed.

Up first because it’s semi-local (60 miles west through some of the most inhospitable traffic imaginable) is more on the wreck in Tarrant County. We must protect bicyclists before we face another tragedy Whatever reason (excuse) the driver had for hitting the cyclist is not good enough. If there was a visibility issue then the driver should have been driving more slowly. If there was a distraction issue then the driver should have pulled over until the issue was dealt with. If there was any kind of impairment issue then the driver should be charged with murder as driving while impaired is a felony in TX and any killing that happens in the course of committing a felony is murder and potentially capital murder. And don’t read the comments section, the car heads will make yours explode. My head was exploded a long time ago so it can’t be further damaged by exposure to car-head thinking

A cyclist victim of a hit-and-run driver looks like he might live. Injured Shippensburg cyclist’s condition improves My opinion on hit-and-run drivers needs no further expounding upon here. I trust that when found the miscreant will have a fair trial followed by a quick hanging.

My last North American bike wreck was off road at a training center for white water sports (canoes, kayaks, etc.). Bicyclist injured at Whitewater Center At the risk of sounding like Mikey on rec.bicycles.soc riding off road is dangerous, and you need to wear the proper gear when you do it. When you ride higher speed and more technical trails, you need to step up your level of protection from what you need as a road cyclist or cross country rider. I’m not saying this rider didn’t do that, he might have and exceeded the level of his protection leading to injury.

Two updates on a cyclist found in the road with head injuries over the weekend in the UK. Injured cyclist dies and Injured cyclist dies I think the entirety of the story was repeated in the second link to make it look like there was more substance to the story than the law would allow to be published.

A strange story that seems to be reporting a cyclist ran into a stopped vehicle and would up inside the vehicle like the LA Mandeville Canyon case fron last year 16-year-old bicyclist injured in accident It could be just bad translation from Bulgarian to English. Anyway to avoid, pay attention and don’t ride at full speed into stopped cars.

A female rider in Oz had a close encounter with the trailer of a semi and may come out considerably lighter for it. Injured cyclist ‘may lose leg’ The description of the wreck indicates that the cyclist was working her way through heavy traffic in the wee hours before a Farmer’s Market and got caught under the trailer trying to avoid something else, and dragged 3 meters (about 10 feet). To me this sounds like a case of tight spaces and lack of attention, and is an excellent example of why cyclists should wait in line rather than wriggle through traffic to get ahead. I sometimes do the wriggle through myself so I’m not really one to talk about it.

More from Oz in the same web site about a comedienne who crossed the line between being funny and inciting violence. Magda’s anti-cyclist rant sparks chain reaction She has since apologized but judging from the comments section there were a lot of people that agree and would resort to violence.

And our final Oz report does the usual, there are a lot of car v bicycle conflicts on the roads that kill or injure cyclists, so go give a bunch of cyclists tickets. Police patrols to target cyclists Typical blame the victim behavior when it’s difficult to catch the real culprits. But really “inappropriate clothing”? So they really have a “fashion police” in Oz now, and they give tickets?

The driver that hit-and-run killed a cyclist in MN last year is sentenced. Driver who hit and killed St. Paul bicyclist gets probation — and something more The only thing I have to say in this is if the husband of the deceased cyclist signed off on it, then it was appropriate in his eyes as speaker for the dead.

A MT cyclist asks what’s the hurry? Bikes deserve respect on roads Again the level of anger at cyclists in the comments is dumbfounding.

A cycling group makes a stop in a small NC town and they’re all abuzz. Mass of bikers make brief stop in Sanford Sounds like a nice ride, if a bit hilly and long.

A night ride in Buffalo NY. Midnight Ramblers This story points out that the majority of the riders just want to ride and have a good time, but a small minority wants to cause trouble, just like in Real Life^tm.

And the Feds are starting to get the message that distracted driving is as or more dangerous than drunk driving. Feds to consider limits on use of mobile devices while driving I hope they can figure something out and implement it quickly before too many more people get killed.

And that’s it, I’m going to go work on bikes and try to clear my mind of all the idiocy I have been reading.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Heavy traffic in my blog and on the roads

Lots of clicks this week, from all over. Folks in DC seem to like a certain post in my blog… Anyway I have had my two busiest days in the history of this blog this week since I made a post suggesting a way to counter the losses inflicted by hit-and-run drivers, and there are a number of you just coming here on your own without the benefit of a link or a search engine. Fortunately I’m not paying for the bandwidth or I would be in trouble

Up first is the continuing saga of the teacher hit-and-run by a former student of the school where he taught. Suspect in crash that killed popular teacher had suspended license and High School Teacher Killed In Hit-And-Run is a report that didn’t make the Feed when it came out. The surprising thing is after it was revealed that the teacher was hit by someone driving on a suspended license and with a criminal record how many people made comments about using the death penalty. I guess when it’s a white woman who kills a cyclist it’s the cyclist’s fault for being there to get hit, but if a man of color with a record kills a cyclist then fry him because he never deserved to live? I seriously don’t understand people. If you go off the road to kill a cyclist, then you deserve to die like any other murderer no matter what color your skin or what genitalia you pack, that means women too. No getting away with murder on the streets just because you posses a vagina or pale skin.

Another salmon cyclist gets hit. Bicyclist injured in Pleasantville OK so he wasn’t on the road and may have been trying to get to the correct side of the road, but he was still riding against the flow of traffic and got hit. To avoid, don’t salmon, ride with the flow of traffic in the same direction as cars and trucks. Drivers don’t look in the direction cars don’t come from when checking to see if the way is clear. They don’t check to see if there is anything in front of their vehicles when they stop and then start back up. Face it drivers are as bright as a box of rocks 90% of the time and they get away with it because certain behaviors have become ingrained into our society when we are around motor vehicles.

Another motor vehicle fails to clear a bicycle with right of way because they were in a hurry and the bicycle was slow. Morning Report: Boy, 2, injured in Oxnard crash The kid was in a trailer behind a bicycle that was hit in an intersection by a left-turning motor vehicle. I don’t understand this CA law requires motor vehicles to wait until all oncoming traffic has cleared before they move, but this driver hit the bicycle and the trailer while making the turn. This is a clear violation of right of way. What is astounding (again) was the comments were almost 100% in support of the cyclist and his kid, with a number of comments about the age of the driver being a factor. Now, how to avoid, this was a wreck that your survival depends entirely on the driver of the motor vehicle obeying the law and not turning until you clear the intersection. You might avoid this kind of wreck by waiting until left-turning vehicles are clear of the intersection, but why should you yield when the law requires the driver of the turning vehicle to yield to you?

Another motorist left-crosses a cyclist in CA. San Rafael triathlete critically injured on Lucas Valley Road Is it something in the water, or a lack of education, or what?

People are upset at the levels of CARnage in one MA town. Second cyclist killed by driver Two cyclists killed this year and they raise a ruckus about it. I think I like this town. This was the same town where Misti Bassi was killed earlier this year. This wreck was a hit-from-behind so standard hit-from-behind protocols apply.

Two reports on a wreck between a bus and a bicycle in the Great White North. Cyclist killed in collision with bus and with less detail Cyclist Killed After Being Hit by Bus: Police To quote on of the comments from the first article linked “If the City of Ottawa staff could pass there between 15:30 and 18:00 hrs. they would realize how something needs to be done badly.” Apparently the sight lines here are so bad that cyclists can’t see oncoming traffic until they have already committed to the lane. I couldn’t find the area on Google street View to confirm this.

Another cyclist is injured in Canuckistan. Cyclist injured in collision with truck All LEO are saying about this one is nobody was apparently drunk, so I can’t say how to avoid the same kind of wreck. I don’t even know what kind of wreck it was.

Still about Canada but from the US comes this report from Streetsblog about the reaction to the 5 cyclists getting hit in Ottawa. Blaming Cyclists for Dangerous Roads: It Goes Way Back Apparently someone decided that had the cyclists been equipped with a bell the wreck could have been prevented? Is that why tickets were issued for not having a bell? The original article was here The Usual Suspects

Tulsa Transit wants kids on bikes (and not yelling and screaming on their buses ) Local, State Briefs The article is the second one down the list, after the report on the man who stabbed his brother to death with a sword

More on the SRAM chain recall as the Ironman approaches. Triathletes check your chains, a recall of 24,000 bike chains Gigi runs an 8-speed chain, I have a 9-speed chain on the Stratus, and the show bike runs straight Campy, so I have nothing to worry about, but if you have 10-speed SRAM or Shimano with a SRAM chain you might want to give your Power Link a look see.

A VA police department tries to improve bicycle safety in spite of the knuckleheads on the roads in cars. City Police Department To Host Bike Safety Event The knuckleheads responded in the first comment.

The headline on this one sells this one better than I could. Injured War Vet Trains With Other Disabled Athletes Handcyclists, disabled people riding regular or recumbent bicycles, and just a whole lotta people working to be the best whatever they do that they can be, in spite of what happened to them before. You have to admire that.

Speaking of handcyclists, a whole lot of them got together to raise money for disabled skiers. Kelly Brush fund-raiser wheels in record amount Yay Us!

And that’s the whole mess for today.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Still a Feed, just not very tasty

The Feed today was a bit nasty, with the car-heads out in force in the comments sections claiming the roads were built for cars with all the money coming from cars, bicyclists are stupid and suicidal, etc. It was enough to turn my stomach, but I have to read it because frequently there are things that witnesses report that don’t make it to the “official” report and they sometimes will tell people in the comments section on the article about whatever it was they witnessed.

Up first are multiple reports on a Delaware wreck. Bicyclist injured in DUI hit-and-run crash is the least sensational about it, and Driver charged after bicyclist struck Has more information on the charges and the condition of the driver at the time of his arrest. Comments were funny as many tried to blame the cyclist for not being on the road and getting hit anyway. And this update changes it from a wreck to a homicide. Cyclist, 16, Brain Dead After Car Crash Yes, the cyclist was not on the road and was hit by a drunk, stoned driver, and some of the comments tried to blame the cyclist. I wonder if they blame the woman for being raped? Or the bank teller for getting robbed? I also love the guy that claimed cycling was a hobby, not transportation. The rest of you can just not read the comments, better for your digestion if you don’t.

Multiple reports on a wreck in CO, from the same newspaper. Bicyclist killed east of Longmont and a later update Bicyclist killed in wreck identified No way of knowing if the cyclist was wearing reflective clothing (that’s the cyclist in that lump under the crime scene blanket) and what I could see of the bicycle I couldn’t even tell if that was the front or the back or if there were lights or reflectors on the bike. And this qualifies as a SWSS because of the claim the rider came off the shoulder into the lane of traffic.

A quick-thinking passenger saves the life of a former co-worker. Quick action saves injured cyclist in East Providence Witnesses reported the driver did not give clearance for the cyclist and only attempted to evade collision at the last second before impact. The wreck caused broken glass to injure the driver’s infant child in the back seat. This was entirely the driver’s fault for making an unsafe pass. To avoid such a wreck the usual hit-from-behind cautions apply: mirror(s), escape route, and be willing to let the bike inflict as much damage to the other vehicle as possible while you bail to the side away from the car or truck if there is no other way to avoid the wreck. Also wear a helmet, this wreck was a glancing blow at a low impact speed and a helmet would have prevented some of the injury in this wreck. Not the blunt force trauma to the torso, but surely the most serious of the head injuries could have been mitigated by even a CPSC Standard bicycle helmet. Had the cyclist been wearing my Bell Bellistic full face helmet, all he would have sustained would have been the blunt force trauma to the torso.

Another cyclist killed in the most deadly state in the US for cyclists. Cyclist killed in Fort Lauderdale crash Another hit-from-behind by what appears to be a drunk driver. The comments section is best to ignore. AAaanndd, typical hit-from-behind avoidance tactics.

First of 2 reports on wrecks from the Tribune in SLC. Bicyclist killed in Park City crash identified The Tribune and the Deseret News post their web and newspaper articles at different times, the Trib had some news on this posted to the web before the News, but the News got this one to the web first.

Second Trib post. Bicyclist killed after being hit, pinned by train I asked this before, but how do you not see/hear a train? The cyclist went around crossing arms to get hit, what can be done to prevent this? Augghh, the stupidity is just overwhelming.

More on the hit-and-run death in Portland. Portland police release name of bicyclist killed in hit-and-run Another hit-from-behind… and another hit-and-run.

More from Portland with a SUV hitting a cyclist, and apparently on purpose. Police investigate after cyclist injured in collision with SUV Not much you can do when the driver is trying to hit you with a deadly weapon…

More research on the causes of bicycle wrecks. Who Causes Cyclists’ Deaths? This study only applies to a single Canadian city, but the results are telling.

First of our infrastructure articles looks at the bike path next to a major highway with no physical barrier between the path and high speed motor vehicles where at least 2 and maybe more people have been killed by out of control motor vehicles that left the highway and ended up on the bike path. Hempstead town officials call for repairs to ‘deadly’ bike path before expanding it As I posted in an earlier article, had this been a regular motor vehicle road no way would they have built a low speed road next to a highway without a physical barrier between the two.

Our other infrastructure article is from Va. Beach. Virginia Beach faces uphill climb in call for more bike lanes I love the comments about roads being built for cars and bicycles should stay off when the discussion is using taxes from the general fund to pay for making the roads safe for bicycles. General fund, you know the money that comes from non-car sources, that bicyclists contribute to just like everybody else.

And that’s all I have today, I might have to take a mental health day tomorrow. Ordinarily I would have taken that mental health day today to ride the Hotter ‘n Hell Hundred, but my legs were not up to riding that far so I didn’t go.

Billed @$.02, Opus

A very thin Feed

Even for a Sunday we had a very thin Feed today, with fortunately not many wrecks.

Actually we only had the one report on any wrecks, with a variation on the “salmon” theme. MCSO: Bicyclist killed by wrong-way driver in E. Valley This doesn’t happen very often, the usual culprit is the cyclist riding against traffic instead of the murder machine. To avoid, be ready to bail to your escape route and pay attention.

A back to school transportation article mentions bicycles and isn’t helmet centric. Walking, biking, driving: Keep those kids safe as they head to class The only thing that worries me is all those 16YO driving to school for the first time.

First of 2 articles about cycling in NYC. Biking ‘fastest growing’ way to get around NYC Well sure, if you only had 100,000 or so riders 5 years ago and now you have 144,000 that’s a good 40% increase. What wasn’t mentioned was that during rush hour the bicycle is faster than the car or mass transit, unless your point of origin and destination were both right at subway stops.

And the second. Daily News cyclist speaks out on biking in New York City As is hammered home in the article, a cyclist is at the mercy of other, better protected, road users.

And that is really everything I have today.

Billed @$.02, Opus