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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Billed @$.02, Opus

After a break for me, more bike wrecks for you

I really should take more days off from this blog, the serenity of not reading about dead and injured cyclists was so nice. So show of hands, how many would object to my going to a 6 day a week update schedule? This isn’t like a web comic where I can build up a buffer for days off, I have to do these on the day they get posted. That means I have to read the day’s Feed, filter it, and then come up with cogent commentary about the reports I read, every day I make a post.

Up first because it’s stupid, a cyclist crashed trying to avoid a car that cut her off and the car ran over her head. Helmet saves Oregon rider Crediting a few ounces of styrofoam with saving a life when the head gets run over is stupid. The only way this could have actually been of help is if the shell was strong enough to either support the wheel on its own or to distribute the forces evenly around the skull. The average bicycle helmet can’t do that.

Is there something in the water in Greensboro? Cyclist Seriously Injured in Accident Of course Faux news is going to try to blame the cyclist, but LEO is saying “Not so fast, the car might have been at fault here.” All I know is the car was in front of the bicycle moving to the side. Whether this was because the bike ran the red or the car left-crossed the cyclist is not known at this point.

A cyclist that might have been drunk was riding too fast on the sidewalk and hits a tree. Santa Rosa bike crash critically injures man Do I really have to tell you what to do or not do to avoid this kind of wreck?

What is it with the Carolinas and bike wrecks? Bicyclist hit, killed in Dunn Nothing about the actual wreck, but as this was a hit-and-run on an Interstate highway access road it was probably a hit-from-behind. And the driver was probably drunk. Prepare the kittens!

More on the NY cyclist hit by a transit bus. Man killed by Bee-Line bus was bicycling advocate Still nothing on the mode of the wreck, other than the cyclist was crossing the road. Nothing mentioned about running a light or stop sign for either vehicle Very strange…

An unidentified cyclist runs a red light in CA. Unidentified cyclist dies in crash And other than that there’s nothing I can tell you.

Lots of anger about the Boise wreck that killed Kevin Pavlis. Boy will face charges in accident that killed cyclist Kevin Pavlis Anger is being displayed by both sides in this battle, but I don’t see what the car drivers have to be angry about. Nobody driving a car has even been injured in any of the fatalities this year in Boise. Bicyclists have sustained all the injury and death, the only thing that drivers have lost has been a few minutes of time waiting for a safe place while passing a cyclist.

A bike wreck where they aren’t even sure if there was another vehicle involved in Jolly Olde. Teenage cyclist injured Typical UK media report, long on useless details but short on the 5W’s.

Another one of those reports with no real news in them (have I mentioned how much I hate UK media laws, this post?). Cyclist injured after collision in Exeter Same as it ever was.

And another case of ranting about the thing that is not a problem except in your mind, when other things you don’t worry about are much more dangerous. Daily Mail calls for prosecution of anti-social cyclists Cyclists kill almost nobody, drivers kill thousands, and the newspaper complains that drivers get thousands of tickets while cyclists get almost none. Hmm, I think I see a pattern here…

From Oz I’m not sure if this is the same woman killed I reported on before or if these 3 are 3 new people killed in a different part of Australia. Deadly 24 hours claim three more lives Don’t hit the pedestrians! Especially don’t kill little old ladies out walking their grandkids in strollers. It’s really a bad idea folks.

And finally is another memorial ride for more cyclists that were killed and injured which couldn’t wait for the Ride of Silence in the spring. Killed and injured bicyclists remembered at Mesa ride Sometimes you have to get the word out that drivers are getting careless and killing cyclists.

And that’s all I have today.

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

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

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

Same stink, similar “stuff”, different day, the Feed

We had another stinky Feed today, stunk up by the thing that walks like a man with a medical degree. Well he had some help, but truth be told he did most of the stinking up all by himself.

Shoving that putrid pile out of the way as quickly as possible. Doctor denies trying to injure cyclists And VeloNews’ reporter had this take LA road-rage defendant says he stopped to try to take a picture I wonder what the penalty for perjury is in CA? Right up until the trial he was saying the cyclists deserved it, but now that he’s facing the music he denies he was trying to hurt anybody. So that makes him a two-faced thing that walks like a man with a medical degree. His title grows while his reputation shrinks. Again when he is found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon (or whatever the charges are against him) I hope that he is forbidden from ever owning or driving a car or other motor vehicle again for the rest of his miserable life.

Still in the state of CA. Bicyclist Injured in Collision at Market and Ellis Streets this Morning Actually that would be yesterday because of the time lag involved. Nothing much known about this one, maybe a car, probably a car, but maybe not. If there was a car involved the driver stayed at the scene because nobody notified the hit-and-run investigators about the wreck.

Apparently the only way to get charged with a crime when you hit a cyclist is to be on something at the time of the wreck that can be found with a blood test. East Tennessee man charged with vehicular homicide in bicyclist’s death and from MS Man charged in death of bicyclist from Netherlands The MS report is another on the cyclotourist killed on the NTP bike route this spring. But seriously, is the death of a cyclist only meaningful if the killer was drunk or on drugs? Or does the feeling that the killer could be the cop or the prosecuting attorney because everybody drives like that make only deaths with chemical impairment prosecutable? I don’t know the answer, I’m just glad that impaired killers are prosecuted. I would like to have all killers prosecuted, but at the moment that’s just not possible. Until we get prosecutors that can identify with the cyclists over their killers we are up the unsanitary tributary without visible means of locomotion.

Another cyclist is hit in the most dangerous state in the US to ride a bicycle. Bicyclist hospitalized after struck by SUV in Fort Pierce Another one of those driverless vehicles hits a cyclist and nobody says anything? And this one had 4 people sitting in it while it drove around all by itself.

Another right hook crash that is getting blamed on the cyclist… Cyclist killed by city water vehicle “Based on witness statements, the bike pulled into the path of the vehicle,” Guitron said. Yeah, and I bet all the witnesses were either on the truck that killed the cyclist, or employees of the city which would have been liable for the death… TANJ!

And in spite of the relative dangers for cycling under the influence the fine is the same as DUI. Cycling under the influence? In Sacramento, it can cost you $570 Around 17,000 people died last year because of drunk drivers, but less than a dozen were killed by all cyclists, drunk or sober. But to be fair they have to stop the drunk cyclists just like they do the drunk drivers.

A memorial was held for the cyclist killed in NC. Memorial Service Held Tonight For Killed Cyclist I don’t see why they don’t just arrest the owner of the vehicle that hit him, which they found this week. Had a gun been used to kill him the registered owner of the gun would have been responsible for the death unless he could prove that the gun had been in someone else’s possession at the time of the killing, why not the same standard for death by WMD with nice seats and A/C?

From Jolly Olde, a cyclist wins the door prise and wants to share the bounty with the driver of the vehicle, who drove off without leaving contact information. Appeal after cyclist injured in accident Yep it’s pretty low to injure a cyclist by flinging a door in his path and then leaving the scene.

Someone else knows the right thing to do, still in the UK here. Oaklands College student praised for helping injured cyclist Yep kudos from the Witch on a Bicycle blog for doing the right thing. Keep up the good work.

A cyclist in Oz is hurt in a wreck. Cyclist seriously injured after highway collision Apparently the driver didn’t see the cyclist until just before impact, from what I have been able to determine. Now whether this was because of the path of the cyclist, lighting conditions, or driver inattentiveness is unknown as the cyclist’s path prior to the impact with the car is not known at this time (not known publicly). So, continue to ride like drivers are blind and stupid, because mostly they are.

They finally charged the driver that ran into a pack of cyclists after she ran a stop sign in Enn Zed. Charge after allegedly driving into cyclists I hate to tell them but somebody ran into those cyclists and whoever did it was driving the car she was in. Unless it was another one of those DARPA cars that was joyriding around with someone in the passenger seat, that kinda makes the only person that was in the car that hit the cyclists the one that was responsible for the wreck. Alleged doesn’t enter into it.

And an INFRASTRUCTURE article, from TX. Avid proponents of walkability want to ‘get there from here’ I thought it was a Federal law, and a TX law that all new or rebuilt roads in TX were supposed to be walkable and bikeable. I have a PDF dated 2002 that states as much, that under a law that went into effect in 2001 all TX roads and highways that get state funds must have walking and cycling facilities, except those roads that are prohibited for walkers and cyclists. Silly me actually expecting government to obey their own laws…

And that’s it for today. I have a lot on my plate this time of year so the next few days my be a little spotty on the new posts.

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

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