Not on time again today and probably not tomorrow either, and the Feed

I had another busy day today with my weekly gig as a crying towel for the widow women, followed by getting the tickets for the last leg of our vacation, with a trip to church to plan the rituals for this weekend that will probably happen some time in the middle. So if this doesn’t post until nearly midnight, now you know why.

Up first, another hit-and-run fatality from the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike 9 years running, FL. Katherine A. Rigby killed while riding bicycle in hit and run crash in Royal Palm Beach From the narrative it seems possible the cyclist was targeted by the driver. Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent. And send this driver through the car shredder in his stupid SUV when they catch him. More Mother struck, killed in hit-and-run while riding bicycle with son and Roommate of woman killed by hit-and-run driver as son looked on: ‘He never knew his father. That’s all he had.”

Lots of links on this story from CA. San Jose: Bicyclist killed by hit-and-run driver at busy Hwy. 87 overcrossing and Cyclist Killed By Hit-And-Run Driver In San Jose also Bicyclist Killed by Hit and Run Driver: San Jose Police What little is known about the wreck so far is the driver was way over the speed limit as witnessed by the cyclist’s body being found 50 feet further down the road than his shoes. Mega-hit-from-behind, no chance to avoid and completely crappy infrastructure. As on the San Diego wreck I place at least 90% of the fault on the infrastructure with all the rest of the blame on the driver who was going too fast for conditions and exceeding the speed limit. Add hit-and-run to that and we get another candidate for driving through the car shredder…

A wreck outside NYC. East Hampton teen, Anna Lytton, struck and killed while riding bike Nothing on the mode but like all good reports from the NYC area involving someone hit by a motor vehicle no criminality is suspected. Because Cars, cars über Alles.

Another link to that highly unlikely SWSS wreck in GA. Cyclist injured after slamming into car in Gillsville Again a cyclist “swerving” all the way across the centerline to get hit by a car is stretching credulity. Use hit-from-behind protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

Another SWSS in VT. Girl is hurt in collision of truck and bike Hit-from-behind wreck, protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

Another child cyclist is injured this time in MD. Child Struck By Vehicle, Injured Nothing about the mode of wreck but there is a slight suggestion that the driver may have been at fault in the wreck, just a hint.

A rare type of wreck in NJ. Two hurt in Sunday motorcyle vs. bicycle accident in Vineland No mode given, but no matter who was at fault everyone involved was injured to one degree or another. So this is the impact of two vulnerable road users.

Another update, this time on the CO cyclist killed in a hit-and-run. Video: David Hernandez, cyclist, dies after hit-and-run, cops seek driver who took his life If when they catch this driver we have another candidate to use the drive-through car shredder.

Today’s special seems to be hit-and-run, this one in MN. 69-year-old Esko woman arrested in connection with hit-and-run of cyclist The mode of wreck was not given, but from the rest of the narrative it seems possible that hit-from-behind or a right hook was the mode of the wreck.

Update on a CA wreck. Man killed while riding bike in Pasadena identified The driver hit one cyclist and Jerry Browned another and LEO can’t figure out if he did anything wrong? What’s wrong with this picture? Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

Another hit-and-run, this time in OR. Witnesses aid cyclist after Portland hit-and-run Hit-from-behind by a driver that may have been impaired, use the protocols to avoid but there doesn’t appear to be much room to avoid the wreck from looking at the Google Street View of the scene. The infrastructure could use some work as well.

More on that rider killed on a charity ride in Western WA. Family of cyclist killed on cancer fundraising ride remember Victoria teen as gentle and caring and Private B.C. school identifies cyclist killed during weekend cancer fundraiser The narrative now is that the cyclist lost control as he passed a group of other participants in the ride for an unknown reason and went across the road trying to regain control and hit oncoming traffic. I suspect a rumble strip or a raised reflective marker may have played a part in the process.

Speaking of charity rides LEO have determined the chain of events in that ME charity ride wreck. Maine police: Cyclist probably fell into truck The cyclist was taking a drink as the truck passed and the turbulence from the truck caused him to fall under the truck. This requires a variation on the hit-from-behind protocols to not be using a water bottle when being passed by a semi.

A wreck in Oz. Cyclist killed in crash with truck at intersection of Wattle St and Fullarton Rd This is the equivalent of a right hook wreck for those that drive on the wrong side of the road. Intersection wreck so the protocols apply to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

Update on a wreck in Oz where a driver hit a cyclist riding on a sidewalk. Witnesses tell of shock after boy is killed by car in Nollamara Drivers need to pay more attention to what is in front of them especially while crossing a sidewalk.

And those are all the links that gave me fits today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Quick post between jobs, and the Feed

I have a couple of gigs today that will get me a small amount of $$, so the blog post will have to be jammed between the two. Mrs. the Poet has made two trips to the chiropractor and is showing great progress with her leg issue, the arm issue not so much but then the arm was much worse. My issues have not been addressed by a chiropractor yet, but I need to see one about my back issues from the wreck.

My package has been found. My package made it all the way to the local PO where it was rejected as “undeliverable” for some reason. Then it went back to NE by very slow boat (considering the vendor is land-locked ). The vendor is understandably unhappy because they paid for delivery that didn’t happen and their merch was floating around the countryside not being delivered for almost 2 weeks. So, if things work according to plan I will get my stuff Monday or Tuesday. I will be ecstatic.

A CA cyclist is hit-from-behind by a driver merging on a freeway over the bike lane. Bicyclist suffers rib and skull fractures I don’t see how the cyclist is supposed to avoid this wreck given the built infrastructure that has the motor vehicle crossing over the bike lane as it accelerates to merge with the freeway traffic. This combines the worst of an intersection right hook with a hit-from-behind wreck because a cyclist is very unlikely to be able to see the signal that the motor vehicle is turning while that vehicle is behind because he will be busy looking at the vehicles in front of him that might do the same thing and driver over him from the side. This one is 90% bad infrastructure, and maybe 9-9.5% on the driver leaving almost nothing the cyclist could do to avoid the wreck because the situation sets up too many threats for the cyclist to be able to asses and avoid every one every time. Get the infrastructure right to prevent it’s the only thing that will work.

Tragic update to a wreck in ND. Child hit by car dies I don’t care that the cyclist was very young, he was still in the intersection prior to the van, he had the right of way. Right of way rules are not variable dependent on the age of the participants, the bicycle was in the uncontrolled intersection first which gave him the right of way over the motor vehicle. Intersection protocols to avoid, and as this was an uncontrolled intersection in a residential area the only infrastructure changes would be a very low speed limit and laws that make the motor vehicle at fault as an intruder on the environment. More Hettinger boy dies after bicycle-van collision

A truck driver kills a bike rider on a charity ride. Charity bike rider struck, killed by truck I don’t know how the back wheels of the trailer hit the cyclist, I have a suspicion but nothing I can state as fact. I suspect the rider was on the inside of a sharp right curve and that the truck driver was in the center of the lane with the tractor unit and did not realize that his trailer would track over the cyclist’s lane position. For the cyclist this would be completely unavoidable as the main part of the truck passed close but safely and then you get hit but the rear wheels of the trailer. A painted bike lane would have been useless in preventing this wreck without increasing the radius of the turn to keep trailers from tracking into the bike lane. The only thing that could prevent a similar wreck in the future would be a barrier protected bike lane with a Jersey Barrier, or banning tractor-trailer units from that stretch of road. More Athenahealth-Watertown employee killed during first leg of Trek Across Maine ride and Waltham man bicycling in Trek Across Maine fatally struck Friday by tractor-trailernot done yet Trek Across Maine cyclist dies in collision with tractor-trailer in Oxford County still more Trek Across Maine cyclist killed in tractor-trailer accident Friday last link Trek Across Maine cyclist dies when struck by truck

A hit-from-behind wreck in MI. 51-year-old female bicyclist struck and killed in Hopkins Township Not much to say about this one, protocols to avoid or mitigate results, and get the infrastructure right to prevent. Make hitting a vulnerable road user from behind a criminal act rather than a civil penalty, or make hitting a vulnerable user from behind prima facie (sp?) evidence of passing too close with a huge fine in the thousands of $ when the vulnerable user dies, in addition to any other charges that might be brought, like DUI or driving without a license…

A wreck in CA that is hard to describe. Bicyclist killed in freak accident Two trucks collided when one ran a red light and knocked the other truck over on top of the cyclist as she proceeded with the green. This falls under the broad category of “pinball” wrecks, where a cyclist is hit by a second or third vehicle involved in a wreck, but the “usual” progression of those wrecks is the smaller and lighter vehicle is directed into the cyclist, not a dump truck. The cyclist had zero chance to avoid this wreck, and the only thing infrastructure would have done is change the weapon vehicle to the one that ran the red.

Police in NC are looking for a white weapon vehicle with heavy front end damage after a deadly hit-and-run. Bicyclist killed in hit-and-run in Wilmington The cyclist was dead at the scene in spite of heroic attempts at CPR by trained bystanders. Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid or mitigate damage, and get the infrastructure right to prevent. These links have later information. FIRST ON 3 UPDATE: Vehicle believed involved in fatal hit-and-run found and Arrest made in fatal hit and run

Another hit-from-behind wreck in West Canuckistan. Cyclist killed near Kamloops As of the posting of the link relative lane positions were not known, but the direction of travel was. Given the number of cyclists hit on that highway every year and that it is the only east-west route through for hundreds of miles you would think that there would be a parallel bike path out there, maybe used to keep opposing directions of traffic separated in the median with flyover ramps to access and exit. More Champion masters cyclist killed

An unusual wreck in the UK. Cyclist knocked into river by mobility scooter calls for urgent safety improvements It’s not every day you find a mobility scooter on the bike path, and even less often that one knocks you off a bridge. I don’t think there are any protocols for this user taking his half out of the middle and forcing the cyclist over the guard rail.

And those are all the links that gave me fits today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Short post because not much left over from the late post yesterday, and the Feed

First up, customer service for the vendor I bought those books from almost 2 weeks ago sent me a nice e-mail saying they couldn’t track my package either once USPS got their hands on it, but that I should expect it yesterday. I got that message after the mail had run without my package. If I do not see my package today I’m going to request the vendor give me a physical description of the package so that I can go to the local PO and ask for a physical search of the facility. I have nearly $100 worth of reading materials floating around in a USPS facility somewhere in the Metroplex, and I want them in my possession. Unless my package fell off a conveyor somewhere and can’t be retrieved the only other explanation that makes any sense is someone stole it for some reason. And even that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, because why steal stuff from a random package? If it is beginning to sound like I’m a little obsessed about this it’s because I am. I don’t get to buy a lot of stuff. It takes me months of thinking about the purchase and squirreling away the funds or waiting for funds to arrive, and then I wait in dread that something will happen to my purchase in transit. This particular purchase I have been thinking about for several years, so you can imagine the buildup I have been experiencing.

Another hit-and-run assault against a cyclist in CA. Teen bicyclist hospitalized after Anaheim hit-and-run; driver sought The cyclist was visible to drivers after the wreck, which means he had to have been visible before the wreck if the driver was looking. The bike looks like it was hit from he left side which means that head and tail lights would not have been visible but the white shirt and reflectors on the bike should have been visible, had the weapon vehicle been using the headlights. I don’t know enough about this wreck to say what procedures may have avoided or mitigated the wreck or if infrastructure would have prevented it. The Street View of the crime scene shows a road that certainly needs some bike infrastructure as it is an arterial surrounded by mixed-use zoning with commercial on the street backed by residential one street over in either direction. More Teen Bicyclist Injured When Struck By Hit And Run Driver

A right hook in VT. Police: Cyclist injured after slamming into car The video showed a bike lane but Street View showed that bike lane was for the intersecting street. VT has a strict AFRAP law that forced the cyclist to stay in the right even when moving near the speed of motorized traffic, making this wreck pretty much inevitable sooner or later. anyway intersection protocol to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

More information on that kid hit in an intersection in ND. Child reportedly on life support after bike accident in Hettinger, N.D. The intersection is no being described as uncontrolled, meaning a third-grader might believe he had the right of way when entering the intersection before the motor vehicle. He may very well have had the right of way.

Two cyclists are critically injured in LA. Two boys seriously injured in Tulare bicycle crash Local knowledge from a comment left on the website stated that this is a “stroad” with a high speed limit through a residential area and that drivers routinely exceed the generously high allowed speed. Infrastructure caused wreck, fix to prevent.

A SWSS in the Great White North. Cyclist injured in Oshawa accident The Google Maps view of the crime scene showed a road with 1 lane in each direction, making the narrative of the incident physically impossible. Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid, get the infrastructure right to prevent, and stop believing cockamamie stories from the person that just injured someone with a deadly weapon.

Also in the Great White North a cyclist is hit-from-behind while trying to make a left turn. Cyclist seriously injured after collision in East York The Street View shows 2 lanes in each direction and no turn lane in a heavily residential area, so the cyclist may have entered the lane in front of a vehicle without giving the driver time or space to stop. This is a special subset of intersection protocols, you have to change lanes well in advance of when you need to make the turn to make sure you get a big enough gap in traffic in the other lane to make a safe lane change.

A lifestyle article and update on a wreck in AZ. GHOST BIKE DEDICATION TONIGHT FOR SUN TRAN DRIVER KILLED RIDING TO WORK The driver was in jail for a while, and may still be in jail AFAIK.

and those are all the links that gave me fits today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Woah this is late, and the Feed

I’m dragging buns bringing this one in. I was doing physical labor helping a lady friend move unwanted husband detritus out of her house (she can’t throw it away, but she’s tired of looking at it) and my bum leg is trying to end me. I’m serious, my leg feels like six kinds of pain right now, three of which only exist for people with conditions like mine (three flavors of phantom pain). I spent all day moving heavy boxes around and building shelves to put the boxes back on after I moved them. And sweating as the high for the day hit 97°F. So if the snark gets a little venomous, well you have been warned.

This was down the street from Casa de El Poeta. Child critically injured after bicycle struck by SUV in Garland and UPDATE: Garland boy remains in critical condition after being hit by SUV while riding bicycle also Boy on Bike Hit by Vehicle in Garland last link Child Hit By Car In Garland I know this intersection intimately, there are overhanging tree branches that limit visibility for pedestrians trying to cross the road and the road has a 40 MPH speed limit that most drivers ignore. Top that with 2 lanes in each direction and a turn lane in the middle and a grassy median, and you have a highway running through a residential area, my residential area. I place about 15% of the blame on the kid not looking, 25% on the driver not looking, and the other 60% on the infrastructure. This was the incident that backed up traffic on my way home yesterday.

From the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike 9 years running (longer then I have been doing this blog) an unusual but not unheard of incident. Man Fatally Shot While Riding His Bicycle This is the first one I can remember in FL this year but probably not the first one that happened. I have no clue how you avoid an incident like this.

It happens every day in NYC, but the press have been slavering for it to happen to someone riding a CitiBike. Woman injured riding Citi Bike in lower Manhattan Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent. And do something about the idiots trying to make bicycle riding look like an extreme sport. More Citi Bike Rider Headed For Hospital Can’t Stop Stressing About Time Limit

A young MI cyclist is the victim of a hit-and-run while riding her brand-new bike. Child hit by minivan while riding bike in Bloomfield Hills The wreck appears to have been either a cross or hook wreck at an intersection, so intersection protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent..

From the Great White North, another “balanced” rant about road safety. Letter: Cyclists and drivers each have a role to play in making cycling safer Who do you think has a greater responsibility for road safety? The person on a bicycle that kills maybe 5 people a year in the US, or the person at the controls of a WMD used for transportation that kills an average of 35K people a year in the US this century.

Also from the Great White North a cyclist is left crossed in a crosswalk. Oakville cyclist struck by car That could have been a pedestrian, a mother pushing a baby carriage, a senior citizen, but this time it was a cyclist. Intersection wreck, use the protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right so that people don’t feel the need to ride on a sidewalk to prevent.

And those are all the links that gave me fits today.

Billed@€0.02, Opus

Summer has landed, and the Feed

The post is getting a late start today because I was Doing Things today. First I mowed the lawn again, took a break and answered some e-mail while I cooled off enough to stop sweating for a few minutes, then showered and dressed to go run errands on Blue. I went to the local Post Office where they told me they couldn’t track my package that has been AWOL since Friday of last week (I would call that LOST), then picked up my new shoe from getting the lift installed at the shoe repair. After I got caught in a massive traffic jam caused by some kind of emergency near the house (complete with fleets of TV news helicopters hovering overhead) that all I could see of was several police vehicles and a fire engine, I managed to roll back into Casa de El Poeta just before 1830. And the headline? I was riding in 95 degree weather with a heat index of just under 100°F today, with the heat index in the high 90s while I was mowing.

What was breaking news when I got it, a cyclist was struck by a motor vehicle in PA. Car strikes bicyclist in Carlisle this morning At this point the only thing known is the cyclist was hit in an intersection and was centerpunched by the driver. So intersection protocols to avoid, but I don’t know if infrastructure would have prevented this wreck. I need more information to make that assessment.

More on a wreck in KS from last month. Cyclist’s death should be a lesson for all drivers: don’t kill people with cars One would think that this lesson would be obvious…

In CA a car runs a stop sign and hits a cyclist that had the right of way. Crime Blotter: Bike and Car Collide, Minor Injuries Only I can’t believe that LEO said this wasn’t the cyclist rolling the stop… Intersection wreck, use the protocols to avoid, but since the driver ignored the existing infrastructure changing the infrastructure would not have improved matters any.

More on a fatal CA wreck. Cyclist Killed in Pleasanton “Bright, Loving Person” This was the cyclist that was hit from behind while riding in single file in the bike lane. This was the driver that claimed the cyclists were riding side-by-side all over the road in spite of the evidence provided by the skid marks.

Another SWSS wreck in CA. Cyclist injured in collision on Alpine Road This is an area that has killed at least 2 other cyclists in the recent past, and was scheduled for a serious upgrade in infrastructure this summer…

Still in CA a cycling hazard that is very hard to avoid. Bicyclist shot at, but not injured What is ironic in this wreck is the driver was already in control over a weapon that could have killed the cyclist with no danger of prosecution had he just claimed the cyclist “swerved” in front of him.

A IN cyclist is severely injured in a hit-from-behind wreck. Huntington Co. Bicyclist Airlifted To Fort Wayne Hospital After Hit By Car There is some speculation that it might have been deliberate on the part of the driver, in the comments section.

Another hit-and-run in NYC. Police Search For Driver In Alleged Brooklyn Hit-And-Run Involving Cyclist I fail to see what is “alleged” about the hit-and-run. Since the direction of travel was not given for the cyclist I can’t say if this was a hook or a cross, but intersection protocols either way, and infrastructure to prevent. And make hit-and-run equal in severity to attempted murder if the victim survives, murder if the victim dies. And the hit-and-run was a fact not an allegation.

Another hit-and-run, in CO this time. Family Of Cyclist Struck By Car Makes Public Plea LEO made the statement that the driver could not have helped but know he had hit someone in this wreck, the picture of the bike showed brackets for a headlight and a tail light that were empty, and one additional tail light and reflectors. I would say the cyclist had his bases covered prior to this wreck. Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid and get ALL the infrastructure right to prevent.

A young cyclist is injured in ND. 5-year old West Fargo boy injured when bike struck by car Intersection wreck, but the age of the cyclist suggests that infrastructure would not have been much help. Going with the age of the victim I would say the wreck was in a residential area that would have a 12.5 MPH speed limit under the Dutch model of infrastructure. This might have prevented the wreck or mitigated the damage.

From the Great White North, a cyclist wearing rain gear in the rain is hit from behind. Cyclist in fatal collision identified Update I think the investigation is relying too much on the testimony of the operator of the weapon vehicle on this one, we know from the CO wreck in a paragraph above this one that things like headlights and tail lights tend to not survive violent wrecks. Anyway, hit-from-behind protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

More on an old wreck in the Great White North. Cyclist killed in collision I can’t see the back of the bike but I don’t see a headlight bracket in the crime scene pictures of the bike, so I can’t say anything about the reported lack of a tail light.

A UK driver is exonerated by claiming against the physical evidence that he was on the right (left) side of the road. Driver cleared after cyclist killed in crash Apparently juries in the UK will believe a driver’s word over the physical evidence to the contrary. I just hope the octogenarian doesn’t run one of them over.

Another link about the report from Enn Zed that HiViz clothing is well-nigh useless in preventing wrecks. High-vis clothing makes little difference for cyclist safety – expert As I posted earlier I wear HiViz mostly as a defensive move for the lawsuit to show I was doing everything I could to avoid a wreck (the full-face helmet is because I don’t want to have to get my face sewn back on a second time. Once was more than enough this lifetime, thank you.

Some good news about bike infrastructure in TX. On the Lege: HB 200 Signed Into Law This law frees up the cleared right of way under power lines for use for bike trails, giving large wide swaths of land that can’t be used for any other purpose than bike trails and power lines. The power companies can use the paved trails to maintain the power lines as part of the deal. This means the trails have to be strong enough to support heavy trucks, which means the trails will probably outlast the power lines.

And those are all the links that gave me fits today. Programming note I will be working Thursday morning and part of the afternoon, so the post will be late again.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

What is the deal with this %*$(*&^ package, and the Feed

No box of books today. It has been 6 days since the box was delivered to the post office. This has ceased to be even remotely amusing. The books have now spent twice as much time in the local USPS as they spent getting from Lincoln NE to Dallas. I am very unhappy about this to put it mildly. This was money I had to work hard for to get these books, and the books were my reward to myself for doing this work, well half of it anyway. The rest of the money went to household expenses to ease some of the financial burden.

An OH man is killed in a hit-and-run. Cyclist killed in hit and run accident in Dayton It appears that this was an intersection wreck, use the protocols to avoid/survive, and get the infrastructure right to prevent. As part of that infrastructure make hit-and-run a capital crime with sentences that may include the death penalty or life in prison should the run part of the hit-and-run be proven to have caused the death, in cases where the failure to get the victim to medical care in a timely manner directly contributed to the death. Hitting may have been outside of your control, but leaving them to die is entirely within your control.

Update on a NYC hit-and-run. Singapore cyclist in US hit-and-run crash ‘recovering well’ Nothing on the wreck which was covered here last week (the driver was going the wrong way, nothing the cyclist could have done to avoid or mitigate), but I’m glad the cyclist appears to be on the road to recovery.

Update on another NY wreck. Police ID Greece bicyclist hurt on Lake Shore Blvd. Still claiming that the wreck did not involve any other vehicles…

Again a cyclist is blamed more for a wreck than any of the drivers ever get. Pedestrian seriously injured in bike collision in downtown San Francisco I’m so tired of reading stories like this. I know my readers don’t ride on sidewalks that are not marked as MUP, so I don’t know what can be done to prevent wrecks like this on my part. What really angers me though is the resources expended on this wreck will far exceed those used to investigate a motor vehicle wreck with either a pedestrian or cyclist.

More on a CA wreck from yesterday. Pleasanton: Police identify Dublin bicyclist killed in weekend crash and Coroner IDs Bicyclist Killed Riding With Her Husband In Pleasanton Still the fault of the driver that hit the two cyclists from behind.

Another hit-and-run in CA. Bicyclist in hit-and-run accident near Riverbank was from Modesto Hit-from-behind, use the protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

More about CA bicycle wrecks in summary instead of singly. Bike-vehicle crashes mounting Most of the wrecks (73%) are the fault of the motor vehicle operator. Interesting to know.

And on the subject of bike wrecks in plural, we get the stats from Boston. What the Boston Cyclist Safety Report actually found Count on bike-hating news media to get it wrong.

A cyclist in SD gets buzzed, and not in the pleasurable way. Bike Rider Hurt on Highway 1804 When Struck by Side Mirror of Passing Vehicle The cyclist was riding according to the law while the weapon vehicle was passing too close. Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent. A passing law with promotion should be a big part of that infrastructure.

Part of the problem is demonstrated in CA as a drunk driver is arrested after being clocked at 101 MPH. CHP: Repeat DUI suspect clocked going 101 mph on Highway 101 in Santa Rosa The driver’s license had been suspended 10 times in the last 4 years for a variety of offenses INCLUDING DUI. This waste of human skin should not have been anywhere near the controls of the WMDs we call motor vehicles.

A cyclist is hit in the Great White North. Cyclist killed in Milton Monday evening and Police: Cyclist killed in Milton crash was homeless this one too Cyclist killed in collision more Cyclist dies after struck by vehicle in Milton Hit-from-behind wreck but as they have not immediately blamed the cyclist it may be that the cyclist was legally lighted and reflectored. The fact the they took the weapon vehicle in custody makes me think that there may have been a lighting problem with it also. Anyway, hit-from-behind protocols to avoid and if the infrastructure was done right these two would have never been in wrecking range of each other…

From the UK comes a anti-DUI PSA that has a lot of impact. ‘Pub Loo Shocker,’ British Anti-Drunk Driving PSA, Is So Terrifying It Might Just Save Lives (VIDEO)

From Enn Zed comes news that drivers don’t see HiViz any better than just regular clothes, so making it mandatory by law would have a negligible effect on drivers hitting cyclists. High-vis vests won’t cut cyclist death toll: expert I don’t wear ANSI Safety Lime because I think it makes driers notice me more, but because wearing it is an additional defense in the lawsuit my survivors will file in the event of my death.

From NYC is an infrastructure comment. What’s All the Fuss About Bikes? What indeed.

Last link? Urban Bicycling Is For Lazy People Oh, hells yeah, I’m lazy.

And those are all the links that gave me fits today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Lots of stuff and still waiting on that package that should have been here last week, and the Feed

Things are looking very busy today, there are tons of reports in the Feed folder in my e-mail, and that box of books I bought that should have been last week is still MIA as I compose this sentence but the mail hasn’t run yet. Yep the box that should have been here Thursday is still MIA on Monday. I am very protective about my printed reading materials, especially when the total cost was over $90… The UPS center is about 8 miles from Casa de El Poeta in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell and they handed off to the USPS Wednesday morning of last week. I’ll let you figure out how long that has taken to travel that 8 or so miles assuming it gets here today. EDIT TO ADD It did not make it today meaning it has taken more than 5 days for a package to get from one adjoining town to the other.

More on the cyclist hit by a hit-and-run driver fleeing cops in NYC. Cyclist Seriously Injured After Hit-And-Run Driver Struck Him While Fleeing From Cops and Hit & Run Driver Took Out A Cyclist & Light Pole But Remembered To Pick Up the Dry Cleaning This brings the story up to date as to why the driver was being an idiot (besides the fact that he’s an idiot). There was no way to avoid the wreck for the cyclist, and since the idiot in control of the WMD damaged a building I don’t think anything short of a massive barrier would have prevented the cyclist’s injuries.

A cyclist in NJ is injured by debris from someone else’s stupid wreck. 2 Brick men killed when car strikes tree, police say OK the original report hd the cyclist hit by the front end of the car after it separated from the rest of the car, but now the report is the cyclist was hit first, then the tree that caused the front end of the car to separate from the rest of the car. Still no way to avoid this and no way for infrastructure to prevent the wreck. The driver pulled a Forest Gump (stupid is as stupid does), and the cyclist suffered for it.

An OH cyclist apparently ran a red light. Cyclist seriously hurt in crash The description of the wreck implies either a very low-traffic intersection or a cyclist crossing on a stale green. Or the driver could be lying. Anyway intersection protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent. As this was physically near a large institute of higher learning there should have been bike infrastructure there already.

Another case where murder charges are being brought against a driver that hit a cyclist, this time in CA. Coroner identifies cyclist slain in fight with driver The cause of the fight is still not known, but the cyclist was trying to leave when the driver hit him from behind, then got out and kicked the cyclist (a report I can’t link to said the driver kicked the cyclist in the head). The driver is now charged with 1^st degree murder (again from the report I can’t link to). As for avoiding, this was a murder, a human cyclist could not have avoided the wreck.

Most of the story is behind a paywall, but there is enough I can read to know that this was an infrastructure-caused wreck. Naperville man injured when bicycle flips over The front end slid out in loose gravel, that is one of the definitions of a wreck caused by bad infrastructure. I’m going to assume the gravel was road aggregate from the road the cyclist was riding on at the time of the wreck which is basically invisible until you hit it at which time it’s already too late to avoid the wreck.

Another CA wreck that has an appearance of a deliberate act as 2 cyclists are hit. Police: Woman bicyclist struck and killed by teen driver in Pleasanton and Cyclist killed by car in Pleasanton identified Hit-from-behind wreck, use the protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent. I suggest that as part of that infrastructure the standards for driver’s licenses be raised considerably as the current standard does not weed out drivers that can’t avoid hitting another vehicle in front of them in the road.

Another CA wreck. Cyclist Seriously Hurt in Novato Crash Not much here to chew on, intersection wreck so intersection protocols may apply. I don’t know if there was anything that could have been done to the infrastructure that would have prevented the wreck because of the lack of information.

Still in CA we get a SWSS. Oakley: Bicyclist killed in traffic collision another link Bicyclist Dies After Being Hit By Truck In Elk Grove Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid remembering that trailers cut to the inside of a curve behind the towing vehicle. Get the infrastructure right to prevent.

I think anti-bike bias pervades LEO in the entire state of NY, not just the NYPD. Bicyclist Seriously Injured On Lakeshore Blvd The cyclist was severely injured while riding along a major road and they don’t think a motor vehicle was involved? Are they really that stupid? Buzz job, use the hit-from-behind protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent. And word the wording worders that can’t recognize a hit-and-run unless there are car parts strewn about the crime scene even with a severely injured victim.

Justice of a sort in the UK. Lorry driver jailed for death of cyclist on A18 The driver had a dirty windshield that he could barely see through at the tie of the wreck. Also this is extremely rare that a driver gets any jail time for killing a cyclist. Most of the time the offense is treated like a littering charge because the driver failed to remove the cyclist’s body from the side of the road.

A hit-and-run in South Africa has a better ending than it looked like it was going to have. Bakkie smashes into cyclists in Cape Town Translation, a bakkie is what they call a pickup truck in South Africa. The sole uninjured cyclist managed to get someone to chase down the weapon vehicle and get the plate which led to an arrest. Hit-from-behind wreck, but as it appears at this time to have been a deliberate act I don’t know that a human cyclist could avoid it, get the infrastructure right to prevent. As a hint the weapon vehicle should be shredded and recycled first… in any wreck with a vulnerable road user.

A wreck in Oz. Cyclist Maria Defino who died after being struck by a car in Pagewood had a ‘heart of gold’ and Cyclist killed by car in Sydney’s south-east also Cyclist killed in Sydney accident even Cyclist killed in Sydney road accident still more Cyclist killed in Pagewood, in Sydney’s south not done yet Woman killed as cycling couple hit in Sydney road accident last link Woman dies after car hits cyclists Apparently a hit-from-behind wreck at a choke point caused by a parked vehicle. Protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent. There was some concern in the early links that the driver may have been impaired by infirmities of old age.

The legal infrastructure for the state of KS. Bicycle Rules Of The Road Unless you can connect the ID of a comment to a person involved in a wreck with a bicycle I suggest not actually reading any of the comments. More Of pedals and petrol Much better article. No comments left.

And those are all the links that gave me fits today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Still fighting the eye business, and the Feed

Things are getting interesting with the eye whatever-it-is, infection or allergic reaction. I’m not sure how it happened but somehow I woke up this morning with the eyelid glued open. I can’t even hypothesize on the mechanism that created this, but I woke up when my eye started to hurt from getting dried out. Before I could close the eye I had to pry it apart and clean out the “eye boogers” on the lids. The good news is that I took an allergy pill and the rest of my symptoms cleared up temporarily. So while the eye looks to be an infection of some kind, everything else is an allergy.

Mrs. the Poet is off her work for the summer of removing the flavor from the food she serves to children in a middle-school cafeteria in Dallas, and we are waiting for the mail to run so we can see if a package I’m expecting has arrived. When the mail runs then we take a shower together. (Hee hee, just to save water during the extended drought!)

A cyclist appears to have run a red light in NYC. 25-Year-Old Cyclist Killed By Two Taxis In East Harlem The description of the vehicle direction of travel for the weapon vehicles and the victim’s vehicle makes it pretty clear that the cyclist ran a red light. Intersection protocols to avoid (special attention to watching the traffic signal) and get the infrastructure right to prevent. And don’t run red lights.

Another link to the story about the young man getting hit-and-run by a semi in PA. Bicyclist injured after tractor-trailer hits him in Mechanicsburg This is from a local news outlet to the wreck and indicates the cyclist was hit from behind rather than in an intersection.

How long do you think it will take this to get spun as the cyclist’s fault? Fort Collins patrol car hits bicycle, rider seriously injured and Cyclist Injured After Police Officer Hit Her also Fort Collins cyclist hit by police cruiser suffers serious neck damage This should be treated the same as hitting a jogger in the sidewalk as the wreck was in a zone where cyclists are allowed to ride on the sidewalk. Intersection protocols to avoid, and the infrastructure was obviously deficient if cyclists are in the sidewalk rather than in the street.

An arrest has been made in the death of a cyclist. Woman arrested in death of bicyclist near Stanley and BIKE CZAR Fourth Bicyclist This Year Killed This is the driver that abandoned her disabled vehicle and called for a ride back to the tavern she had been drinking at for hours prior to hitting the cyclist. I was disappointed to read that the driver made bail and is back on the street.

Update on the story of a hit-and-run in AZ. Man appears in court charged with fatal hit-and-run I can’t believe they are actually charging the driver with murder in this case. That makes 3 cases in the last month in AZ where the driver has been either charged or convicted of murder in the death of a cyclist. I guess they searched social media for statements about bicycles on this one because I didn’t see any DUI charges.

A nasty situation in West Canuckistan. Cyclist’s neck injured by wire stretched across Saanich trail and Update: Cyclist injured by wire hanging across hiking trail in rural Victoria My take is that someone used stuff lying around to create this booby trap, despite what LEO said.

A cyclist has a run-in with a bus driver during Bike Week in the Great White North. Cyclist says bus driver injured him during Bike Week Drivers of multi-ton killing machines should be more even-tempered than this…

The spoiled brat son of a billionaire gets community service and a nearly half-million dollar fine for killing a cyclist while driving drunk. Billionaire Eike Batista’s Son Will Appeal Manslaughter Charge In Death Of Cyclist Crush his $1.3 million car with him in it, very slowly. He was driving drunk at high speed in a residential area on surface streets, the sentence is ludicrous.

A teen cyclist is hit by a semi while out training with his national team. Teen cyclist killed during training in Terengganu Not much to say on this one, the cyclist was practicing pack riding when one hit a pothole and took a couple more out and this rider went under a trailer in the oncoming lane. Since this was a practice session for pack riding my usual admonitions about not riding in a pack are mooted. Other than segregated infrastructure I have no way to avoid this wreck, and pack riding on a bike path (particularly the kind we get in the US) is considered a faux pas, if not outright illegal.

Legal Infrastructure! for Aussie cyclists. Car buffer zone considered to boost safety for cyclists and motorists and Cycle group backs Qld bike law review

Ghost Bike dedication and memorial for rider killed in April set for tonight RIP, cyclist.

And those are all the links that gave me fits today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Running through life with one good eye again, and the Feed

I woke up again this morning with my left eye glued shut and requiring both hands to pry it open. The sinus and ear congestion from yesterday seem to have cleared up leaving just the eye to deal with. Most of the symptoms are of an allergy attack, but the fact that it’s only in one eye and not both also make me think it might be an infection. It could be caused by flying “stuff” from when I mowed the lawn, which is another thing that makes me think it might be an infection. When I get an allergy attack the reaction is within minutes of contact with whatever allergen caused the reaction, this was 3 days after I mowed. Not that I haven’t had my share of reactions from mowed grass (including having my lower legs covered in welts after getting caught in a discharge from a lawn mower), I am just thinking that this isn’t one of those times. Anyway I know from yesterday that keeping hydrated will keep the eye functional and being slightly over-hydrated will reduce secondary symptoms like the obscuring of vision caused by the discharge and also keep the eye from getting glued closed again. I just have to stop using coffee to stay hydrated.

A PA cyclist is lucky to only get minor injuries when he was hit-and-run by a semi. Mechanicsburg cyclist injured in hit-and-run and Bicyclist reported injured after hit-and-run involving tractor-trailer in Mechanicsburg Since the cyclist was hit crossing an off-ramp this counts as an intersection wreck, so those protocols apply to avoid. However the second link says the cyclist was hit-from-behind in mid block so …? Getting the infrastructure right so bicyclists don’t need to share space with semi-trailers will prevent a similar wreck.

A salmon VA cyclist is seriously injured. Bicyclist Injured in Crash Near Fair Oaks Mall It isn’t obvious from the narrative if the cyclist’s direction of travel had any actual impact on the cause of the wreck as this was also a SWSS. AAANNNyyy way, don’t ride salmon, and use hit-from-behind protocols to avoid. Getting the infrastructure right will keep old guys from getting hit by people driving motor vehicles near malls…

Another VA cyclist was in a hit-from-behind hit-and-run. Injured cyclist wants answers Cyclist was left with no time to react by a vehicle that got too close going too fast. The protocols would be of limited utility in a case like this leaving getting the infrastructure right as the only solution.

Update on a MA wreck. Southborough cyclist seriously injured in crash on Saturday Still a left-cross, still the fault of the driver, still use intersection protocols to mitigate the damages and still needs to get the infrastructure right to prevent.

A KS bike commuter is injured. First payday was a bad day for young bike ride Another left-cross by another oblivious driver puts another cyclist in hospital with broken bones. Intersection protocols to avoid or mitigate, and get the infrastructure right to prevent. At least this time the cyclist survived.

More on that NC case where the driver that killed a cyclist is getting off without even a conviction on her record. Cycling Community Outraged With DA’s Deal For Woman Who Hit, Killed Katherine Shubert

A little bit more on the FL wreck that killed a cyclist earlier this week. Cyclist Struck And Killed In Thomas County The road where the cyclist was hit was just awful, with the shoulder completely ruined for bike travel with full-width rumble strips from the fog line all the way to the grass…

More on the moron that hit a cyclist with what is now known to have been a daylight-visible blinky light on the back of his helmet. Wisconsin: Chippewa County sheriff says driver who killed bicyclist had been at bar I love a pun. I am doubleplus unlove with this driver.

OK one of the weirder stories I have linked to. Groupon offered in memory of cyclist killed in Old Town

Last link is Lifestyle from Dallas. Dallas pro cyclist commutes by bike I look forward to seeing her in kit during my trips around the lake.

And those are all the links that gave me fits today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Why am I awake this early, and the Feed

Somehow I have managed to isolate an allergy attack to just one side of my head and it woke me up early this morning, about 2 hours before I normally get out of bed. I had my left eye glued closed and left ear clogged with “gunk” inside to the point of being almost deaf, plus I couldn’t breathe out of my left nostril. The only being able to breathe out of one nostril was what woke me up, because when I can’t breathe through my whole nose I simply mouth-breathe (and snore like a slow-moving freight train), but for some reason having one nostril closed off and the other completely free causes alarms to go off in my brain that wakes me up.

I’m beginning to have doubts about the utility of converting a utility trailer for motor vehicles into a heavy-duty cargo trike. I bought the trailer from my local Harbor Freight store, and that sucker is HEAVY! It’s rated at 1000 lbs GVW, with 880 payload. That’s 120 pounds empty if my mental mathematics are working correctly, and that is not including the human-powered drivetrain and seating.

I keep expounding on the theme that motor vehicles are WMD, here’s one taking out a Taco Bell outside Cincinnati. Raw Video as Minivan Crashes Into Taco Bell The restaurant will be closed indefinitely until repairs can be made to the structure.

A MA rider is severely injured in a left cross. Police investigating crash that seriously injured cyclist The cyclist had serious upper torso injuries sustained when a driver made a left turn too close for the cyclist to do anything but hit the car. Intersection protocols might have mitigated some of the damage but would not have avoided this wreck, get the infrastructure right to prevent. One of the comments was made that the streets are too narrow for bikes in Boston, I contend they are too narrow for cars.

An ID cyclist is hit by a blind driver. Burley businessman critically injured in bike, vehicle crash more UPDATED INFORMATION: Man Injured After Being Struck By A Vehicle While Riding A Bike Near Burley Hit-from-behind wreck, use the protocols to avoid. Make driving while blind an offense to (help) prevent among other infrastructure changes. Of course properly segregated infrastructure would prevent this as well.

An amazing story out of AZ. Murder plea in cyclist’s death and Woman faces prison term in death of bicyclist Yes you read that right, the driver plead guilty to murder charges for killing a cyclist. She will spend at least 10 years in prison or as many as 25 and whatever sentence is imposed she will have to serve every day of it in prison with no parole. There is also the possibility that the judge can impose a lifetime ban on driving. I would add the defendant’s vehicle must be recycled and the proceeds given to the victim’s family. I would like to see the vehicle recycled with the defendant behind the wheel, but as she was only convicted of 2^nd Murder she can only get a long prison term, not life or the death penalty. It is a pity.

Trial news out of WI. Woman was at tavern before striking, killing cyclist, authorities say and Sheriff: Woman drank at bar before striking, killing bicyclist This was the wreck where the driver abandoned the car and called for a ride home, and not for an ambulance for the cyclist she just hit (with an additional blinky light on the back of his helmet besides the lights and reflectors on the bike). The man had a big blinking light on the back of his head, making it positive that she hit a human being and not a deer, and she still abandoned him to die…

A cyclist is injured in far West Canuckistan. Cyclist taken to hospital Just another excuse to post raw video, there was no actual news about the wreck aside from noting the event occurred.

And those are all the links that gave me fits today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus