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

Not much in the Feed was bicycle related

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Billed @$.02, Opus

Saturday’s Feed is like the dog’s breakfast

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Billed @$.02, Opuds

Wrecks, infrastructure and laws, the Feed went everywhere

The Feed was a wild and varied today. I had to filter out a bunch of stuff, like the kid on a bike robbed at gunpoint by another kid on a bike, bikes were not really part of the story they were just “there”.

Up first because it’s local and nobody got hurt for a change is a ride to Dallas City Hall. Cyclists pushing Dallas to keep their needs in mind Make the streets safer and put me out of a job, go on I dare you! (Like that will actually help?)

A bike wreck on the Kent State campus injures the rider, no word on how serious or the mode of the wreck. Car and bike collision sends one to hospital Another wreck I can’t help you avoid because nobody is saying what happened.

All the rest of the wrecks today were in the UK.

This guy was hit by two cars and LEO don’t know what happened. Redditch cyclist seriously injured Smacked twice and they don’t know how, but if you know then give them a call at the contact number in the report.

Another young cyclist dies, reports the Beeb. Cyclist killed in road accident

The cyclist killed while trying to get to the bike lane from the other side of the road. ‘Unanswered questions’ over Bristol cyclist killed on Portway Five lanes of traffic in both directions before the bike lane, insane. Not the cyclist, the highway.

After a cyclist is killed by a door prize in Oz authorities are telling drivers to watch what they are doing before they open a car door. Cycle alert Yeah, good luck with that.

The Houston cyclist killed by a overturned firetruck while waiting at a red light gets a Ghost Bike. Ghost Riders: Way of Life I remember reporting this one as being the kind of wreck that there was just no logical way to avoid, how do you prepare for a 40 ton firetruck rolling over on top of you while you wait at a red light for it to pass? Even with psychic powers that’s a bit of a stretch.

More Houston infrastructure battles over right of way for bike trails for transportation. Ghost Riders: Easy Come, Easy No How about suing them for every cyclist killed because they didn’t have a trail to ride on because the power company refused to allow a bike trail on their easement?

A MN paper tries to clarify the rules for cars and bicycles on the roads. Rules of the road apply to bikes, cars People should know the legalities of riding in the streets and roads, but should not have to go research either on the web or in the library to find a copy of the law and decipher what those laws are supposed to mean. Training courses for drivers can be easily found, many taught in the schools. Learning the rules for bicycles should be just as easy.

Another Ghost Bike in NYC. Queens Blvd Ghost Bike A Sobering Reminder Of Cycling Dangers

A memorial ride for the couple killed when their tandem bicycle was struck from behind on the shoulder of the TX 16. Hundreds of cyclists show up to show support for couple who was killed Perhaps a citation for the killer driver for not driving on the road would be a better memorial, or even jail time for the killer.

A viewpoint of the critical mass rides in Chicago. Critical of Critical Mass? I would be fine with arresting cyclists for obstructing rush hour traffic with too many bicycles if they also arrested the car drivers for obstructing traffic with too many cars. You know “Pot, you’re black. Love, Kettle”.

And an interesting take on infrastructure, lighting. Carlisle to consider sidewalk light proposal Trees obstruct the streetlights from shining on the sidewalks, but you don’t want to get rid of the trees because they make shade during the day and keep the sidewalks nicer when the sun is out, what to do? Install smaller lights over the sidewalks of course!

And when in this country did walking to school become a news-worthy thing? Students, parents stroll to school I used to walk to school all the time, and it was considered “normal” to do so. I also rode my bike when the weather allowed (no fenders, rain meant muddy clothes). Now riding to school is a crime, and walking is a major news item. what has gone wrong with my country?

And that’s the mess for today.

Billed @$.02, Opus

You won’t believe this “stuff” in the Feed

You would not believe some of the reports I got in the Feed today. I’m talking off the wall “stuff” that defies comprehension by sane people.

Topping the list today was the FL cop that tased a cyclist who then crashed and was run over by the cop. Fla. officer ran over, killed suspect during chase and Bicyclist Killed; Ran Over by Cop Who Tried Tasing Him Out The Window First There are so many unanswered questions on this that I really can’t begin to comment. Apparently the cop only flashed lights and did not use the PA to order the cyclist to pull over before trying to use the Taser. But like I said, too many unanswered questions on this one.

Still in FL is a bike rider that runs into a parked car and homicide is investigating? Police: Bicyclist Hits Car, Dies Apparently since homicide is investigating there is suspicion that the other vehicle seen beside the cyclist had something to do with the wreck and possibly contributed to the seriousness of the wreck. And there was another cyclist involved wreck that didn’t have anything to do with this wreck and that’s all I know about the other wreck

The driver that hit 2 teens in OH is charged. Driver indicted in hit-and-run crash that injured cyclists Give him a fair trial and a decent hanging, or failing the hanging, ban him from being in a motor vehicle for life except for emergency vehicles transporting him for medical reasons.

And a hit-and-run wreck in Philly is caused by a DUI. DUI is charged in hit-run that injured city cyclist OK this is just too much. Wolverines or kittens in the chain link cage? I hate DUI drivers with a purple passion, doubly so when they hit-and-run.

Conflict over infrastructure in Montreal. Who owns the road in Montreal? I see similar problems here in Dallas because pedestrians decide to just stop in the middle of the bike path (in the rare places that actually have a bike path) and don’t move for other users to get by. Pedestrians treat any place that doesn’t have cars as pedestrian space even if it isn’t.

More on a proposal to charge drivers whenever they hit a cyclist or pedestrian, unless they can prove misconduct by the non-motorized road user. Motoring Groups Angered by Plans to Make Drivers Legally Responsible for Any Accident Involving Cyclists or Pedestrians Drivers have been getting a free pass when they hit cyclists and pedestrians in the past and are irate they have to prove that their WMDs were being used safely when a pedestrian or cyclist is injured. Poor babies!

Riders going from LA to San Francisco have a common thread in their stories, they’re all wounded veterans from Iraq or Afghanistan. A therapeutic challenge: Veterans with physical, mental injuries will bike from San Francisco to Los Angeles The Witch on a Bicycle supports this effort, for what that’s worth.

A big charity ride’s going down in MO. Hundreds turn out for Tour de Cape bike ride This one sounds like fun…

And why electric cars won’t save the environment without changing the way we make electricity. Magical Thinking The problem is the current electrical grid is mostly powered by fossil fuels which moves the source of the pollution from the tailpipe to the smokestack, arguments about “clean coal” not withstanding.

And that’s everything (really everything this time) for today.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Cr@p from all over, and one the Feed missed

The Feed was not very “feedy” this morning. The content was 100% bicycle related but the articles were “ehh” as far as what they were worth. I did get a link to a local wreck back channel (and for all my back channel reporters, a hearty Hurrah! for your efforts, maybe some day I’ll be making enough money at this to send some your way), that was troubling.

Getting to the local story first, a man riding on a frontage road is hit and run and there is speculation that the wreck was intentional on the part of the driver. Driver ‘veered into’ cyclist on I-20 service road, DPS says Check that, the new headline doesn’t speculate at all. The comments section claimed the rider was in the center of the lane (a perfectly legal place for him to be BTW) but the DPS (TX State Troopers) report says he was hit on the shoulder of the road. The cyclist was an organ donor but aside from corneas I don’t think with that much blunt force trauma there will be anything worth harvesting. To have organs that can be used for transplant the donor has to be alive when he gets to the hospital, again except for corneas, and from what I understand McQuien died at the scene. As for how you can avoid ending up the same way, well the cyclist in this wreck used hit-from-behind avoidance protocol and still got fatally hit. The only way you could avoid the same situation would be by pure dumb luck. As for the driver who failed to control her WMD, I think manslaughter would be a fair charge. There is no indication at this time that the driver was trying to buzz the cyclist, so any kind of homicide charges would not be warranted. Now if the driver is found to have been buzzing the cyclist, then it becomes a homicide as the driver was intentionally placing the cyclist in jeopardy.

A report for ambulance chasers from a over-fed vulture. Pennsylvania Personal Injury Notice- bicyclist hit by pickup truck! For a left cross wreck like this one, a lawyer on the side of the cyclist is a good thing, but it should the the DA, not a personal injury lawyer. I think I mentioned this wreck on Friday or Saturday.

The rest of the Feed is, well “insipid” is a polite way to say it. There isn’t much substance in the rest of the articles, even the nice stories about good people. But they are bike stories and this blog strives to be the place on the internet of non-racing bike reporting, so here’s the rest of the Feed (holding nose).

More on the MI bike ride for a dead Marine’s efforts to make the world a better place than what he found it. Dead Marine honored with cross-state ride, scholarship The Witch on a Bicycle endorses this ride and its goals to make the world a better place through education. For all that that is worth.

My SF colleague from examiner.com has an article on PPE for cyclists using football as a metaphor. Vikings’ Brett Favre Schools San Francisco’s 49ers and Cyclists! I also tell my readers to wear helmets, because besides gloves they’re all the PPE we get, not because I think helmets are much good in a wreck. Mine saved my life, but in my wreck I didn’t hit my head on the truck that hit me, I went face first into the road from about 16 feet in the air after I bounced off the truck. The other 2 times I got hit, there was no such thing as bike helmets except for the leather hairnets that track cyclists sometimes wore. (Google “leather bicycle helmet”)

More on Joe Novotny and his wreck. Two months later, friends still mourn Minnesota-born cyclist killed by alleged drunk driver This just never ends, but it does get a little better after time.

Advice on how to not get hit by people throwing open their car doors. Biking near cars opens door to trouble Heed this advice, it might save your life.

“Advice” from the Emerald Isle on bike helmets. To wear or not to wear? To quote one of the “experts” in the article “I wear a helmet to protect myself against my own mistakes, but we know from international studies that helmets do not protect cyclists if they are hit by any vehicle going at any speed.” And there you have in a nutshell why I tell you my readers to wear helmets, because there is always the possibility that a hidden danger (wet leaves, loose sand or gravel, pavement seams) might cause a fall.

Final report is from Oz about a cyclist that even after a wreck did not stop cycle commuting. Nothing will stop this rider “I did fracture my elbow riding to work because I hit a gutter. I kept riding and sort of bleeding everywhere.” You have to admire a person that rides herself to the hospital with a broken arm.

And that’s it for today, I’m going for a bike ride.

Billed @$.02, Opus

The usual mix of a Saturday Feed, plus a special report from the field

I finally got a back channel report that I can share with attribution. And it has links! I’ll save that ’til last. I also got the usual weak Saturday Feed with the usual high number of “lifestyle” stories.

Up first for no particular reason are multiple reports on a cyclist that hit a curb in the left turn lane and crashed, in FL. St. Petersburg bicyclist critically injured in fall and Bicyclist struck by car, seriously injured in Lealman which brings in the real cause of the injuries, a car that hit him after he fell. The cyclist was riding in the dark when he hit the curb, so lights might have been an issue, not a lack of installed lights because they would have mentioned that in the reports but a light that was not adequate to see by.

A police blotter report on a bike wreck in OR. On The Record: 9.25.09 Nothing of any information here except the bare fact of the wreck.

??? No charges in bizarre Naperville incident So the guy on the bicycle gets hit in the face with a broken bottle and ???

Shades of El Tour de Tucson in Enn Zed. Four injured when car ploughs into cyclists The driver turned into a group of 20 cyclists, injuring 4 including one severely, but no charges have been set.

Now the report from BikinginLA writer Ted Rogers:

Just wanted to give you a update on the status of several court cases in regarding Southern California bike collisions:

1. A memorial Ride of Silence will be held in honor of Joseph Novotny next Saturday, October 3, in Santa Clarita, CA, just north of Los Angeles. Marco Antonio Valencia, the driver who killed Novotny and injured four other cyclists, is scheduled for a hearing this Tuesday, Sept. 29; he’s facing one felony count of murder and gross vehicular manslaughter, six felony counts of DUI and four felony counts of leaving the scene of the accident, as well as a misdemeanor charge of driving with a suspended license due to two previous DUI convictions — despite being just 20 years old at the time of the accident.
Santa Clarita to honor fallen cyclist with silent ride and
Fatal crash driver had priors also
Man Charged with DUI and Murder of Bicyclist

2. Dr. Christopher Thompson, the physician accused of intentionally injuring two cyclists in L.A.’s Mandeville Canyon on July 4, 2008, is scheduled for trial on Oct. 6, 2009, with jury selection to begin Oct. 13 or 14; he’s charged with one felony count of reckless driving causing injury, two felony counts of battery with serious injury, two counts of causing great bodily injury while attempting to commit a felony, and one count of mayhem; he’s also charged with one count of misdemeanor reckless driving causing an injury for a separate incident in which he forced a cyclist off the road the previous March.
Road Rage Motorist vs. Cyclists on Mandeville Canyon Road and
Brentwood doctor pleads not guilty to injuring cyclists also
Mandeville Canyon Road Rage Doctor Trial Set for 9/17

3. Robert Sam Sanchez recently plead not guilty to all charges in the hit-and-run death of Rod Armas, as well as critically injuring Armas’ 14 year old son in Malibu, CA, near the completion of last June’s Grand Tour Double Century sponsored by the Los Angeles Wheelmen. Sanchez is charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence and failure to stop after an accident involving an injury.
Father and Son Grand Tour Dream Ends With Tragedy also
Oxnard driver arrested in cyclist’s death and
The definition of tragedy

4. Alejandro Hidalgo is facing charges in the April, 2009, hit-and-run death of Jesus Castillo, in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. Hidalgo is charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence, and driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content over .08.
Echo Park Ghost Rider and
The definition of tragedy

Thank you for helping me report the goings on in SoCal Ted.

Getting to the lifestyle reports we have a report from the suddenly bike friendly town of Columbia MO. A Free-Wheeling City I wish them luck dealing with the car-heads who think they own the roads.

A really great charity ride. Bike ride continues Marine’s work I don’t know how great the ride is obviously, but the charity is worthwhile.

And finally an article from Canadia that’s about ?? Caledon OPP?officer Jonathan Beckett talks bicycle safety There was something about a ratio of the cost of your lock to the cost of your bike, not sure what that’s about.

And that’s all I got today, have a nice weekend.

Billed @$.02, Opus

A respite from dead cyclists, the Feed

Except for another report on the cyclist that died because she couldn’t unclip from her pedals there was only one new death in today’s Feed. This is good as I hate seeing dead cyclists even virtual ones on the Internet. This job can be emotionally taxing, and days with few wrecks and fewer deaths ease up on that strain.

Getting to the new report on the old wreck, nothing really new here axcept the outlet. Calgary cyclist killed in Oregon She still failed to unclip and fell over into traffic directly in front of a car that hit her, that hasn’t changed. I have thought it over for the last few days and the only way to avoid a similar wreck and still use clipless pedals is to stop so that no matter which way you fall over you don’t fall in front of traffic, which when you think about it is usually impossible. But that’s the best I can come up with.

The new death was a red light runner in MI. Woman bicyclist seriously injured in collision with car in downtown Muskegon After the headline was posted the woman died from her injuries. Back channel tells me that the signal would frequently not detect and change for bicycles which may have lulled the cyclist who rode that route almost daily into ignoring the red light, but she still should have treated it as a stop sign and taken a look to make sure there was no traffic. Michigan isn’t quite that dead yet, recession not withstanding.

Another sidewalk rider is hit in MI. Bicyclist’s foot injured in accident Ride slow on sidewalks and be ready to stop because drivers are not looking for you.

In Portland OR a popular bike route is “traffic calmed” because cyclists were going too fast. New speed bumps on popular cemetery route: Necessarily dangerous? OK guys, blasting through funeral processions and swearing at mourners? Way to win friends and influence people.

Another person drags out the tired old argument for bicycle licenses and registration. Reader says bicycle riders must be regulated If you tax you have to tax at the same rate as you tax motor vehicles. If you tax an Escalade at $X then you have to tax my bicycle at $X/5000 because of the relative impact on the infrastructure.

And finally a ride that honors a long time cyclist who was a worker and planner for the ride. 40th annual Octoginta ride dedicated to late KU Athletic Director Bob Frederick

Now get out there and ride your bikes.

Billed @$.02, Opus

After my mental health day, I need a mental health day just from reading 2 days’ worth of Feed

Some days you just can’t win. I took a mental health day away from the blog to re-charge, re-lax, and re-cuperate, and after reading 2 days’ worth of Feed I’m re-volted, which has nothing to do with re-charging.

Anyway as part of my “mental health day” I took part in a class to find out how welcoming a person I am to the LGBT community. If the web comics I read are any indication about the only way to get more welcoming would be to become a transgendered lesbian. I had a list of comics that either had “out” LGBT main characters, LGBT storylines, or story arcs that featured LGBT themes, and the list of URLs went on for over a page. When I included the ones that the LGBT characters were just minor parts of the cast, the “lesbian friend” or the “gay friend” of one of the main characters, well we’re talking a very long list. More than half of the web comics I read regularly fall into the latter category, and all told about 3/4 have something to do with LGBT themes or characters. And I just thought I was a straight man

Mental health issues aside it was pretty bad out there over the weekend. Lots of dead and near-dead (talking in inches between death and walking away from the wreck, not lingering on life support) cyclists out there.

Up first because of geographical proximity is this report from near El Paso. Horizon City bicyclist killed by alleged drunk driver Of course you should know that El Paso is closer to Los Angeles than it is to Dallas. And from the description of the wreck the cyclist was about halfway to L.A. after the initial impact. Yet another hit-from-behind hit-and-run wreck even though they eventually caught the drunk that did it, still wasted on the booze. The bike appears to be a drop-bar roadie with skinny tires, and from the remains that’s about all I can tell, except that because the surviving portions of the frame are straight but not aligned with the other parts of the frame the bike had a Carbon Fiber frame. The damage to the other vehicle in the pictures suggests the impact was with the front part of the right fender and the windshield struck the cyclist’s head at a high rate of speed. To avoid, use standard hit-from-behind protocol, mirror(s), escape route and be willing to use the bicycle as a passive weapon against the aggressor’s vehicle. Steel frames especially are good at inflicting disabling damage against a vehicle when they go under but still upright, the seat tube of a WalMart BSO can go right through the floorboards of a Hummer

A terrible wreck, with multiple reports. Iowa cyclist killed in crash and UPDATE: Authorities identify cyclist killed near Cumming also Friends Remember Bicyclist Killed This is a terrible wreck, a true crime, and yet many of the people commenting on it are saying that bikes should be banned from IA highways. News Flash- it wasn’t a bicyclist that killed a guy in a pickup truck and fled the scene, if any vehicles are to be banned it should be the ones doing all the killing, both slowly by obesity and pollution, and quickly by collision. I’ll miss cars… I really did like them, but they just had too many problems to deal with in the long run.

Speaking of killing and destroying things with cars, one left the road and hit another cyclist. Cyclist injured in collision Standard hit-from-behind advice on this one: Mirror(s), escape route, and willing to use it at any time…

And in a terrible wreck (again) we get a SWSS. Longmont cyclist killed on Colo. 119 In the comments section they quote the police report that the cyclist was drunk and on drugs… Don’t drink and ride.

And another WMD-mobile takes out a cyclist in VT. Putney cyclist injured in crash with SUV Fortunately this wreck was not fatal or even seriously injuring. Since they didn’t mention how the cyclist got hit except that the driver hit the cyclist with a 1996 Jeep, I can’t offer any advice except maybe to avoid riding a bike in VT anywhere if possible. The comments indicate the roads are not very safe, even where they are relatively good, “good” in this case being a very relative term.

Another cyclist obeying the laws gets clobbered in IA. Teen cyclist injured in crash with van Wet weather contributed to this wreck, remember wet weather will increase you stopping distance and reduce your visibility, both the distance that you can see and how well, and how well others can see you. Ride accordingly.

And what has to be one of the worst cases of adding insult to injury, a cyclist hit in a crosswalk while waiting for a red light sees her bike destroyed and gets injured herself, and is only offered $10 for her Trek hybrid. Minneapolis cyclist left in the dust The cyclist was hit by a city bus that then backed up to get untangled from the bike and drove off without stopping to render aid. The driver was fired, but the cyclist is getting no joy from the insurance carrier. I would like to see the insurance guy that offered the $10 buy a Trek, any Trek, in ridable condition for that amount of money. To avoid a similar wreck, don’t wait in the crosswalk for the light to change, move into the lane with the cars so they can see you and not hit you.

A bicycle speed limit in Nashville TN. Nashville parks enforce bicycle speed limit as walkers, cyclists clash Interesting that when bicyclists are at risk there isn’t enough money to do anything about it, but they seem to find the money to harass and set speed traps against cyclists.

They had a CM up in the Great White North. Mass ride celebrates pedal power While I’m not a fan of Critical Mass, I can see the need for it in areas that are not bicycle friendly. I was busy doing work at church when they had the first CM in Dallas in at least 20 years if ever.

First of a batch of UK reports. Cyclist seriously injured in South Lakes collision The driver of the Mini was uninjured, really?

And another one. Injured cyclist has lucky escape Need I add that I hate hit-and-run drivers even when they are half a continent and an ocean away?

And even now relatives are requesting witnesses to a fatal bike wreck in London. Family of woman cyclist killed at Oval in June issues witness appeal The wreck was a terrible tragedy, and the information blackout caused by UK media laws makes it worse.

And that’s all I have today, sorry for it being so late, most of you won’t even see this until Tuesday, because it’s almost Tuesday as I type this in

Billed @$.02, Opus

More death, destruction, mayhem, and updates, the Feed

We had a more typical Feed today, plus I threw in a non-cycling specific article just to show that the bigger the vehicle the bigger the problem on the roads to other users. We had some updates on earlier wrecks, and we have a RoS report that’s only about 4 months late.

Up first is a hit-and-run outside the nation’s capital. Cyclist Killed in Hit-and-Run in Gainesville The rider was hit sometime before 10PM and died the next morning. Speculation in the comments has the driver DUI, and will shave shower and put on a suit and tie before turning himself in with his lawyer and claiming to not have known he hit a person… To avoid a similar wreck use typical hit-from-behind tactics, mirror(s), escape route, and ready to use the escape route or to bail from the bike and let the bike do as much damage to the other vehicle as possible and hope you are clear of the carnage.

I wonder about any possible charges for a driver that left the road to hit a cyclist in TN. Bicyclist killed in Roane County crash This is a different county than the one that decided that just because a cyclist had reflective gear and bright blinking taillights you still didn’t actually have to avoid hitting the cyclist in compliance with the 3-foot passing law in the state. Also this driver didn’t just fail to pass safely, the cyclist was not even on the legal part of the road but on the shoulder. As someone pointed out in the comments section, had the driver used a .38 instead of a Tacoma they would have put him under the jail, instead of letting him wander around loose. He also would have been much less likely to have killed the cyclist, as gunshot wounds are only 9% fatal and at the posted speed limit for the road motor vehicles are approximately 98% fatal, add the 10 MPH “tolerance” and fatalities exceed 99%. For how to avoid, once again we have a hit-from-behind wreck, this time at high speed on a straight road with no oncoming traffic. Mirror(s), be ready to bail, etc. Having a video camera pointing backwards with solid state (memory chips) recording might be a good idea also. It won’t help you avoid the wreck but it might help the prosecution put away the driver that hits you.

Another report on the WI cyclist that dumped his bike at a relatively high speed and died in CO. Cyclist killed in Monument accident From reports that have come to me back-channel the cyclist hit some road debris and lost control of the front wheel, loose gravel is suspected. As loose gravel is pretty much the same color and texture as gravel that is part of the actual road surface particularly on roads that have been chip sealed, this becomes a very difficult wreck to avoid. The only thing I can suggest is to not ride faster than you want to hit the road with your body, not very constructive advice.

About all we know in this wreck was there was more than one vehicle involved, at least 3 perhaps more that didn’t actually hit anything, and that one vehicle prevented the 2 colliding vehicles from seeing each other until they hit. Once again the question is why the one motor vehicle did not stop when there was another vehicle stopped in the inside lane. Bicyclist injured in Tuesday Bemidji accident To avoid, don’t pull out into lanes where you can’t see clearly.

From the description of this wreck they are blaming the victim for actually trying to cross the road. Bicyclist Injured After Struck By Car At this point it is unknown if the cyclist entered the intersection on a green or yellow light or if he ran the red.

Mayhem and murder in Portland OR. Cyclist killed in hit-and-run crash in NE Portland Gotta love the comments section, people blaming the cyclist for the wreck because, well he was riding a bicycle in the street! What did he expect? From the initial description of the wreck sparse as it was this was probably another hit-from behind wreck. Read the other hit-from-behind wrecks again if you can’t remember what to do.

A wreck in UT they can’t figure out what happened, except the rider is dead. Bicyclist killed in Park City crash The rider may have been hit by a motor vehicle, but probably not as the other rider in front did not report hearing a motor vehicle. It’s a mystery… But not to the people commenting.

More on the wreck in VA. Car Kills Bicycle Rider slightly more information than the initial report yesterday Bicyclist Killed By Car ID’d updated report Killed cyclist was doctor, surprise-minded father was a separate comments section to both articles. There is speculation the driver in this case was on the cell either talking or texting and not paying attention to driving. Yet another hit-from-behind wreck! [sigh]

A cyclist is hit in the UK Cyclist injured after crash with car After all the US reports it’s almost nice to read a report that someone didn’t blame the cyclist for being a cyclist as the reason for the wreck…

They are having a bit of a wrangle over bike helmets in South Korea. Bike Helmet Bill Causing Stir There was some mis-information in the article (misinformation from a politician?) about the fines for not wearing a helmet, as well as places that mandate helmet wearing.

I know they are “slow” in AL, but really, how long ago was the RoS? The Ride of Silence The article mentioning the RoS is actually in response to a bike wreck from last week, so no Auburn jokes.

A running and road race for charity in far western NY. 1,500 cyclists, runners expected for Thater races If you’re in the area the Poet says “do this”. And have fun.

And even SUV drivers cringe at 40 ton trucks being driven by sleep-deprived Zombies. Trucks can make for a deadly harvest This would be a good time to ride somewhere else if you have that option and are not living in the area.

And that’s all I have today, I’m going to take a mental health trip and de-stress a bit.

Billed @$.02, Opus