When you don’t have an actual job you never get a day off, and the Feed

You would think that not having what my elder daughter called a “jobby job” I wouldn’t be busy, but truth be told I don’t think I have ever been busier since I started doing this blog instead of actual working. I will be voting this morning, then going to meet with the people of Occupy Dallas about establishing a bike co-op this afternoon, doing Mother’s Day a day early with the kids still living on this side of the pond during early evening, then if I’m lucky I’ll be able to catch the end of RPG day as my warlock(6) goes undercover as a courier to thwart gangs that have been stealing the information from their message bags without breaking their (non-magical) seals. For a guy that hasn’t had a daily job since 2006 that’s a lot of running around.

A NE cyclist gets hit just after making a turn. Woman injured in car-bike crash Looking at the scene there were two lanes of travel in each direction, and the wreck was a distance away from the intersection. It looked like the cyclist expected the driver to make a lane change instead of panicking and locking the brakes and running her over. That is why you need to assume that every driver has the traffic savvy of a roadkill squirrel to avoid wrecks like this, basically a slight modification of the hit-from-behind protocol. Obviously getting the infrastructure right to prevent 40 MPH cars from mixing with bike traffic would prevent a similar wreck in the future.

An Upstate NY cyclist is killed by a drunk driver. Wayland teen killed riding his bike near his home Thursday found Friday; Man charged with DWI Have I mentioned lately how much I hate drunk drivers, and hit-and-run? And how much I especially hate drunk drivers that hit-and-run and leave dead cyclists in their wake? Recycle the car with the driver still in it and let then skim the scum off the top of the kiln.

Updates on the AL 6YO killed riding a bike in a residential area. Boy killed while riding bike and Cullman PD: 6-year-old hit and killed while riding his bike I “love” how the one report said it was a “perfect storm” because the kid couldn’t see the truck and the truck “couldn’t stop” (because he was driving too fast in a residential area). But because the driver was within the speed limit fatal mistakes are not “his fault” but the kid’s that died.

From the UK a semi driver admits he’s a git driving defective equipment when he hit a cyclist. A18 lorry driver admits causing cyclist’s death The crime he plead guilty to has a minimum sentence of 36 weeks in jail, but somehow I don’t see that ever happening. I predict a suspended sentence and some community service. What I would like to see is something like 1440 hours of community service if the sentence is suspended. I know, I’m a dreamer “but I’m not the only ooo-one” (John Lennon)

Less than a week out we have our second Ride of Silence link. Cyclists’ Ride of Silence on Wed From Nyack to Piermont

Infrastructure! news from the UK as a barrier is installed on an alleyway to let cyclists know that there is an actual road at the end instead of another alley. Trafford Centre installs safety barrier after young cyclist is killed

Legal infrastructure from the UK. Father of lorry crash victim Ellie Carey wants law on cab cameras The problem is the big trucks have blind spots you could hide the entire TdF peloton in making these vehicles killing machines on wheels. I have seen (staged?) video of a Mini getting run over in the blind spot of a semi, so finding a single cyclist back there would be impossible. Personally I say that no vehicle that has blind spots that large should be allowed on the roads, much less congested urban areas, and this father agrees.

And those are all the links that gave me fits today, actually last night when I did the pre-filter.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Another Mule Day, and another Feed

Mule day duties look to be light again today as we are still coasting along from that massive buy a few weeks ago and just replacing perishables now; milk, bread, eggs, produce, and yogurt. The weather is looking a bit “iffy” so I have my waterproof ALICE pack and one of the kitty litter buckets has the lid back on it. Stuff that won’t be affected by rain will go in the other bucket. So rain or not we’re cool on the weather.

On the pollen front the allergy meds I took last night eventually did their job and I was able to sleep comfortably sometime around 2 AM, which was a great improvement over the previous 4 AM. I also awoke with considerably less gunk in my eyes and as I could breathe through my nose I also didn’t wake up feeling like the 101^st Airborne had marched through my mouth with bare feet. That alone was a great improvement over the previous two nights.

A far West Canuckistan cyclist is right crossed and then blamed for the wreck. Cyclist hits truck on Gordon Drive, winds up in Kelowna General Hospital The cyclist was hit almost head on when the motor vehicle operator made a wide right turn while driving blind, but somehow it was the cyclist’s fault for running into the motor vehicle. This is a difficult wreck to avoid as standard intersection protocols are not designed for vehicles that are not in the correct lane for their direction of travel. Infrastructure might have prevented this if the infrastructure was barrier protected.

News from the UK that motor vehicle operators are most at fault in bike-vs-motor vehicle wrecks. Two thirds of cyclist injuries following collisions with motor vehicle due to driver, says City of Westminster I also liked the part where they point out the behavior that annoys pedestrians the most is one of the least likely reasons why pedestrians are hit, cyclists proceeding through a pedestrian crossing against the signal. What people don’t realize and that most cyclists have internalized is that when cyclists run into or are run into by motor vehicles, the cyclist will get hurt no matter who is at fault, when cyclists run into or are run into by pedestrians the cyclist will get hurt. Cyclists are for the most part actively looking to not get hurt in spite of what it appears to non-cyclists.

A possible hit-and-run in Oz. Cyclist found injured on Haydon Drive While the cyclist’s injuries could have come from either a bad get-off or a hit-and-run, there is the old saying that when one hears hoofbeats in the western US one should not immediately assume zebras. Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

Still in Oz, a cyclist is seriously injured by an RV. Cyclist hit by car near Huskisson At the time I posted this the mode of the wreck had not been released, so other than making the remark that a bicycle helmet is not much protection against having your chest crushed by an RV, I have nothing I can say.

LifeStyle in Seattle as a memorial ride makes the news. Riders honor cyclist killed in semi-truck accident

New legal infrastructure from Houston. New ordinance aims to protect bicyclists, pedestrians This ordinance (what I can read of it) seems to be a direct copy of the law that Gov. Goodhair vetoed in 2009, so it’s a good ordinance if somewhat lacking in teeth by being local rather than statewide and unable to place violators in confinement for longer that 1 year.

And if you think I’m having a bad day, take a look at this link. N.Y. tow company waits word on disposing 30 dead horses from Shippensburg You can imagine what that is starting to smell like.

Last link, a Summer project you can enjoy all winter. Build A Massive Snowmobile Tank Bike Massive is right, there are at least 3 bikes worth of steel in the machine plus trying to turn a single track when it has any kind of grip is going to be “fun”, but overall I see this as an interesting project if somewhat difficult to ride around on.

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Bike month getting off to a ripping start, and the Feed

Yea, that is a sarcastic headline up there, minus the HTML sarcasm tags because for some reason WP hasn’t seen fit to implement that particular tag, probably because it hasn’t been standardized yet. If anyone reading this knows what the final standard is going to be on the sarcasm tag, please leave me a comment with an example of the tag in use and a spaced-remarked example of it in use. Seriously, this tag needed to be implemented like a decade ago, or more (just think about the epic USENET flame wars that could have been prevented had this tag been available in the late ’90s, USENET might still be a usable medium of exchange today).

A WA hit-and-run driver gets his almost 2 years after the wreck that killed a cyclist. In brief: Driver who killed cyclist sentenced Not long enough, and no mention of losing his license after getting out of prison.

The big story so far is the cyclist left-crossed in Canada over the weekend didn’t make it. Cyclist injured in Friday collision, dies in hospital and Two men die in hospital days after traffic collisions Left cross, use intersection protocols to avoid, and stop looking for excuses to run over cyclists as part of the way to prevent. “Sun glare” my well-shaped behind.

Also from Canuckistan is this weekend wreck. Cyclist killed in weekend accident Way too much victim-blaming in this article and way too little information. The wreck was a SWSS that the cyclist “swerved” from the sidewalk to get hit.

A little legal infrastructure trying to get installed in the UK. Comment: Driver liability would protect cyclists I don’t think this will get enforced until there is a major cultural swing in the UK, but hey, you gotta start somewhere. And the justice system in the UK is severely broken in regards to cyclists, which was mentioned a few times in the article.

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Not Bean Day, and the Feed

Well, still Bean Day, just not a day I have to cook beans. We still have large quantities of leftover beans that haven’t been (bean?) consumed, so while we are still eating beans all I will be doing today is putting beans in the oven to reheat them. My bean reheating method is to set the oven for 205°F and let the beans sit in the oven in a Pyrex casserole dish until they reach a stable temperature. This kills any bacteria and also restores some of the flavors that faded out during storage while still keeping the “melded” flavors that develop after storing overnight.

Big story today is from my former home state. Cyclist dies in 3 State event on Lookout Mountain, Tenn. and UPDATE: Bicyclist killed in car crash identified As I read the reports today the cyclist lost control in a tight “s” bend and slid under an oncoming car. Weather may have been a factor for many reasons. To avoid moderate your speed in bad weather, I’m not sure how infrastructure could have made a difference without completely destroying the character of the event. More Report: Jacksonville cyclist killed in Tennessee accident and State briefs: Bicyclist killed in collision with car; Memphis officer indicted, suspended; teen suspect in slaying was under DCS supervision also Bicyclist killed in collision with car

Another cyclist is killed by another DUI driver, with a twist. Chambersburg bicyclist dies after hit by vehicle Hit-from-behind wreck, use the protocols to avoid or mitigate the results, get the infrastructure right to prevent (if the infrastructure had been good the drunk might have been riding another bike, so even if he ran into someone he would have caused little to no damage). Did you see the twist in the last paragraph? It makes it almost sound as if the driver was being investigated for something else and the DUI just added to the list. I don’t know if that’s the case or if the writer just truncated too far, but what was there when I read it makes me want to go up there and ask some questions. More Chambersburg man killed while riding bicycle

Dead cyclist in paradise. Maui bicyclist killed in collision with commercial van At this point it is reported the cyclist ran a red light just before he was hit. Intersection protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

An ID child riding a bike is injured when one vehicle stops but not another. 5-year-old severely injured after riding bike into traffic The 5YO was crossing the street riding in the flow of traffic when a second vehicle went around the first on that had stopped and hit the child. The child appears to have been riding in a fairly mature manner, but not the driver of the second vehicle… Given the age of he cyclist I don’t know what could be done to avoid or prevent the wreck, except to issue tickets to people that pass cars stopped at intersections and hit pedestrians or cyclists. The car that stops in front of you most likely stopped for a reason, respect that.

From the Great White North a cyclist is killed while apparently preparing to make a left turn in a legal manner. Police Further Investigating Fatal Collision Involving Cyclist All I know at this point is the cyclist was killed in the left turn lane and was not suspected of riding salmon. Intersection protocols (because at or almost at the intersection) to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

A UK cyclist is run off the road and into a temporary sign. Cyclist seriously injured after collision with road sign in Horsham And the driver that ran him off the road is uninjured… DOYH!

Not-unexpected news from OZ about the truck driver that Jerry Browned a cyclist who ended up tangled in the wheels of the truck. Cement truck driver Luke Stevens found not guilty over death of cyclist Richard Pollett Given what I have seen posted online to Aussie news articles about cycling and the dangers of motor vehicles, I can’t say I was shocked at the outcome, but I am saddened. More Truckie not guilty over cyclist’s death and same headline but different report Truckie not guilty over cyclist’s death

My first RoS link of Bike Month 2013. Slow, silent bike ride in New Orleans honors cyclists killed or injured on public roads

Infrastructure! news from Canuckistan. Cycling accident prompts calls for bike lanes

State-by-state bike rankings. Bicycle Friendly State: 2013 State Rankings Texas ended up middle of the pack in spite of bottom-feeding infrastructure.

And those are all the links that gave me fits today, except the motorcycle wrecks. Those give me fits, too but are not suitable for discussion in this blog.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

The cold weather has arrived, and the Feed

Well as forecast the weather has changed drastically again. The winds are howling outside the door (not mentioned in the forecast BTW), and while not freezing (yet) there is a definite chill in the air that was not there yesterday, in fact it’s approaching noon as I type this and the current temperature is lower than yesterday’s low. So chilly and windy, and we have to go shopping today. Yay! This should be entertaining. Well I guess if it was on TV and I was the buttmonkey character it would be entertaining, but from my standpoint it’s just another Thursday.

Up first today is the Big Story from Seattle with lots of links about a cyclist killed with a semi. Update: Bicyclist killed in crash east of West Seattle low bridge The link with the nicest comments first Bicyclist dies after collision with semi in Seattle and Cyclist killed in collision with truck along East Marginal Way South also Site of fatal Sodo collision a tricky route for cyclists another link Seattle bike rider killed in crash with truck and last link Bicyclist killed in collision with semi truck All those links to say that they don’t know yet how the cyclist ended up under the left side of the truck. at this point they don’t even know which of 5 possible intersections he was hit at, so until them I’m just going to say intersection protocols apply to all intersections between one street or road and any other place where a motor vehicle can come, and use intersection protocols to survive all of them. It was pointed out in some of the links that this area is being considered for segregated bicycle infrastructure because of all the heavy truck traffic, so they already know how to fix the problem and are in the process of fixing it, but you know how fast government works with infrastructure.

An IL man is killed in a hit-from-behind wreck. Bicyclist killed on rural Saline County, Ill., road Charges are pending he completion of the investigation. Hit-from-behind, use the protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent, although I have no idea what could be done in this rural area to get bikes away from motor vehicles. More Cyclist killed by truck in Southern Illinois and Police investigating cyclist death in southern Illinois

Another senseless SUV killing in Oz. Cyclist killed in four-wheel drive accident There is possibility that the cyclist was in the wrong place at the wrong time as the initial report was a rollover wreck, so the cyclist may have been hit by an out-of-control SUV. But the mode of wreck is still being kept under wraps by LEO. More Cyclist killed in Humpty Doo crash

Proof that anti-bike crazies are not limited to the roads. Psychiatrist jailed for booby-trapping Oregon mountain bike trails When I first saw this I thought that Mikey from the old USENET bike groups had taken a jaunt north, but this is a different nut case psychiatrist.

LifeStyle as a cyclist makes a comeback from serious injuries. Santa Clarita cyclist injured in crash now to compete in 620-mile bike race I wish this person lots of luck, but surviving the wreck has shown he already has luck (but a bit more wouldn’t hurt any).

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Warm day today forecast cold day tomorrow, and the Feed

I just got back from running an errand on Blue, and it was right at 76 out with a light breeze. This is slightly below normal for this time of year here in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell, but within expected ranges of variation. But tomorrow is supposed to start out at 58 and never get any warmer, then drop to 38 Friday morning. This is insane for May in Texas, where we have averages of daytime highs in the mid-90s and morning lows in the high 50s sneaking up over 60 by the end of the month. And this falls on the heels of the warmest year ever last year, even warmer than the year we had more 100 degree highs than we had days in “official” summer. The seasons seem to be lagging more and more in the last few years with sudden switches from cold to hot weather instead of the gradual changes that have been the norm for most of my memory. I’m told that this will be another consequence of climate change especially for those of us located in mid-continent areas where we don’t have the temperature regulating effects of ocean currents to modulate the weather. Oh, Goody!

And the less said about my allergies, the better. As a former member of my church called it, tree bukakke is no fun, or as I called it last year plants having sex in my sinuses. I don’t object to plant sex if they keep the byproducts to themselves, but this indiscriminate spreading of genetic material about the countryside has to stop. Safe Sex for Plants! (The preceding message brought to you by Prudes Against Public Reproduction)

A scary report from CA. Bicyclist Killed By Hit-and-Run Driver, Cops Say Crash Was Intentional Intentionally hitting someone with a motor vehicle is attempted murder in my book except when the victim dies and then you can drop the “attempted” part off the charges. As the wreck is reported now there is no way for a human cyclist to avoid this wreck, and I’m not sure infrastructure would have helped much unless the driver just lost it over being delayed a few seconds by the cyclist. When they catch the driver I’m of the opinion that he gets to watch his precious car get recycled while chained behind the steering wheel. I should also say that this report brought back a flood of bad memories from my wreck in 2001, specifically the ones about trying to get local LEO to get off their butts and investigate the assault.

From far-West Canuckistan, two more cyclists get hit. Two cyclists hit in separate accidents in Saanich on Monday Two left crosses in the same street within a few minutes of each other, both immediately blamed on the drivers involved, and the drivers get a smaller fine than they would have gotten had they dropped a bag of garbage on the ground instead of nearly killing someone. Am I the only one seeing the problem here? Obviously intersection protocols for the cyclists to avoid these wrecks, but infrastructure and a major attitude change is the only thing that will prevent these in the long run.

A frank discussion of the failures of infrastructure in NC. MOTORISTS’ COLLISIONS WITH CYCLISTS RESULT IN LASTING INJURIES AND ANXIETY The line from the article that causes me the most despair was the first sentence: “It’s not difficult to find a cyclist in Greensboro who’s been hit by a car — just find someone who relies on their bike for transportation.” This implies a 100% chance over time to get hit by a car while just getting from place to place, and that really bothers me. That is an indictment against LEO and infrastructure, and yes active LEO doing good traffic enforcement can make up for bad infrastructure. Not completely mind you, but many shortcomings of bad infrastructure can be erased by heavy traffic law enforcement against the people with the deadly weapons, and the most dangerous infractions of the cyclists.

LifeStyle in GA. Ride for Fallen Officers heads to Savannah As much as I rail against the shortcomings of LEO, they have a hard and sometimes dangerous job.

and those are all the links that gave me fits today, less the motorcycle wrecks and the UK links that didn’t say anything more than a wreck happened and someone got hurt.

Billed @€0.02, Opus (Sorry about raising the rate, inflation you know)

Wow, that went over well, and the Feed

Every so often you write something that you just do stream-of-consciousness, that doesn’t feel like it has any structure nor rhyme nor reason, and in spite of everything people like it. Yesterday’s post, people liked. Whoodathunkit? Right now I’m drinking my coffee, nibbling on a PopTart, and going through the morning e-mails, then I will filter the rest of the Feed I didn’t filter last night. There were a lot of motorcycle wrecks in the weekend Feed…

Up first another report on a hit-and-run from the other LA. Shreveport cyclist killed in suspected hit and run I don’t know where they got “suspected” from, there’s a dead cyclist with major impact injury not consistent with a bicycle’s speed range in that area, and there’s no motor vehicle in the area. Leaving the scene constitutes a hit-and-run. Again, like I said Saturday, this looks like a hit-from-behind wreck, use the protocols to avoid. And publicly execute hit-and-run drivers to prevent. More Shreveport police identify cyclist killed in hit-and-run crash

Another hit-from-behind in LA. Bicyclist killed in Lafourche Parish Hit-from-behind protocols including lights and reflectors to avoid, and from the comments it seems that infrastructure played a part in this wreck as well.

A hit-from-behind wreck in CA that was caught on video. Three riders walk away from horror LA bike crash The wreck appears to have been the result of “target fixation” where the motorcycle rider saw the cyclists but just did not avoid them because he could not look away from them to plot an alternate course. There was no way human cyclists could have avoided this wreck as there was not enough time between being able to see the motorcycle behind them and react to its path. More Motorcycle hit cyclist on the snake Mulholland

A serial cyclist-killer awaits sentencing in the UK. Family calls for tough sentencing on driver who killed cyclists 30 years apart This driver needs to learn a lesson, and the first application of the clue-by-four was not effective. The next application needs to have a longer duration than the 8 months he got the first time.

A bit of good news from Jolly Olde on drivers actually seeing cyclists. Cyclists Actually ARE Invisible to Drivers Depending on the driver, as many as one third don’t see cyclists on the roads in front of them. It isn’t that so many are hit, it’s that so few are that is the great credit to the traffic skills of the average cyclist.

And those are all the links that gave me fits today, less the motorcycle wrecks not including bicycles, and the UK links that had basically zero information.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

RPG day and maybe mowing the lawn, and the Feed

I finally get to attend another Role Playing Game tonight, and it looks like I will have good weather for the ride to and from the session. Also today is the birthday of our hostess so there may be cake and ice cream during the game. There has been a complaint made about my Eldritch Lesser Pantsing spell so maybe I will have to choose another invocation for my allocation from my level up. The complaint is that the spell/invocation does not follow the rules of magic in the game and is too powerful a spell for a caster of my level. My counter is that the spell is only effective for a few turns and does not provide a major advantage aside from a temporary reduction of AC for the duration of the spell. And I might go buy gas for the mower so I can waste it cutting grass…

Up first a serious reward is offered for the arrest of a hit-and-run driver. $50,000 reward considered in hit-and-run that killed bicyclist I hope they catch this guy, then recycle his SOV/SUV with him in it. More Hit-and-Run Leaves Bicyclist Seriously Injured

From the other LA a cyclist is killed in a hit-and-run assault by another huge vehicle. SPD: Bicycle rider dies after hit-and-run with pickup Nothing official released yet but from the crime scene picture it appears to have been a buzz job or a hit-from-behind. Use the protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

From the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike 9 years in a row, there was another bicycle collision. Bicyclist, Motorcycle Driver Hurt in Crash at First Avenue North OK I looked at the Street View for this wreck scene and there is no reason why the bicyclist should have been hit except that he ran the stop sign, or as was suggested in the article stopped but didn’t yield. Intersection protocols to avoid and prevent this wreck. Infrastructure only works where people are willing to use it, and this case was one of not using the existing infrastructure properly.

A CO cyclist is injured by parts falling off a truck that was in a wreck. Boulder police: Cyclist injured by dislodged truck topper in multi-vehicle accident This was another one of those wrecks that there was nothing the cyclist could have done to protect himself from. There were 3 vehicles involved and the cyclist was mostly shielded from the wreck by the third one. Unfortunately the top of the truck bed was taller than the front fenders of the third vehicle and the third vehicle was not able to block flying parts off the truck. Infrastructure might have prevented this injury, might not.

Another proposed helmet law gets debated, this time the people proposing the law admit they don’t know how many injuries the law would prevent if any. Bicycle helmet need at odds with county health district records I love it when nanny state regulations are shown to be more intrusive than they are worth.

Still in WA a cyclist argues for more use of their vulnerable users law. Injured cyclist fighting to keep fellow bikers safe The comments section is… interesting

And those are all the links that gave me fits today. Now I’m going to go get gas for the mower… UGH!

Billed @€0.02, Opus

There are a lot of activities I’m supposed to go to this evening via Blue, but the weather forecast is “iffy” at best, so I’m not sure what I will be doing tonight. There is a Full Moon service scheduled for tonight at church, preceded by a Heathens Study group, and after the service we will be rolling straight into our monthly drum jam (I go to dance, not drum). And sometime this week I need to waste time and fossil fuels reducing the height of the ground cover and grass in the yard. That is rough on the bad leg, but I have to do it if I want the city to stay off my back (not to mention Mrs. the Poet).

Update on a wreck in AZ. WOMAN RECEIVES 4.5 YEARS IN PRISON FOR FATAL DUI THAT KILLED CYCLIST Apparently obstructing justice after killing someone isn’t that big a deal as long as the victim was a cyclist and the weapon is a motor vehicle.

More on that attempted murder by motor vehicle in CA as two more videos have been released by BHPD. New BMW Suspect Vehicle Video #2 I sincerely hope they catch this guy and put him away for a very long time. And permanently bar him from driving ever again on arrest for illegal possession of a deadly weapon…New video released in Beverly Hills ‘road rage’ attack

Not a single wreck, but the aggregated wrecks from NYC for the month of March. NYPD: 1,182 Pedestrians and Cyclists Injured, 12 Killed in Traffic in March Notice the last line in the list of causes, two wrecks were caused by tampering with the weapon vehicle prior to the wreck, out of more than 16K.

Another hit-from-behind wreck in the Great White North. Cyclist injured in crash near Tucker’s Corners Hit-from-behind the protocols might have helped, getting the infrastructure right would probably have prevented including making getting and keeping a license to use a WMD as transportation much harder. If I ruled the world this driver would lose his license for a very loong time and have massive hurdles to jump through to get it back.

UK story of another blind driver. Worcester death crash accused breaks down recalling incident “He told the court he pulled up after the incident and walked back to where a witness was with Mr Francis and gave his details before carrying on, unaware there had been a collision.” And deaf as well. I have driven trucks and I know that when you hit a small bird with the cab of the truck you can hear it, so I’m not buying the “I didn’t know I did it” story. He saw the cyclist’s Hi-Viz, even if only for a fraction of a second so he knew that there was a human involved, and just who did he leave his details with. Bad reporting or maybe bad laws controlling what can be reported. But still, sit in your car or truck and look out the windshield for 8 seconds. That was the amount of time the cyclist was in plain view before he was hit. Had the driver actually been looking out that window instead of doing something else he would have seen the cyclist and been able to slow or change lanes to avoid him.

Another UK wreck where hitting a cyclist was NBT (no big thing). Cyclist injured after a van crashed into him I have the sneaking suspicion that had the driver disputed fault in this wreck he would have been sent on his way with an apology. Anyway, hit-from-behind, use the protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

In Oz it seems that drivers don’t stop just because they hit and killed someone, they have things to do and places to be, and besides if those people were important they would be in a car… Man dies in Footscray hit-run, cyclist injured in Scoresby, Seville pedestrian dies in crash All of those wrecks were vulnerable road users and each one was a hit-and-run. The cyclist wreck was especially egregious as he was hit while on the sidewalk/MUP and not even in the street or road in the first place. There is no way a human cyclist could have avoided this wreck, and as it was on infrastructure that was already segregated upgrading the infrastructure would not have done much either. The only thing that would have made any difference is keeping people with mental defects from getting access to huge killing machines. If crazy people need to get about let them walk, use transit, or maybe ride a bicycle. More Cyclist injured in Melbourne hit and run

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Time for Mule Duty already? and the Feed

One thing is nearly constant when you’re a cyclist, eating, followed by running out of food. The pantry here at Casa de El Poeta is once again resembling Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard from the nursery rhyme. So after Mrs. the Poet gets off work Blue and I will schlep our sorry selves over to the local purveyor of comestibles and secure caloric sustenance, then return said sustenance to the Casa.

From CA terrifying video of a driver ramming a cyclist. Raw: California driver sought for ramming bike You can see the driver makes a 3-point turn to reverse direction then deliberately tries to smash the cyclist against a trash bin. That is attempted murder in my book, but as a survivor of a similar assault in 2001 my judgement might be a little biased.

Also from CA a cyclist is hit because she was in the bike lane and the driver wanted to be where she was? Bicyclist Hit, Injured by ‘Impatient’ Driver I strongly disagree with the subhead on this article, this was no an “accident” but another deliberate assault with a deadly weapon.

What appears to be a Jerry Browning of a cyclist turns fatal. San Rafael man dies in bike crash How else would the cyclist have ended up under the truck if it had not been passing too closely?

More on the VA single cyclist wreck during a group tour. Cyclist injured in crash in Bedford County I’m still trying to find what might have caused the cyclist to leave the road in the first place as something just does not pass the “smell test” on this one. More Iowa Man Airlifted After Bedford Co. Bike Crash

More on that UK story about the guy with the suspended license driving drunk and running from the police. Man admits killing couple riding tandem bike near Bristol As I posted earlier about this story, there was no way for a human cyclist to be able to evade a drunk driver weaving at high speed through traffic, and infrastructure would not have helped much either (drunk drivers are already breaking many laws why should they pay any attention to a bit of paint on the roads outside a residential area?).

Infratrcuture! news from CA. Of broomsticks and bikes NBC Universal after a little arm-twisting decided it would be in their best interests to no longer impede this vital stretch of bike path, and instead they should help pay for it. I would have loved to been a fly on the wall for that negotiation session.

A handy new link I have found for judging if an e-assist bike will work for you. Electric bike trip simulator If you have the efficiency of your motor over a wide range of speeds (like you get by using the ebikes.ca motor simulator) then you can plug in the percent effciency at the various speeds (I assume this is at full throttle) and get a fairly accurate range determination for your route.

Last link, a drunken bike thief returns the bike with an apology, and a coupon good for a free piece of cake at a local restaurant. Bike Thief Apology: Intoxicated Bandit Returns Bicycle With Priceless Note, Domino’s Coupon (PHOTO) While the coupon was a nice gesture, returning the bike was even better, and regretting the actions taken while inebriated tops all.

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus (Have I mentioned I love having the “€” key on this computer?)