Sturgeon’s Law applies to the population in general, too, and the Feed

I know that the pronouncement in the headline will go right over the heads of many of my readers, but I don’t care. For those of you interested you can look up Theodore Sturgeon in the Wikipedia. If you’re really interested you can do a follow-up on Kilgore Trout and Kurt Vonnegut. That literary journey of discovery will place you square in the middle of Wonderland, enjoy.

Up first because it’s closest is a wreck in Houston. Cyclist, 68, struck by car in fatal NW Harris crash I noticed that many papers have disabled their comments sections when reporting a bicycle wreck in their online editions. That saves a lot of agita for me. This wreck seems very well defined, the car ignored a traffic control and hit the cyclist in the intersection, the driver is expected to be charged after the grand jury hears the case. I fully expect this case will not languish because of the close relationship between the decedent and a member of the 4^th estate.

In ID a driver is jailed for hitting a cyclist while driving drunk, before he sobered up. Caldwell man charged after car hits, injures cyclist The driver was jailed on charges of aggravated driving under the influence until his case can be heard and bound over for bail/bond. Why can’t TX do that? Why can’t AZ do that?

Another trial over injury to a cyclist that took even longer than TTTWLAMWAMD to come to trial. It’s been a long road to trial in cyclist’s death This was a homicide, the other case was a simple case of assault with a deadly weapon, and yet in spite of the evidence in this case it still has taken more than a year to come to trial. The wait must have been terrible for the family of the victim.

In UT a cyclist asks that drivers hang up and drive. Bicyclist’s instruction Don’t read the comments section, while there is some sentience in there the babbling of the semi-sentient will drive you insane.

In Enn Zed they are cranking up their warm months campaign to alert drivers that there are other people on the roads besides people driving cars. Share the road this Summer Equally, cyclists are very vulnerable and the road can be a scary place if you don’t have the protective shell of a car body. Amen Brutha’! Also, as cyclists we need to obey traffic controls, even when they don’t make a lot of sense for bicycles, and work on legislators to get traffic rules that make sense for cyclists and drivers, even if that will require making different rules for drivers and cyclists.

Another “Share the roads” event, in Oz this time. Riders pedal message to share the road Again the comments section ruins a perfectly good article.

Even in South Africa they are having issues with drivers that don’t want to give up an inch of their precious pavement to other road users. Appeal over Tour training as cyclist killed You have to do a couple of page downs to get to the actual article as there is some kind of issue with the layout in FF or Opera. I don’t have IE because I have a Linux system so I can’t tell you how it looks on that browser. The fact that cycling clubs are leasing race tracks to train because the roads are too dangerous should be a wake up call to the politicians that something needs to be done, ASAP if not sooner.

A motorcycle/bicycle wreck in Nepal kills the motorcycle rider and severely injures his passenger and the cyclist. One killed in Saptari This is one of the few wreck modes where the cyclist is on even terms with a motor vehicle operator in terms of relative injury. In the long run that makes motorcycle operators our allies in the battle to make roads safer.

And an article about something very close to the author of this blog, brain injury. Changed in a moment: Inside the lives of those living with brain injury Yes I have a brain injury, no you can’t tell from my blog. I have a permanent limp, that I try very hard to disguise and mostly succeed in doing so. I have aphasia when I speak, so sometimes my speech is slow and halting. I have anger issues and poor anger control; if you make me mad I will let you know about it in no uncertain terms if I can get the words to come out.

And that’s all I have for today, it’s such a nice day out I think I’ll go for a ride with Gigi.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Another ginormous Feed, but not much to show for it

I had an enormous Feed to filter today, but not many articles about bicycles in it. What I did have was massive numbers of articles on people named Rider getting killed or injured by various means. It was really absurd after a while, all these articles about people with either the first or last name “Rider” getting killed or injured, most by some interaction with a motor vehicle but a couple of them were just weird, like the guy that broke his ankle kicking field goals I think at some park, but it might have been a Jr. High athletic field.

Up first because something had to be is an update on the cyclist killed in Yuma AZ while riding in the bike lane. No charges filed yet in cyclist’s death Apparently in AZ you can kill cyclists with impunity as long as you are not drunk or taking drugs, as that is the holdup on filing charges in this case. It doesn’t matter if you are driving in the bike lane when you hit a cyclist from behind as long as you are not chemically impaired when you do it. Neither does it matter if you cross the centerline to hit a cyclist head on, so long as you are not chemically impaired, and you are passing another vehicle without crossing a double yellow line. TANJ! What you can do as a cyclist in the same situation, try to angle your body so that you go through the windshield and take out the driver, because that will be the only retribution you get in AZ.

A spate of cyclists getting killed in the downstate NY area. Teenage Long Island bicyclist killed in collision; third common case in six weeks Looking through the wrecks in question there is a common thread that the light was green for the motor vehicle when the cyclist was hit, but when there was more than one witness the witness states the cyclist waited for a green light in their direction before proceeding. This sounds like a case of when the signal control detects a cyclist the light period is not long enough to get all the way across from a dead stop, so that by the time the cyclist gets to the far traffic lane the light has been green a few seconds already. You can imagine what happens next as motor vehicles see the green light but not the cyclist still in the intersection. I’m not sure what you can do to avoid a similar situation, as quick lights at night are all too common all over the US, there is one just down the street from me. It only picks up that I’m there about 1/3 of the time, and by the time I get to the far lane of the 5 in that intersection the light has already cycled through to green in the other direction.

This is one of those “don’t read the comments” articles as there were calls to kill all cyclists on the roads “made for cars”. Critical Mass cyclists to ride in honor of teen killed in accident The cyclist was hit from behind by a speeding driver and had all the lights and reflectors, and yet some bozo says there should be a bike curfew. I have a better suggestion, how about a car curfew to keep deadly weapons out of the hands of drunks and psychopaths? Bicycles, pedestrians, and emergency vehicles only between 11 PM and 5 AM. Does that make more sense than a bike curfew?

Another report on the CARnage in Toronto this week caused by bad weather and worse drivers. Four men seriously injured in four separate collisions Again they (the paper) blame the guy hit from behind by the van because he wasn’t wearing a helmet, what’s the deal here? Why not blame the guy that was driving too fast for conditions, like the police charged the driver.

A wreck involving a UK citizen that happened in South America. Driver at fault in crash that killed cyclist, say police At least they decided that as the case was out of UK jurisdiction the media laws that bound the paper did not apply in this case as there was no jury to contaminate prior to the trial that won’t be anywhere near the island of Jersey. But still they won’t even say what kind of wreck it was… Have I mentioned recently that I hate UK media laws (as can be seen by the fact I have a tag for it in my tag cloud)?

More on the female cyclist killed in London this week. Talented fashion student is 12th London cyclist killed this year So many female cyclists getting killed, all out of proportion to their numbers, what is the deal here?

Good news for cyclists and pedestrians in Austria. Cyclist and pedestrian death tolls down Whatever they are doing in Austria is what we need to be doing in Garland, as our cyclist death toll is way out of proportion to the number of cyclists… The entire country of Austria has only killed 36 cyclists this year, a 35% drop over the same period the year prior.

And finally, a good story about a cyclist injured in a pileup crash in a pack of cyclists. Jackson cyclist bounces back after injury I say from experience that facial injuries are a bear even when there isn’t massive amounts of pain involved.

And that’s all I have today. remember no post Sunday as I need some time away from the blog to remain sane.

Billed @$.02, Opus

If I had any money I could have gone to the Black Friday sales, a Sunday weak Feed

Fortunately the nature of the US Thanksgiving holiday makes for very few drivers on the roads, which makes for very few cyclists getting hit yesterday.

From the US we don’t have anything, only one North American report on a cyclist rear ended in the fog in Toronto. Deadly week on GTA roads includes four fatalities Interestingly enough the cyclist that was rear-ended was not among the fatalities from that day, but I don’t know if he’s still alive today.

And from Jolly Olde, they killed another woman with a large vehicle, a bus this time. Cyclist in bus collision dies When I read about this wreck back when it first happened I was hopeful that we had a survivor, one of the few heavy vehicle/bicycle wrecks in London that didn’t kill the female victim. Unfortunately, she didn’t survive. I have nothing on this particular wreck, but what I know about the other wrecks is the majority are from heavy vehicles making left turns through the cyclist’s path, a Limey left hook (because they drive on the wrong side of the road) when the cyclist is stationary while waiting for a stop light. I don’t know how to fix that kind of wreck except to make turning across a cycle lane illegal, which will bollux up the works no end. That would be the equivalent in the US of making right on red illegal, and all right turns where there is a bike lane illegal. Think about how that will fly.

And that’s all there was today, yay! I like days that don’t have many killed or injured cyclists.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Before I eat turkey, here are a bunch of road turkeys, the Feed

For people living in the USA this is a major holiday. For the rest of you it’s Thursday, but today is the day we have set aside to reflect on our lives and to be thankful to whatever deity we follow.

This is what I’m thankful for. I’m first and foremost thankful that I’m alive and here to share “wit” and “wisdom” with you. I know I’m not always witty and that I’m frequently not wise, but I have my moments. I’m thankful I have a nice bike that I can use to move my butt and stuff that I need to move from place to place. I’m also very thankful for my church community without whom I would just be spending 24/7 at the house, making angry posts to this blog and nasty comments on other web sites about the evil things drivers do behind the wheels of their cars and trucks. They help keep me sane and mostly functional. I’m most thankful for the people around me that put up with the “stuff” I do as a result of the brain damage I have. I know I’m not easy to live with, but I’m very glad that there are people that choose to live with me, and that put up with the way I am.

Up first is an update on the Natick MA man that was dragged 860 feet (initially reported as 300 yards) and around the corner of an intersection. Natick police question injured bicycist I strongly suggest reading the full article if you think you have the stomach for it. Lots of new information there.

Another cyclist injured in FL, the deadliest state in the US for cyclists. Bicyclist injured in Seminole crash Mode of the crash hasn’t been released yet. People in the comments are saying this is a bad intersection for cyclists no matter where you ride. Apparently drivers won’t give cyclists any room on the road, drive too fast and don’t pay much attention to the sidewalks either. But until I get more information on the wreck I can’t say for certain how to avoid a similar wreck.

Another cyclist is hit with a bus, this time in Chicago. Bicycle rider injured by CTA bus Lots of information about the bus movements, but nothing about the cyclist. Interesting that the FD says the cyclist is in serious condition but the bus company says the injuries were minor. In this case I would place more credence in the FD than the bus company.

And in the spirit of the holiday. Cyclist thankful to be alive after wreck Yeah, them dogs can be a major pain when you ride a bike.

And that’s all I have this Thanksgiving day, enjoy your meal, even if you’re having tofurkey

Billed @$.02, Opus

Running late due to trying to donate blood and Thanksgiving perparations, the Feed

I’m officially out of the blood donating business for a long time, I’m still anemic. That would explain the lack of legs on long rides and especially on hills, and the low cruise speeds. I’m still as strong as ever in sprints and up short hills where oxygen-carrying capacity is not the limiting factor, so the strength training has been working, I just lack the oxygen-carrying capacity to go the distance at tempo. meh. For people who have followed my blog from MySpace you know this problem first reared its ugly head summer of 2007 and made my ride at the HHH that year a fiasco, as little girls on BSO MTB with knobby tires passed me any time the road made a slight inclination against me and I had to SAG out at the first rest stop as my pulse wouldn’t come down and my BP went up drastically. Up until them I had been donating every 8-9 weeks, but I haven’t been able to get my counts up high enough since June of ‘07. I guess this would be a good time to get that tattoo.

Up first because something has to be, and because this was appropriate for the season, a bike race/food drive. An Outlaw Street Race, for a Good Cause Basically it’s a race, but to win the race you have to buy the major makings to a Thanksgiving dinner for donating to a food bank. The Witch on a Bicycle blog heartily supports such an endeavor. We’re real big on food around here.

The other US story was about a month old, but still has lessons to be learned. Bicyclist seriously injured in Bybee Blvd. collision Yeppers, it was a left cross wreck, one of the most common but fortunately one that is usually survivable, if you turn with the car to reduce the impact. that assumes of course you have time to recognize the impending wreck and decide if you can stop in time or need to turn, then institute the turning movements to reduce the angle of impact with the car. I’m not too good with that, but fortunately I don’t get that kind of wreck very often and so don’t have to make those decisions very often.

More on the cop v bicycle wreck in SD CA. ‘Ghost Bike’ Honors Cyclist I would really like to see that report from the CHP given all the facts that have come to light since the wreck, the years of experience of the cyclist, the safety gear worn by the cyclist, the lack of flashing lights or siren used by the cop on the way to assist a fellow officer, claims that the officer was at least keeping up with other motor vehicles in the near vicinity contrary to the claim the LEO was driving under the speed limit…

Cyclists are suing the city of Toronto for failing to keep the streets safe for their cycling employees, the bicycle police patrol and the bicycle paramedic squad, total of about 530 employees working the streets on bicycles. Law backs cyclist’s quest for safe roads If you can’t get then to do right by you as a taxpayer, make do right for their employees, and then they also do right for the taxpayers.

On a similar note, the family of a UK cyclist killed in London asks for better infrastructure for cyclists. Family of cyclist killed in crash call for improved safety Really it isn’t all that hard, you just have to decide that too many people are getting killed, and build the infrastructure to prevent that.

And the last story is from Oz, as a man riding home from work is run over by a co-worker (not the legendary cow orker). Cyclist injured At least they charged the driver with something more serious than failure to maintain lane position.

And that’s all I got tonight. Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your meal tomorrow. Best wishes to our servicemen and women who are having Thanksgiving dinner in the chow hall or out in bivouac in the boonies. I’m thinking about you, and glad I’m not doing that anymore.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Ugly wrecks and multiple reports, the Feed

We had some ugly wrecks in the Feed today, which is not to imply that there are ever any pretty ones, just more or less ugly. Today we had some that were very ugly indeed.

The worst of those was a cyclist/pedestrian wreck with a little boy and a hit-and-run cyclist. Boy injured by alleged hit-and-run cyclist Don’t hit the pedestrians, if you do hit the pedestrians don’t leave until contact information has been exchanged and/or the pedestrian has been transported by medical caregivers. Or until you are transported, because bicycle/pedestrian wrecks are one of the few modalities that allow pedestrians to give as well as they get. But, don’t hit the pedestrians.

And this one was ugly because of a lack of information. Cyclist Killed By Car OK all we know at this point was the car hit the kid on the bicycle, it wasn’t a hit-and-run and the driver will get away with it.

Another SWSS in WA state. Bicyclist killed in collision with tow truck and Leavenworth bike rider killed in collision Interesting how the cyclist turned left but still got hit on the shoulder of the road… For those trying to avoid a similar wreck, use hit-from-behind protocols posted elsewhere in my blog. Use “protocol” as your main search term.

And more multiple reports of the man killed on US 23 in OH. Crash kills Piketon bicycle rider on U.S. 23 and Cyclist struck, killed in Ross County Another hit-from-behind wreck, what was once the most rare of wrecks is still pretty rare but extremely fatal as cars are going faster and drivers pay less attention to things outside the car.

A wreck caused by bad infrastructure in MA. Cyclist dies from Rt. 2 crash The cyclist hit a hole that was either unmarked or poorly marked and partially hidden by fallen leaves. The fact that the cyclist was riding on a sidewalk is not germaine to this particular case as leaves pile up on streets and roads as well as on sidewalks and there are utility access panels on streets as well.

This is an interesting wreck. Cyclist hurt in smash with car in Solihull I wonder what made the car overturn and was the car in the act of overturning before or after it hit the cyclist? This could have been a very interesting story had it happened outside the UK.

Another hit-and-run cyclist, but with a twist. WALTHAMSTOW: Injured artist calls for change to “dangerous” road layout The victim never saw the cyclist before the wreck, and from the article the cyclist never saw the victim, and the victim is blaming the infrastructure rather than the cyclist. Presumably the sight lines were such that a cyclist would be screened from pedestrian view and vice versa and cyclists would be therefore intent on oncoming traffic from the left rather than expecting a pedestrian from the right.

A report on the death last year of an Australian cyclist. Cyclist saw Swanston St rider fall to her death Heavy bicycle traffic and streetcar tracks, and adjacent bus traffic equals dead cyclist. Not a pretty equation, and to be right next to it would be horrific.

Another bike ride to honor another cyclist murdered by a driver. Cyclists Honor One Of Their Own There have been too many of these rides lately, even one is too many. Something must be done so that cyclists can ride without drivers trying to kill them.

And that’s all I have for you this day.

Billed @$.02, Opus

You didn’t miss anything yesterday, but I feel much better

Well, in spite of not making a post yesterday you won’t miss anything because I didn’t flush the Feed I just waited until today to post the link from it. You didn’t misread that I did in fact use “link” singular rather than the plural form of the word. Sunday has been the lightest day for the Feed followed closely by Monday, so it looks like from here on out I will be posting only 6 times a week barring breaking news items getting sent to me like the conviction of TTTWLAMWAMD. BTW if someone in the LA area would like to place themselves in the courtroom for his sentencing and e-mail me what the outcome of that is I could make you semi-famous. That and $3 will get you a cup of coffee that you could get for $2.60 otherwise… Seriously I will post your name or Internet handle, pseudonym, or any other form of written identification (I’ll even make up a cool acronym) if you so desire if you send me an e-mail when TTTWLAMWAMD is sentenced, whatever sentence he gets. I won’t even blame you if he gets probation

First up is your link from Sunday. Bicyclist without helmet critically injured Obviously the lack of a helmet caused this wreck. Actually what caused the wreck was whatever made the cyclist lose traction while rounding a corner around 25 MPH (a speed which I find highly suspect as I have heard people estimate the speed of my bicycle at anywhere from 5 to 40 MPH at the same time and in the same place (18 MPH)). Not having a helmet only contributed to the severity of the subsequent injury. I should also point out that this is a situation for which helmets were intended to be of use, even though the certification test doesn’t do anything to test for the motion of the helmeted head over the ground.

A wreck in OH that we don’t know much about because of a news blackout by LEO. Bicyclist Killed In Collision With Van At this point the best guess from what limited information is available (and my OH backchannel is shut down for this story) is the cyclist was hit from behind, and because of the blackout there is a strong possibility that the driver did it intentionally. I’ll continue to keep an ocular open on this story.

An ME cyclist in a single vehicle wreck requires extraction from a bad location. Cyclist hurt in York woods near Folly Pond Fortunately for the cyclist he was in an area with cell reception so he could call for help. This is a good idea for every cyclist even if you never leave concrete and asphalt paving. Always carry a cell phone and make sure the battery is charged before you leave, If you’re going on a several day long trip you might want to have spare batteries, depending on how good your phone is on talk time. Obviously if there is any doubt about capacity or endurance you’ll want to leave the phone turned off until needed.

From Oz the report of a little girl injured on her bicycle by someone with a learner’s permit. Cyclist, 13, injured in learner driver collision This sometimes happens with new drivers. The Witch on a Bicycle blog understands that and will refrain from calling for the hide and various bits of the driver’s anatomy in retribution for this CARnage. Should the driver be at fault, the staff at Witch on a Bicycle suggest that a 6 month ban on driving and a requirement to ride a bicycle during that ban be imposed on the driver in lieu of a jail or prison sentence.

A year after a driver hit 10 cyclists injuring 5 and nearly killing one of those, it’s time for El Tour de Tucson again. Focus on safety as countdown to bicycle race begins And it took only 4 comments before the strawman of bicycle taxes was brought up by Jim S. (kingrat). Well Mr. S. I strongly suggest that you stay west of the NM/TX border, as you have not paid TX taxes so you are not permitted to use our roads

A memorial ride for the cyclist murdered in NC. Memorial Bike Ride Honors Man Killed in Hit-and-Run I don’t care what the charges are, when someone crosses the road to hit a cyclist head on and then hangs a U-turn to escape that’s a murder in my book, maybe not 1^st degree or capital (in TX) but murder at any rate.

A suggestion that cars share the roads with cyclists is falling in hearing-impaired ears in SD. Proposal: Let bicycles, cars share road Don’t read the comments on this one either.

And that’s all I have today.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Another mild Feed

Yes we had another mild Feed today, with only 6 bicycle-related links, and one of those was not related to a wreck or infrastructure, with one other infrastructure article, so 4 wrecks or related to wrecks. That’s a Good Thing in my book.

Getting to the one that wasn’t a wreck or about infrastructure first, there was a bike-jacking in Daphne AL. Man shoots Eastern Shore teen in the arm, steals his bicycle, police say A bike thief with a gun, joy. Well if you’re too stupid to cut a chain or pick a lock then you have to steal them when they aren’t locked. I hope when they catch this guy they throw a couple of tons of books at him, but since he’s already 24 and still robbing kids on bicycles (with a gun) I don’t hold much hope that trying to educate the perp is going to help much, you can’t cure stupid. To avoid a similar situation, shoot back and aim center mass.

A situation that a little more experience and judgment on the part of the cyclist might have helped prevent. High school student on bike injured after hitting firetruck in Santa Rosa The cyclist was riding the wrong way in the bike lane and the firetruck had the flashers going and the backup alarm sounding and still the kid hit the firetruck. I am hopeful he learned something from this experience. I am also hopeful he continues to ride his bike with a greater appreciation of the safe way of doing so.

From Jolly Olde a bad wreck. Cyclist fighting for life after accident The driver was uninjured, joy.

They laid a cycling advocate to rest in Greenburgh, NY. Riders pay tribute to Greenburgh bicycle advocate killed in bus collision The best thing I can say about this wreck is it illustrates exactly what the guy was trying to tell people, that frequently the only option to get someplace by bicycle is to ride in traffic on high speed feeders and arterials because there are no other connecting routes. This is the same problem we have in Garland, the planning done in the 1970s and ’80s created superblocks that were only connected by arterials with 40-45MPH speed limits, and all the commercial development (grocery stores and other retail) was on those arterials. This is great as long as everyone has a car, not so great if people want to walk or ride a bicycle.

A NYC weekly complains about infrastructure that is supposed to protect cyclists from cars still being overrun by motor vehicles. Make bike lanes safe The wreck in question was on a protected bike lane that was commandeered by a garbage truck. An analogy would be herded animals on a freeway, they don’t belong there and create a hazard for those for whom the infrastructure was intended.

And finally if your bike is equipped with an Easton EA30 stem, stop riding it immediately (well, you might want to ride home very carefully and then park the bike) and contact your LBS about a replacement. Bicycles Recalled by Easton Sports; Stem Failure Poses Fall Hazard The stem was OEM and also available as an aftermarket replacement part, so be sure to check which stem came on your mountain or hybrid bike. I built the stem on Gigi myself, so I don’t have to worry about this recall, just the quality of my workmanship.

And that’s all I have for this morning.

Billed @$.02, Opus

I can hardly lift my arms, but here’s the Feed

Well, I pruned some more today, on the live oak out back. I don’t have much upper body strength or endurance any more, so I lopped a few branches off with the pruner and had to call it quits. Then I filtered the Feed and now here I am to post the reports and make comments.

Another SWSS/SWCC wreck in the Pelican State (Louisiana). Cyclist killed at 171 and La. 394 and Bicycle rider killed near DeRidder I find the description of the wreck highly suspect. Especially the part where he was going east on 394 and then turned around to go east on 394…

What sounds like a left cross wreck in CA. Cyclist killed in traffic accident identified CA has the same laws about turning vehicles as TX that requires turning traffic to yield to traffic that is not turning, whether that traffic is oncoming traffic on the same street or road or traffic on the street or road that is being turned on. Hopefully there will be at least a ticket filed against the driver that killed the cyclist.

Another report on the DC cyclist killed by a cop cruiser. Md. cyclist who was killed by police cruiser identified Yeah, anyone that believes the cop was going under the speed limit, I have some oceanfront property in El Paso I would like to sell. I’m not saying the cyclist wasn’t at fault, just saying the likelihood of the cop driving under the speed limit is so low as to be invisible. The fact that they made the statement thus renders all of their other statements suspect. The grain of salt required is about the size of a semi-trailer.

Another report on the kid killed in DE. Teen cyclist killed on 273 ID’d Again the rider was thrown into a car that was in front of both vehicles. This indicates to me that traffic was stopped and the kid did not run the red light like the cops say.

More on the NY state cyclist that was hit by a transit bus. Cops: Greenburgh cyclist was riding alongside bus; bikers invited to ride at funeral The cyclist appears to have been doing exactly what he should have, I still don’t know why LEO haven’t charged the bus driver with running down the cyclist. NY law requires the passing vehicle to pass safely, which means far enough away that you don’t scare the other operator to death. That didn’t happen this time. So why no ticket or charges?

A TX lawyer thinks that Gov. Goodhair’s veto of the Vulnerable Road Users Bill (SB488) may have contributed to the driver that killed 2 people on a tandem bicycle not getting any kind of ticket or charge. Texas Governor Perry Vetoes Safe Passing Bill: Cyclist Deaths The Result? I just want to know what the Helotes LEOs were thinking when they decided that the guy in the truck did nothing illegal when he killed the 2 cyclists.

A case in Scotland that just floored me as the police report wasn’t allowed to be read into evidence. Scottish jury finds case against driver who killed cyclist ‘not proven’ Of course it wasn’t proven, the judge threw out the most important evidence against the driver. Again, what was he thinking?

Again I had to pick myself up off the floor when I read about a multiple repeat drunk driver was facing in the way of charges in Enn Zed. Drink-drive charge ‘appallingly inadequate’ “Downer, who has two previous drink driving convictions, could face a maximum of five years behind bars.” Five years for drunk driving that killed somebody, that’s just a travesty.

And a trio of people that train together for bicycle riding suffered similar wrecks. Cyclist tells of horror crash The man was killed while the wife was recovering from a previous crash, and the personal trainer was in a coma for 5 weeks from the wreck that killed the man… What a mess.

The 2010 Tour of the Battenkill will have a stage dedicated to Veterans. 2010 Tour of the Battenkill Announces Ride to Benefit Injured Veterans If you can do this next year Witch on a Bicycle says do it.

And that’s all for tonight.

Billed @$.02, Opus

After a break for me, more bike wrecks for you

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And that’s all I have today.

Billed @$.02, Opus