Summer has landed, and the Feed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Still waiting on a package, and the Feed

I bought some books last week from an online vendor and have been tracking the package online, right up to when it was delivered to the local post office and tagged as “to be delivered in 1-2 days”, on Wednesday. If the package is not delivered today that means it will have spent more time in my local post office that the rest of the trip combined, because if it is delivered today it will have spent as much time in the local post office as it spent on the road. Let me recount the journey so far: The package was loaded onto the departing trailer the night of 6/2 and left the Lincoln, NE warehouse the morning of 6/3 to be accepted in Omaha NE at 0742 sorted and sent on at 0925. It hit the transfer station in Lenexa KS at 1309 and departed at 0253 6/4. From there it went to another transfer station in Wichita KS arriving 0652 and departing 0751. Next transfer station was OKC OK arriving 1108 and departing 1457. the next transfer station was all the way in Dallas arriving 1834 and departing 0329 on 6/5 bound for the Mesquite center a few miles from my house. It got to Mesquite, a short bike ride from my house, at 0402, and then was sent to the Post Office 3 miles from my house at 0706 arriving there at 0945 6/5. The tracking ends there. So my books have been held without bail at the local post office for 3 days with no notification as to when they will be released…

Health matters: my eye is getting better but now I have discharge from both eyes… If anyone knows about an OTC antibiotic I can use on my eyes I would appreciate a note. My allergy meds seem to be keeping pace with the pollen, if I take a pill when I go to bed I sleep fine with nothing blocking my nose. Other things I’m taking meds for are proceeding as they should.

An IL cyclist is hit by a semi. Chebanse boy, 14, struck, killed while riding bike Assuming the report from the truck driver is accurate intersection protocols would have helped avoid the wreck. I could not locate the town in Google Maps so I can’t comment on the topography of the intersection, but as the article described it as a “rural town” I’m going to assume that there was plenty of room for a bike path to the school that would prevent a child on a bicycle from having to cross a road with semi-trailer traffic.

More on the cyclist hit by two taxicabs going opposite directions in NYC. Bicyclist struck, killed by two taxis Just the mechanics of the wreck tells me that the cyclist was most likely running the red light. Don’t do that.

A young KS cyclist runs a stop sign and gets hit. Boy suffers minor injuries after bike collides with car There should have been a slow speed limit at the wreck scene which may have contributed to this being a scary incident rather than a tragedy. This would be shared space with a very low speed limit under the Dutch model with a 18 MPH (30 km/hr) speed rather than the 30 MPH speed of the road the driver was on.

What happened in Vegas will apparently stay in Vegas as there is almost no information in the link I found on this wreck. Cyclist injured in northeast Las Vegas crash At this point all I know is it was an intersection wreck, so use intersection protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

Another wreck with near zero information, this time in NJ. Bicyclist injured in crash with sedan in Ridgewood Apparently he was hit by the MIB, because aside from the black car ain’t nobody knows nothin’. The picture shows the cyclist got more damage than the bicycle, and also that the wreck was in a residential area that would be shared low-speed space under the Dutch model. The location implies hit-from-behind as it was before the intersection, so apply those protocols and slow motor vehicle traffic way down to prevent.

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus

At work early this week, and the Feed

I didn’t go to the widow woman’s house last night because she is taking care of her ill mother. I count that as a good thing, because while I was mowing the lawn Sunday I got bug bit and instead of a welt I have a large weeping area about the size of my thumb on my heel/ankle, right about where the top of my shoe rested against my foot. It itches like mad but I’m not touching it (years of conditioning from the phantom pains in my leg and foot). The really bad part is I don’t have a bandage that will cover it and the seepage causes my sock to stick to the wound.

Now the good news from Casa de El Poeta. My shoe is in the shop getting a lift installed so I will soon be wearing new shoes for the first time in 2 years (right foot, the left shoe is 4 years old). We have the tickets for our trip away from TX during the summer. I have a new welder and am looking forward to using it on the bike job I was commissioned to do.

A wreck in VA that is interesting because of what it left out. Richmond Bicyclist Injured After Colliding With RPD Cruiser Notice the cyclist passed a vehicle that was stopped at the intersection, not that he ignored a traffic control. Looking at Street View the street the cop was driving on had a stop sign, but if the cyclist was on the cross street then the cyclist had the right of way even passing the stationary motor vehicle. What has been left out from this article is any suggestion that the cyclist was at fault in this wreck, which for this particular publication means that the cyclist was not at fault. Intersection wreck, use the protocols to avoid, and since this was in a residential area the only infrastructure change needed is lower speed limits and frequent and heavy application of the LART (Luser Attitude Re-adjustment Tool).

Update on the DUI driving at high speed down a MUP. Hit-and-run on trail shocks cyclists (VIDEO) Nothing new that wasn’t in other reports earlier, but more information in one place. I’m still wondering why the driver hasn’t been given terrorism charges for assaulting and threatening people with a WMD.

Another possible Jerry Brown-ing, this time in IA. Bicyclist hurt in apparent fall in Cedar Falls The cyclist was injured and semi-conscious when found, but police automatically dismissed any implication that a motor vehicle was involved because the cyclist was not dead and the bike was only lightly damaged. I don’t need to remind you that the bike that Larry Schwartz was riding when he was killed was undamaged also because the impact was to the back of his head, not the bike.

Another low-information wreck report, this time from WI. FDL Girl Hurt In Car Vs Bike Accident Nothing about the wreck other than by time and location it was in an area that had heavy bike and motor vehicle traffic.

More on the cyclist killed while warming up for a time trial race. Paramus Man Killed in Bicycle Accident and 2 killed in separate accidents in Woodland and Springfield The cyclist was about to make a U-turn to return to the start area for the race when he was hit on the shoulder of the road. I’m still trying to figure this one out as the cyclist’s fault, because every story that mentioned the cyclist’s position on the road mentioned he was on the shoulder.

Another senseless SUV-on-cyclist killing in NYC. Another Cyclist Killed at East Harlem Intersection, NYPD Again Blames Victim The article and comments speak for themselves.

Justice denied in NC. Court defers prosecution for Guilford woman charged in death of cyclist If you know this woman, please follow her with a video camera until she’s off her probationary period and report any traffic violations. If she breaks even one traffic law in the next 6 months she goes to jail.

An almost non-news link about a cyclist and a bus having an unfortunate “meeting” in the Great White North. Cyclist injured in crash with TTC bus Other than the fact of the collision there was such a rush to press that all information was left out.

A similar story from Oz, a cyclist hurt but no details as to how. Cyclist injured in road crash “Fell off” is such an interesting way of describing a hit-and-run, don’t you think?

Infrastructure! news from WA. Study: Bike lanes don’t reduce severity of bike/car crashes Surprise, surprise. Getting hit with a car hurts just as bad when you get hit in the bike lane as it does when you get hit just riding in the street without a bike lane.

“Safety” information from Canuckistan> Cycling safety awareness campaign aimed at reducing injuries and fatalities Notice the “hints” for cyclists had helmets and reflective clothing as numbers one and two.

Last link is from TX about a rider in the RAAM. This Bicycle Race Is No Aggie Joke Having lived for more than 20 years in TX I get my fair share of Aggie jokes, but this guy is seriously insane, in the good way.

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Gotta do a rush job on this, and the Feed

I only have about 2-3 hours to get this done today as we need to get our tickets for Mrs. the Poet’s annual summer trip away from the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell. Since I now have a portable computing device (my Chromebook) all I need to keep the blog going is WiFi access, which I can get most of the places I will be going on the trip. Yes, that means I will be blogging from the road.

I mowed most of the yard yesterday, and my allergies are in overdrive today. So actually seeing the screen while I type is something of a hit-or-miss proposition. One blink all I see is a white haze, the next everything is clear, then a couple blinks after that I have patchy vision.

Up first a gruesome testament to why adequate signage is needed for bicycle infrastructure. Bicyclist Struck, Killed Trying To Cross I-80 In Berkeley more Cyclist Killed on I-80 in Berkeley a Massachusetts Man Also Cyclist Killed Trying To Cross Freeway In Berkeley even more Cyclist killed trying to cross Bay Area freeway The cyclist killed was visiting S.F. from MA and did not know the local bike infrastructure and was killed between two bicycle crossings of the freeway. Lack of local knowledge and a lack of wayfinding caused this cyclist to attempt a deadly freeway crossing.

A respected Windy City bike advocate is killed. Bobby Cann, Chicago Cyclist, Killed By Motorist As Biking Community Mourns and Critical Mass ride to pay tribute to cyclist tonight also Bicyclist killed in Old Town was ambassador for biking more Ex-Times intern writer killed in bicycle crash Some people advocate for cycling by ranting and raving (waves hand) while others just quietly move things along. Mr. Cann was in the latter category from my understanding. Of the wreck, it appears to have been a pinball collision which are only avoided by pure luck on the cyclist’s part. The only infrastructure that can prevent cyclist death or injury in such a collision is barrier segregated.

A WI cyclist is killed by a heartless driver. Bicyclist killed in hit-and-run crash near Stanley Hit-from-behind wreck that disabled the weapon vehicle which the driver abandoned and called for a ride instead of calling LEO and an ambulance. The weapon vehicle was going so fast the bicycle was “yard saled” with bits and pieces strewn the length of the crime scene. IMHO this was not an avoidable wreck, and only barrier-segregated infrastructure could prevent it. [sarcasm]If only there was something that would keep heartless and brainless drivers like this one off the roads, some kind of permit to use a motor vehicle that required knowledge and testing, and verification that the person was psychologically fit to use such a dangerous tool as transportation[/sarcasm]

A cyclist is killed in KS and the driver is arrested and charged. Arrest made in connection with bicycle fatality Nothing specific on the mode of the wreck, but I think it’s safe to assume with the arrest that the cyclist was not at fault…

Another dead cyclist in the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike 9 years running. Bicyclist, 18, killed in Pinellas Park crash I looked at the scene in Google Street view and it was an uncontrolled intersection across 5 lanes of traffic (counting the turn lane). The cyclist could have paused at the turn lane before crossing the last 2 lanes but chose not to and was killed. I have a similar intersection that I have to negotiate every day just 0.4 miles from my house, and I always use the 2 step method of crossing. Intersection protocols to avoid, get the infrastructure right to prevent including removing highways from residential areas.

A UT cyclist was either riding a fixie, or a BMX bike set up for riding half-pipe. 14-year-old on bike without brakes injured in car accident Given the age of the cyclist and the location I would say the more likely scenario would be BMX bike.

I’m just utterly gobsmacked. Police: Drunk driver speeds for 5 miles on W&OD Trail, hits bicyclist No way for a human cyclist to avoid a wreck like this, and it took place on segregated bicycle infrastructure. The driver needs to spend a long time in prison and be permanently banned from driving after release with being caught driving being equal to illegal possession of a weapon. Either that or just chain the driver to the steering wheel as they recycle the car, I don’t care.

A cyclist survives a red-light-running hit-and-run driver in the Great White North. 13-year-old Riding his Bike Injured in Hit-and-Run Accident There was nothing any human cyclist could have done to avoid this wreck. Infrastructure also would have been of limited effectiveness in preventing a similar wreck as the infrastructure in place should have prevented it had the driver been sane. I hope that when they catch the driver he “falls down a flight of stairs” a few times, then gets beat up by inmates. Then has the “book” thrown at him, heck the entire library.

More on the serial cyclist killer’s ludicrously lenient sentence being appealed. ‘Unduly lenient’ sentence on driver who killed cyclist is to be reviewed that one’s paywalled but has a good picture Appeal against sentence for cyclists’ killer

A deadly wreck in Oz. Cyclist killed in road collision in The Basin and Cyclist’s death brings weekend toll to four also Four die on Vic roads in 24 hours Other that the wreck was in a roundabout making intersection protocols the way to avoid the wreck there isn’t enough information about the wreck to make an informed statement, so “infrastructure!” to prevent.

Still in Oz is an assault with a WMD. Cyclist injured in hit-run after argument with driver The driver had an argument with the cyclists and then hooked one and drove off. This is an assault in my book, intersection protocols to avoid, and lock up crazy drivers who use their vehicles as weapons to prevent.

Infrastructure! news from Oz. Injured cyclist saved from legal cycle

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus

I have coffee again, and the Feed

Well today I’m going to go to the shoe store and purchase what amounts to a kit for my shoes. The right shoe I can use “as delivered”, the left shoe will get taken to the shoe repair place and the lift added to it. The right shoe I have now is about 2 years old and the upper is falling apart across the ball of the foot from excessive flexing, the left shoe is about twice as old and the upper is separating from the sole and there is some cracking around the ball of the foot. Plus the sole is getting very worn on the outside edge of the heel. And of course I would not be needing to take the shoe to the repair place for a lift to be added to the sole if a certain someone had not decided to kill me because I was riding a bicycle in the street…

Other stuff around the house, we are mid-afternoon of our first day with the “5 cup” coffeemaker. I place the size designation in quotes because it actually yields 2 cups of coffee for Mrs. the Poet and me. (Note to Grammar Nazis, the way to determine which 1^st person pronoun to use is to delete all the other people in a sentence and decide which pronoun is appropriate with no other people, than use that pronoun with the sentence constructed with other people in the mix.) This is actually a mix of good and bad. It is bad because I have to make a pot of coffee every cup when Mrs. the Poet is home, or every other cup when I’m alone, but that’s good because fresh coffee tastes better than coffee left on the warmer to evaporate the volatile flavor components. It’s also good because I don’t just drink endless cups of coffee without thinking about it any more, so less coffee and hopefully lower BP in the long run. Also we seem to have acquired a few ants. I’m quite aware of this because Mrs. the Poet has been rampaging about the house with a broom and a can of bug spray screaming “Ants! Ants!” while swatting the floor with the broom and spraying insecticide with wild abandon. If it wasn’t so hard to breathe with all the bug spray in the air it would be funny, as in TV sit-com funny. The ants are retaliating by biting her (just her) anywhere they can get her.

From MA a cyclist is cut off in an intersection. Bicyclist airlifted to hospital after colliding with truck in Marlborough The wreck was in an intersection, so intersection protocols for what they would be worth to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent. The driver was apparently 100% at fault in this wreck, as he(?) was the only one to get a ticket.

A PA cyclist is hit in an intersection. Stockertown bicycle rider hurt after incident with motor vehicle and Nazareth bicyclist injured by pickup truck in Stockertown The truck driver ran a stop sign and the cyclist was ticketed for ? in this collision. So intersection protocols to avoid. Get the infrastructure right to prevent including not giving people tickets for getting hit by drivers running stop signs.

A strange wreck in the Great White North. Child cyclist seriously injured after vehicle collision The child was trying to get through gridlocked traffic covering the intersection and was hit when he cleared the gridlocked direction. I don’t see any way to avoid this wreck with the built infrastructure as gridlocked traffic will be with us as long as private motor vehicles are the main mode of transit for commuters. The only way to avoid or prevent a wreck like this is to have a physically segregated crossing of the road, either a bridge over the road for cyclists and pedestrians or an underpass.

Infrastructure! news from NC. Hatteras Island boardwalk will aid walkers, cyclists This is an appropriate place to put a segregated bicycle path, because NC 12 has traffic moving at high speed through residential areas and is narrow with no shoulders for either bicycle or pedestrian traffic. Things I object to are the path is too narrow for two cyclists to pass and it is shared with pedestrians without designated areas for cyclists or pedestrians. IOW the people building this are building a recreational path where a transportation facility is needed, and building conflict into the structure. Even Mrs. the Poet can tell that it’s too narrow.

Infrastructure news (of a sort) from NYC. Now That Citi Bike Is Live, Will All Cyclist Injuries Be Newsworthy?

A little Lifestyle in AL. Memorial Bike Ride for Cyclist Killed by Motorist

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Running way late again after visiting the Lab Rat Keeper, and the Feed

Well it was a long day today. I rose at 0700 instead of the usual 0900 (because I’m normally up until 0200 watching the Feed come in from Oz) and had a cup of tea instead of my usual half-gallon of coffee because I still haven’t figured out how to break into the disabled coffeemaker and repair it, mostly because it has those stupid tamper-resistant screws holding it together and I can’t locate the right driver to remove them. So I have been going through caffeine withdrawal since Monday, with a massive headache that started on Tuesday and was still going strong this morning. So going through withdrawal and short 2 hours sleep, and I’m apparently the only person in the world that quitting caffeine causes an increase in resting heart rate and blood pressure. Not by much, but enough to disturb my doctor.

On another medical front, I now have an explanation for my muscle aches that never seem to get better while new ones pop up all the time. I have low testosterone. This also explains why my nails have suddenly gotten softer, my hair stopped growing and other things that have recently failed to function to design specs. Basically all the things I have noticed going wrong were the result of that one hormone level being out of whack. Whodathunkit? Now the question is “why?” What caused my testosterone levels to drop suddenly and so far?

Update on that kid getting hit in TN. @White=[C] Boy killed on bike was Jacob Billings This outlet is saying the mode of wreck is not known, and that LEO will release what happened later. So, now I’m confuzzled about if the kid crossed the centerline or not. Still no matter what really happened, this remains a difficult wreck to avoid if the cyclist was forced to cross the centerline or if the cyclist was riding on the correct side of the road for his direction of travel.

A MA cyclist gets hit. Newton native dies in Amherst bicycle accident The mode of wreck wasn’t elaborated upon, but since it involves a turning truck it could only be an intersection wreck, either a left cross or a right hook. From what I’m gathering from the article the driver is getting all the blame for this wreck and there was nothing the cyclist was doing wrong, so I’m hesitant about advising intersection protocols to avoid, as it seems the wreck was not one a mere human cyclist could have avoided. Getting the infrastructure right to prevent I can get 100% behind, on the other hand.

An IL cyclist is seriously injured by a driver that may have been impaired by marijuana. Joliet 8-year-old seriously injured riding bike, driver faces pot charges Th story is behind a paywall, so that’s all I know about it.

A MI cyclist shows how not to do it when merging into the turn lane. Bicyclist injured after hitting car Hit-from-behind wreck, the protocols would definitely have made the cyclist able to avoid this wreck, and getting the infrastructure right would have prevented it.

A strange wreck in the Great White North. Cyclist injured by transport truck on Huron Church You have to admit, just from the headline that is one mighty strange wreck. The actual wreck is much more mundane than that as a SWCT (Single Witness Crossing Truck) runs a red light with a cyclist in the intersection and “brushes” the cyclist with the back tires. Getting “brushed” by 20+ tons of truck makes this a lucky-to-survive wreck. Intersection protocols would not have helped in this wreck, and unless it was completely grade separated standard north american bicycle infrastructure would not have worked either. Notice the LEO attempting to absolve the red-light-running driver of blame for the hit-and-run by claiming the driver may not have known he hit the cyclist. I’m sorry but “not knowing” you hit someone is not an excuse, but another charge to be filed. I guess that would be “driving while stupid”, which is a felony… or it would be if I was king.

Also from Canickistan drivers are mowing down vulnerable users so fast they don’t even get separate articles anymore. Cyclist, pedestrian seriously injured in separate collisions along 118th Avenue and Cyclist and pedestrian injured in two separate collisions near Rexall Place Intersection wreck, at this point they haven’t decided which one was running the red and are not blaming the cyclist immediately. So anyway, intersection wreck, use intersection protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

Another article on the deadly doofus who got a gentle caress on the wrist instead of the severe legal beatdown he deserved. 5,000 want driver who killed two cyclists re-sentenced My electronic signature is on there also, but not counted among the 5K because I’m not a subject of the crown, making my sig “unofficial”.

Another strange wreck, this time in Oz. Boys injured after Prospect motorised bike accident The wreck was caused by the passenger riding on the handlebars sticking his foot in the spokes of the front wheel, something that could have happened with or without the motor. The only safe way to take a passenger is to put them on the back on a seat made for that purpose (like an Xtracycle) or ride them on the pegs standing up, assuming you have grinding pegs bolted to the back of the bike. Or buy a tandem bike with the extra seat and pedals and stop taking freeloaders…

What can only be called an act of automotive terrorism, a driver in Enn Zed drives into a bicycle safety class for kids. Driver runs into cycle safety class The kid was waiting at a stop sign for crossing traffic to clear when he was hit from behind by a driver that LEO are waiting to charge until the toxicology tests are done. If they don’t find any intoxicants I suggest attempted murder and terrorism charges, because there is no way a sober driver could have missed seeing the HiViz on the adults leading the class, so if he was sober he must have done it on purpose. Whaddaya know, I finally found a situation that a drunk driver would get charged less severely than a sober one.

Last link is about an 11 YO telling the truth about cars. 11-Year-Old Says, “When You Drive, The Earth Smokes” Children are adversely effected by cars even when they don’t get hit by one…

And those are all the links that gave me fits this evening.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Narrowly avoiding being drenched, and the Feed

I’m running late today because I’m back to the gig visiting the widow woman and letting her cry on my shoulder and fix me breakfast. I was out of that gig for a while because they were adjusting her anti-anxiety meds to control side effects and they went too low and she got all “I hate the world and everybody in it!” for a month and stopped seeing me. Now her meds have been adjusted back up and she’s back to liking the world again and needing to talk to someone about how she feels and all, so I’m back to getting a weird breakfast once a week. Anyway, the avoiding being drenched part of the headline alludes to the bands of thunderstorms we had pass through the area just as I got home. When I got the mail it was just spitting rain, but by the time I got in the house it was pouring buckets. No tornadoes, just some hurricane level gusts and elsewhere they had some hail but no chunky style precipitation here. The temperature dropped about 10 degrees when the storm blew through because of the cold upper altitude air pulled down by the rain and the sudden rise in the humidity chilling things down also. And I just got a news item that says Senators from the east coast are getting ready to vote against disaster aid to OK because both of OK Senators voting against disaster aid for the people ruined by Sandy. I think OK just got run over by a Karma Ghia.

A NM cyclist’s death appears to have been in vain. Woman who killed cyclist in court again She drove off the road and killed a cyclist on an adjacent bike path and got the maximum sentence of… 90 days. Now she’s caught driving drunk again. Lifetime ban from driving (and I don’t understand why this didn’t happen for the fatal wreck) added to her sentence for repeat DUI. More Woman who killed cyclist now in court for DWI

More on the cyclist killed in MA over the weekend. Cyclist Killed Sunday Was MIT Scientist Nothing about the wreck. Lots about the victim. RIP. Another link Visiting MIT scientist killed while riding bike

Still in MA a child riding a bicycle is run over by a dump truck. Police: Child riding bicycle with mother dies in Westfield accident This link had nothing on the mode. 7-year-old boy killed in Mass. road accident also Memorial grows for boy killed on bike and Westfield child killed in accident with dump truck identified as Michael Ryan, 7 even Westfield boy killed in traffic accident identified OK a day later and LEO are still not reporting how this kid got hit beyond “hit by the front of the truck” and ending up under the rear wheels.

A WI cyclist is killed with LEO also sitting on the report. Girl struck, killed on bicycle in New Berlin is identified Nothing about the mode or anything beyond identifying the victim and the age of the driver. You would think this was a UK media outlet…

A young CA cyclist is killed riding to school. Teenage bike rider killed in San Jose traffic accident I hate it when media uses the term “accident” instead of “wreck”. More San Jose: Silver Creek High sophomore killed in bicycle crash remembered as classroom leader At this point LEO are not saying anything, but the driver says he “thinks” he had the green when he hit the cyclist in a crosswalk.

A fatal wreck in DC. Cyclist Killed in U Street Collision With Car Last Thursday The report said the cyclist was making a turn and that the light was green for the driver at the time of the wreck, what the phase was when the cyclist entered the intersection is unknown. Intersection wreck implies that intersection protocols might have helped avoid the wreck. Infrastructure would have prevented the wreck had the bicycle been separated from the motor vehicle traffic in both time and space.

From the UK a stupid driver gets caught after bragging about her wreck. Woman Brags About Hitting Cyclist, Discovers Police Also Use Twitter The mode of wreck is highly unusual in that the driver was on the wrong side of the road. Not much that a human cyclist can do about drivers being on the wrong side of the road, but getting the infrastructure right would keep the driver away from the cyclists. More Driver ‘admits’ knocking down cyclist on Twitter and Twitter hit-and-run boast shows dangers of ‘road tax’ entitlement

Last link is a “Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot?” moment. Cyclist Killed Duckling

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Weather is here wish you were beautiful, and the Feed

First off let me apologize for not posting the pictures from the RoS I went to last night. The ride concluded just as a rain shower came through and the traditional post-ride socializing instead was a mad scramble to get to shelter and I had only a chance to share a few words of greeting and goodbye with the guy that started it all, Chris Phelan. That shower was an outer band shower of a severe weather system that brought at least 10 tornadoes to the area, one of which went south of here without causing much if any damage. We got very lucky this year as this was the first severe storm we have had so far and we are 2 weeks past the end of our usual storm season. With any additional luck that was it for this year. Well the reason why no pictures is we stayed glued to the tube watching the weather radar and later reports from the stricken areas, which kinda precluded downloading pictures to the desktop computer, and manipulating them to fit this blog. There was some loss of life to the south of WoaB World HQ, but nothing worse than some flash flooding in the immediate area.

Up first a report that came from the WP “just posted” folder on the dashboard, a driver shoots at his girlfriend in another car, then runs over a bicyclist as he runs a stop sign escaping the scene of the shooting. Bicyclist killed by driver fleeing shooting in Florence, police say The driver was charged with assault with a deadly weapon in the shooting, nothing so far in the cyclist’s death. The wreck was an intersection wreck but so far outside the normal bounds of intersection protocols as to make any attempt to use them ludicrous, I place this wreck in the category of unavoidable by human cyclists without precognition, and equally unable to prevent by infrastructure. The link to the LA Times story came from BikingInLA in this post: More bad news for Bike to Work Day: Bike rider killed by driver fleeing a shooting

I’m going to bite my (metaphorical) tongue on this report. Man riding bicycle hit by firetruck in Canton Again I’m going to point out that many lights do not register the presence of a cyclist and don’t change, effectively training cyclists to run red lights regularly. Also pointing out the cyclist was wearing “regular” clothes, not “dark” clothing. And that I appear to have metaphorically chewed my metaphoric tongue to metaphoric ribbons. Anyway, when a traffic signal doesn’t register your presence and change for your direction there is a procedure to follow: Wait 2 minutes to make sure it isn’t just a delay in changing built into the logic of the controller, the treat the malfunctioning control as a stop sign and waiting until cross traffic is clear before proceeding. Then call Streets for that area to report a malfunctioning signal.

Update on a Chicago-area cyclist that was killed earlier this week. Cyclist Killed Tuesday Identified As Elk Grove Village Woman Nothing on the wreck itself, but the article seems to indicate that it was an intersection wreck and highly infrastructure related, in that they are already completing plans to build grade separated crossings for pedestrians and cyclists there. You can’t get much more explicit that bad infrastructure was involved than to have a shovel-ready project to upgrade the infrastructure, and a project that will be underway in less than a month pretty much defines “shovel-ready”.

Another IL cyclist is killed in a hit-from-behind wreck near or in Chicago. 83-year-old bicyclist hit by car, killed on Northwest Side Another case of using the wrong preposition in the headline he was hit “with” a car not “by” a car. Comments and article point to excessive speed on the part of the driver, leaving mere human cyclists little chance of avoiding by employing the hit-from-behind protocols. I would say that some kind of traffic calming would improve matters immensely for that street judging from the comments viewable at the time this was posted.

More on the wreck in CO where a drunk driver in the bike lane going the wrong way hit a cyclist head on. Boulder cyclist killed in SUV crash remembered as positive, patient and Driver arrested in cyclist’s death had complained bicyclists ‘don’t belong’ in Lyons Those public comments are going to come back to haunt him, possibly getting the homicide charge bumped to a murder charge. Driving the wrong way in a bike lane, well anytime you drive in a bike lane you’re driving “the wrong way” as in a way that is inappropriate for motor vehicles to operate, but in this case the driver was driving against the flow of traffic. That makes it look like he saw the cyclist and took deadly action because his judgment had been impaired as a result of his being drunk. Any guesses as to who gets the “Waste of Human Skin” tag for today’s post?

And another hit-and-run from yet another town I used to live in. Bicyclist struck and killed by vehicle in hit-and-run accident in Augusta Hit-from-behind, from the area they mentioned I don’t think that the protocols would have been any help for mere human cyclists, and the infrastructure from when I was there was terrible. Get the infrastructure right and make hit-and-run a major felony like DUI homicide to prevent.

Don’t drink and ride. Man trying to help drunk cyclist ends up getting him arrested I think this is a re-hash from an earlier story (the swinging of the broken bike seat is familiar), but still, don’t drink and ride.

Good results from the UK as a cyclist uses evidence from the criminal trial against the driver that hit her to prove a total lack of negligence on her part for the civil trial. Cyclist who lost her leg in crash with lorry scores legal win against insurer The only problem I see in this case is that many injury cases never get to criminal charges, much less trials with publicly available records.

RoS coverage from places that didn’t go under a tornado warning. Ride of Silence bicycle event in Flint encourages awareness for cyclist safety also Cyclists ride in silence to remember those injured, killed From just down the road from where I used to live Murfreesboro remembrance bike ride is one of many globally and from the founder of the Mother Ride QUIET FOR 10 YEARS: The Ride Of Silence

Other lifestyle events. Cousin plans bike ride in man’s memory

And to close out this video of a FWD rear-steer delta trike: Monsterbike

And those are all the 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