Hoping my ancient computer doesn’t crash, a huge Feed

Well, I went to the lab rat keeper’s place again. I’m still alive, and I still have a pulse that’s slightly faster than a corpse’s after I drink my 3rd cup of coffee for the morning, no telling what it would be without coffee. I was advised again to get a medic alert bracelet or dog tags to let people I’m not dead if I’m found unconscious in the street before I get my morning coffee. The bad news is I gained 3.2 pounds since last month. The funny part is I have 2 sets of clothes now, one set of pants and shirts for “fat days” and another for “skinny days” and the “fat” clothes I can get over my thighs but when I stand up they fall off, the “skinny” clothes are a fight to get on over my thighs but when I get them on they don’t fall off Also I can now see the entire upper lobe of my rectus abdominus clearly now including the striation between the upper lobe and the middle lobe. I still have some more fat to lose yet, but I have lost a bunch already.

Up first is a story with multiple reports about a cyclist killed by a police car. Cyclist killed in collision with SDPD car in University City and Collision with police car kills bicyclist also SDPD calls fatal collision with bicyclist an ‘unfortunate accident’ and finally Police car headed to call hits and kills bicyclist Notice that aside from the comments there is nothing in the reports that wasn’t cleared by the killer’s employers the police department. The claim that the police officer was driving under the speed limit would be laughable if the consequences hadn’t been so dire. I mean when was the last time you saw a driver doing the speed limit, much less under the speed limit?

More on that drunk cyclist who crashed into a tree while riding on the sidewalk. Bike Crash Victim Seriously Hurt and Santa Rosa cyclist remains in critical condition OK there are a number of things that could have prevented this wreck. Not riding drunk is the first and foremost, not riding on the sidewalk second, and third is wearing a helmet when you ride. If you prevent the crash you don’t need the helmet, but you can’t always prevent the wreck so wear the helmet. Ideally you do everything you can to prevent the wreck first then protect yourself from getting hurt in the wreck.

I keep posting about not riding on the sidewalk, this is why. Cyclist Injured In Traffic Crash See, drivers don’t expect you when you’re riding on the sidewalk and do things like pull in front of you when you’re crossing the road even after you’ve already started across, with life-threatening consequences in this case. Ride in the street with the rest of the vehicles…

A recurring theme today seems to be cops killing cyclists. Bicyclist struck, killed by Bladensburg police vehicle Again the ridiculous claim that the cop was driving under the speed limit. But apparently the cyclist deserves some of the blame for not watching out for other vehicles on the road, and now he’s dead. Again, watch out for other vehicles when you pull out from parking lots and driveways.

Not your normal bike wreck, by a long shot. Police arrest Boise man after they watch him mug a bicyclist Downtown early Saturday Can you get any more stupid than this? He tries to steal the guy’s bicycle, in front of a bunch of cops. At least that’s one more anti-bike nut taken off the streets.

And another kid is killed just going for a bike ride near Newark DE. 13-year-old cyclist killed near Newark Nothing much about the wreck except that the cyclist was killed by cardiac arrest, apparently caused by blunt trauma to the chest if the rest of the report means what I think it means.

A memorial is planned for the cyclist killed by a transit bus in NY state. Memorial planned for cyclist killed by bus This was one of the good guys for transportational cycling, and I’m sorry his voice was silenced. but, his death will also speak volumes as even a cyclist of his vast experience was not able to navigate the traffic on that street because of poor design, that he pointed out almost a decade ago but that still hasn’t been changed.

A point that hinges on bicycle safety, pedestrian safety. The 10 most dangerous American cities for pedestrians and Pedestrians beware: Study ranks Orlando worst in nation for pedestrians and from one of the best cities, where things are still pretty bad Taking a walk shouldn’t be a contact sport And finally Path to good health, less pollution is the sidewalk: report Studies have shown a positive correlation between pedestrian safety figures and cyclist safety figures, safer pedestrians make for safer cyclists and vice versa. It’s interesting to note that the 4 worst cities are all in FL, the state that kills the most cyclists in spite of not having the most cyclists to kill.

Darcy Sheppard is getting a Ghost Bike. “Ghost bike” memorial placed on Bloor St. for Darcy Allan Sheppard, cyclist killed in August Just for the record I really don’t want a ghost bike, but if I get killed riding my bike there better damn well be a white painted bicycle where I got hit or I’m going to haunt someone until there is a Ghost Bike. So Ghost Bike, or real ghost riding a bicycle. Y’all better hope I die in my sleep from old age. I never had the chance to meet Darcy, he might have been a real SOB. But nobody deserves to die the way he was killed by a driver trying to smear him off the side of his car.

Another blameless wreck in Jolly Olde. Cyclist suffers head injury in collision with car in Purley I hope the cyclist recovers, and that the real story comes out so I can tell you what to do to keep safe in a similar situation.

And shades of TTTWLAMWAMD, someone semi-famous in Jolly Olde is handed down a severe sentence for using his vehicle to injure a cyclist. Former showjumper Christopher Robertson jailed for injuring cyclist From what I understand felons have a hard time getting a driver’s license in the UK, especially if the crime they committed used a car as a weapon…

Media stirring poo in DC against cyclists. WTOP Report Provokes Anger Among Area Cyclists I wonder if this station is a Faux News outlet?

And a bike ride for a veteran. Group bikes in honor of Canton man killed in Afghanistan Thank you veterans.

And that’s it for today. I was wondering if this computer would continue to run as it crashed twice trying to compose this report, once while filtering the Feed and a second time while composing the post, fortunately after I had saved so nothing was lost. If you happen to have a computer that works good and you’re either local or willing to ship, leave a comment.

Billed @$.02, Opus

More strange referrals, and a normal Feed

Of course “normal” is subjective, much of the stuff I get in my Feed has little or nothing to do with what is “normal” otherwise it wouldn’t be in my Feed.

Up first because it so definitvely illustrates how not normal “normal” is around here, a man in OR is hit by 2 drunk drivers and there is a possibility he was hit before that by another driver. Fatal Bike Crash in North Portland Last Night and AHS grad killed in Portland Yes, both of the drivers that were seen to have hit him were drunk, and there is some difference of opinion about how he ended up in the road where he got hit. This is another one of those that I can’t tell you what to do to avoid a similar situation because the whole situation is so bizarre as to defy understanding.

Just down the road a bit from that wreck we find this wreck. Bike rider injured in Gresham accident Apparently 3 drivers saw him and stopped while he crossed the street, but one didn’t and hit him. Again this is one of those wrecks that can’t be avoided by the cyclist because it depends on the other driver(s) obeying the law. The cyclist was obeying the law by using a crosswalk as permitted under OR laws, and the other 3 drivers were obeying the laws by yielding to someone in a crosswalk who had waited for traffic to yield, and then comes this last yahoo with no brains at all and just runs over the guy in the crosswalk. I say this calls for at least a one year loss of driver’s privileges with a mandatory written and road test for at least 5 years after the privilege is conditionally restored, with a permanent loss if he fails either test at any time. I would also put a zero wrong limit on the written test, miss any and you fail, forever.

More lawyer blather on the Greenville SC rider killed in vehicular assault. Update: Arrest Made for Greensboro Cyclist’s Hit-and-Run Death Again, why would they catch this person just to let them go? If someone had been shooting people at random on the freeway, would they have just let him go after paying a small bond, or would they lock him up and wait until trial to determine if he was innocent to protect society?

And another pedestrian is injured by a cyclist, fault not determined yet. Pedestrian hospitalized after being struck by bicyclist At this time, the mode of the wreck and even the location of the pedestrian are in dispute. The only thing that isn’t in dispute is the cyclist was not drunk or on drugs at the time of the wreck, which means that the cyclist hung around long enough to get tested.

Treehugger has a report on how cyclists get killed, and amazingly enough 70% of cyclists are following the law when they were hit. How To Get Killed On A Bicycle Of that 30% who were breaking the law, an unknown number would not have made any difference because they were already squarely in front of the driver when they were hit because the driver was looking in another direction than where they were going.

Nothing about the wreck in this update on a report linked here earlier. Burnham-On-Sea cyclist’s injuries more serious than originally thought I’m sorry that the woman was hurt badly (when is it ever good to be hurt?) but I really wish that UK media laws would allow for more information about the actual wreck.

In Portland OR an Episcopal church creates a shrine to a pre-Roman mountain Goddess that was made a Catholic saint of bicyclists, is that ecumenical or what? OREGON: Portland church dedicates shrine, space to Our Lady of the Cyclists The Lady Ghisallo’s original name has been lost to posterity, but Her followers still remember Her Spirit and honor Her.

The LA Times still doesn’t get it. Cyclists and motorists on collision course The majority of traffic laws were written for cars and don’t really apply to bicycles, but the writer expects cyclists to obey them anyway,

Philadelphia is having a hard time getting out of the car-head psychology and into complete streets. Bikers, walkers, drivers: Can’t they all get along? First, do something so that it isn’t like a jungle out there with everybody fighting for space either on the street or on the sidewalk, make a space for everybody somewhere. Then when there are spaces for everybody where those spaces intersect you will get more cooperation between users.

Some concern about the increase in the number of cyclists killed and/or injured in the UK this year. Sharp rise in number of cyclists killed on roads

Some shop owners have a hard time separating problems with infrastructure from the general downturn in the economy. Bike lane’s killed shop, says owner I loved Vancouver BC back in 1968, but I haven’t been back since then but people are people wherever you go, and some are going to blame changes they don’t like on things going wrong even if the two have nothing to do with each other.

And we finish up with a lifestyle report from Philly. Freewheelers Old people on bicycles, you gotta love it, especially since I’m (becoming) an old guy on a bicycle.

And that’s all I got today. Just a note I will not be doing posts for the next 2 Sundays, as I will be doing a non-computer gig Sunday nights. This gig is not open to the public, so don’t be looking for me, or Gigi

Billed @$.02, Opus

Another light Feed today

The conviction of the thing that walks like a man with a medical degree has sucked all the air out of the bicycle stories today. The usual “bicycle hit in middle of street, rider at fault” reporting has lost a lot of its credibility after the conviction on 2 counts of assault with a deadly weapon and many of the reports are coming back with no details aside from the collision.

Getting to the good news first are more reports on the conviction, starting with the USAToday writer eating crow after his diatribe from last week in favor of the TTTWLAMWAMD. Bicycle justice: Doctor convicted of causing road-rage accident that injured two bicyclists Notice it’s still an “accident” not an assault Second Edition Cycling News, Tuesday, November 3, 2009 For these guys the conviction was small potatoes, and placed well down the list of cycling news. I still can’t find any joy that Dr. Thompson is going to prison, I mean I feel some vindication, but I’m not happy about it. You would think that after all the times I got run off the road or hit I would be doing cartwheels over someone getting caught and punished for the deed, but even if I still had the ability to do them I don’t feel like that. The curse of being a thinking being with morals and scruples.

In other convictions, (I love typing that) a MI man that had been putting away a lot of beer gets a minimum of 20 years sentence for killing a cyclist. 20 beers nets 20 years for driver who killed teen cyclist That must have been some really cheap watered down beer for him to consume that much and only have a 0.18% BAC. That might have been a factor in the lack of judgment in getting behind the wheel with a BAC more than twice the legal limit, besides the impaired judgment that comes with BAC over .08%. As for how to avoid this wreck, you can’t and still use the roads. The driver ran a red light and hit the back end of a group ride crossing the road in front of him, making not being there the only way to avoid getting hit by a drunk driver running a red light. If you start to follow that path, you might as well stay in bed with the covers over your head. and that still won’t protect you from drunk drivers as the Queens man who was hit in his 2nd floor bedroom by a drunk driving a Lexus SUV can testify. I’m going to let you Google that one because I don’t have a valid URL for that article.

This must have been the most excitement in Anoka MN in quite a while, here it is over a week later and they’re still talking about it. Bike rider killed in Blaine identified As of this report this is a SWCC wreck, but at least we know the name of the cyclist.

Another hit-from-behind wreck in CA. Truck rear-ends bicycle, kills rider The lack of information forthcoming from LEO is a bad indication to me that something is being covered up.

More lawyer blather about the NC hit-and-run by the woman in the Dodge Durango that killed the cyclist, only this lawyer is still using the story that the cyclist was hit from behind instead of the now known cross the road to hit head on before the U-turn vehicular assault. Guilford County Hit and Run Kills Greensboro, N.C. Man I guess stories like this are the reason I don’t feel happy about TTTWLAMWAMD getting convicted, it was just a drop in a bucket, and a very large bucket at that.

It turns out the cyclist hit by the bus in Hayward was a bike ninja. Two fatalities in separate Hayward accidents Lights might have helped the bus driver see the cyclist, but coming from where he came from there was no way any reflectors would have helped. From the description of the damages to the bus, a helmet would not have helped either. When you ride after dark have lights on front and rear because you won’t always be in the headlights for a motor vehicle to see you before the wreck. And don’t drink and ride.

Another ride for someone hit by a car, but nothing being done about the cars. Ride memorializes bike-car collision victims At least the transportation department is aware of the issues and is part of the ride for the injured cyclist, even if they aren’t doing anything about cyclists getting hit in the bike lanes at the moment. But I’m really being too harsh on the transportation department, as they don’t enforce the laws they just build the roads.

Things weren’t that different at the turn of the 20^th Century. Gossip of the Cyclers, and Other News of the Wheel The big difference was there were no cars killing pedestrians and cyclists wholesale, the main source of traffic fatalities was horse drawn conveyances, and we all know how smart horses are.

Lastly someone has found a good use for bicycle helmets. Bicycle helmet saves the day — on foot My colleague at examiner.com points out that pedestrians are more likely to get head injuries than bicyclists or motorcyclists and nobody makes a fuss that they don’t wear helmets, because pedestrian head injury is rare, almost as rare as bicycle head injury.

And that’s all I got today, more later.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Another large Feed with little actual bicycle content

Yes we had another massive filtering session today as there were many articles about bike wrecks, where after almost a page of reading it stated the vehicle was a motorcycle and not a bicycle. Sometimes I had to interpret this as I decided regular bicycles don’t have pillion riders, or if they do the article will state the vehicle was a bicycle rather than a motorcycle. And just for the record there was one wreck that killed 3 and injured one in a single vehicle wreck of a motorcycle that I had to read just out of morbid curiosity about if there were that many people on the one motorcycle or did he hit a bunch of pedestrians or what that turned out to be 4 people riding a 125 cc class scooter with 2 on the seat and 2 more on the floorboard. It’s no wonder he crashed.

Up first because it has been in the Feed every day for days now, more on the MN man killed riding his bicycle in Blaine. Cyclist killed in crash with car in Blaine A little more is known now as we know at least the ages of the driver and the cyclist. There is still suspicion that the driver may have been impaired by alcohol but the test hasn’t come back yet. Nothing on the mode of the wreck yet, but it appears to have been at an intersection, which means the cyclist should have been using intersection protocol to avoid the wreck. Of course with a drunk driver you can be doing everything right and still get hit.

Nearer to my home, a Longview cyclist is injured in a hit-and-run. Police investigating hit-and-run wrecks Since this wreck was in TX had the driver been sober and stayed at the scene the cyclist would have probably been at fault, but since hit-and-run is a felony then it doesn’t matter, the driver becomes at fault. Had the cyclist died from the wreck then the driver could have been charged with Capital Murder and been eligible for the death penalty under a clause in the TX laws that makes a death that takes place as the result of a felony Capital Murder even if that death was an accident and not deliberate. Fortunately for the victim there will be no murder charges in this case.

Still in TX but a little further away is a wreck where the victim did die. Crash with pickup in SW Harris kills bicyclist well they know the make and model of the vehicular weapon, why no ID on the killer? I’m going to classify this as a SWCC until I get more information on the wreck.

Our first wreck from Jolly Olde has a broken collarbone. Cyclist injured in Burnham-On-Sea town centre accident I don’t see how they could have put a roundabout in that intersection, from the pictures it looks like a T-junction, unless the houses are in the middle of the traffic circle. Anyway, intersection protocol with extra attention to vehicles entering the roundabout as they “don’t see” bicycles until they hit them.

Also in Jolly Olde is a cyclist hitting a guard rail for some unknown reason. Cyclist hurt after crashing into Coventry ring road barrier This may have been a cyclist run off the road, or it may have been a case of no brakes in the wet or other traction issue. Because of UK media laws we won’t know about it for several months at least and most likely it will never make the news when adjudicated.

We think we in the US have it rough, in Lebanon they use heavy weapons besides their cars against cyclists. Cycling revolutionaries take to streets for ‘critical’ ride One of the few places where Kevlar is more suitable cycling gear than spandex.

More on not getting killed on a bike in SC. Motorists, cyclists urged to coexist How about “Motorists required to coexist with cyclists, it’s the law” or is that too subtle?

And finally an article about injured soldiers and Marines training for Paralympics competition after partially returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Champions in training Not trying to be funny here, just making the point that just because a soldier is alive when he comes back doesn’t mean he came all the way back, they leave pieces of themselves on the battlefield, sometimes literally as in limbs and bits, sometimes pieces of their minds. Support your local Veterans.

And that’s the whole mess. And for those asking, the ritual last night had a few glitches in that the original priestess was laid up with the flu (hopefully not H1N1) and we had to dragoon a replacement at the last minute who did a wonderful job. Kudos to all the other participants.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Same stink, similar “stuff”, different day, the Feed

We had another stinky Feed today, stunk up by the thing that walks like a man with a medical degree. Well he had some help, but truth be told he did most of the stinking up all by himself.

Shoving that putrid pile out of the way as quickly as possible. Doctor denies trying to injure cyclists And VeloNews’ reporter had this take LA road-rage defendant says he stopped to try to take a picture I wonder what the penalty for perjury is in CA? Right up until the trial he was saying the cyclists deserved it, but now that he’s facing the music he denies he was trying to hurt anybody. So that makes him a two-faced thing that walks like a man with a medical degree. His title grows while his reputation shrinks. Again when he is found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon (or whatever the charges are against him) I hope that he is forbidden from ever owning or driving a car or other motor vehicle again for the rest of his miserable life.

Still in the state of CA. Bicyclist Injured in Collision at Market and Ellis Streets this Morning Actually that would be yesterday because of the time lag involved. Nothing much known about this one, maybe a car, probably a car, but maybe not. If there was a car involved the driver stayed at the scene because nobody notified the hit-and-run investigators about the wreck.

Apparently the only way to get charged with a crime when you hit a cyclist is to be on something at the time of the wreck that can be found with a blood test. East Tennessee man charged with vehicular homicide in bicyclist’s death and from MS Man charged in death of bicyclist from Netherlands The MS report is another on the cyclotourist killed on the NTP bike route this spring. But seriously, is the death of a cyclist only meaningful if the killer was drunk or on drugs? Or does the feeling that the killer could be the cop or the prosecuting attorney because everybody drives like that make only deaths with chemical impairment prosecutable? I don’t know the answer, I’m just glad that impaired killers are prosecuted. I would like to have all killers prosecuted, but at the moment that’s just not possible. Until we get prosecutors that can identify with the cyclists over their killers we are up the unsanitary tributary without visible means of locomotion.

Another cyclist is hit in the most dangerous state in the US to ride a bicycle. Bicyclist hospitalized after struck by SUV in Fort Pierce Another one of those driverless vehicles hits a cyclist and nobody says anything? And this one had 4 people sitting in it while it drove around all by itself.

Another right hook crash that is getting blamed on the cyclist… Cyclist killed by city water vehicle “Based on witness statements, the bike pulled into the path of the vehicle,” Guitron said. Yeah, and I bet all the witnesses were either on the truck that killed the cyclist, or employees of the city which would have been liable for the death… TANJ!

And in spite of the relative dangers for cycling under the influence the fine is the same as DUI. Cycling under the influence? In Sacramento, it can cost you $570 Around 17,000 people died last year because of drunk drivers, but less than a dozen were killed by all cyclists, drunk or sober. But to be fair they have to stop the drunk cyclists just like they do the drunk drivers.

A memorial was held for the cyclist killed in NC. Memorial Service Held Tonight For Killed Cyclist I don’t see why they don’t just arrest the owner of the vehicle that hit him, which they found this week. Had a gun been used to kill him the registered owner of the gun would have been responsible for the death unless he could prove that the gun had been in someone else’s possession at the time of the killing, why not the same standard for death by WMD with nice seats and A/C?

From Jolly Olde, a cyclist wins the door prise and wants to share the bounty with the driver of the vehicle, who drove off without leaving contact information. Appeal after cyclist injured in accident Yep it’s pretty low to injure a cyclist by flinging a door in his path and then leaving the scene.

Someone else knows the right thing to do, still in the UK here. Oaklands College student praised for helping injured cyclist Yep kudos from the Witch on a Bicycle blog for doing the right thing. Keep up the good work.

A cyclist in Oz is hurt in a wreck. Cyclist seriously injured after highway collision Apparently the driver didn’t see the cyclist until just before impact, from what I have been able to determine. Now whether this was because of the path of the cyclist, lighting conditions, or driver inattentiveness is unknown as the cyclist’s path prior to the impact with the car is not known at this time (not known publicly). So, continue to ride like drivers are blind and stupid, because mostly they are.

They finally charged the driver that ran into a pack of cyclists after she ran a stop sign in Enn Zed. Charge after allegedly driving into cyclists I hate to tell them but somebody ran into those cyclists and whoever did it was driving the car she was in. Unless it was another one of those DARPA cars that was joyriding around with someone in the passenger seat, that kinda makes the only person that was in the car that hit the cyclists the one that was responsible for the wreck. Alleged doesn’t enter into it.

And an INFRASTRUCTURE article, from TX. Avid proponents of walkability want to ‘get there from here’ I thought it was a Federal law, and a TX law that all new or rebuilt roads in TX were supposed to be walkable and bikeable. I have a PDF dated 2002 that states as much, that under a law that went into effect in 2001 all TX roads and highways that get state funds must have walking and cycling facilities, except those roads that are prohibited for walkers and cyclists. Silly me actually expecting government to obey their own laws…

And that’s it for today. I have a lot on my plate this time of year so the next few days my be a little spotty on the new posts.

Billed @$.02, Opus

It never ends, the Feed

No, it never ends. People will remain people and conflict over whatever will never end, even if it is something as stupid as to a slower moving vehicle in front of a faster one. People (some people) will still think it is perfectly alright to try to kill or injure you because you cost them 10 or 15 seconds of their precious time on the roads. We call those people sociopaths when they act that way outside of a car. I don’t know what you call them when otherwise “normal” people act that way in a car. My wife says “sociopaths” still, but I think there is a better term.

Speaking of sociopaths, the trial of the thing-that-walks-like-a-man with a medical degree continues, with supporting testimony from another cyclist run off the road. Cyclist testifies in car-versus-bike case Even the “liberal” LA Times has more than their fair share of car-head bias showing in this case.

A cyclist is injured in NB. Omaha cyclist hit, injured by car Yeah, watch the signals because people think that green lights mean “Everyone else get the Heck out of my way”, not “Proceed when clear”.

Another “invisible” cyclist is hit in CA. Bike rider injured in crash People just don’t see a bicycle in the street, when the lights change they go.

Another SWSS in the most deadly state in the US for cyclists. 1024 POLICE BRIEFS: Man on bike hit by truck I take all reports that the cyclist “swerved” into the path of the other vehicle with a grain of salt about the size of the vehicle involved, because of the fact that many people don’t see a cyclist until they hit them, and then say “Where did that come from?” This is a good time to remind my readers about hit-from-behind protocol usage.

Yet another cyclist is killed in CA. Elderly Bicycle Rider Killed When Struck By Pickup Truck OK the driver was displaying signs of intoxication, but wasn’t drunk, did anyone test for drugs? Or think to charge with impairment other than alcohol?

More on the woman killed in Chicago now that they have their stories straight and reached consensus on what happened. Woman killed on bicycle loved freedom of riding My advice on this wreck continues, don’t “filter” to the head of the line.

This is the kind of wreck that is impossible to avoid. Cyclist injured in collision with tree At first I thought why should a cyclist hit a tree, since roads go around trees, but then I read further that the tree fell in front of the cyclist, and blocked the road. It doesn’t take a very big trunk or branch to knock down a cyclist on a road bike.

Another cyclist/pedestrian wreck, this time in Jolly Olde. Woman injured by cyclist Don’t hit pedestrians, if you hit a pedestrian, don’t leave until contact information has been exchanged. Don’t hit pedestrians, if you hit a pedestrian, don’t leave until contact information has been exchanged. Don’t hit pedestrians, if you hit a pedestrian, don’t leave until contact information has been exchanged. Got it?

Well, at least they know they have a problem, that’s the first step to fixing it. Northamptonshire has highest accident toll of young children in region It seems that walking is much more dangerous than riding a bicycle even when you’re very young and still ignorant.

And large amounts of money are being spent to plan for safety in London. Mayor and TfL plan to improve cycle safety Now if they just do something to improve bicycle safety.

More on the Enn Zed doctor killed while riding his bike. Tower of strength mourned by friend Last I heard back channel (yes I have back channel communications with Enn Zed) the police were going and checking the registered Toyota pickups for damage, but they think there’s a possibility the vehicle was not registered so that it can be used to kill cyclists.

Local infrastructure news. White Rock Lake spillway project nears completion For those not local, when the spillway collapsed it too out a chunk of the bike path around the lake, and the repairs are going to address some long-standing safety issues with the existent infrastructure.

They claim something will be done to make a bike trail safer from out of control vehicles on an adjacent highway. Barrier promise along Wantagh Parkway bike path welcomed I want to know why there is a requirement for cyclists to park at the end of the bike trail during the summer but not cars to park before they enter the same area. And also why they didn’t install the guard rail or Jersey Barrier when they built the bike path or the freeway, whichever came second.

And that’s all for today, have fun tomorrow.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Another Feed full of non-bicycle things

Lots of motorcycle wrecks in the Feed today, and lots of just motorcycle racing. That’s one of the big reasons that humans will still be required in the news compiling business for a long time to come, is the lack of discrimination of machine information gathering. It’s real good at what to bring in, not so much at what to leave out.

Up first is more from the trial of the thing that walks like a man with a medical degree. ‘I wanted to teach them a lesson.” — Road rage trial resumes. I told you he freely admitted guilt to the cops, now it’s part of the trial transcript. He deserves to never breathe free air again, but that ain’t gonna happen. I’ll settle for never being allowed to drive a car again, for the rest of his miserable life (and living where he does, not being allowed to drive will make his life miserable).

Up next is a rare kind of wreck, the bike on pedestrian with pedestrian injury. Comatose man apparently had been hit by bike Pedestrians should be wearing helmets to prevent brain injury, see what happened to this guy!?!?! Getting serious, don’t ride on sidewalks, but if you ride on sidewalks don’t hit the pedestrians. If you do ride on sidewalks and hit a pedestrian, stop and make sure he or she is OK before you leave, and leave contact information when you do leave.

A rare and exotic wreck again, the double SWSS. Police release name of Farmington teen struck and killed “The van tried to avoid the first cyclist and he did that very successfully, but it was unable to avoid the second since they both swerved the same way,” Drury said. Umm, yeah, two cyclists swerving the exact same way… That said the report indicates a lack of reflectors and lights on both bikes, so reflectors and taillights. Remove any excuses that drivers use to hide their bad driving skills. Then follow hit-from-behind protocol to avoid the idiots that shouldn’t be on the road in the first place.

Another report on the woman killed by a truck in Chicago. Cyclist Killed After Being Pinned Beneath Truck Interesting choice of words in this article, she wasn’t hit by the truck, she fell underneath it. Whatever it’s still male bovine digestive byproduct. I can no longer tell you how to avoid this wreck, as nobody is giving a straight story. None of the reports are consistent even on the location of the bikes at the time of the wrecks with locations reported from in front of the bus to between the truck and the bus. The only consistent fact besides the dead cyclist is filtering past stopped vehicles. I know breathing bus fumes at a stoplight is unpleasant, but breathing bus exhaust and surviving is preferred to filtering up and getting killed by an irate driver.

Next is a report from a not-so-jolly Jolly Olde. Cyclist injured in car collision Interestingly enough instead of all the anti-cyclist comments, most of the UK comments lately have been about the drivers not paying attention to the roads thereby hitting the vulnerable cyclist. This would not be the case in the US.

Now for my readers that are real infrastructure wonks (like me)… House of Commons Committee Publishes Repot on Road Safety Focuing on Pedestrians and Cyclists The spelling and grammatical errors are in the original, I just used copy and paste. One of the interesting things about the report is the identification of the number of wrecks that caused injury to cyclists and pedestrians but which were not reported to police in spite of requiring more than simple first aid. This tells me that unless you have severe injuries even a hit-and-run isn’t going to be reported, that the rate of hit-and-run has gotten so high in the UK that it just gets ignored in many cases. This is a terrible thing.

Another report for the wonks in the crowd. Which K Street do you prefer? My vote would be the option with bike lanes and fewer car lanes, option 3.

And that’s the whole mess for this morning. Something special is coming up later in the day.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Saturday’s Feed is like the dog’s breakfast

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Billed @$.02, Opuds

So where do you find gopherwood in TX anyway? And the Feed

Another cloudy, rainy day in TX. The headline is a Biblical reference to the story of Noah and the ark (built with gopherwood and sealed with pitch), as the soils around here are saturated and we get minor flooding every time someone spits good, much less when it rains. At least the Feed was not a similar deluge, but it was still more than what I like to see. What I like to see are headlines like “No traffic collisions involving bicycles since first of month sets new record”. You know, uplifting stuff like that.

Up first because there was more than one report is what appears to be a SWSS at first glance. Cyclist, 14, hospitalized after crash with car and Bicyclist, 14, released from hospital after collision with car There was another cyclist who wasn’t hit, but apparently nobody asked him what happened. I want to hear what the other cyclist had to say.

And another wreck that has me asking questions. N.J. woman seriously hurt in bicycle accident in Rockland taken to NYC hospital How does a jammed front derailler cause a wreck like that? That sounds like LEO were really reaching for a reason not to investigate this wreck as a collision. As the death of Larry Schwartz proved you don’t have to hit the bike to severely injure or kill a cyclist, you just have to hit the cyclist’s arm or head with a mirror on the vehicle.

Another candidate for being flogged with a bicycle chain. Akron man charged with driving drunk in crash that killed bicyclist Not only was he drunk at the time of the wreck but he left his disabled vehicle and fled the scene on foot, making this a hit-and-run. And my feelings for hit-and-run drivers are not suitable for the Internet. At least not suitable for a blog that expects to get some teen and younger readers. Sorry kids, this is grownup stuff.

Another cyclist is hit in the Great White North. Cyclist injured in crash This was another one of those reports that require careful reading. There is a question about the wreck: Did the cyclist run a stop sign, or was the SUV speeding such that the cyclist did not have enough time to clear the intersection after entering because the SUV was not in clear sight when the cyclist entered the intersection? As I don’t know what the sight lines for the intersection were like I can’t say, but the fact that LEO can’t say the cyclist ran the stop sign is a good indicator that the SUV driver was speeding, or “driving too fast for conditions.” Not that I don’t think cyclists run stop signs, they do, with a fair degree of frequency.

I don’t know what it is about being a fitness instructor that cause so many to get killed riding bicycles. Gary Lewis named as cyclist killed in Marchwood road accident Typical UK media wreck report, we know the occupation of the victim but we don’t even know if the cyclist and the Volvo truck were both driving the same direction on the road.

And a nice old lady was hurt by a mean man with a car. Elderly woman cyclist hurt in Alderman’s Green crash Actually the driver of the car was a woman, and most probably is a fairly decent individual away from a motor vehicle. And aside from the serious injuries the victim suffered there was nothing about her personality either.

Another report on the crash in Wales. Cyclist killed in Bethesda collision is named

Another report on the Waste of human skin that killed one and crippled another cyclist in a hit-from-behind wreck in Oz. Driver took LSD before fatal crash, court hears Now we hear the driver was a serial drunk driver. My loathing knows no bounds for this pitiful excuse for a human being, who was drunk and stoned at the time of the wreck.

And that’s all I have today.

Billed@$.02, Opus

Monday blahs, It’s raining again

Weather here is just ducky, for a duck. For us humans riding bicycles it’s been a little dampish and chilly. It has been nice to be able to leave the sweat control headband at home for the last few days, but the high humidity and chilly temperatures has made selecting bike clothing a bit interesting, as my wet weather clothing is usually the same thing I wear in dry weather, just a little more damp than usual. I’m equally wet regardless of the precipitation 8 months out of the year in Dallas, so my rain gear is a little lacking.

Up first because it’s in the same state is a report on another SWSS fatality in Houston. Cyclist dies day after being struck by van Again avoid the comments section.

A woman cyclist is injured near my in-laws. Woman bicyclist injured in accident in Nyack At this time I don’t know if this was a hit-and-run or what, with the police withholding further information on the wreck. Initially it was said there was another vehicle involved but the story now is they aren’t saying.

An 88 YO driver hits a cyclist from behind in mid-block. Bicyclist injured in crash Not much I can say about his one except to use hit-from-behind protocol to avoid being hit from behind. And that senior drivers need annual vision and hearing checks to make sure they are still safe to drive.

Not all car drivers are &@$%@%$ with #&*% where their brains should be. (I’m trying to be nice here) Motorist helps injured biycle rider He had only superficial head injuries but now everyone in the family wears bike helmets, including when they are taking a shower

MA police get grants to make cycling safer so they buy helmets and do red light stings? Walking or rolling, safety rules I just don’t see this as promoting bike and pedestrian safety when the major cause of cyclist and pedestrian deaths is unsafe operation by motor vehicle operators.

A bizarre case of rage against a cyclist leaves a man in a coma and without part of his skull> Mum tells of family’s anguish over Ewell cyclist attack No word yet on why the man was attacked and beaten.

And more wrong-headed advice on cycling safety. Cyclists advised to wear a helmet Look, even I say to wear a helmet when you ride, because there is always that chance that the hit you take will be the hit the helmet was designed to save you from. However I also temper that advice with the knowledge that bicycle helmets are designed for preventing injury in a fall from a bike, not a collision with a moving car or a stationary object while at speed. If you can’t get unclipped and you fall over and hit your head, a bike helmet will probably prevent serious injury, but don’t expect miracles when confronted by 3000+ pounds of motor vehicle moving over 20 MPH.

And that’s the Feed for today, check back in for more news and rants, later>

Billed @$.02, Opus