Not on time again today and probably not tomorrow either, and the Feed

I had another busy day today with my weekly gig as a crying towel for the widow women, followed by getting the tickets for the last leg of our vacation, with a trip to church to plan the rituals for this weekend that will probably happen some time in the middle. So if this doesn’t post until nearly midnight, now you know why.

Up first, another hit-and-run fatality from the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike 9 years running, FL. Katherine A. Rigby killed while riding bicycle in hit and run crash in Royal Palm Beach From the narrative it seems possible the cyclist was targeted by the driver. Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent. And send this driver through the car shredder in his stupid SUV when they catch him. More Mother struck, killed in hit-and-run while riding bicycle with son and Roommate of woman killed by hit-and-run driver as son looked on: ‘He never knew his father. That’s all he had.”

Lots of links on this story from CA. San Jose: Bicyclist killed by hit-and-run driver at busy Hwy. 87 overcrossing and Cyclist Killed By Hit-And-Run Driver In San Jose also Bicyclist Killed by Hit and Run Driver: San Jose Police What little is known about the wreck so far is the driver was way over the speed limit as witnessed by the cyclist’s body being found 50 feet further down the road than his shoes. Mega-hit-from-behind, no chance to avoid and completely crappy infrastructure. As on the San Diego wreck I place at least 90% of the fault on the infrastructure with all the rest of the blame on the driver who was going too fast for conditions and exceeding the speed limit. Add hit-and-run to that and we get another candidate for driving through the car shredder…

A wreck outside NYC. East Hampton teen, Anna Lytton, struck and killed while riding bike Nothing on the mode but like all good reports from the NYC area involving someone hit by a motor vehicle no criminality is suspected. Because Cars, cars über Alles.

Another link to that highly unlikely SWSS wreck in GA. Cyclist injured after slamming into car in Gillsville Again a cyclist “swerving” all the way across the centerline to get hit by a car is stretching credulity. Use hit-from-behind protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

Another SWSS in VT. Girl is hurt in collision of truck and bike Hit-from-behind wreck, protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

Another child cyclist is injured this time in MD. Child Struck By Vehicle, Injured Nothing about the mode of wreck but there is a slight suggestion that the driver may have been at fault in the wreck, just a hint.

A rare type of wreck in NJ. Two hurt in Sunday motorcyle vs. bicycle accident in Vineland No mode given, but no matter who was at fault everyone involved was injured to one degree or another. So this is the impact of two vulnerable road users.

Another update, this time on the CO cyclist killed in a hit-and-run. Video: David Hernandez, cyclist, dies after hit-and-run, cops seek driver who took his life If when they catch this driver we have another candidate to use the drive-through car shredder.

Today’s special seems to be hit-and-run, this one in MN. 69-year-old Esko woman arrested in connection with hit-and-run of cyclist The mode of wreck was not given, but from the rest of the narrative it seems possible that hit-from-behind or a right hook was the mode of the wreck.

Update on a CA wreck. Man killed while riding bike in Pasadena identified The driver hit one cyclist and Jerry Browned another and LEO can’t figure out if he did anything wrong? What’s wrong with this picture? Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

Another hit-and-run, this time in OR. Witnesses aid cyclist after Portland hit-and-run Hit-from-behind by a driver that may have been impaired, use the protocols to avoid but there doesn’t appear to be much room to avoid the wreck from looking at the Google Street View of the scene. The infrastructure could use some work as well.

More on that rider killed on a charity ride in Western WA. Family of cyclist killed on cancer fundraising ride remember Victoria teen as gentle and caring and Private B.C. school identifies cyclist killed during weekend cancer fundraiser The narrative now is that the cyclist lost control as he passed a group of other participants in the ride for an unknown reason and went across the road trying to regain control and hit oncoming traffic. I suspect a rumble strip or a raised reflective marker may have played a part in the process.

Speaking of charity rides LEO have determined the chain of events in that ME charity ride wreck. Maine police: Cyclist probably fell into truck The cyclist was taking a drink as the truck passed and the turbulence from the truck caused him to fall under the truck. This requires a variation on the hit-from-behind protocols to not be using a water bottle when being passed by a semi.

A wreck in Oz. Cyclist killed in crash with truck at intersection of Wattle St and Fullarton Rd This is the equivalent of a right hook wreck for those that drive on the wrong side of the road. Intersection wreck so the protocols apply to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

Update on a wreck in Oz where a driver hit a cyclist riding on a sidewalk. Witnesses tell of shock after boy is killed by car in Nollamara Drivers need to pay more attention to what is in front of them especially while crossing a sidewalk.

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Running way late again, and the Feed

At least this time I have a really good excuse for being late even though I was at my house. We changed our internet/cable bundle and we lost all outside communications at Casa de El Poeta except the cell phones. No TV, internet, or telephone service for all morning and half the afternoon. I could have gotten the internet up sooner except that the internet provider’s interface did not like the browser on my laptop. I’m sure that will change in the future as Chromebooks become more common (or Google starts downgrading this ISP’s search standings). We got a lot more channels on our TV, and increased our download speed by a factor of five (which means my webcomics will load in 1/5 a blink of an eye as opposed to the whole blink it takes now). And I do notice a difference in the speed the articles I link to load and open, not to mention the videos.

From the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike 9 years running, another cyclist is killed by an idiot at the controls of a WMD. Bicyclist killed in Arlington crash The driver appears to have been exceeding the speed limit, not to mention the limits of common sense, when he lost control of the vehicle and hit the cyclist on the sidewalk and crushed him against a building before continuing to crash against another building and ending up in someone’s front yard. From the description of the wreck nothing short of a firing squad at the DMV when this guy applied for his license would have prevented this wreck. The cyclist was riding on the sidewalk away from the traffic lane and was crushed against a building and then the van continued on to crash into another building and a wall. There is no known bicycle infrastructure that will prevent this from happening and is still suitable for the area where the wreck happened.

A cyclist left-crosses himself in PA. Cyclist killed in Adams County crash Saturday Not much I can say about this, except that intersection protocols still apply even when you’re making the turn on your bike. Infrastructure could have prevented this wreck by physically separating motor vehicle and bicycle traffic.

A super SWSS wreck in GA. Unidentified cyclist seriously injured in Gillsville I find the driver’s story highly doubtful, moving completely over to the oncoming lane and still hitting the cyclist. Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid and get rid of stupid drivers to prevent.

Train/bicycle wreck in CA. Bicyclist killed by passing train This is entirely an avoidable wreck, just don’t cross the tracks when a train is coming.

Update on another wreck in CA. Investigation continues into death of bicyclist struck by car in Pasadena Hit from behind, use the protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

Another CA update. Cyclist hospitalized after SUV collision I have been informed that with difficulty and some counter-intuitive maneuvers it is safe to cross an on-ramp. More Bicyclist hit by car seriously injured

The charges in a CO hit-and-run get upgraded after the cyclist involved dies. Westminster cyclist David Hernandez dies 1 week after being struck by hit-and-run driver I’m still calling this a hit-from-behind wreck. More Man hit by vehicle in Westminster while riding bicycle home from work dies

From the Great White North (thank you SCTV) comes a wreck that was 100% the fault of the driver not following directions provided by a traffic cop. Cyclist hit by car in Quebec triathlon If the cyclist hadn’t been hit the LEO would have because he was next in line. The driver failed to stop for the LEO. Intersection protocols would not have helped, and existing separation of the cyclist from motor vehicles by human directed traffic didn’t work either. I guess a stricter license exam would be the only way to prevent drivers from ignoring directions from a LEO… or immediate execution on the spot for ignoring a traffic cop.

From Western WA via far West Canuckistan many links on a cyclist hit during a charity ride. Teen cyclist killed in collision with car during Ride to Conquer Cancer and Teen cyclist from Victoria killed in collision with car during Ride to Conquer Cancer also Teenage cyclist killed in Ride to Conquer Cancer not done yet Teen cyclist from Victoria killed in cancer ride mishap at Arlington, Wash. I had a link to this wreck for the Saturday post, but the picture of what was supposed to be the debris of the wreck was of a Suzuki sports bike, so I ignored the link. Turns out the picture was wrong. I don’t know why the rider fell off the bike, but there are wildly different stories that range from his getting buzzed in one link to crossing the road and hitting the weapon vehicle head on, and to be honest either or both of those stories could be true the buzz job could have caused the cyclist to cross the centerline trying to regain control over the bike. Without a reliable cause for the wreck I can’t say how to avoid, but getting the infrastructure right would have prevented this wreck.

Another sidewalk cyclist is killed this time in Oz. Schoolboy cyclist, 11, killed in morning crash in Nollamara apparently the driver was not paying any attention to the existence of the sidewalk or anyone on it. The only thing that could prevent a similar wreck would be smarter drivers paying attention as they cross sidewalks and bicycle paths. More Child on bike killed in Nollamara

Another wreck in Oz creates calls for tougher licensing standards. Husband of cyclist killed by epileptic nun calls for tougher licensing of older drivers

More CARnage from Oz. Cyclist fighting for life after crash Yet another hit-from-behind wreck, use the protocols to avoid, get the infrastructure right to prevent.

A sort of infrastructure article from Oz. Surge in cyclists’ injuries, deaths on Adelaide roads The “safety in numbers” hypothesis rests upon the ability of licensed drivers to learn that cyclists are sharing the roads and that drivers need to be careful. There must be something in Oz that prevents this from taking place as drivers are increasingly at fault for an increasing number of wrecks.

Last link, one of the many advantages of riding over driving from Bikeyface. THE REAL WORLD Yes, there is a real world out there, and riding a bike puts you right in the middle of it.

And those are all the links that gave me fits.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Short post because not much left over from the late post yesterday, and the Feed

First up, customer service for the vendor I bought those books from almost 2 weeks ago sent me a nice e-mail saying they couldn’t track my package either once USPS got their hands on it, but that I should expect it yesterday. I got that message after the mail had run without my package. If I do not see my package today I’m going to request the vendor give me a physical description of the package so that I can go to the local PO and ask for a physical search of the facility. I have nearly $100 worth of reading materials floating around in a USPS facility somewhere in the Metroplex, and I want them in my possession. Unless my package fell off a conveyor somewhere and can’t be retrieved the only other explanation that makes any sense is someone stole it for some reason. And even that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, because why steal stuff from a random package? If it is beginning to sound like I’m a little obsessed about this it’s because I am. I don’t get to buy a lot of stuff. It takes me months of thinking about the purchase and squirreling away the funds or waiting for funds to arrive, and then I wait in dread that something will happen to my purchase in transit. This particular purchase I have been thinking about for several years, so you can imagine the buildup I have been experiencing.

Another hit-and-run assault against a cyclist in CA. Teen bicyclist hospitalized after Anaheim hit-and-run; driver sought The cyclist was visible to drivers after the wreck, which means he had to have been visible before the wreck if the driver was looking. The bike looks like it was hit from he left side which means that head and tail lights would not have been visible but the white shirt and reflectors on the bike should have been visible, had the weapon vehicle been using the headlights. I don’t know enough about this wreck to say what procedures may have avoided or mitigated the wreck or if infrastructure would have prevented it. The Street View of the crime scene shows a road that certainly needs some bike infrastructure as it is an arterial surrounded by mixed-use zoning with commercial on the street backed by residential one street over in either direction. More Teen Bicyclist Injured When Struck By Hit And Run Driver

A right hook in VT. Police: Cyclist injured after slamming into car The video showed a bike lane but Street View showed that bike lane was for the intersecting street. VT has a strict AFRAP law that forced the cyclist to stay in the right even when moving near the speed of motorized traffic, making this wreck pretty much inevitable sooner or later. anyway intersection protocol to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

More information on that kid hit in an intersection in ND. Child reportedly on life support after bike accident in Hettinger, N.D. The intersection is no being described as uncontrolled, meaning a third-grader might believe he had the right of way when entering the intersection before the motor vehicle. He may very well have had the right of way.

Two cyclists are critically injured in LA. Two boys seriously injured in Tulare bicycle crash Local knowledge from a comment left on the website stated that this is a “stroad” with a high speed limit through a residential area and that drivers routinely exceed the generously high allowed speed. Infrastructure caused wreck, fix to prevent.

A SWSS in the Great White North. Cyclist injured in Oshawa accident The Google Maps view of the crime scene showed a road with 1 lane in each direction, making the narrative of the incident physically impossible. Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid, get the infrastructure right to prevent, and stop believing cockamamie stories from the person that just injured someone with a deadly weapon.

Also in the Great White North a cyclist is hit-from-behind while trying to make a left turn. Cyclist seriously injured after collision in East York The Street View shows 2 lanes in each direction and no turn lane in a heavily residential area, so the cyclist may have entered the lane in front of a vehicle without giving the driver time or space to stop. This is a special subset of intersection protocols, you have to change lanes well in advance of when you need to make the turn to make sure you get a big enough gap in traffic in the other lane to make a safe lane change.

A lifestyle article and update on a wreck in AZ. GHOST BIKE DEDICATION TONIGHT FOR SUN TRAN DRIVER KILLED RIDING TO WORK The driver was in jail for a while, and may still be in jail AFAIK.

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Woah this is late, and the Feed

I’m dragging buns bringing this one in. I was doing physical labor helping a lady friend move unwanted husband detritus out of her house (she can’t throw it away, but she’s tired of looking at it) and my bum leg is trying to end me. I’m serious, my leg feels like six kinds of pain right now, three of which only exist for people with conditions like mine (three flavors of phantom pain). I spent all day moving heavy boxes around and building shelves to put the boxes back on after I moved them. And sweating as the high for the day hit 97°F. So if the snark gets a little venomous, well you have been warned.

This was down the street from Casa de El Poeta. Child critically injured after bicycle struck by SUV in Garland and UPDATE: Garland boy remains in critical condition after being hit by SUV while riding bicycle also Boy on Bike Hit by Vehicle in Garland last link Child Hit By Car In Garland I know this intersection intimately, there are overhanging tree branches that limit visibility for pedestrians trying to cross the road and the road has a 40 MPH speed limit that most drivers ignore. Top that with 2 lanes in each direction and a turn lane in the middle and a grassy median, and you have a highway running through a residential area, my residential area. I place about 15% of the blame on the kid not looking, 25% on the driver not looking, and the other 60% on the infrastructure. This was the incident that backed up traffic on my way home yesterday.

From the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike 9 years running (longer then I have been doing this blog) an unusual but not unheard of incident. Man Fatally Shot While Riding His Bicycle This is the first one I can remember in FL this year but probably not the first one that happened. I have no clue how you avoid an incident like this.

It happens every day in NYC, but the press have been slavering for it to happen to someone riding a CitiBike. Woman injured riding Citi Bike in lower Manhattan Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent. And do something about the idiots trying to make bicycle riding look like an extreme sport. More Citi Bike Rider Headed For Hospital Can’t Stop Stressing About Time Limit

A young MI cyclist is the victim of a hit-and-run while riding her brand-new bike. Child hit by minivan while riding bike in Bloomfield Hills The wreck appears to have been either a cross or hook wreck at an intersection, so intersection protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent..

From the Great White North, another “balanced” rant about road safety. Letter: Cyclists and drivers each have a role to play in making cycling safer Who do you think has a greater responsibility for road safety? The person on a bicycle that kills maybe 5 people a year in the US, or the person at the controls of a WMD used for transportation that kills an average of 35K people a year in the US this century.

Also from the Great White North a cyclist is left crossed in a crosswalk. Oakville cyclist struck by car That could have been a pedestrian, a mother pushing a baby carriage, a senior citizen, but this time it was a cyclist. Intersection wreck, use the protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right so that people don’t feel the need to ride on a sidewalk to prevent.

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

Billed@€0.02, Opus

What is the deal with this %*$(*&^ package, and the Feed

No box of books today. It has been 6 days since the box was delivered to the post office. This has ceased to be even remotely amusing. The books have now spent twice as much time in the local USPS as they spent getting from Lincoln NE to Dallas. I am very unhappy about this to put it mildly. This was money I had to work hard for to get these books, and the books were my reward to myself for doing this work, well half of it anyway. The rest of the money went to household expenses to ease some of the financial burden.

An OH man is killed in a hit-and-run. Cyclist killed in hit and run accident in Dayton It appears that this was an intersection wreck, use the protocols to avoid/survive, and get the infrastructure right to prevent. As part of that infrastructure make hit-and-run a capital crime with sentences that may include the death penalty or life in prison should the run part of the hit-and-run be proven to have caused the death, in cases where the failure to get the victim to medical care in a timely manner directly contributed to the death. Hitting may have been outside of your control, but leaving them to die is entirely within your control.

Update on a NYC hit-and-run. Singapore cyclist in US hit-and-run crash ‘recovering well’ Nothing on the wreck which was covered here last week (the driver was going the wrong way, nothing the cyclist could have done to avoid or mitigate), but I’m glad the cyclist appears to be on the road to recovery.

Update on another NY wreck. Police ID Greece bicyclist hurt on Lake Shore Blvd. Still claiming that the wreck did not involve any other vehicles…

Again a cyclist is blamed more for a wreck than any of the drivers ever get. Pedestrian seriously injured in bike collision in downtown San Francisco I’m so tired of reading stories like this. I know my readers don’t ride on sidewalks that are not marked as MUP, so I don’t know what can be done to prevent wrecks like this on my part. What really angers me though is the resources expended on this wreck will far exceed those used to investigate a motor vehicle wreck with either a pedestrian or cyclist.

More on a CA wreck from yesterday. Pleasanton: Police identify Dublin bicyclist killed in weekend crash and Coroner IDs Bicyclist Killed Riding With Her Husband In Pleasanton Still the fault of the driver that hit the two cyclists from behind.

Another hit-and-run in CA. Bicyclist in hit-and-run accident near Riverbank was from Modesto Hit-from-behind, use the protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

More about CA bicycle wrecks in summary instead of singly. Bike-vehicle crashes mounting Most of the wrecks (73%) are the fault of the motor vehicle operator. Interesting to know.

And on the subject of bike wrecks in plural, we get the stats from Boston. What the Boston Cyclist Safety Report actually found Count on bike-hating news media to get it wrong.

A cyclist in SD gets buzzed, and not in the pleasurable way. Bike Rider Hurt on Highway 1804 When Struck by Side Mirror of Passing Vehicle The cyclist was riding according to the law while the weapon vehicle was passing too close. Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent. A passing law with promotion should be a big part of that infrastructure.

Part of the problem is demonstrated in CA as a drunk driver is arrested after being clocked at 101 MPH. CHP: Repeat DUI suspect clocked going 101 mph on Highway 101 in Santa Rosa The driver’s license had been suspended 10 times in the last 4 years for a variety of offenses INCLUDING DUI. This waste of human skin should not have been anywhere near the controls of the WMDs we call motor vehicles.

A cyclist is hit in the Great White North. Cyclist killed in Milton Monday evening and Police: Cyclist killed in Milton crash was homeless this one too Cyclist killed in collision more Cyclist dies after struck by vehicle in Milton Hit-from-behind wreck but as they have not immediately blamed the cyclist it may be that the cyclist was legally lighted and reflectored. The fact the they took the weapon vehicle in custody makes me think that there may have been a lighting problem with it also. Anyway, hit-from-behind protocols to avoid and if the infrastructure was done right these two would have never been in wrecking range of each other…

From the UK comes a anti-DUI PSA that has a lot of impact. ‘Pub Loo Shocker,’ British Anti-Drunk Driving PSA, Is So Terrifying It Might Just Save Lives (VIDEO)

From Enn Zed comes news that drivers don’t see HiViz any better than just regular clothes, so making it mandatory by law would have a negligible effect on drivers hitting cyclists. High-vis vests won’t cut cyclist death toll: expert I don’t wear ANSI Safety Lime because I think it makes driers notice me more, but because wearing it is an additional defense in the lawsuit my survivors will file in the event of my death.

From NYC is an infrastructure comment. What’s All the Fuss About Bikes? What indeed.

Last link? Urban Bicycling Is For Lazy People Oh, hells yeah, I’m lazy.

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

Still fighting the eye business, and the Feed

Things are getting interesting with the eye whatever-it-is, infection or allergic reaction. I’m not sure how it happened but somehow I woke up this morning with the eyelid glued open. I can’t even hypothesize on the mechanism that created this, but I woke up when my eye started to hurt from getting dried out. Before I could close the eye I had to pry it apart and clean out the “eye boogers” on the lids. The good news is that I took an allergy pill and the rest of my symptoms cleared up temporarily. So while the eye looks to be an infection of some kind, everything else is an allergy.

Mrs. the Poet is off her work for the summer of removing the flavor from the food she serves to children in a middle-school cafeteria in Dallas, and we are waiting for the mail to run so we can see if a package I’m expecting has arrived. When the mail runs then we take a shower together. (Hee hee, just to save water during the extended drought!)

A cyclist appears to have run a red light in NYC. 25-Year-Old Cyclist Killed By Two Taxis In East Harlem The description of the vehicle direction of travel for the weapon vehicles and the victim’s vehicle makes it pretty clear that the cyclist ran a red light. Intersection protocols to avoid (special attention to watching the traffic signal) and get the infrastructure right to prevent. And don’t run red lights.

Another link to the story about the young man getting hit-and-run by a semi in PA. Bicyclist injured after tractor-trailer hits him in Mechanicsburg This is from a local news outlet to the wreck and indicates the cyclist was hit from behind rather than in an intersection.

How long do you think it will take this to get spun as the cyclist’s fault? Fort Collins patrol car hits bicycle, rider seriously injured and Cyclist Injured After Police Officer Hit Her also Fort Collins cyclist hit by police cruiser suffers serious neck damage This should be treated the same as hitting a jogger in the sidewalk as the wreck was in a zone where cyclists are allowed to ride on the sidewalk. Intersection protocols to avoid, and the infrastructure was obviously deficient if cyclists are in the sidewalk rather than in the street.

An arrest has been made in the death of a cyclist. Woman arrested in death of bicyclist near Stanley and BIKE CZAR Fourth Bicyclist This Year Killed This is the driver that abandoned her disabled vehicle and called for a ride back to the tavern she had been drinking at for hours prior to hitting the cyclist. I was disappointed to read that the driver made bail and is back on the street.

Update on the story of a hit-and-run in AZ. Man appears in court charged with fatal hit-and-run I can’t believe they are actually charging the driver with murder in this case. That makes 3 cases in the last month in AZ where the driver has been either charged or convicted of murder in the death of a cyclist. I guess they searched social media for statements about bicycles on this one because I didn’t see any DUI charges.

A nasty situation in West Canuckistan. Cyclist’s neck injured by wire stretched across Saanich trail and Update: Cyclist injured by wire hanging across hiking trail in rural Victoria My take is that someone used stuff lying around to create this booby trap, despite what LEO said.

A cyclist has a run-in with a bus driver during Bike Week in the Great White North. Cyclist says bus driver injured him during Bike Week Drivers of multi-ton killing machines should be more even-tempered than this…

The spoiled brat son of a billionaire gets community service and a nearly half-million dollar fine for killing a cyclist while driving drunk. Billionaire Eike Batista’s Son Will Appeal Manslaughter Charge In Death Of Cyclist Crush his $1.3 million car with him in it, very slowly. He was driving drunk at high speed in a residential area on surface streets, the sentence is ludicrous.

A teen cyclist is hit by a semi while out training with his national team. Teen cyclist killed during training in Terengganu Not much to say on this one, the cyclist was practicing pack riding when one hit a pothole and took a couple more out and this rider went under a trailer in the oncoming lane. Since this was a practice session for pack riding my usual admonitions about not riding in a pack are mooted. Other than segregated infrastructure I have no way to avoid this wreck, and pack riding on a bike path (particularly the kind we get in the US) is considered a faux pas, if not outright illegal.

Legal Infrastructure! for Aussie cyclists. Car buffer zone considered to boost safety for cyclists and motorists and Cycle group backs Qld bike law review

Ghost Bike dedication and memorial for rider killed in April set for tonight RIP, cyclist.

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

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

Running way late with a deadline, and the Feed

Last night was another visit with the widow women so she can cry on my shoulder night, that ran until very late and resulted in not waking up until after 1300. Breakfast was “interesting”, with corn, mashed potatoes, and chicken stuffing with a little bit of chicken in it. Different in flavors from what I normally have by about the same in nutrition as far as calories, fat and carbs.

One thing I’m still slightly buzzing about is the new welder I got. The arc welder I had before and still have is about 40 years old and replacement parts are becoming hard to find, an old Sears Craftsman 70 amp transformer unit that weights slightly less than my last car, but at least it runs on 110V AC, standard house current. Well the new 90 amp wire welder does that too, but the plus side is the flux is contained inside the wire instead of the outside of the stick electrodes. This is good because it means my welding consumables stay fresh longer and I end up throwing less away. When you pay $20 for a pound of high-tensile electrodes that can be used to weld 4130 steel safely, and you end up throwing most of the pound away because the flux has gone bad, well that kinda burns. This welder the flux will last as long as the wire stays intact and dry. I can get the same kind of wires as I used to buy as sticks, and the welder will go as thick as 3/16″ steel without overloading (but I can only run a bead for 15 seconds at a time). This will make building the frame of the car, or customer bikes much easier.

An elderly man is killed cycling in NYC. Elderly cyclist dead after SUV collision in Brooklyn The NY Post has not been a reliable reporter of wrecks involving bicycles in many years, in this one they changed the age of the cyclist between the opening and closing paragraphs from 74 to 88. Cyclist, 74, is killed by car in Bensonhurst also 74-Year-Old Cyclist Killed In Bensonhurst Cyclist Struck, Killed By Car In Brooklyn last link Shameless: Daily News Tries Linking Death of Senior Cyclist to Bike-Share Intersection wreck, use the protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent. “No criminality suspected” means they need to look harder next time.

A wreck that does not make sense from the information given in the narrative. Boy on bike killed in DeKalb traffic accident I can see the kid crossing the centerline and getting hit by the SUV, but how did he get hit by the second vehicle? Unless he did what I did in my wreck and went way over the top of the first weapon vehicle. Anyway, not much about avoiding this wreck except not crossing the centerline, and getting the infrastructure right to prevent.

From Canuckistan more on the driver getting sent away for a long time after killing a cyclist. Man sentenced to 4 1/2 years for killing cyclist The one thing I’m very happy about is the 12 year driving ban that doesn’t start until after he gets out of prison. I may not be reading the article correctly but I think it also implies that the ban doesn’t start until all the sentence is complete if he gets parole. So that would mean 16 1/2 years of road that are safe from this drug addict and drunk (actually I think “and drunk” is redundant because a drunk is just addicted to a different drug).

A wreck in Oz. 11-year-old Vic boy dies in school crash Since this wreck was at an intersection that had a crossing guard the wreck itself is a bit suspicious. Get the infrastructure right including what minimal instruction should be needed to cross the street, to prevent.

Last link, because I’m a nerd Who will be Miss Nerd America? I gave up on looking for a nerd girl, and just went looking for a woman who could tolerate my nerdiness. These “girls” seem a bit more than what I would have been looking for back when I was looking.

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus