Dad took a slight setback, and the Feed

Dad is not doing as well as before, the main thing is getting him to eat. When he eats he gets better the next day, but getting him to eat has been a battle. We have so much good food in the house now that he just refuses to eat and it makes me a bit crazy. Between the food delivery lady and the neighbors bringing food by we have enough food in the house to feed two of me if I was riding my bike every day, but I’m not riding my bike and there’s just me and Dad, who ate like a bird before the wreck. now he hardly eats at all. If it wasn’t for Ensure I don’t think he would get enough vitamins to stay alive.

The big story today was broken by BikingInLA yesterday and picked up by major news outlets, and Patch. Berkeley Hit-and-Run Between Driver, Cyclists Captured on Video and Police Arrest Alleged Driver in Hit-and-Run with Cyclists and Berkeley Hit-And-Run Caught On Tape: Cyclist Catches Accident And Getaway On Bike Camera (VIDEO) more Oakland man arrested in connection with hit-and-run of Berkeley bicyclists captured on YouTube even Video: Cyclists struck by hit-and-run driver in Berkeley The owner of the car reported it stolen roughly 3 days after the wreck or about the time the video began getting viral status in the bike-blog world (since my usual computer doesn’t play video I don’t subscribe to notices about bike wreck videos posted to YouTube). From what I saw in the video there was no way for the cyclists to avoid this wreck, the car apparently pulled up alongside slightly faster than the cyclists and just moved over into them until they fell down then pulled back into the travel lane. IOW this appears to have been a deliberate assault with the motor vehicle as the weapon. No way to avoid except with psychic powers. SBR would prevent this by removing motor vehicles from the field of play.

A more complete report on the MN teen hit leaving a parking lot shows he was leaving church, not school. Church Mourns The Death Of Cyclist Killed Leaving Worship Now we know the cyclist was riding salmon for at least a short period when he got hit and that visibility may have been a factor, and that at this point LEO are not blaming the cyclist or the driver in this wreck. With what I know now I can’t say that there was any way to avoid this wreck as the cyclist’s salmoning does not appear to have contributed to the wreck. Dutch-style SBR would have prevented it as the cyclist would not have been even trying to get in the same lane as a car.

Another report on the CO man killed by what is alleged to be a drunk driver. Monument cyclist killed on evening ride Again, hit-from-behind protocols to avoid, decent infrastructure that doesn’t try to run cars through an area with limited sight lines and narrow lanes at highway speeds would go a long way to preventing a future wreck.

Conclusion in a civil suit against a driver that should not have been allowed to be in control of as large and dangerous a vehicle as the dump truck he was driving when he killed a cyclist. Settlement for man killed by city truck The driver had rear-ended a minivan less than 2 weeks prior to killing the cyclist as well as 19 other wrecks, most of which were his fault, since 1995. I don’t know anything about the actual wreck that killed this cyclist except that it involved the dump truck and killed the cyclist, so I can’t tell you how to avoid this wreck, but to prevent it SBR and making it much easier to lose a driver’s license, especially a commercial license like this driver was supposed to have. I mean seriously 20 wrecks between 1995 and 2010, that is more than a wreck every 9 months on average, his license should have been pulled years ago. I mean why even have licenses if there’s no penalty for bad driving and seldom a penalty for driving without one?

Battle of the octogenarians in NJ. Cyclist, 81, Seriously Injured in Crash With Car Hit-from-behind, hit from behind protocols to avoid. Proper infrastructure to prevent including taking the keys away from people that can’t keep their cars in a single lane (and I know this is ironic coming from a guy whose father is recovering from sliding off the road). Between the two there was 169 years of life experience and over 140 years of guiding vehicles down the road, and they still couldn’t manage to avoid running into each other. I believe this is the oldest combined age for a wreck I have ever had a link for.

Another wreck in CA shows why separate phases for bicycles and cars at light-controlled intersections is a good idea. TEMECULA: Bicyclist injured in Redhawk Parkway collision The cyclist and the driver were side-by-side at the intersection but there was rather heavy contact between the bike and the van right after the light changed. The working theory for this wreck is there was not enough room allowed for the cyclist to wobble from the start. I don’t know how to avoid the wreck, but getting the infrastructure right would go a long way to preventing it.

A WI wreck is blamed on a cyclist running a stop sign. Car hits bicycle in rural crash If as described then this could be avoided with the most basic of the intersection protocols, the one that says stop and yield at stop signs. Getting the infrastructure right so that bicycles don’t have to share high-speed rural highways would prevent wrecks like this.

A wreck in VA with injuries. Reston Bike Club Rider Injured in Ashburn It is unknown from this report what the mode of this wreck was. It may very well have been a bike-on-bike wreck as it happened on a club ride.

Another VA wreck definitely involved a motor vehicle, driver given a ticket. Local Cyclists Reaching Out to Help Injured Cyclists Hit By A Car The driver tried to pass when there wasn’t room to pass or for the cyclists to move over. LEO seems to be placing all the blame on the driver in this one, a rarity in VA. Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid a similar wreck if there’s room with decent infrastructure to prevent. Seeing the scene of the crime there should have been plenty of room to pass unless the driver that hit the cyclist was trying to pass when there was already another vehicle passing him. In which case the driver definitely deserves the reckless driving charge.

Another apparent red-light runner in NE. Cyclist hurt in crash near 72nd, Dodge The bike in the picture was definitely hit from the side, no doubt about that at all, so intersection protocols to avoid, and Dutch-style infrastructure to prevent.

Late link from GA as a driver hits 3 cyclists from behind despite reflectors and multiple blinky lights. Two Florida bicyclists killed along U.S. 17 At this point I can’t say what the driver’s problem was as the cyclists would certainly have been visible had the driver been looking, and why was he driving at speed on the shoulder of the road?

LifeStyle from a state that is relatively safe, protesters are saying it could be safer. Procession aims to show how bikes, cars can co-exist That this is being done just shows me how far we have to go to get people from A to B without killing them, independent of their mode of transportation. Notice that there is a co-protest with pedestrians and the wheelchair bound over their rights to the roads.

Also today in the UK more than 13,000 cyclists showed at 2 protests in London and Edinburgh. 10,000 pedal for action in biggest bike protest and Make our cities safer for cyclists also Thousands protest in London, Rome for cycle safety This pictures are just awe-inspiring, bicycles as far as the eye can see…

And that’s all the news that gave me fits today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Trying to get Dad better, and the Feed

Well there was some improvement yesterday in Dad as he had scrambled eggs for breakfast and more of the turkey-broccoli casserole for dinner as well as a few snacks between, but so far this morning he has been mostly quiet, denying he needs any pain meds or food, but I did manage to get half a bottle of Ensure down him. The really good news is that with all those calories he is finally starting to get warm enough to feel the temperature of the room and ask for the thermostat to be lowered and he had thrown off all the covers when I checked in on him this morning first thing. As the temperature in the house is hovering just under 80°F most of the day, this is a real improvement. It also makes icing his shoulder down much easier which really reduces his pain levels without using the drugs.

Up first and the Big Story, SF is batting 1.000 in criminal prosecutions against cyclists in pedestrian fatalities, but still under .070 in prosecuting drivers. S.F. bicyclist in fatal crash may face felony and Cyclist accused of killing pedestrian facing charges also Chris Bucchere, Cyclist Accused of Killing Pedestrian, to Be Charged more Bicyclst To Face Manslaughter Charges another one Cyclist In Fatal San Francisco Pedestrian Crash May Face Felony Charge not done yet Chris Bucchere, Cyclist Who Allegedly Killed Pedestrian In The Castro, Will Likely Be Charged With Felony still more SFPD Wants Felony Charges for Cyclist Who Killed Man not done yet SF DA to file charges this week against bicyclist in fatal collision getting close now Cyclist will face charges in connection with hitting pedestrian and last link SF’s DA says charges will be filed this week against cyclist in fatal collision Just a little reminder that fewer than 10% of drivers that kill pedestrians even get tickets, but 100% of cyclists that kill pedestrians have been prosecuted at the felony level. Not to say this guy didn’t deserve it, just that there are easily 50 times as many drivers that if investigated as hard as this cyclist would result in prosecutable offenses.

In sharp contrast, a cyclist is hit-and-run in Sandy Eggo. Bicyclist Injured in Hit-and-Run Note the difference in the degree of investigation between this wreck with a known felony offense (hit-and-run) with the cyclist’s offense in SF. Anyway, to avoid intersection protocols should be used, to prevent SBR need to be built.

On the other side of the country in SC a cyclist is hit in a crossing by a car. Cyclist Injured After Wreck In Simpsonville This was such a breaking story they didn’t even know which way the car was going when it hit the cyclist riding straight on the same road…

From the most deadliest state to walk or ride a bike in the US 6 years running and showing no signs of losing that #1 spot, another squished cyclist. Bicyclist injured after crash with car There is some question as to the sobriety of the cyclist. If the cyclist actually darted in front of the car, which may have been the case based on the grainy and out of focus picture that was with the link then avoiding this wreck would be as simple as riding in a controlled and predictable manner, with proper bicycle infrastructure to prevent the wreck.

From the UK one of the most terrifying videos I have ever seen (and I ride a bike in TX). Leicester bus driver may face disciplinary proceedings after cutting up cyclist (+ video) The bus tried to split a lane that was a couple of inches wider than the bus, forcing the cyclist to bail onto the sidewalk and as was pointed out if there had been any marked degree of curb separating the two the cyclist would have been all over the sidewalk or under the bus…

Infrastructure! news from NYC as a law that requires trucks to have mirrors similar to what is on school buses to eliminate front blind spots is unenforced. Family of Williamsburg child killed on bike blasts truck drivers, officials for ignoring new mirror law This and similar laws are on the dockets all over the world in an attempt to make large trucks (or HGV as they are called in the UK) less deadly.

Infrastructure news from the Twin Cities of MN. What’s Happening With The Sabo Bridge? Apparently what’s happening can be summed up in two words,”Not much.”

And As I finally get to put this post to bed, that’s all the news that gave me fits today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

To the gills with coffee, and the Feed

I haven’t even looked at the Feed folder this morning as I plow through the rest of my daily correspondence required to make the house and writer function, and I have already polished off the first pot of coffee for the day between breakfast and lunch. As the glow from my eyes glares from the computer screen I will have to don shades just to filter the Feed today

The big story for today is still the Pinkybike wreck in L.A. Police skeptical that cyclist was injured in road rage incident and LAPD Reversal: Cyclist Crash Being Investigated as Crime also Police Continue ‘Exhaustive’ Investigation into Susanna Schick Biking Accident, Hope It Doesn’t Create ‘Bike Versus Car’ Mentality Again, the injuries suffered by Susanna just don’t mesh with either speed reported in the media for the wreck, impossible at 18 MPH, highly unlikely at 30 unless there was something in the bike lane to run in to, which would have had to have been invisible because nobody reported seeing any sort of obstructions in the bike lane. I personally have had several wrecks at the speeds in question and on smooth unobstructed pavement like that in the incident in question have never been injured worse than road rash and bruises. The only reported road rash in this case was to the rider’s face (another reason I wear a full-face helmet). The facts in this case are like 2+2=pi, just not adding up. There is additional information being left out by someone, most likely the LAPD.

The next biggest story is the kid hit on a bike at the curb in NYC. Bicyclist Killed While Riding in the Bronx and Bronx teen on bike hit and killed It’s so nice for the driver that NYPD immediately absolved (him/her?) of any possible guilt in the wreck before the cyclist’s body had even gotten cold.

Another fatal wreck in the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike for 6 years running. Bicyclist dies after riding into path of car in Lee County Again the narrative does not fit the evidence. The cyclist was hit in the left rear by the right front of the car that “veered sharply left” while crossing the road. If the cyclist had been crossing with the left side facing the driver, then veering left should have resulted in a left-FRONT impact. If the cyclist was hit in the rear while crossing in front of a vehicle that veered LEFT the cyclist would have been hit on the RIGHT rear. The wreck impact as described would have had to have been a pass that was too close to the cyclist by more than the 3 feet of clearance required by FL law when passing cyclists. IOW this driver rammed the cyclist from behind while the cyclist was proceeding in a lawful manner down the road.

A driver that killed a cyclist in a left-cross is absolved of blame. Driver not charged in cyclist death in Middletown “I didn’t see him” invoked again. I hope all the LEO involved in this one have terrible nightmares the rest of their lives of blind drivers almost running them over.

The big overseas story is from the UK where a truck driver that ran a cyclist over from behind on a clear day with unobstructed sight lines is spared jail time. Family dismayed by light sentence for driver who killed cyclist and Lorry driver sentenced after he ploughed into cyclist and killed him also Speeding lorry driver who killed racing cyclist escapes jail more Lorry driver who claims he didn’t see time-trial cyclist he killed escapes jail gads, not done yet? Suspended sentence for driver who killed Karl Austin and Lorry driver receives suspended jail term after death of cyclist Karl Austin The facts of the case are undisputed, the driver had most of a mile to see and avoid the cyclist who was doing and estimated 20 MPH at the time he was hit, and the driver’s on-board speed recorder showed he was 6 MPH over the local limit for his vehicle. The cyclist was dressed in a HiVis jersey, and had a very bright blinky light on the back of his bike. The impact threw the cyclist more than 150 feet before he stopped, and died on the spot. To describe the event as “careless” is a gross understatement. And the sentence, the hardest part of which is the 4 month curfew, is nothing short of ludicrous. He should be in jail, and the hardest thing he gets is he can’t go to the pub for 4 months. TANJ!

A cyclist is injured in Enn Zed. Cyclist hospitalised with head injuries If there as less information in this report we wouldn’t even know there had been a wreck, not to mention that there were actually 2 cyclists in the article in 2 different wrecks, a motorcycle and a bicycle. I find it interesting the bicyclist had a head injury in spite of NZ’s country-wide helmet law for cyclists…

More on the new PA law that requires drivers to give 4 feet of clearance when passing. Cyclists give ‘cushion of safety’ in new law I really like Chip’s grasp of the physics involved in hitting a semi, too bad he is completely wrong about it.

And to close, a pretty bike picture. Twin Cities Bike Picture of the Day: 4.13.12 Ain’t that nice to look at?

And that is all the news that gave me fits today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Planning another service, and the Feed

Being a ritualist at my church means never being able to say “Done!” We just got done with the April Fool’s service, and now we have a Full Moon service to do Thursday, and another Sunday service to do after that. Now if we had a full-time minister this would be a piece of cake, but we ritualists have jobs to do, yards to mow, gardens to tend, and then we also have to do that same stuff at home. There is always something that the ritualists need to be doing at the church above and beyond just putting on the services.

Up first today is a different kind of bike theft. Tuesday’s Sentinel police log The blurb is well hidden in the link, I will quote it for your assistance: “A bicycle was stolen from a detached garage in the rear of the 100 block of East King Street in Shippensburg between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. March 29. According to police, the bike is described as a girl’s Schwinn mountain bike, bluish-purple and silver color and a black seat. The bike should have a water bottle on it. Police say another bike was left in its place. The found bike is a men’s Magna mountain bike, silver in color with 26 inch wheels and 21 speeds. Police seek information.” So, not so much theft as an unapproved trade. I wonder if the bike left had a flat tire or other mechanical problem.

First wreck is just down the road from WoaB World HQ in the beautiful suburbs of Hell. Local Bicycle Rider Serious Hurt In Collision With Car Note to the “writer” of this headline: adverbs, learn how to use them. This is another intersection wreck where at least one vehicle ran a red light, so it was assumed the cyclist was the one that did it. Anyway, intersection protocols, don’t run red lights and don’t assume that the people in control of 2 tons of death won’t either. I have to say that the one time I rode down there Waco seemed like a nice place to ride a bike, but I was on the road for about 11 hours and suffering a bit from the heat that time. Can you say 90 miles into a headwind? And that was just Day 1 of a 2 day 250 mile ride (planned). Remind me sometime to relate that tale of a broken tail.

First of a series of bike wrecks with teens and almost no information about the wreck. Minor injuries in car-bicycle accident And the article went, where? There was one sentence in that article, not counting the headline, that covered the age of the victim and the location of the wreck.

Another wreck, another young victim, another article that has almost no information in it. Boy on bike suffers arm injury after collision with vehicle OK a tiny bit more information on this one, it appears to be some kind of right of way violation in an intersection, use intersection protocols to avoid, SBR to prevent.

A sidewalk cyclist is injured by a car running a stop sign in AZ. Bicyclist injured after colliding with car in Yuma Again in spite of irrefutable evidence the driver ran the stop sign LEO managed to blame the cyclist on this one. To avoid, ride in the street and use intersection protocols. To prevent demand SBR.

I had to take a break from composing this post because we had a tornado touch down a bit to the south and moving west of WoaB World HQ. It’s a bit difficult to compose a post on a desktop computer when you’re sitting in the bathtub trying to keep two cats from getting away while trying to keep track of flashlights and a blinky locater light in case the house falls down on you. Did I mention the cats tolerate each other at best?

Back to the theme of kids on bikes, a 15 YO is hit-and-run in PA. Police Looking for Hit-and-Run Driver The driver in this wreck hit a cyclist from behind in his lane then crossed over to hit a skateboarder in the opposite lane. That sounds to me like a grumpy old man/woman trying to take out as many “rotten kids” as he/she can get to. I can’t tell you how to avoid a driver like this, but to prevent a situation like this you can’t do any better than SBR.

Another hit-and-run in CA of an elderly cyclist. Police briefs: Monterey bicycle accident victim identified Not much here to help other cyclists avoid a similar wreck with the built environment, but SBR would prevent a wreck like this.

A blind driver hits 2 cyclists from behind in MI. Man seriously injured when car hits his bike The driver claimed to have the sun in his eyes when he hit the cyclists @1945 yesterday. This is a major danger to cyclists, as drivers try to maintain their speed even though they can’t see the road in front of them. To prevent we need to have SBR or severe restrictions on motor vehicles so that drivers are at fault when they continue to drive in conditions like this.

A celebrity delivers a door prize to a cyclist in NYC. Tracy Morgan Bike Bust-Up: Cyclist Crashes Into Comedian’s Open Car Door To avoid, ride far enough into the street to be outside the door zone. To prevent, get bikes away from the door zone via infrastructure since SBR are pretty much impossible with the existing environment.

A cyclist is apparently murdered in CA. Police investigate hit-and-run fatality The reason I’m calling this one a “murder” is the weapon vehicle was obviously trying to not be seen, driving without lights, and did not stop after hitting the victim. If I wanted to kill someone, that’s the way I would do it…

Also in CA a driver gets 2 years. Hit-and-Run Driver who Killed Bicyclist Zachary Parke Gets Two Years in Jail and Hit and Run Suspect Sentenced and Santa Cruz area man jailed for two years for hit and run that killed cyclist on Empire Grade Road also Live Oak man jailed for two years for killing cyclist on Empire Grade Road last link Driver sentenced for crash that killed Zachary Parke Apparently killing a cyclist is no big deal in CA, Michael Vick got more time for killing dogs.

A cyclist is killed in far west CanuckistanCyclist involved in collision with car succumbs to injuries and Vancouver police investigating the death of a woman cyclist in collision and Female cyclist dies from injuries after colliding with car in east Vancouver also Cyclist hit at 12th Avenue succumbs to injuries This is the cyclist where they still haven’t determined which one was running the red light.

Moving to the UK, a cyclist is assaulted with a non-lethal projectile weapon from a moving car. Wiltshire cyclist injured in drive-by paintball attack The cyclist took one shot to the face and 2 more to the torso. To avoid, ain’t going to happen, there’s no way to avoid someone out hunting cyclists with a weapon carried in a car. To prevent, well start with confiscation and destruction of the vehicle live on national TV, then a firing squad of paintball guns on a naked perpetrator, also on live TV. Follow up with restitution to the injured victim and a prison sentence, then permanent loss of driving privilege, with mandatory prison if caught driving.

Also in the UK, a hit-and-run victim was a LEO. Injured cyclist found under flyover is police sergeant There is at least a fighting chance that this wreck will be properly investigated. Unfortunately that is only because the victim was LEO.
A wreck in Oz kills a cyclist. Man killed in bike, ute collision and Man killed in bike and ute collision At this point the only news that can be verified is that both vehicles were travelling in the same direction and the cyclist was hit from behind… hit from behind protocols to avoid, there were unconfirmed reports that the cyclist was trying to access a SBR when he was hit.

LifeStyle from NYC. On the trail of ‘ghost bikes,’ families and friends of cyclists killed on the streets of New York rally for more police action

And those are all the links that gave me fits today. Sorry this was so late, but I spent most of the day watching tornadoes tracking through the area on the TV and grabbing the cats to hide in the “safe area” of our house.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Why no 04/01 joke, and the Feed

With as much as I like to be funny I’m sure some people are wondering why I didn’t do April Fools this year. Well, I did, I just did it with such a straight face that nobody noticed. Look at yesterday’s post. I was quoting from a Heinlein novel Job, A Comedy of Justice, not a funky Biblical translation from the 1970s. But the rest of what I wrote, and throwing in the Chuck Jones cartoon, so mis-directed everyone that nobody got the joke. The joke being “Why is a ritualist in an openly Pagan UU church even mentioning a secondary deity from Christianity? Much less devoting an entire service to his change in status from the beginning of the Bible to the end.” Well I did get a few zingers in during the homily and one during the closing, so it wasn’t a total loss.

The big story today is the SWSS death of a respected college professor. WOU Professor Killed In Hit And Run Accident later WOU professor killed in bicycle accident and WOU professor hit and killed while riding his bike also Western Oregon professor dies in collision last link Bike crash kills Western Oregon University professor of special education north of Monmouth The one thing that struck me about the crime scene pictures was what was not there: skid marks from the weapon vehicle trying to avoid the collision. During this encounter the driver of the weapon vehicle never used the controls in such a way that limits of traction were even approached, much less exceeded. If the wreck went the way the driver described it there should be tire marks on the road from the frantic swerve to the left. Anyway, hit-from-behind wreck, to avoid use the protocols, to prevent SBR needs to be built. Real Separate Bicycle Roads, not MUP in parks that don’t actually go anywhere.

Next biggest story is Levi Leipheimer getting hit by a car in Spain. American cyclist Leipheimer ‘lucky to be alive’ after being hit by car in training in Spain and Levi Leipheimer Hit by Car on Training Ride This just goes to show that even an experienced cyclist in a fairly bicycle-friendly country can still get hit and hurt without SBR. I know Levi knows the protocols and applies them on every ride when he isn’t racing, but it still wasn’t enough to keep him from getting hit. It probably did keep him from getting killed though.

Another report on that bike/car wreck in MO I told you about Saturday. Bicycle rider injured in collision with car in Hannibal Still nothing more solid about the actual wreck.

A cyclist is hit from behind by a drunk driver driving without a license in CA. Bicyclist injured after collision with car on Market Street in Santa Cruz Anyway, hit-from-behind protocols would not have helped in this case as the cyclist was already off the road in a bike lane when he was hit and lacked any other place to escape the wreck. SBR with a barrier that could prevent a drunk or determined driver from reaching the cyclist would do the job.

In the same area of CA as the previous wreck a cyclist loses control of her bike and suffers injuries requiring transport to a hospital. Woman hurt in bike crash on Soquel San Jose Road No word on what caused the loss of control, so just keep your SA up and your speed in control to avoid a similar wreck.

Judges in the UK continue to get it wrong in cyclists’ death cases. Motorist spared prison after he admits error in crash that killed cyclist The driver ran into a cyclist covered in HiViz and flashing lights, says “Ooopsie” and gets off with the gentlest taps on the wrist possible under the circumstance. There was nothing obstructing the driver’s vision but his own stupidity when he hit the cyclist from behind on a clear day. To get community service and less than $5000 in restitution is a travesty.

A wreck in Oz. Cyclist killed at Magenta Just another SWCC, nothing more to see here, move along!

Infrastructure! news from WI. Appleton police focus on reducing bicyclist, pedestrian injuries Naturally the majority of the enforcement attention is given to the victims and next to none is applied to the potential killers in this scenario.

And last link, something so stupid I’m not even going to add anything here. Helmets key to safe biking, officials say

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

Billed @$0.02, Opus

I feel a breeze, and the Feed

Well as of right now as I type these words the video and pictures of losing more than 5 months of hair and beard growth have not yet been posted, but there is a constant draft in my house and in the rest of the world. I know that is because what used to be covered by a thick coat of hair is now exposed, but it still feels on the emotional level like the whole world has gotten drafty.

Up first, more on the cyclist that died in NC after being hit by a drunk driver. Cyclist Hit By DWI Driver In Lexington Dies This was the cyclist that was hit at a speed of between 50 and 55MPH on the shoulder of the road by a drunk driver who also hit-and-run. The driver had almost double the legal limit for BAC%.

Another NC cyclist death by a drunk driver. Greenwood teen charged in fatal bike crash Drunk driver runs off the road, hitting and killing a cyclist, but they had to mention the cyclist was not wearing a helmet… Anyway intersection protocol might have helped, Breathalyser interlocks on motor vehicle engine controls would have prevented this.

Just a short drive from the previous wreck, a cyclist is killed in a SWCC. Man hit, killed while riding bike Google Maps was unable to locate the intersection where this wreck was supposed to have happened, and I did a manual search for the intersection myself from one side of Sumter county to the other on US15 with no luck either in locating any kind of “Road 404″. The only 404 I found was a 404 error, So either this was a local designation that was not incorporated into Google Maps (and just to be sure I zoomed in to the shows lot boundaries level of zoom) or the intersection was mis-identified, or the wreck never happened and the whole article was a ruse to drive web traffic and gather eyeballs for the ads. Assuming the wreck really did happen as described it had to have been at an uncontrolled intersection where the cyclist must determine that there is a big enough gap in traffic before attempting to cross. I didn’t see many intersections where the speed limit would have made it impossible to see a car coming at night before you could cross on a bike. But the wreck supposedly happened @ 0545, still deep dark in the early morning. Anyway, intersection protocols to avoid, SBR to prevent.

In Eastern WA, a motorcycle hits a bicycle killing both riders. Neighors not surprised by deadly motorcycle, bike crash Nothing on the mode of the wreck, but locals say that motor vehicle traffic was routinely too fast for conditions there. There was an intersection mentioned in the article I read (which may be different from the one there when you click the link) so I’m going to suggest intersection protocols to avoid the wreck, and SBR to prevent it completely.

Another link to that smelly ball of goo that NYPD wreck investigation has become. A Push For More NYPD Accountability For Fatal Cyclist Crashes Yep, this one is turning into a hold-your-nose kind of deal.

Speaking of hold-your-nose, the killer of an RAF officer in the UK is sentenced. Delivery driver hit and killed RAF officer who served as Queen’s aide – but escapes jail as he was ‘blinded by the sun’ Apparently it is peachy keen to continue at speed when you can’t see past the front end of your vehicle, even if it kills someone.

Another UK killer of cyclists is actually sent to jail. Learner driver from Rainham jailed for killing schoolboy Thomas Stone Well, this driver was not even fully allowed to drive alone, was not insured, and at the time of the wreck was alone in the car…

LifeStyle! ALEXANDER: Disabled athletes should inspire us Handcycling can be fun, and is a great form of low-impact cross-training. It would be better if the vehicles didn’t cost as much as a decent used car, but given the production volumes and the fact that they’re subsidised by insurance for most of the people that need one, I don’t see prices coming down in the near future.

Last link is to an article on possible post-lithium developments in battery technology. Supercharged! Battery Power for the Future In case you wonder why this is important in a bicycle blog, one of my passions is e-assist bikes, and one of the stumbling blocks for those is a lack of both power- and energy-dense batteries at a reasonable price, that can be recharged as fast as filling a tank on an ICE-assist bike. Also the lack of good batteries are the major impediment to electric cars, for pretty much the same reason. And electric cars will be much easier to live with than ICE cars because drivers will have to drive slower to conserve what energy they can get in the car unless they want to have to charge every time they stop. IOW unless there is a major change in battery physics that makes batteries equal to gasoline I don’t see e-cars being driven as hard or as fast as ICE cars, because they will be stuck away from the charging point. I don’t see an easy way to bring a few Wh of electricity to a stranded e-car that has depleted the battery, like you can bring a jerry-can of gas to a car…

And last thought, Yehuda Moon is coming out from behind the paywall for a week, if you haven’t read it, or haven’t read it for a while, you should click the link in the sidebar and go there…

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

Billed @$0.02, Opus

The rains came and the lawn is still unmowed, and the Feed

Yep, didn’t get to mow the lawn yet. As I was filling the gas can a light drizzle started that became a steady drizzle that has prevented my from navigating my yard with my disability (although this would be the perfect time to run a roller over my yard, had I such a thing to run). One of the things about my wreck is the fact I have to wear a lifted shoe on my left foot to compensate for losing 17mm of length in that leg after the wreck and also I have weak ankles because of the muscle damage caused by the compartment syndrome. That is a bad combination as the lifted shoe has a longer lever arm to cause my ankle to turn, with less muscle strength to resist that turning moment, resulting in more than a few sprained ankles since the wreck that I would not have gotten otherwise. Fortunately I have developed a defense against sprains in situations like this, the controlled fall. I look at it like this: I’m going to get hurt no matter what, I can get a few scrapes and maybe a bruise or two, or I can get a sprain that might keep me off my feet for weeks. Given the choice I take the controlled fall, but the real prevention is to avoid situations that I know ahead of time may require me to make that choice. Hence no mowing when rain makes my footing treacherous.

Just up the road from WoaB World HQ in the beautiful suburbs of Hell, a wreck where they have no idea what happened. Flower Mound teen seriously injured in car-bike crash At this point about all they know and are releasing is the location of the wreck. I can make some assumptions about this one because I know the LEO in the area, but I will refrain until more information becomes publicly available, More links Teen struck by vehicle (updated) and Automobile Accident involving Flower Mound Bicyclist also Teen struck by vehicle

Another IN teen is hit on a bike, with slightly better results this time. 13-Year-Old Bicyclist Injured in Hit and Run Notice that this time they went after the perps with a vengence, including setting dogs on them to get one out of hiding. Nothing on the mode of the wreck, but that’s not what makes this report important, the reaction of LEO is what made the difference here. Thumbs up to all the LEO involved in this wreck, far catching the perps and getting them off the roads. More Speeding driver seriously hurts teen biker and Pickup hits 13-year-old; 2 in jail after chase and this one Two arrested after truck bicycle crash in Kosciusko County still more Two men arrested after crashing into Amish bicyclist, fleeing police not done yet Teenager hit by speeding drunk driver almost there Hit-skip crash injures bicyclist, 13 last link 2 in Kosciusko charged after crash with cyclist OK after reading all the links we find the cyclist was hit by a speeding vehicle that ran a stop sign while being driven by 2 drunks (?) who were quickly caught before they could sober up. I don’t know if the cyclist was hit from the side in the intersection or hit after the intersection from behind, so I still can’t tell you if there would be any way to avoid this one. If it was hit from the side there was no way the cyclist could have avoided this wreck, otherwise hit-from-behind protocol. Having Separated Bicycle Roads would have reduced the chance of this wreck happening, but not eliminated it completely.

Hit-and-run in VA. Update: Arrest Made in Deadly Hit and Run Hit-from-behind with pretty much no chance to react on the part of the cyclist. More links UPDATED: Suspect arrested in deadly hit and run crash in Lynchburg and Man arrested in fatal Lynchburg hit-and-run and last link to this story Lynchburg police seize truck in hit-and-run death of bicyclist OK from the other links we find the driver crossed the centerline to hit the cyclist head on when he was taking the lane to make sure he wasn’t hit from behind. This was a murder, not an “accident” and in no way could any human cyclist have been able to avoid this wreck. SBR could have prevented this wreck by both separating the cyclist from exposure to the truck driver, and eliminating a source of anger for the driver of the truck (“damn cyclists slowing people down make me want to kill them”). I’m firmly in favor of chaining the driver to the steering wheel of the murder weapon when they recycle it. I would suggest a shredder rather than a crusher for less mess and a more humane execution.

One of the juveniles that attacked a cyclist in PA was sentenced in the assault that resulted in 2 of the 3 attackers being shot by the cyclist who had a CHL. Pa. boy, 16, sent to juvenile facility for attack on Pa. cyclist that ended with 1 teen killed Good.

In OH another “ninja” cyclist is hit. Man hit by truck while riding bike near railroad tracks As I have said many times before, if you’re going to ride Ninja, you have to ride like you’re invisible because for most drivers you are invisible. Half the time they can’t see a cyclist wearing a glow in the dark clown suit covered in lights, why tempt fate by riding Ninja? And I’m not talking about the Kawasaki motorcycle of the same name.

Our first sentencing story from CA. Man learns fate from drunk driving crash that killed cyclist Ten months, that’s all a cyclist’s life is worth. Pardon me while I go visit Ralph driving the porcelain bus.

Another sentencing story with slightly better results. Four years in prison for Nipomo driver who killed English cyclist Well that’s a little better, still not right.More Driver gets 4 years for cyclist’s death in South County

Signs that they are finally starting to take death by motor vehicle seriously in the UK. Driver will face crown court over causing death of cyclist Karl Austin This change of venue will ensure a minimum prison sentence instead of probable community service in this death. I still can’t understand how any death with culpability can result in a sentence of community service.

A one-woman campaign for bike/ped safety in the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike for 6 years running (grammar error deliberate to emphasise how deadly this place is) Island resident begins bicycle, pedestrian safety campaign She is doing something similar to what I was doing here, trying to tell people how to use the built environment safely. The problem is the built environment is not safe. She is working on one of the 3 “E”s of bicycle transportation safety, “Education”. The others are “Engineering” and “Enforcement”. All 3 are required to make people safe, but sometimes you have to go with what you have. If you can’t change the engineering or do any enforcement, all you can do is educate.

Another “Helmets First” bike safety story. Ask the Pediatrician: Bike Helmets Well I can cut a little slack, because it isn’t about bike safety in general, and because doctors have tunnel vision because they only see kids that get hurt, not the thousands that get the health benefits of cycling.

Infrastructure news from the Great White North. Changes sought to bike lanes

And a LifeStyle article I’m linking to too many times here lately. Cyclists honor victim of hit-and-run Something must be done to stop this epidemic of hit-and-run. The only thing I can think of is raising the penalty for hit-and-run to include mandatory loss of the vehicle, with a permanent loss of license if the victim dies. More Memorial Ride, Ghost Bike for cyclist killed by hit and run driver

And final link, for those that think riding a bike is just too easy. How To Walk Across America

Back from refining my writing, and the Feed

OK I just got back from going over the writing in this blog, and the consensus was “You’re doing it right”. With what I have to work with I can tone down the snark a bit or ramp it up a bit, but basically my subject matter is dictating the writing style for this blog. So the amount of snark will vary depending on my mood for the day, but the style of the blog is pretty much set. I don’t feel very snarky at the moment, but I haven’t even opened the Feed folder yet.

A link that BikingInLA reminded me of for our opening “Nobody Got Hurt Link”. City Questions I’m really starting to like Bikeyface, the blog. She has a slightly skewed outlook on life etc, that is close to mine, when I’m in a good mood. I especially like that last panel of comic, “The Secret of Life”.

Up first because it’s in the same state as WoaB World HQ in the beautiful suburbs of Hell, a cyclist is hit by a struck in Corpus Christi. Man On Bike Seriously Injured After Being Hit By A Truck The picture shows a bike that was hit from the left front with some damage to the right rear on the rack, but most of the bike seems in pretty good shape. The article said the wreck was in an intersection, so intersection protocols through this choke point crossing the Interstate Highway. This would be a Red Alert area for cycling, no choice to use a different route and no bicycle accommodations so you have to watch every direction at once, because there are turning movements that can be made across lanes of traffic that bikes normally ride in. The only real solution for something like this is a separate crossing for bicycles that keeps bikes away from the idiots getting on and off the freeway, aka SBR. More links Bicycle Rider in Critical Condition After Being HIt by a Truck A comment on that from a person claiming to be a witness said the cyclist was hit while crossing with the green light Bicyclist in critical condition Friday after striking side of pickup near Interstate 37

Another wreck a little closer to WoaB. Driver Arrested For Deadly Crash Not a lot of information on this wreck. Apparently a hit-from-behind wreck that then became a hit-and-run, the cyclist was not in the actual lane of travel for motor vehicles when she was hit.

A wreck in CA that I’m still trying to figure out the geometry of. Bike rider killed in collision with big rig in Fresno I don’t know if the cyclist was left-crossed, right-hooked, or ran a red light and hit the side of the truck. All I know is the truck was turning the cyclist hit the side of it and was run over by the back wheels of the trailer. A better link Bicyclist dies in collision with big rig in Fresno From that link we know the cyclist had a brake failure before the wreck (how long before is a matter of speculation) and rolled into the right side of the truck making a legal left turn.

Another hit-from-behind wreck in KS this time. Car-bike crash sends 1 to hospital The wreck caused the bike to go to the right and landed on the north side of the street.

A NYC cyclist is almost left-crossed and gets hit by another vehicle. Bicyclist Critically Injured in Gramercy Park The cyclist was cut off by the left hook and then fell in front of the other vehicle. In this case the cyclist was completely blameless, and while successfully avoiding one wreck got involved in a second.

An encouraging report from the UK as a driver that intentionally rammed into a cyclist is sentenced for dangerous driving instead of assault with a deadly weapon. South Wales woman who used car as weapon, injuring cyclist, convicted of dangerous driving I don’t understand how ramming a cyclist with 2 tons of high speed mass is not assault with a deadly weapon.

A cyclist in Brazil was almost hit by a bus and when she started “talking with her hands” she lost control of her bike and was hit by another bus. Cyclist killed by São Paulo bus

Infrastructure! news from the UK. Ways to make Britain a biking nation If we make the US a biking nation then with our widespread roads system we would dominate international cycle sport. If just 10% of the trips over 50 miles was made by bike our cyclists would be the most fit in the world and the talent pool to choose from would be miles deep instead of a couple feet as it is now. Not to mention we would face far fewer problems with obesity and other diseases related to our sedentary life styles.

Infrastructure report on the site of that triple bike collision in FL that put 2 riders in the hospital and destroyed one bike. Cyclists Consider Lake Hollingsworth Spot Dangerous Notice that the spot is dangerous because drivers don’t pay attention to cyclists and pedestrians in the separate lanes for their travel. IOW the problem is cars, not the roads.

And that’s all the news that gives me fits today. Check back in tomorrow when I have funny stories and cute pictures and don’t even read about anything sad or unhappy. Yeah, BOOOrrrrrinnnngg! But if you want a sane blogger the other 6 days a week you have to let me have this pressure relief on Sunday.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Another one of those days where you feel like chucking it, and the Feed

I’m trying to calm my nerves with my favorite meditation music (Blue Man Group’s first CD, yes I meditate to polyrhythmic drum music) after the first run-through of the Feed, but I’m not having as much success as I normally do. I guess trying to get in the meditative state and writing are not a good mix?

I’m going to open up with a link to the world as drivers see it versus the word as cyclists see it. Seeing Things I draw your attention to the upper right corner of the picture of the world as cyclists see it, something I missed on first inspection. And yes I sometimes am that dense, but they again if my skull wasn’t that dense I might not be here to write this blog.

Our first wrecks come from the state that has killed more cyclists and pedestrians than any other state in the US for 6 years running. 74-year-old bicyclist killed in wreck and Milton man killed in accident The cyclist was hit-from-behind in the inside lane, possibly while preparing to make a left turn. Looking at the Street View for the area I think it’s possible he was trying to get to a legal place to turn around through the median. Anyway, lights reflectors, and SA to avoid under current conditions, or SBR to make the wreck impossible.

Still in FL. Sarasota man dies after being hit while riding bike across U.S 41 and Bicyclist Killed By Oncoming Car Again looking at the street View of the site, this is a huge street, with 8 lanes to cross. The cyclist could have been caught by a stale green or even a light that would not detect his presence and change for his safe passage. Given the cyclist’s age I would be more inclined to the stale green, especially if he was balked by a turning driver and had to slow or stop after entering the intersection, us old guys sometimes don’t have a whole lot of acceleration unless we are training specifically for that.

Not clear of FL yet as an SUV cuts off a group of cyclists, intersection the path of 2 of them. 2 UF students hurt in cycling accident near I-75 Note that the cyclists were in the bike lane/shoulder when the SUV pulled across their direction of travel too close for the cyclists to stop after leaving the stop sign. Whether the driver actually stopped at the stop sign is a matter of conjecture.

Moving just a little bit to AL, another link to the cyclist hit on a recumbent trike. Retired Milwaukee Firefighter killed in crash in Alabama There’s no reason to hit a vehicle from behind that had as much neon-colored reflective material and lights on the back as this guy had. More Police search for driver in hit-and-run death of cyclist in Gulf Shores also Cyclist Death Investigation In Gulf Shores and Roadblock used to get info on accident

A rider in Seattle is injured in a mystery crash. Bicyclist very seriously injured in North Seattle crash and Bicyclist suffers life-threatening injuries in Seattle crash That link was especially frustrating to try to read as it would vanish about 3 seconds after it loaded Police seek leads in bicycle crash near North Seattle C.C. The cyclist has severe injuries but LEO can’t find a hint that a car was involved? How about “the cyclist has life-threatening injuries”?

Moving down the coast a bit to CA, a cyclist attempts to cross an off-ramp while riding on a freeway (legal because so many freeways have been built they destroyed all the other through route in some areas) and gets hit. Bicyclist Injured In Freeway Collision With Car – February 23, 2012 Lesson to learn from this one is to time your crossing so that your exposure is reduced to a minimum by crossing perpendicular to the lane from one shoulder on the ramp to the shoulder on the freeway. A better solution would be bike infrastructure that provides through routes where freeways have removed them, SBR.

Moving to Jolly Olde, we get a combination wreck and Infrastructure! story as a 2-way bike lane/path next to a road is blamed for a cyclist’s fatal wreck. Jo Walters death: Fatal cycle crash path ‘below standard’ Not wide enough for 2 cyclists to pass each other without one or both going off the path and having a major highway moving high speed traffic off one side, oh yeah that’s real safe. Just because you have SBR doesn’t mean you’re safe, it has to be good SBR or it just kills people in a different way than riding in the road.

A resolution to a bike wreck from Oz. Truckie fatigue cited in cyclist’s death Tired driver sick to his stomach, smoking pot for nausea blacks out and runs over 4 cyclists in the bike lane alongside the highway. The only good thing is the driver admitted total blame for the wreck. Still to come sentencing and the trial for the driver’s employer, who sent him out knowing he was sick and tired.

And the big Infrastructure! story from the UK is a debate in Parliament over bike safety and how much should be spent to ensure it with bike share approaching 40% on some roads in spite of having the worst bike infrastructure in the EU. Parliamentary debate: Cross-party consensus among MPs present shows government the way forward and MPs #cyclesafe cycle debate: the speeches for perspective, the US equivalent would be a packed House debate on the same subject with real money being committed to the projects with £100M being roughly equal to $500M in the US in terms of GDP or $1B in terms of land area.

And that’s all the news that gives me fits today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

After recovering from a power failure, the Feed

While I was doing my normal routine prior to writing the blog post somewhere in a half-mile radius of WoaB World HQ in the suburbs of Hell (which aside from the wind id quite pleasant today) something exploded and cut off my power for a few seconds. It took more than a few minutes to recover what I had been doing at the time of the explosion, but eventually I had everything back the way it was before whatever it was blew up and temporarily shut off the power.

Going first because it effects everybody even if they don’t ride in the street. Fuji Recalls Women’s Cruiser Bicycles Due to Fall Hazard The reported area of the frame break, the center of the downtube, puzzles me. This is not a weak spot on most bicycles. The only thing I can think of was that somehow during the manufacturing process the tube had a thin spot in the wall of the tube, because as I said this is not a highly stressed part of the frame and there are no welds in the area that would cause loss of strength from the HAZ (heat affected zone). But now that the picture finally pulled up I can see that there are welds on either side of the area in question and a water bottle boss near the site of the breaks that would act as a stress riser on the compression side of the tube.

Another recalled product, a handlebar stem. Shimano Recalls PRO Atherton Mountain Bike Handlebar Stems Due to Fall Hazard Soft alloy, combined with short bolts results in mounting threads that can pull out of the unit leaving the rider holding a handlebar that is only connected to the bike by the brake and shifter cables.

Our first wreck, by way of proximity to WoaB World HQ in the balmy suburbs of Hell (today’s forecast high is 76°F) is a report of 2 cops getting run off the road and assaulted. Driver, 22, reportedly put bike officers at risk Notice that there were no charges filed for the actual assault of a LEO, just for running from the arrest in a vehicle and DUI. So it is OK to assault cyclists even if they are cops, apparently. Just don’t be drunk when you do.

Moving to the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike 6 years running, a cyclist is hit from behind on a bridge. Bicyclist Killed After Going Over Desoto Bridge in a Crash There was no mention of the cyclist not being dressed in a glow in the dark clown costume or not having lights and reflectors, which is a favorite subject of patch.com with their bike wreck stories, so at this point we have to assume the cyclist was extra-legally lighted and refectored and the driver just did not process the fact that there was a slow-moving vehicle in front of him. I would really like to see a picture of the weapon vehicle in this wreck, as I have questions about what happened especially concerning the speed of the weapon vehicle. The oldest link I can find to this wreck was days ago: Bradenton man hit, ejected from bicycle into Manatee River and several more after that starting with Bradenton bicyclist dies in crash that sends him over bridge and Bicyclist on bridge hit by car, falls into Manatee River and Bicyclist hit by car, falls into Manatee River and dies still more Bicyclist on bridge hit by car, falls into Manatee River still nothing about the weapon vehicle Bicyclist hit by car, dies after falling off bridge into river another link Bicyclist hit by car, dies after falling off bridge into river not done yet Bicyclist hurled over bridge into river in fatal collision with car” not done yet Police: Bicyclist Fell Into River still no pictures yet Palmetto man’s death steers attention toward bike safety more Safety under review after cyclist thrown from bike into river still more links In wake of accident, Manatee County debates $1.6 million for DeSoto Bridge, U.S. 301 last link and still no pictures of the weapon vehicle DeSoto Bridge improvements considered by Manatee County

Still in FL, a cyclist who was hit just hours before the horrendous hit-and-run on the Rickenbacker causeway speaks out. Cyclist hit by car urges motorists to be careful Yep, in both of the recent FL wrecks (all 3 of them now) the driver did something wrong to cause the wreck.

In NYC the perp in a murder case is still at large. Suspect still sought in Staten Island hit-run There was no actual information, or at least nothing new, in this article.

A rash of Vulnerable Road Users were killed or injured in or near Portland OR in a 2 hour span. Bicyclists, pedestrian hurt in rash of Washington County accidents and Deputies make arrest in hit-and-run of cyclist in Aloha The comments seem to be mostly trolls who hate cyclists, but there are a few intelligent people making comments.

Another article about the NYPD dropping the ball if not deliberately throwing the ball away on bicycle wrecks. Council Grills NYPD About Cycling Death Still stupid? Yep.

The driver that killed a cyclist by the door prize is found guilty, of driving without a license. NYC woman whose car door resulted in bicyclist’s death found guilty and Motorist guilty of driving with suspended license after she opened car door, fatally injuring bicyclist Because of sloppy investigation (see the previous paragraph) and an incredible court ruling that only moving vehicles can be involved in “accidents”, the only thing this waste of human skin could be charged with was driving on a suspended license.

The family of the cyclist killed by a drunk driver as police investigating a previous wreck watched helplessly speak out. Family of cyclist killed in collision issue statement and Family of cyclist killed on Carling Avenue says thanks for rescue efforts and also Family of Cyclist Who Was Killed in Hit and Run Collision Releases Statement I wish the family of the deceased solace in their time of grief, and justice as the person responsible for the death pays for his crime.

From Jolly Olde the killer of a cyclist who was a former aide to the Queen is actually found guilty of a crime. A40 driver guilty of causing RAF officer’s death Now to see how many hours of community service he gets for killing a human being… that being the usual sentence for killing with a motor vehicle in the UK.

Life is almost as cheap in EnnZed as it is in NYC. Driver who killed cyclist to pay $37k to family and Academic who killed cyclist to pay $37,000 and also Fatal crash driver will ‘always feel terrible’ The driver will feel bad for a while, the cyclist will be dead forever…

A cyclist in South Africa who was injured when he hit a 6 foot long by 1 foot wide and deep pothole gets compensation from the people responsible for it. Cyclist wins battle over pothole injury

Bicycle LifeStyle from Portland ‘Ben Hurt’: Portland bike warriors smash and crash and ‘Ben Hurt’: Portland bike warriors smash and crash and another link to the same story but with a different headline ‘Ben Hurt’: Bike warriors smash and thrash at beer-fueled event in bike-crazy Portland

And that’s all the links that give me fits today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus