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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Billed @$.02, Opus

More strange referrals, and a normal Feed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Billed @$.02, Opus

Another light Feed today

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Billed @$.02, Opus

More on the thing that walks like a man with a medical degree, and other news In The Feed

The last 2 days have generated more traffic to this blog than I have ever seen, what with Dr. Christopher Thompson (the thing that walks like a man with a medical degree) being convicted of all 7 counts against him and BikingInLA telling me about it so I could link to their breaking story. Well that wasn’t the only story breaking in LA yesterday about people using their vehicles as weapons against cyclists.

But the big news first (other than the Blog reports) is still the conviction of TTTWLAMWAMD of 6 felonies and one misdemeanor. E.R. Doc Guilty in Road Rage Attack on Cyclists and Physician accused of deliberately injuring two bicyclists is convicted and Dr. Thompson is found guilty of all counts in LA road rage trial. and comments here Mailbag: Road rage, getting along and Floyd Landis I hope that this is just the first of many prosecutions that have previously been ignored by LEO and prosecutors for assault with motor vehicles.

Lost in the hubbub of TTTWLAMWAMD’s conviction was this tidbit. Texting Driver Guilty in Death of 14-year-old Boy He was driving under the influence of 2 powerful prescription drugs, and texting at the time he killed a cyclist, and the defense tried to make this look like an unavoidable accident due to a medical condition. I have heard some mighty weak defenses in my day, but this one is less than a kitten.

They identified the bike ninja that was hit Sunday in Austin TX. Guns, drugs found during arrest; cyclist killed on Texas 71 identified Ignore the comments unless you already have brain damage…

In the other big story of the day they finally arrested and charged the driver of the SUV that hit a cyclist head on and then made a U turn to escape. Woman charged in hit-and-run death of David Sherman and Driver charged in fatal hit-and-run of bicyclist, released on bond I love it when they publish the booking pictures of drivers that hit cyclists, they invariably look like something the cat drug in and the kittens tried to bury. From the description of the wreck released by LEO it seems this was a deliberate action on the part of the driver to try to kill or hurt a cyclist, why was she given a bond at all unless the Durango was the only vehicle she had access to. I also love that the accused’s home address was given in the article. I’m not saying to do anything bad to the person or her home, but if you happen to have a dump truck load of male bovine digestive byproduct and you need a place to get rid of it…

And in what is almost positively a cut and paste from one news source to another we have the same article from 2 very different sources. Bicyclist struck and killed by AC Transit bus in Hayward and Bicyclist Struck And Killed By AC-Transit Bus In Hayward It could be they both did the cut and paste from a press release, not one copying the other. As to the wreck I can’t tell you who was doing what from this article. Or if the cyclist was lighted and reflectorized, but since the only lights mentioned were the defective streetlights I would say the cyclist had all the legally required lights etc.

Last report if from Jolly Olde where news reports are required by law to be missing 2 Ws and the H out of the standard news reporters 5Ws and an H. Cyclist injured after Toxteth collision And people wonder why I have a tag about UK news reports.

That’s all I have tonight.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Computer problems, and the Feed

My computer’s power supply is in the process of dying, it stays running if you get it to run, but getting it cranked up is a hit or miss affair. After reading some of the articles in the Feed I almost wish it had stayed busted.

Up first because it’s closest is a kid killed in Edinburg TX. Edinburg teen killed riding bike late at night It took until just before I posted this link for someone to notice that the bike riders were riding the wrong way when they got hit. I know my readers don’t do that, except when they can’t get through otherwise or if they have to backtrack out of a one-way section of road, but how often does something like that happen? Don’t be a salmon.

BikingInLA has a man in the courtroom in the trial of the thing that walks like a man with a medical degree. Evil on trial: UPDATE — Christopher Thompson takes the stand I hope the prosecuting attorney gives him a new one on the stand. Maybe two new ones.

More reports on the man arrested for the death of a Dutch cycle tourist. Man indicted in death of cyclist from Netherlands and Man charged in cyclist’s death Great, stoned on opiates and driving a car. Not any better than drunk, just different impairing substances. Bring on the bicycle chain floggers.

They found the truck in the NC hit-and-run crime, driver to follow. Troopers seize damaged SUV and Editorial: A careless and shameless act And the lawyer’s take on the wreck Hit and Run Driver Kills Bicycle Rider in Guilford County, North Carolina Again I advise against reading the comments unless you already have brain damage and can’t get hurt any worse by stupid people.

Another reason not to run red lights, drivers think they mean “go like hell” instead of “proceed when clear”. Decatur Central Student Killed in Bicycle/Semi Accident But I really can’t blame the truck driver in this wreck, it appears that the truck was already moving well before the cyclist ran the red and ran into the truck. Again, don’t run red lights, unless you think death or serious injury are fun.

And they just don’t take us witches seriously at the ME’s office. Bicyclist died of traumatic head injury, M.E. rules Nobody saw the truck I guess.

Great, the law firm that employed that pedestrian killed by a hit-and-run cyclist is out for blood. Caesar Rivise law firm wants justice in death of beloved longtime employee Why couldn’t they get this worked up over someone getting killed riding a bicycle? And don’t hit the pedestrians, they are on the same side as us cyclists, the bad guys drive cars.

From Jolly Olde, an MP gets a burr up his butt and the police catch a bad case of stupids too. Police launch crackdown on cyclists Just because a cyclist can see where they are going on a well-lit street, does not necessarily mean that they are fully visible to motorists approaching with their headlights on. Yep, car drivers are blind as well as stupid. Just because you’re in the headlights doesn’t mean they will see you. They will run into you but they will claim to never have seen you. That’s why I always use the Honkin’ Huge Taillight^tm when I ride at night. Look like a motor vehicle and avoid that “run down” feeling.

Boris makes more noise about making London safer for cyclists. Newton unsure about London Olympics The article about making London safe is down the column from the headline article.

The rest of the post tonight comes from Oz, AKA the Land Down Undah.

And speaking of having a case of the stupids, some cyclists have near fatal cases. Cyclists not given free ride by police Aside from the helmet laws most traffic laws make sense to follow if only because it makes your actions more predictable so that drivers can better avoid hitting you. That’s the main reason why I say to not run red lights, as it makes where you will be on the road unpredictable and drivers don’t expect to see a bicycle crossing their path when they have the green light, as an example.

It appears that Australian cars are even more deadly than US cars as shown by the graph that goes with this article. Cut speed to let our cyclists live Their near-zero survivor speed is 60 km/hr, but the “knee” speed is about the same as US statistics, roughly 30 MPH (50 km/hr) with an initial rise at 20 MPH (30 km/hr). I didn’t even bother to try reading the nearly 500 comments that went with the article at the time I made this post.

And letter to the editor about a proposal to make bicycles have license plates. Identifying cyclists will not cure road rage apparently this was precipitated by a bus driver nearly hitting a cyclist, who then was able to catch the bus in traffic, get on the bus and beat the tar out of the bur driver for nearly killing the cyclist. This is not something I would recommend but it is something I understand. and I bet this was the fastest extended sprint on the part of the cyclist in a long time if not ever.

And that’s all I have today, maybe I can do another one tomorrow, if the power supply holds up and doesn’t die.

Billed @$.02, Opus

More death, destruction, mayhem, and updates, the Feed

We had a more typical Feed today, plus I threw in a non-cycling specific article just to show that the bigger the vehicle the bigger the problem on the roads to other users. We had some updates on earlier wrecks, and we have a RoS report that’s only about 4 months late.

Up first is a hit-and-run outside the nation’s capital. Cyclist Killed in Hit-and-Run in Gainesville The rider was hit sometime before 10PM and died the next morning. Speculation in the comments has the driver DUI, and will shave shower and put on a suit and tie before turning himself in with his lawyer and claiming to not have known he hit a person… To avoid a similar wreck use typical hit-from-behind tactics, mirror(s), escape route, and ready to use the escape route or to bail from the bike and let the bike do as much damage to the other vehicle as possible and hope you are clear of the carnage.

I wonder about any possible charges for a driver that left the road to hit a cyclist in TN. Bicyclist killed in Roane County crash This is a different county than the one that decided that just because a cyclist had reflective gear and bright blinking taillights you still didn’t actually have to avoid hitting the cyclist in compliance with the 3-foot passing law in the state. Also this driver didn’t just fail to pass safely, the cyclist was not even on the legal part of the road but on the shoulder. As someone pointed out in the comments section, had the driver used a .38 instead of a Tacoma they would have put him under the jail, instead of letting him wander around loose. He also would have been much less likely to have killed the cyclist, as gunshot wounds are only 9% fatal and at the posted speed limit for the road motor vehicles are approximately 98% fatal, add the 10 MPH “tolerance” and fatalities exceed 99%. For how to avoid, once again we have a hit-from-behind wreck, this time at high speed on a straight road with no oncoming traffic. Mirror(s), be ready to bail, etc. Having a video camera pointing backwards with solid state (memory chips) recording might be a good idea also. It won’t help you avoid the wreck but it might help the prosecution put away the driver that hits you.

Another report on the WI cyclist that dumped his bike at a relatively high speed and died in CO. Cyclist killed in Monument accident From reports that have come to me back-channel the cyclist hit some road debris and lost control of the front wheel, loose gravel is suspected. As loose gravel is pretty much the same color and texture as gravel that is part of the actual road surface particularly on roads that have been chip sealed, this becomes a very difficult wreck to avoid. The only thing I can suggest is to not ride faster than you want to hit the road with your body, not very constructive advice.

About all we know in this wreck was there was more than one vehicle involved, at least 3 perhaps more that didn’t actually hit anything, and that one vehicle prevented the 2 colliding vehicles from seeing each other until they hit. Once again the question is why the one motor vehicle did not stop when there was another vehicle stopped in the inside lane. Bicyclist injured in Tuesday Bemidji accident To avoid, don’t pull out into lanes where you can’t see clearly.

From the description of this wreck they are blaming the victim for actually trying to cross the road. Bicyclist Injured After Struck By Car At this point it is unknown if the cyclist entered the intersection on a green or yellow light or if he ran the red.

Mayhem and murder in Portland OR. Cyclist killed in hit-and-run crash in NE Portland Gotta love the comments section, people blaming the cyclist for the wreck because, well he was riding a bicycle in the street! What did he expect? From the initial description of the wreck sparse as it was this was probably another hit-from behind wreck. Read the other hit-from-behind wrecks again if you can’t remember what to do.

A wreck in UT they can’t figure out what happened, except the rider is dead. Bicyclist killed in Park City crash The rider may have been hit by a motor vehicle, but probably not as the other rider in front did not report hearing a motor vehicle. It’s a mystery… But not to the people commenting.

More on the wreck in VA. Car Kills Bicycle Rider slightly more information than the initial report yesterday Bicyclist Killed By Car ID’d updated report Killed cyclist was doctor, surprise-minded father was a separate comments section to both articles. There is speculation the driver in this case was on the cell either talking or texting and not paying attention to driving. Yet another hit-from-behind wreck! [sigh]

A cyclist is hit in the UK Cyclist injured after crash with car After all the US reports it’s almost nice to read a report that someone didn’t blame the cyclist for being a cyclist as the reason for the wreck…

They are having a bit of a wrangle over bike helmets in South Korea. Bike Helmet Bill Causing Stir There was some mis-information in the article (misinformation from a politician?) about the fines for not wearing a helmet, as well as places that mandate helmet wearing.

I know they are “slow” in AL, but really, how long ago was the RoS? The Ride of Silence The article mentioning the RoS is actually in response to a bike wreck from last week, so no Auburn jokes.

A running and road race for charity in far western NY. 1,500 cyclists, runners expected for Thater races If you’re in the area the Poet says “do this”. And have fun.

And even SUV drivers cringe at 40 ton trucks being driven by sleep-deprived Zombies. Trucks can make for a deadly harvest This would be a good time to ride somewhere else if you have that option and are not living in the area.

And that’s all I have today, I’m going to take a mental health trip and de-stress a bit.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Light Feed with lots of multiples

There were not a lot of reports in the Feed this morning, and many of them were for the same wreck. There was also an updated report on a wreck reported here earlier, and some people doing subversive things on their bikes, like having fun.

Getting to the update first, there is more information on that head-on hit-and-run with a drunk driver I linked to yesterday. 1 dead, 2 hurt in crash With what we know now there were at least 5 cyclists in the group, single file, and the drunk drove across 2 lanes of traffic and on to the shoulder to hit them, killing one, injuring 2 badly enough to require transport to a medical facility and only slightly injuring the other 2, plus hitting a sixth vehicle, a Hyundai, while trying to flee the scene. For some reason bail has only been set at $1 Million for assaulting 6 people with a deadly weapon.

A 14 YO who may have been taking a last chance at a potential love affair was killed riding a bicycle to the assignation. 14-Year-Old Bicyclist Hit, Killed by Car and Teen Killed On Bicycle In Winston-Salem and Update: Bicyclist identified in fatal wreck As of these reports there was some confusion about where the cyclist was on the road, if he was even on the road and not on the shoulder of the road or if he was crossing the road pushing the bike. Too many questions, not enough information.

Another SWCC wreck in MI. Cyclist Hit and Killed There were questions in the comments section about reflectors and why the cyclist was out at 3 AM. well reflectors on the side of a bike pretty much only serve to let the driver know what he was about to hit, and why was the driver out at 3 AM?

Another possible DUI hit-and-run in AZ. Phoenix bicyclist killed in hit and run and Bicyclist killed on his way to work Another drunk in another SUV, kills a cyclist and then leaves the scene. Gotta do something about the drunks or the SUVs because the combination is just too deadly for cyclists.

A cyclist gets hit in a “pinball” wreck. Two injured in Bound Brook crash Drunk driving by braille is not a good situation for cyclists in the area. This was not an avoidable wreck, the driver had already bounced off the first vehicle, a tree, a lamp post, a traffic light standard, and then came back into the lane with the bicycle and hit the cyclist. How would anyone be able to predict the path of such a crash? And even if you know where the vehicle was going to be could you still avoid it?

Two men and a little girl are riding across the US east-to-west. Ride aims to help injured vets The girl is riding a trike, the 2 men are riding DF bikes and their mechanic is taking a mini-van. I wish them luck.

I will have more later, no matter how much I wish I didn’t.

Billed @$.02, Opus

And the holiday bike wrecks are in, from the UK?

The expected big Feed from the Fourth of July holiday is coming in, but the wrecks are mostly UK (!?) Why would people in the UK be out on the roads in large numbers besides it just being summer with (relatively) warm weather? There are still no more wreck reports from the US than any “normal” summer weekend.

A 90 YO CA cyclist is still alive after being hit by a pickup truck. UPDATE: Visalia bicycle rider, 90, still listed in criticial condition in Fresno hospital after being struck by pickup truck in north Visalia Good for the guy still being active at the age of 90, not so good for apparently cutting the guy in the pickup truck off. Since I don’t know the area I can’t say anything about the sight lines at the intersection or traffic signals at the intersection, but looking at Google Street View tells me there wasn’t a stop sign on Collins although I couldn’t get the pan up function to work to show me a stop light. I didn’t see anything in the Street View that would make me think there was a stop light at the intersection. So at this point there is nothing I could find out about the actual wreck that would make me think the cyclist was solely at fault.

A cyclist is hit-and-run in the deadliest state for cyclists and police say “no big deal”. Bicyclist Injured In Hit-And-Run Actually the quote was “If he would have stopped, troopers said he would not face any charges.” because hitting a cyclist in FL is mostly a matter of getting the paperwork right. And there must be some kind of issue with Google Maps because now I can’t see anything on Street View. Zooming in on the intersection I do see a bike lane on the west bound side of Americana but nothing but 3 lanes in each direction for the other street. And because the only witnesses for the wreck are semi-conscious or on the lam, police are saying the wreck was the fault of the cyclist, except for the fact that the driver abandoned the vehicle at the wreck and fled on foot.

Another kid hit with a car, this time in CT. Eight-Year-Old Boy in Serious Condition After Bicycle Accident “Branford Police Department accident re-constructionists have conducted an investigation with the assistance of East Haven Police Department and determined that the injured boy was not wearing a bicycle helmet.” So therefore the wreck was the kid’s fault? I’m not following the logic on this one. Nothing on who had the right of way in the intersection, just the kid was not wearing a helmet. TANJ! Unfortunately there were trees in the Google Maps images that prevented me from seeing if there was a stop sign in either direction.

A cyclist is killed by a woman wielding a motor vehicle, and LEO call it a “tragic accident”. Bicyclist, 60, killed by car in Blaine I’m sure if the woman had been using any other kind of weapon to kill someone besides a motor vehicle it would not have been a “tragic accident”. This was another report on the Blaine man killed last week.

Another report on the left cross wreck that killed a man in Bremerton WA. A 69 YEAR OLD BICYCLIST WAS FATALLY INJURED IN A COLLISION AT A RURAL INTERSECTION This report completely absolves the driver of any blame for turning in to the cyclist and killing him. This thing makes me so angry, because if the driver had turned her car in to another car and killed the driver it would have been her fault without a doubt, but because the victim was riding a bicycle it was just another “accident”.

The 4th of July wrecks in VA included one of us as this summary reveals. 10 Reported Deaths Resulting from Holiday Traffic Crashes Nothing usable here except statistics, if you need statistics. Notice they talk a lot about seat belts and helmets…

A cyclist injured in Canadia isn’t dead (insert Monty Python skit from Holy Grail) “I feel happy!” Injured cyclist not dead; police correct misinformation Not to make light, but any halfway good news about a cyclist getting hit by or with a motor vehicle makes me a bit Giddy. And that’s all I can say about this one, except the guy that got hit must be as ornery a cuss as I am to survive being hit by what is basically a bus-sized vehicle. I took a look at the intersection with my favorite forensic tool and found there is a traffic signal on the street, but since there was no report that the cyclist was running the red light I’m going to go with the RV being at fault here until more evidence is brought forth.

The rest of the wrecks are from the UK with all the attending levels of detail. You know how much I love the UK media laws.

A man is killed in a hit from behind. Updated: Police name cyclist killed in crash There are advantages in having gone through close to 4000 reports on bicycle wrecks and also being psychic, I can recognize a hit from behind wreck when the evidence presents itself, even evidence as sparse as this. Because the report is so sparse I can’t tell you specifically how to avoid this type of wreck other than the standard, “Keep your attention split front and rear and always leave yourself an escape route.”

Another hit-and-run on another cyclist. Cyclist injured in hit and run Unfortunately not enough information because of lack of evidence at the scene of the crime. Other than this being another hit from behind, there was nothing on the vehicle involved or even the color. As before standard admonishments about hit from behind wrecks apply.

A pop-up gate with a little too much “pop” injures a cyclist. Injured cyclist taking Yorkshire Water to court I love a country where “sovereign immunity” is just a phrase of language, not a criminal defense. Now how to avoid a similar wreck, well that’s what the lawsuit is about.

Another typical UK wreck report. Woman cyclist killed in Stanwell is named Other than the fact that the deceased cyclist was American, there really isn’t much to hold the interest here. Did I mention that I loathe UK media laws? I did? As long as you know then.

And another elderly UK cyclist is hit. Cyclist killed in Belbroughton named Apparently LEO has little to go on in this case and request any witnesses that saw anything before the actual impact please come forward. I find it interesting that so many adult cyclists are getting hit in the UK, even more than the US.

Back in the US a large number of Jewish professionals get together at the crack of dawn to go for a bike ride. Their life cycles And I’m not being anti-Semitic, that’s just the makeup of the group riding their bikes. Me, personally, I don’t care what color you are, or what religion, or your dietary restrictions, so long as you ride a bicycle, you are one of my brothers, except when you’re a sister

And the deadliest state in the US for cyclists ponders why cyclists ride scared? Two wheels vs. four After reading the comments section it’s no wonder that FL kills more cyclists per capita than any other state in the country. One thing that is a problem was that FL was one of the states that made wrong-way cycling the law back 30-40 years ago, and many people did not get the message that the law requires riding with traffic now, and that includes most of the drivers who resent the presence of cyclists on “their” roads. I would say from reading the comments that drivers that don’t know bicycles have the right to the roads, unlike the limited and revocable privilege of motor vehicle drivers.

And that’s the whole mess.

Billed @$.02, Opus

Back from my break, the weekend Feed

Well I’m back from SolstiCelebration at WRL, and finally re-hydrated and electrolytes balanced. I had fun, drank several pounds of water, lost several pounds of water and electrolytes in sweat, danced (poorly, but with much enthusiasm), networked, and represented my bike club by wearing my club jersey (yay RBENT!) because I knew it was going to be hot and I needed a wicking garment to help keep me cool. My Safety Shirts t-shirts were both in the wash from previous rides that weekend, so the RBENT jersey was the choice, since it was in the best shape other than my Team Anaerobia jersey which would just confuse people…( The Republic of Anaerobia is a mythical Southeastern European Communist country with a legendarily awesome cycling team, and the mythical (fictional) part is what I expected to confuse people).

Well as you can imagine there were a lot of reports after waiting a whole 2 days to read the Feeds, with some overlap, but because the Weekend Feed is usually smaller than the rest of the week this will not be as large a post as what there would be had I taken a day off in the middle of the week. Just the usual “stuff” of any weekday Feed.

We will start out today with more reports on that hit-and-run in Ocean City MD. One Bicyclist Killed, Another Injured in Crash on O.C. Bridge and 1 Bicyclist Killed, 1 Injured In Hit-and-run Crash also 1 bicyclist killed, another injured near Ocean City A drunk driver in a confined environment makes for a wreck, and the cyclists happened to be in the way of it.

Another cyclist is hit-and-run in CA. Bicyclist killed near Dublin and Dublin bicyclist killed in collision with car This wreck was unusual because the driver was injured, but only because she went into oncoming traffic after hitting the cyclist, with the cyclist’s body trapped under her vehicle, and hit an oncoming SUV.

There’s a reason why FL leads the nation in dead cyclists since 2006. Cyclist says driver hit him and laughed Who’s laughing now funny boy? You’re in jail, and the cyclist you hit is spending your money in the hospital, and your car is getting stripped by thieves in impound. They didn’t describe the wreck in the article so I’m just going to taunt the driver over the Internet. Too bad about that stereo system buddy, I have an old cassette head unit I could sell you.

A cyclist gets killed by a hit-and-run driver in MT. BREAKING NEWS: 18-year-old bicyclist hit and killed on Highway 83 north of Seeley Lake How can anyone drive off after they know they hit someone, heck something, and not stop to see what they hit? Heck I drove over a cat that got up and ran off and I still stopped to make sure it was OK.

More from SoCal. Cyclist killed in Malibu And another hit-and-run from behind. The driver abandoned his car and tried to escape on foot, but intrepid police work found the perp and arrested it.

A teen cyclist is hit-and-run in DE. Teen bicyclist injured in Dover hit-and-run Beige, it was beige. And I got hit by a white truck, according to the stoners watching the cars go by at 1AM. Having been hit-and-run myself I understand not knowing anything about the vehicle that hit you or how you got hit.

Mutiple reports on this wreck starting with Bicyclist injured in crash near U.S. 31 and Quincy Street in Holland Township and the update Two Holland bicyclists critically injured when hit by driver police say was intoxicated The update link actually appeared in the first article after I filtered the Feed. So, a drunk driver does a hit-and-run on 2 cyclists and tries to drive off with a smashed windshield. I’ll run the backhoe and cement mixer if somebody else will get the wolverines and rabid badgers.

Nothing about the wreck except that the bicyclist died. UPDATE: Bicyclist Killed on Madison’s East Side Comments blame the cyclist, but that’s normal.

A Brooklyn cyclist runs a red light and pays the price. Brooklyn bicyclist killed after crash with van You have to at least treat red lights as stop signs, not just ride right through.

The bicycle rider killed was an afterthought in this article. Thrown from car, Golden Valley teen dies You have to get over to page 2 of this article to find out there was a cyclist killed also.” a Rochester bicyclist, James S. Groby, 58, was hit and killed by a truck Friday.”

My examiner.com colleague from Twin Falls ID reports another ID cyclist killed on the heels of 3 in Boise. Twin Falls bicycle death Nothing on the actual mechanism of the wreck, but a lot of commentary (reminds you of a certain witch?).

A NJ youth won’t ride any more after getting hit with a car. PITTSGROVE: 16-year-old killed riding bike “Witnesses told police the vehicle had the right of way through the intersection at the time of the accident.” Which vehicle, the car or the bicycle? Apparently the cyclist ran a red light and got hit.

Another report on the death of a World Champion cyclist Ex-world champion cyclist killed in training crash Some crashes are just beyond the ability of human reflexes to avoid. Like a truck crossing the centerline to hit you head on. The only bright spot in this wreck was the driver did not escape injury. I know that sounds petty, and maybe I am petty after getting hit myself and the driver getting away with assault with a deadly weapon.

Another cyclist gets killed in the UK, actual information maybe in 6 to 8 months if it makes the news. Cyclist killed in road crash Aside from the make and model of the car involved that article is typical UK.

More from the UK, this time another report on the kid hit by the Renault Clio. Boy cyclist injured by car

Two reports on this wreck. Cyclist killed in car crash and from the Beeb, so it has to be true and factual Cyclist killed in crash with car

And our final UK report before the “lifestyle” stories. Cyclist killed in car collision It’s also from the Beeb.

An article on bicycle helmets. No brainer I’ll repeat my stand on bike helmets: they’re next to useless, helmet laws suck, and everyone should wear a helmet because it’s the only piece of protective gear we have. I don’t know if the distinction is getting through on this, but I’ll try. Bike helmets are only fully protective in a fall from a bike, and are not the panacea from head injury that helmet advocates make them out to be (like in this article). In a collision with a motor vehicle if the helmet protects you from getting killed it is a fluke because the vehicle didn’t hit your head or at least not very hard, no harder than you would have hit had you just fallen from your bike. I was wearing a helmet when I was hit and I suffered brain damage that ended up costing me my ability to find work, even though the helmet reduce the severity of the impact enough that I survived. There are worse things in life than dieing. Quality of life needs to enter into the equation as well.

Lawyers in CT give the bike laws and the usual interpretation of them, useful things to know if you live or plan on traveling by bike through CT. Riding Your Bicycle: How to Protect Yourself In order to protect yourself legally and exert your rights to compensation after a wreck, you have to know and obey the laws regarding what to do on the roads.

A pedicab company starting up near Atlanta is trying to do the right thing but is worried that the outlaw pedicabs may poison the waters before they can begin legal operations. Pedicabs find niche in Decatur, but going is slow elsewhere in area

Native Americans retrace “The Removal” or what we Anglos call the Trail of Tears. Cherokee pedal their way on Trail of Tears The Cherokee don’t refer to it as the Trail of Tears. It still makes for a heck of a bike ride, I can’t imagine having to walk it in the dead of winter with limited supplies.

A Catholic cyclist rides to remember his wife. Bicyclist keeps cause for wife in high gear His wife died of cancer, and his rides go to help fighting the disease.

And that’s all I have today, it was a bit of a chore but I covered it all for you.

Billed @$.02, Opus

I had a special job to do, sorry the post is late

I was called out on a special job, so the post is very late today. I got the message when I came in from picking up groceries on Gigi, which gave me 2 choices, 1) shower and change, or 2) do the post about the spoiled brat that killed the 2 cyclists in Sand Springs OK then beat feet out the door and hope I caught the bus, which I did.

On second thought, screw it. It’s after midnight and still 86 degrees in my bedroom/office. I’m tired, and I have been going all day long. I’m going to take a cold shower, and make another stab at this in the morning.

Billed @$.02, Opus