The Feed was huge again today, but the signal to noise ratio was miserable. Article after article of old links, motorcycle wrecks, horse wrecks (picking up again after a long hiatus), and articles that didn’t make any sense at all from my search string parameters (Soldiers killed in Afghanistan). I did manage to pull a few pearls out of the swill, however.
First up is an article from the Tucson Citizen about traffic control cameras, and people getting all upset about them. Denogean: Traffic camera foes to take fight to voters Hey, if you don’t like getting caught by speed and red light cameras there is a simple solution: Don’t speed, and don’t run red lights. As I said in my comment to the article speeders and red light runners are like 2 and 3 on the list of drivers that kill or injure cyclists. Speeders aren’t really all that likely to cause a wreck, but if you get hit by a speeder the amount of damage and risk of fatality rises by the square in the ratio of speed to speed limit, up to a certain point. After that you are already so unlikely to survive that increased speed just means a bigger mess to clean up, the bits and pieces will be strewn over a bigger debris field. After a point your chances of survival become about the same as winning the lottery or getting hit by lightning 3 days in a row in 3 different locations…
Well the national news has picked up on that story of the guy in SoCal getting killed by a car in the bike lane. Report: Retired Navy Captain Killed by Car If they don’t arrest the driver in this case soon… I will still be very upset. He obviously was not up to the quality of his Ultimate Driving Machinetm. Driving in the bike lane makes him a Less Than Mediocre Driver.
A fund has been set up for the survivors of the cyclist that was killed after being hit twice by hit-and-run drivers. Memorial fund opened for slain bicyclist I hope they catch the second driver, both of them are equally at fault in the killing of this cyclist. And if you have some spare change and are in the area, well, you know.
And yet another report on the memorial ride/walk in NYC. Transportation Alternatives Memorializes Cyclist And Pedestrian Fatalities Remember, pedestrians are on our side in the battle to have complete streets. Don’t hit them, if you hit them don’t hit and run. But don’t hit them in the first place.
From Jolly Olde LEO are looking for the person that rendered first aid to a wrecked cyclist because they may have seen the wreck and remember critical details. Police seek person who gave first aid to injured cyclist Normally I would insert a minor rant about UK media and laws not giving the whole story to the public, but in this case the whole story hasn’t been told to LEO.
Also from the UK is a report on a cyclist getting injured by someone trying to rob them. Cyclist injured in attempted bag snatch That’s sinking to a new low, knocking cyclists down with a car to steal their stuff…
I’m not sure of where this report originated as I’m totally unfamiliar with any of the cities named or the regions, or even the name of the newspaper site this comes from. At least the news is good, except for the 12 YO girl getting killed by the truck. Girl cyclist killed in mishap I like the police impounding all haulers until the offender is found out. If only we could get something like that for cars that hit-and-run cyclists…
And finally from Oz is a police blotter report on traffic wrecks, including a bicycle wreck. Motorist, cyclist injured in overnight crashes It appears that this is yet another SWSS report.
And that’s it for today, I have a church function to attend tonight so ther will be no updates from the Feed until tomorrow.
Billed @$.02, Opus
Witch on a Bicycle 