Busier than the proverbial one-armed wallpaper hanger, and the Feed

Yep, now that Mrs. Opus is off work until the little bastardsangels are back from Winter Break my time at the computer is compromised by her need of a pack animaltravelling companion on shopping trips she couldn’t make because of either time, cargo capacity, or monetary constraints while she was working. Since time with my wife is so hard to come by I have no problem with doing this, except for the time pressure it puts me under for making blog posts.

Up first is a report from the CHP on the cyclist that was run over by a 26 wheel truck last month. CHP: Alpine Road fatal collision caused by cyclist’s ‘unsafe’ turn into big-rig Yes, I bruised my jaw reading that one, too, as my chin hit the floor. This is taking SWSS to its furthest and most illogical conclusion. The cyclist ran into a huge semi trailer that was passing on the right in her lane, really? Could I interest you in a bridge? Howabout some oceanfront property in Barstow? To avoid a wreck like this require accident reconstructionists to ride a bike once in a while in traffic, and see how they like sharing a lane with a 26 wheel (or even a 10 wheel) truck.

Another report on the wreck of a woman pushing her bike through a crosswalk in Portland, OR. Area woman killed riding bicycle in Oregon There was nothing the cyclist could have done any further to ensure her safety, she was walking her bike across the road in a crosswalk moving with the signal when she was hit by a driver that was impaired by multiple intoxicants. At some point as a cyclist you just have to trust that the people at the controls of the WMD being used as transportation are going to follow the rules and allow you your right-of-way when you are on the roads or street, and you follow the rules accordingly. To do otherwise is to descend into paranoid dementia…

Texas cyclists figuratively gird their loins for the battle to convince Gov. Goodhair that there is already a special class of road users out there, and enhancing penalties for them hitting the rest of us that don’t drive a car (or aren’t actively driving at the moment) can only result in fewer people getting hit. Cyclists Gear Up to Push Safe-Passage Laws I don’t see where Perry was making this a bicycle issue. Sure we started it, but the bill as passed covered anyone not in a car, not just people riding bicycles. It was a Vulnerable Road Users bill, not a bicyclists-only bill, and covered everyone that was on or immediately adjacent to the road and not in a car or truck, including road workers, landscapers, garbage mensanitation workers, cops, tow truck operators hooking up a vehicle, motorcycle riders…

A death in Paradise (well, Oahu, close enough) spurs a call for drivers to not act like idiots when they pass bicycles on the roads. Cyclist’s death spurs plea to drive safely For those that didn’t catch the wreck that this person was writing about, the lead rider in a group ride was hit from behind by a white SUV. As the entire group was reported to be lighted like X-mas trees front and back as well as covered in reflectors and reflective gear, it is strongly suspected the driver should have been able to see the cyclists, leading to one of 2 conclusions: the driver was impaired, or the driver hit the cyclists on purpose. Note the conclusions are not exclusive.

And that’s all the news that gives me fits, check in tomorrow after I get done hauling food back from the grocery store and other things back from other stores…

Billed @$0.02, Opus

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Running late after visitng the DPS and filtering a monster Feed

Yep, I went to the DPS to renew my ID card so I can access my checking account (long story), only to discover that TX doesn’t like the way TN sends out duplicate birth certificates. So I have to find some other corroborating documentation to prove I exist and was born in the US. And then I need to also do some Christmas/Yule shopping before Christmas, with $15 to cover 3 people and nobody has told me what they want. So everyone gets bicycle inner tubes that fit my bike. 😉 Actually I’m going shopping tomorrow and I hope I can find something for all 3 people.

Up first is the lead rider in a group ride is killed by a hit-and-run driver in Paradise. HPU student killed while cycling and 18-Year-Old Cyclist Killed In Hit-And-Run The circumstances of this wreck are very suspicious, as the cyclist that was killed was at the head of a group ride at night and was very well lighted and covered with reflective gear and the group was riding on the shoulder of the road. Additionally I used to live on the other side of the highway from the wreck, back when LBJ was a brand-new POTUS. All that aside, this looks more like a deliberate act of assault than any kind of wreck I have ever seen. No way to avoid a wreck like this, no warning or other means of determining that driver is out to kill.

Next a tragedy from the Great White North. Man dies a week after being hit by bus The transit system has had numerous pedestrian and cyclist fatalities since the beginning of Winter. I can’t tell you how to avoid these wrecks aside from the usual admonitions about riding around heavy vehicles because of the little information released about the wrecks.

From “Where America’s Day Begins” a sailor was hit on a bike ride by an underaged drunk driver. Navy may discharge cyclist hit by drunk driver I don’t know if this wreck could have been avoided either from the description, a hit-from-behind by a drunk driver. I wish the best to the injured cyclist, believe me, a medical discharge with disability is light years ahead of what I have.

From Jolly Olde another not-so-jolly court decision. Year’s driving ban and fine for “careless” driver who killed cyclist Another case where the job of the accused was more important than the victim, what is wrong with the judiciary? Killing people should result in significant penalty, and in the UK as well as the US driving is a privilege, not a right and if your job requires driving to keep it then you had better do everything you can to not cause yourself to lose that privilege, like killing someone with your car.

A mountain biker runs into some road furniture on a highway and dies of head injury. Cyclist with ‘no helmet’ killed in accident Interestingly enough in spite of all the attention paid to the lack of a helmet, head injuries were never mentioned in the article…

Another gross exaggeration of the effectiveness of helmets. Remember safety with gifts “‘Global studies have proven helmet use reduces the risk of serious head injury by 90 per cent when bicycle riders are involved in an accident,’ he said.” Yes, the 85% figure that was discredited years ago has been inflated to 90%, which when you stop to think about it is pretty miraculous for a shell of styrofoam with an ABS plastic over-shell, when the fiberglass, kevlar or carbon fiber shell and much thicker foam liner of a motorcycle helmet is only able to reduce head injury by about 30%.

And that is all the news that gives me fits tonight. More tomorrow after I do some X-mas shopping.

Billed @$0.02, Opus