After filtering and ugly Feed, you get a post

Yes the Feed was truly ugly today, with many reports on things that really peeved me greatly…

Up first in the list of things that peeved me greatly is 2 links about that woman that crossed 4 lanes while “asleep” to hit a cyclist, was found guilty and told not to drive, and has been caught twice driving while supposedly prohibited. Woman involved in drowsy driving death cited again and Driver in deadly crash cited again Something I can’t understand is why they let her keep the weapon vehicle. If you kill someone with a gun they keep the gun, why not do the same when you kill with a vehicle? That right there would be a serious deterrent to hitting vulnerable road users, losing your vehicle if found guilty. What would be really cool is doing what I saw on the Speed Channel show “Car Science”: chain the car behind a jet dragster and crank up the afterburner until the car explodes. That was cool.

In SC they are still looking for the weapon vehicle in a hit-and-run case. Authorities seeking leads in hit-and-run that injured Inman cyclist At least we know more about the cyclist now, as well as the fact that the weapon vehicle was red.

Down the road a bit from WoaB World HQ in the suburbs of Hell is an invitation to ride to remember a cyclist killed in a hit-and-run in Austin. Memorial ride for cyclist If there’s time you should do this ride.

Moving to CT, a cyclist does something that cars do to bicycles all the time and he’s the one that gets hurt. Man quickly released after bike-car accident There was a car stopped to allow another car to turn left, the cyclist couldn’t see why the car stopped and passed in the open lane on the right and the left-turning vehicle hit him. The usual scenario is for the car to be stopped for a cyclist or pedestrian crossing the road and the car zipping to the open lane beside him hitting the cyclist or pedestrian. I can’t say I like either scenario very much.

Moving to the Great White North, the wheels of Justice grind very slowly in a case of a cyclist that was killed. Struck cyclist case continues This case was first discussed when this blog was still being posted over on MySpace, before they started putting phishing warnings on my outgoing links. That was about 3 years ago… Driver was drunk, left the scene but was found shortly afterwards with a BAC in excess of .08%. I think the reason the caught the guy so fast was the truck was partially disabled in the wreck… But my memory could be at fault a bit after 3 years and a couple thousand wreck reports.

First of our LifeStyle articles is a running race honoring a runner and cyclist who was killed while in the process of setting up the first edition of this run. Annual fundraiser honors late organizer If you do that awful “running” thing, then this would be a good event to do. I prefer to keep what’s left of my knees intact…Besides GA is rather a long bike ride from here.

Making our sport/hobby/transportation choice available to people that otherwise can’t. Making bicycling accessible Most of this article is about making this work as recreation or athletics, not transportation.

This article is about making cycling accessible as transportation for the car-addicted. Bike commuting basics Lots of very good information in this article, the legal may not apply to your location.

And that’s all the news that gives me fits today, look for a wreck-free Sunday rant.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

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I’m out-lasting the plants, and the Feed

Well the pollen count continues to be outrageously high, but it’s stuff I’m not allergic to as badly, other things are starting to bloom and we haven’t had any storms blow up to the upwind side of the prevailing wind. I woke up with my eyelids stuck together again this morning but after fixing that I haven’t had enough problem to warrant taking a pill. Now if I could only do something about the bad news in the Feed.

I’m opening up with a report that just outrages me. Cyclist charged with vehicular homicide That’s right, the guy on the bicycle, who was not drunk or under the influence of drugs, is being charged with vehicular homicide, when cyclists get killed the driver seldom even gets a ticket. What is wrong with the DA? The stated reasons are not even legal requirements for cyclists in GA. At any rate a reflective vest on the cyclist would not have kept the motorcyclist from getting killed any more than having mojo on the handlebars.

Moving to some good news, a drunk driver that hit a cyclist head on and then drove away has been found guilty of murder. Canyon Country Man Convicted Of Second-Degree Murder I have very little joy in this except that there might be a deterrent to other drivers who are thinking about drinking and getting behind the wheel.

Staying in CA for the moment, the driver that killed a cyclist riding a 600km brevet, and only a few miles from the finish of the ride, is formally charged. Arraignment of Motorist Accused of Killing Bicyclist James Swarzman There is a good chance the driver was drunk but because he left the scene and was sober when he turned himself in that will never be officially known…

Moving a bit to the north, it seems I’m not the only one that thinks Anchorage PD assessment of the wreck that killed a cyclist is full of donkey dust. Facts don’t back APD view of rider’s death When the article blaming the cyclist first came out I showed that the GPS track showed the cyclist waiting on the corner on the sidewalk just before the wreck, you can go back to the post from 4/07 in the archives for the link. You have to zoom in as far as you can with the picture view, sidewalks are not shown in the map view.

Another SC cyclist is hurt by another hit-and-run driver. Cyclist Critically Injured In Hit-And-Run The cyclist was wearing a helmet so the wreck was not his fault? Who writes the statements? Actually that was a quote from the report by the Highway Patrol, but still, if you don’t wear a helmet it’s open season on cyclists?

A cyclist hit in Canuckistan is recovering nicely from his injuries. Injured cyclist’s family appreciates assistance This was not the rider’s first motor vehicle wreck, he went through a windshield in an earlier collision.

The hit-and-run in Austin last week has repercussions all over the country. Man with Kingsport ties killed in Texas hit-and-run accident I sincerely hope they catch this guy, then destroy his vehicle.

And that’s all the news that gives me fits today. Y’all have a fun weekend.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Still fighting with plants, and the Feed

Still having to take generic Benadryl like Easter Candy because of the weather conditions, but things are improving. By taking the smallest dose possible and taking that more frequently, I can stay both symptom-free and alert. The trick is to take another dose before the first one wears off, so I’m doing 25mg about 3 hours after the first dose and then every 4 hours after that. For a guy my size 25mg is a tiny dose.

Up first is more on the Austin cyclist that was killed by a hit-and-run. Austin cyclist killed in hit and run Not a whole lot of new information in this one, except that there was a witness and that the cyclist definitely had lights. I hope they catch the perp and run his car through a shredder.

Some good news for a change, the LB cyclist that was injured in the hit-and-run by a drunk LBFD Fire Capitan, has been released from the hospital, and felony charges have been made against the driver. OC DA Charges LBFD Captain In Alleged DUI Hit & Run That Injured Bicyclist The information from this report is just shocking, “A Long Beach Fire Department Captain has been charged with severely injuring a cyclist in a mid-day hit-and-run crash while driving with a blood alcohol level of .24 percent, three times the legal limit. ” Two hours after the wreck he tested 0.24% BAC, he must have been nearly embalmed when he hit the cyclist. The only thing saving him from the death penalty is the survival of the cyclist, which was a miracle given the speed of the vehicle at impact. The erratic path and high speed made this wreck impossible to avoid for the cyclist

Still in CA, a woman riding on the sidewalk is injured when a truck pulls out without looking. Woman injured after bike, pickup collide in Tulare Lots of blame to throw around here, from the woman riding after drinking to the truck driver that violated her right-of-way when he crossed the sidewalk. Since they didn’t test the rider for BAC% she can’t be charged, but the driver that crossed a sidewalk without yielding R.O.W to people on the sidewalk can still get a ticket. And to avoid don’t drink and ride, have good SA around driveways, and stay off sidewalks unless that’s the only way to get to your destination or bike parking.

Moving up the coast a bit, a rider in suburban Portland OR is hit-and-run. Cyclist injured in hit-and-run, driver arrested From the description of the driver’s path there was no way for the cyclist to avoid this wreck. The fact the the wreck disabled the vehicle was instrumental in capturing the driver, as he couldn’t flee very fast or very far before the vehicle ceased running. Notice the bike lane in the picture of the damaged bicycle, the victim was riding in a area of the road restricted to non-motorized vehicles, and the driver crossed over that to hit the rider from behind and then send him over the van. I wonder what the driver’s BAC% is going to be? If there was no drugs or alcohol in his system then he should be charged with attempted murder or assault with a deadly, because from all appearances if he wasn’t drunk or stoned then he meant to do it.

A police blotter report on a minor bike wreck. Cyclist Not Injured in Motor Vehicle Accident Not a lot of detail here, but I am very glad the cyclist was not seriously injured. I added the seriously part because any time you hit the deck on a bike, you’re going to get hurt, some.

Aggravating news from VT about the legal repercussions of almost killing a cyclist. No jail for woman who hit Vt cyclist while GPSing If she doesn’t have any infractions for the next 2 years, she’s home free with no record.

Moving to the Great White North, prosecutors are struggling to put a killer behind bars. Lawyer wants ‘real jail’ for driver who hit cyclist Why is it always a struggle to get any kind of punishment for people that hit cyclists? Since there was no mention of the cyclist not having lights or reflectors and like most media outlets this one loves to blame the cyclist any time one is hit lights can be assumed to be in use. Also as a lack of helmet use was not mentioned and usage was the law for the victim, he had a helmet. The cyclist had done everything in his power to not get killed that night, but the driver negated all that, why is the driver not going to jail? TANJ!

An update on the cyclist killed in the Cayman Islands. Loved ones react to cyclist killed Nothing the cyclist could have done to avoid this wreck, again.

There is some mystery involved in the death of the UK cyclist that hit a parked car. Newington Green cycle death victim named The victim was a man used to unprotected collisions with both stationary and moving targets as he played UK football, so running into something on his bike shouldn’t have killed him unless outside influences were in play.

Infrastructure! news from our nation’s capitol. Research Bolsters Case for Cycle Tracks While AASHTO Updates Guide If you read last night’s late post you know my stance on this subject.

An irreverent look at the laws for cyclists in FL. Rules of the Road: For Starters, Don’t Bike Like an A-hole I don’t put it quite like that, but I share a similar sentiment.

And some stupid infrastructure from Canuckistan. Follow St. Albert on helmets And in the article is the reason why the law is a waste of time, money and reduces cycling with no real benefit for cyclists, “It’s also true that studies show helmet use does not reduce the incidence of death among cyclists, primarily because those cyclists are killed in collisions with motor vehicles.” So, you know this isn’t going to make any difference but you impose it anyway, because?

And that’s all I have today.

billed @$0.02, Opus

This just in…

Confirmed vehicular cyclist moves to segregated infrastructure side of argument.

I have been reporting on bicycle infrastructure without making comments pro or con, I have quoted from some articles in the past, but I tried not to come down on one side or the other. In my wreck avoidance techniques I used Vehicular Cycling as a guide on how to use the infrastructure as it is on the ground now.

Well, what we have on the ground now doesn’t work. I’m not going to say it can’t work or won’t work, but to make it work as it exists would take at least a generation, probably more, of education combined with really draconian legislation that would make hitting a vulnerable road user a major felony, with large fines, and prison time and possibly the death penalty for killing a vulnerable user. I don’t see that happening.

Start by making assumptions:
1. All bicycle trips are like car trips, most begin at home, go someplace and then come back home.
2. People on bikes want to go pretty much the same places as people in cars.
3. People on bikes want to feel safe as they go places.
4. People on bikes want the same access to places as we give to people in cars now.

Using the built environment we can satisfy conditions 1 and 2, but the rider has to have a great deal of experience as a VC and have a bit of MacGuyver in finding a place to lock up so that they will have a bike for the return journey. The built environment does not meet conditions 3 and 4 with any regularity, especially condition 3.

So, using the guidelines of permeability and segregation, how do we transform suburbs from next door to Hell to heaven on Earth? What I do see is creating a network of infrastructure that works as well as driving a car, that doesn’t cost as much to build as car infrastructure or anything close to the costs to maintain car infrastructure. Even here in the suburbs fromof Hell most of the existing infrastructure can be easily modified to work with all modes, by working on permeability and segregation. Permeability could be insured by using alleyways and cutting through cul-de-sacs (which would require condemning 6 to 8 foot wide strips of land between houses for access to alleys and streets on the other side that cars can’t use). Segregation could be insured by grade separation of bike paths from arterial streets, and also from pedestrian paths.

Thing is I’m not by any stretch of the imagination a civil engineer, I’m an enthusiastic amateur, entirely self-taught, mostly by observing what doesn’t work. One thing I know doesn’t work is narrow bike lanes squeezed in to high-speed arterials without taking any space, or as little space as possible, from motor vehicle traffic. Cyclists are better off with taking the lane than bike lanes like those. To use a culinary analogy, cyclists are like people with peanut allergies, and narrow bike lanes on high-speed arterials or taking the lane on high-speed arterials is like a choice of peanut-butter sandwiches or granola bars, either way sooner or later you’re going to die.

Another thing that doesn’t work but most likely won’t be seen where I live is squeezing the bike lane between a line of parked cars and moving traffic so the the bike lane is entirely in the door zone. Here in Garland there is less than 100 feet of parallel parking in the entire city, all of it on one block in Downtown Garland.

That is the thing that has to be guarded against: Bad bike infrastructure is as dangerous as no bike infrastructure.

One thing that has to be addressed early in the process is bike parking. As it is now cyclists lock their bikes to anything they can get a lock around that (hopefully) can’t be moved. imagine if this was the condition for cars, hoping to find someplace that you can get a car in and out of near where you have to go when you get there.

I don’t know what will work for transforming Garland into a city with transportation mode choice, I just know what we have isn’t working and very quickly will get much worse.

PSA, Opus

The plants are still trying to kill me, and the Feed

I woke up to find my eyelids glued together again this morning. It took both hands to pry them apart and I think I pulled out an eyelash or 2 in the process. Anyway, it hurt. I took some generic Benadryl and I can sort of see the computer screen, for now. The recent bad weather to the south has filled the air with tons of fine debris, including bits of plants and a lot of pollen that would otherwise not be in the air. Did I mention that the wind has been blowing from the south here in the suburbs of Hell? The Feed was a mixed bag this morning, but fortunately with no new wrecks.

Not a new wreck is this Ghost Bike going up for a hit-and-run victim down the road a bit from WoaB World HQ, in the aforementioned suburbs of Hell. Ghost bike put up to honor victim of hit and run driver As was posted yesterday, something needs to be done about hit-and-run, not just in Texas but in the entire country. This is a national epidemic that affects every road user, but has a disproportionate impact on users that don’t have access to insurance because they are not in a vehicle. Texas has no provision allowing people that don’t own motor vehicles to purchase Uninsured Motorist insurance that would cover in case of hit-and-run, to be covered requires the ownership of a vehicle that requires insurance. If you don’t drive, you’re out of luck.

Also not a new wreck is another report on the Canadian cyclist who was separated from his ID in a wreck. Police trying to ID cyclist injured in Port Colborne That was a highly ironic file picture at the top of the article, as the victim had none of those things. As I pointed out yesterday this is a good example of why you need to have something that requires removal of a major body part to lose your ID in a wreck, Like the Road ID system sold through the affiliate program in BikeJournal.com.

A wreck I’m having problems staying connected to, a terrorist attack on cyclists in Jolly Olde. Cyclist hurt riding into cable tied across path near Horley From the little I can read of this article before it disappears this seems to be either another attack of the same terrorists that set a similar trap near Surrey, or a copy-cat from a different cell. Or it could be a repost of the same wreck, even, because I know next to nothing about the geography of the UK.

Back in the US, NYPD has discovered that writing tickets for cyclists is easier than getting cars to stop. NYPD Also Ticketing Bikers For Not Using Bike Lanes I assume this means that cars blocking the bike lane will be towed now?

Roads will not be closed during a NV bike race in spite of an assault against one of the competitors during last years race. Cars, bikes to share road during Tour Sometimes you just have to wonder about the mindset of some people when things like this are organized.

Bike riders face the same fines as drivers when they use hand-held devices while riding. Distracted drivers, bike riders face higher fines On the one hand I see that cyclists present a greater danger to themselves when riding and using a hand-held cell phone, on the other hand I don’t see that distracted cyclists pose as great a danger to the public as someone piloting a ton or (usually) more of steel and rubber not having full attention on the roads, so why he same fine? I would like to see a fine system based on the relative destructive capacity of the vehicle: bicycles pay a maximum fine of $50, compact sedans and motorcycles $500, SUVs and light commercial vehicles $750, large commercial vehicles $1000. I also think that the Fee$ and A$$e$ment$ that raise the final fine to 6 times as much as the statutory fine are a revenue grab.

And that’s all I have today…

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Another visit to the Lab Rat Keeper, and the Feed

Well, the good news first: my formerly elevated rest pulse has returned to its turtle-like self. The bad news: I gained 1.2 pounds since last month. More bad news, instead of being provided with the med for the long-term study of effectiveness I have to get it myself, at a reduced price. Apparently they’re trying to make sure that what gets sold is what they are selling, but making me pay for it is… cheap, maybe?

Up first, one of 2 LEO who hit a cyclist while driving their police cars off-duty is given a slap on the wrist. Manslaughter charge dropped against Norfolk officer in crash I’m not really surprized at this, most drivers don’t even get this severe of a charge when hitting and killing a cyclist so long as they don’t leave the scene. But given the severity of the charges against both LEO, I wouldn’t be surprized that this was a plea bargain for testimony. Also, given that the defendant basically made the prosecutor’s case by admitting to driving more than 20MPH over the limit when he hit the cyclist. Pleading guilty without actually pleading anything. Since both cops were off-duty they were not using lights and sirens and therefore did not have the dash cameras activated, so no video. The comments on this one are almost all anti-cop, interestingly enough not many are actually pro-cyclists.

Moving a bit south and way west of that we get a hit-and-run about 150 miles from WoaB HQ. Man killed in bike hit-and-run Not a whole lot of information on this one, apparent hit-from-behind, dark car, no mention of cyclist’s lights or reflectors and this outlet loves to harp on ninja cyclists so he had lights. I would say there isn’t enough information to give credible advice on how to avoid a wreck like this. Interesting that there were no comments that blamed the cyclist for being on Lamar in Austin at a quarter to midnight. Usually there would be at least a page of blame-the-victim alone. Either the comments system change has discouraged hateful comments, or just maybe people in Texas are starting to grow up a little… yeah, the new comments system is making people be quiet.

In NYC a cyclist apparently runs into a car at a high rate of speed. Brooklyn Cyclist Killed in Gravesend Yesterday Ironic place name to die. The cyclist was going fast enough to enter the passenger compartment through the closed side window on the back passenger side of the car, that’s at least 30 MPH, probably a few over. No doubt about it, this was the cyclist’s fault, excessive speed, running a red light, failure to yield right-of-way, take those away and there would have been no wreck.

Moving about as far west as you can without getting your feet wet in the US, we get another hit-and-run in NoCal. San Francisco Bicycle Accident Attorney Sad to Report Another Hit and Run Wrongful Death This guy is sure putting on a show of being the Good Guy, thing is there ain’t nothing wrong with what he’s saying. Hit-and-run is treated way too leniently in this country, the victims are seldom treated with respect, and running can cover a multitude of felonies that can’t be proved unless the perp is caught within a couple of hours at the most in the majority of cases. I agree with the writer of this article that hit-and-run needs to be as severe a crime as any crime that could be covered up by running away for a few hours, like DUI or DWI, drugs, transporting minors for illicit purposes… Actually I would settle for making hit-and-run the same as felony DUI, or a capital crime even. If you hit someone while drunk now the best thing to do is run and hide until you’re sober, especially in TX. In TX if you kill someone while committing your 2nd or later DUI you could get life without parole.

Another good reason to have some form of ID that can remain with you through just about anything short of losing a major body part. Niagara OPP trying to identify cyclist hurt in hit and run The victim was hit by 2 separate vehicles in this wreck (wrecks?) and did not have a wallet when he was recovered from the road. From the description of the wreck (wrecks?) this was not an avoidable wreck, at least not after the first impact.

Don’t die like this guy, your final act looks like something from a cartoon or the 3 Stooges. Cyclist dies after collision with parked car in Newington Green If you have to hit the parked car, DON’T DIE THERE! Roll over and get run over by something, anything, so that you don’t die from hitting the parked car. Or try to make it look like you were hit by another car first and then hit the parked car on ricochet. JUST DON’T RUN INTO A PARKED CAR AND DIE THERE!

The guy in charge of transportation planning for cyclists in the UK was injured in a wreck. Sustainable transport charity chief badly injured in cycling crash Typical levels of detail for a UK report, but it wasn’t the wreck that was the story in this report, it was the victim of the wreck…

I don’t like W and what he did to the country during his 8 years, but one thing you have to say for the guy, he can ride a mountain bike. Former president accompanies injured vets on grueling bike ride

And that’s all I could find today, well there was another wreck article, but it kinda disappeared when I was doing the post…

Billed @$0.02, Opus

The plants are out to get me again, and the Feed

Yes, I’m having another mid allergy attack, with the watery eyes, draining sinuses, and general irritability that normally accompanies such and event. I don’t mind plants having sex, I just wish the mess didn’t end up in my sinuses. And having gotten my statement of my current condition out of the way without having read any of the Feed first to pollute my mood, I have to go filter the Feed. I’m back now, and fortunately this was not a bad weekend for bicyclists. Now if you were riding a motorcycle…

Up first from the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike, they managed to get a bike ninja. St. Pete cyclist injured in crash with car Lots of people saw the bike ninja, except the driver of the car. I have posted this a number of times, but it bears repeating. If you are going to ride ninja, you have to ride as if you are invisible, because to the majority of drivers you will be invisible In other words you are the only one who can keep you from getting hit when you ride without lights or reflectors. You SA has to be perfect at all times, Maverick. You have to know where every car, truck, and pedestrian is within your radius of action, and you always have to be the one to yield right-of-way, because you’re invisible. If you can’t manage this, then put on as many lights and reflectors as you can so you can be seen.

Moving a bit to the north (OK more than a “bit”) a cyclist is hit in a SWCC wreck. Bicyclist on Gull Road struck by vehicle, injured Not enough information to process this one. First it’s a SWCC, second there is no mention if where the cyclist was crossing had a traffic control or anything that changed the standard rules of right-of-way. So, assuming the report is accurate, avoiding this kind of wreck is easy, just wait until traffic clears before crossing a road where you don’t have right-of-way.

The UK cyclist who was assaulted by a pedestrian for riding on the cycle path continues to make the news media. Lucky escape for Dorset cyclist as irate pedestrian pushes him into road I don’t know what else I can say on this one, they hate you for riding in the road, they hate you for riding on the sidewalks, and they hate you for riding on a shared cycle path. Is there anywhere in the UK they don’t hate cyclists?

And a Pakistani cyclist has his last really bad day, ever. FAISALABAD city news And just to be consistent, when a car blows a ti(y)re and rolls over on top of you, there is really no way to avoid the wreck without either super-speed or psychic powers. And if you already have super-speed, why are you riding a bicycle?

Back in the UK, a fallen cyclist is remembered. Tributes paid to cyclist killed during last Sunday’s Glasgow Ivy 100 in 8 ride I don’t normally report UK wrecks because of the media laws in the UK restricting useful information from reports, but because this was not a wreck report I included it.

Infrastructure! news from NYC, tongue in cheek edition. Some Cyclists Think Bike Lanes Are “Death Traps” And some drivers think anything smaller than a Mack truck is a “death trap”…

And finally, in the “doi” camp again, you should ride a bike that fits you. Trainer’s tips: Master bicycle basics before you take to the road The problem is, there are really people that are so uneducated about using a bicycle that they need the information presented in this article. This is a result of the sorry state of education in TX as it existed for at least the last 20 years.

And that’s all the bicycle news I have today. Now I get to watch the rain fall down, whoopie!

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Happy Easter to my Christian readers

And happy chocolate bunny day to the rest of you. I don’t have much to say today, I’m looking forward to having a quiet evening tonight

Morning service was about the interdependent web of creation of which we are all a part, and how we can do our part to keep that web functioning. One of the things that someone else brought up was riding a bicycle uses less natural resources than even walking, and also that eating locally and what is in season was both cheaper and healthier in the long run. Given my battles with the local flora, eating them is the best revenge. It’s just going to have to be someone else growing the food, unless massive doses of Benadryl are handed out every day.

And now I’m going to take a nap.

PSA, Opus

After a busy day, a busy Feed

Well, it was a jam-packed day for me what with Flowfest, actually getting a ride in that wasn’t to get somewhere but just for “funsies”, and all the other stuff a guy has to do to not die or stink up the place. Flowfest was … windy. What else can you call it when your display table/portable altar goes tumbling across the lawn? The only literature we could hand out was when people remembered to ask for it because we couldn’t leave it laying on the table. Shoot, the plastic punch bowl we were using as our altar centerpiece had to be 1/3 full before we stopped having to hold it down. BTW we were doing an altar to water. Also I got in total of almost 17 miles all together today before I had to come home.

I couldn’t find any new wreck in the Feed today, so up first is an article that tells part of the reason why there are so many cyclists killed in the most deadliest place to walk or ride a bicycle in the US. Law puts a low value on the lives of bicyclists In case you were wondering how low a value FL puts on the lives of cyclists, try $250 per.

Actually I wrote too soon, in the comments to the above article I found this new wreck in FL Bicyclist struck crossing Court Street in Clearwater This is a classic case of “Deadly Samaritans”, where the nice driver stops and waves you through and the guy behind him guns it to get around him and nails you.

Apparently the State DOT in Anchorage has a heart of lead. Ghost bike memorial pedals into DOT headwind They keep making up new rules, and interpreting the existing rules so that Ghost bikes are against the law. I hope a cyclist that knows what’s going on here gets to decide if one of these guys gets buried when they die or gets a gravemarker when they get buried. I understand there is a precedent for setting the deceased out on a bower to be eaten by birds and critters in AK.

Still in AK, the cyclist the Ghost Bike is for was found to have run a red light in his death. Police investigation determines Anchorage cyclist was at fault in deadly collision The cyclist’s public GPS track showed him waiting in the sidewalk when he was hit, then dragged out into the inside lane next to the median, then moved to the sidewalk again, then moved inside the ambulance or coroner’s wagon where the GPS unit was shut off. Apparently the police did not bother to look or did not bother to zoom in on the track over the satellite image. You can clearly see the cyclist move around objects in the satellite view of the sidewalk, and other places where he must have gone around people or vehicles crossing the sidewalk. Just look here and see Another link to the police version, Cyclist killed in collision with car was at fault, police say

Moving way south of AK to the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean, and elderly cyclist is hit-and-run. Elderly cyclist killed on road From what little there is in this report it seems there was not enough debris from the weapon vehicle to identify it. The article updated as I was reading it to say the weapon vehicle was left at the scene, no word about the driver.

Moving to Jolly Olde where we have an update on the cyclist that was assaulted on the bike path. Cyclist ‘lucky to be alive’ after attack on West Stafford bypass Attacked on the bike path by a pedestrian, killed on the roads, is there no place for a UK cyclist to ride his bike?

Since we are already in the UK subject-wise, how about a LifeStyle article? Charity cyclist to ride 10 Fred Whitton Challenges in 10 days This sounds about like running the Boston Marathon, catching a cab back to the start and running it again.

Infrastructure! in CA. First Separated Bike Lanes in So Cal to Open in Long Beach Saturday Separated bike lanes (AKA bike tracks) are the Holy Grail of bicycle infrastructure, like they have in Holland. >drool<

Infrastructure and driver behavior are in question after pedestrian and cyclist deaths in the Twin Cities. Safety in Spotlight after Pedestrian, Cyclist Deaths I’m still trying to wrap my head around hitting 4 people on the sidewalk and just driving off, much less any of the rest of it.

Infrastructure in the Great White North. Death of Montreal skateboarder prompts safety demands Because the skateboarder was using the bicycle infrastructure like a bike rider and about the same speed an acceleration as a bike rider up to the point he was hit this becomes a bicycle article…

Finally, a Texas boy shows he cares, in North Carolina. Bobby Labonte cycles for charity One of the cyclists that was killed was actually part of a team sponsored by Bobby. That comes real close to you.

And that’s all I got tonight, plus I have to get some rest, I have another Sunday service to assist with, well this morning. I hate doing my blog past midnight, it makes getting to sleep so hard…

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Tomorrow’s post will be late, and a huge Feed

I will be working at FlowfestSouthwest tomorrow until sundown with other members of my church at the water altar and blessing station. This will give me another chance to ride with the new headlight (yes, I’m quite fond of the new headlight, but I’m still going to build the other one) and get a few miles around the lake after dark. But this will require a very late evening posting as I have to prepare for the event in the morning, travel to it, participate, then travel home, before I can boot the computer to compose the post. So, late Saturday/early Sunday for the next post.

Up first is a wreck I was alerted to yesterday at BikeJournal.com but without a link. Now we have a link. Cyclist killed after SUV runs off the road and hits him What can I say, some drivers are so bad that they hit you when you aren’t even riding on the road. In this case none of the protocols spelled out in the link at the top of my blog would have helped, between the high speed of the motor vehicle and the fact that the cyclist was as far right as physically possible.

Still in LA a strangely late report on a cyclist hit “in the street”. Cyclist dies after being hit by a car It would have been nice to know the direction of both vehicles involved to allow assessment of how this wreck could be avoided, if it could have been avoided by the cyclist. As it stands now the only thing we know for sure was the back wheel of the bike was hit hard enough to buckle it. In 2 directions that doesn’t require a very hard hit and the cyclist’s injuries could have been caused by impact with the street, but in the third direction this requires a very hard hit and almost always results in the cyclist coming in contact with the vehicle, very hard contact. The final disposition of the bike after the wreck indicates a hit-from-behind wreck (bicycle upside down in the street with a broken rear wheel). Also this wreck took a very long time to get through the Feed as it happened on Saturday with an initial report that evening, and updates early this morning.

Up next is 2 links to the same wreck in Portland, AKA the closest thing to Amsterdam in the US. Bicyclist struck, injured on Marine Drive and Bicyclist hit, injured on Marine Drive I know, same headline, different reports. The back-channel report I got on this one was the cyclist was trying to get from one section of protected bike trail to another section of protected bike trail when she was left-crossed by an uninsured driver. That part of the report came in an infrastructure report on why they needed to complete the trail through that area, and thank you BikePortland for that report.

Moving down the coast to SoCal, a cyclist is struck from behind in a hit-and-run. Teenage Canoga Park cyclist killed in hit-and-run accident OK 2 things we know, there were 2 bikes, and both bike were legally lighted/reflectored. We know the latter because nothing about not being lighted/reflectored was mentioned in the article, although it was implied that the cyclists were riding side by side. Given the time of day this would have made the cyclists much more visible to traffic coming from the rear, had the driver been looking for vehicles on the side of the road. If the driver’s attention was engaged inside the car then there’s nothing the cyclist could have done to prevent this wreck. I’m going to go with the drunk/distracted driver hypothesis as the best working one at the moment. As to how to avoid, the cyclist was using the visual mass method of enhanced visibility, but that has the drawback of putting the left hand cyclist at higher risk from sideswipes and also removes the possibility of dodging a car by moving right because of the second cyclist to the right. A better way would be to ride with the right hand cyclist about a bike length behind the left hand one so that both have an escape route if needed.

Moving to the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bicycle, they killed another one on the A1A. Cyclist injured in Hollywood crash The cyclist in this wreck was doing everything possible to avoid conflict with motor vehicles and still got hit. Where are the promised bike lanes for this highway? A lawsuit was filed and won years ago that required bike lanes to be installed on the full length of this road, where are they?

Drivers in MN are not used to actually seeing people out on the streets. Mpls. police urge drivers to take caution after series of crashes with pedestrians, cyclist Hey! there are people out here, watch where you’re going.

Another report on the mantrap set in Jolly Olde for cyclists. Cyclist injured after riding into trip wire As I posted earlier, this was attempted murder with only extremely good luck preventing the cyclist’s death.

Still in the UK a cyclist is laid to rest after what may have been an assault. Riders pay their last respects to former champion cyclist I have no idea how this person died, but did you see the size of the peloton behind the hearse? I would hope that my funeral was as well attended.

Back to OR for an Infrastructure! report on a proposed bike route. Proposed Tualatin Valley Bikeway would be an 80-mile attraction for bicycling tourism And right off the bat in the comments is a flaming nutcase raving about how they can’t afford bike infrastructure with deficit spending and taxes so high. Do they pay people to do that?

And that’s all I have today, see you late tomorrow.

Billed @$0.02, Opus