Still working on the bike, and the Feed

It’s a good thing I had a small Feed two days in a row, because I am fighting this fender install tooth and nail. The problem is that this is not the way this new fender was meant to be installed, I am cutting down a rear fender and mounting it on the front to get less spray off the top of the tire and a little more coverage on the back of the tire to catch the gunk that gets thrown up on the bike. I like Blue to stay clean and shiny, even after a trip on a wet street or even in the rain. Yes I’m one of those people that ride bikes even when there is water falling from the sky. I have a rain jacket, rain pants, and eye protection, why shouldn’t I ride in the rain? IN TX summers I don’t even bother with the rain pants and half the time I ride in the summer rain I don’t bother with the jacket either, I get just as wet with the jacket as without it, so why bother?

Up first is a report from CA about a hit-and-run bike wreck that has locals a bit nervous. Second Hit-And-Run This Month The sub-head on this one is “Third Fatal Accident Has Local Cyclists On Edge“. So, to avoid, looks like your run-of-the-mill hit from behind wreck, use the hit-from-behind protocols. The scary thing is this matches the worst year ever for this city, and this is just halfway through their heavy cycling season, even though they have large numbers of cyclists year round.

LEO are still trying to decide appropriate charges in a cyclist’s death in MI. No charges yet in teen cyclist’s death As of the posting of the article in this link the investigation and number-crunching of the data had not been completed. The driver looks to have been right at the edge of legal DUI among other things that are hampering this case’s quick conclusion.

Plenty of blame to go around in this NJ wreck. Driver, two injured bicyclists charged in Harrison Township accident So we have salmon cyclists and a driver not paying attention to what was on the road in front of her. Everybody was wrong! To avoid, ride in the same direction with traffic, and use a rear view mirror because that driver won’t pay any more attention to your backside than she did to those cyclist’s front sides.

A local campaign in lower NY state targets distracted driving, in part because it can kill cyclists. “Be Alert, Distraction Kills”: New Campaign Aims to Reduce Number of Accidents One of the wrecks mentioned caused by a distracted driver was a child cyclist that the driver missed seeing but didn’t miss hitting. As cyclists we need to keep all our senses available and on alert for drivers that might hit us… Don’t ride distracted.

Still in NY state we have a LifeStyle article. Cyclists ride 30 miles in memory of fallen rider Spelling nazi alert: the driver was reckless, not wreckless. Had he been “wreckless” there would have been no victim to have a memorial ride for.

And that’s all I have today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

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A light Feed, then working on the bike

Fortunately there wasn’t much in the Feed this morning, because I need to install those tires I got yesterday and while the wheels are off Blue I need to get some work done on fenders and such. Also the front wheel needs to be trued, I’ll take care of that while I have the old tire off and before I put the new tire on.

Up first there may be justice in the MS cyclist assault case. Prosecutor to review case of injury to Miss. bicyclist, says Highway Patrol decides charges As more news about what happened comes forth the DA’s decision not to prosecute becomes less and less tenable. Despite being on the phone when she got out of the vehicle the driver never called 911, when she got back in the vehicle after seeing the cyclist on the road she drove over the cyclist’s head and left her vehicle there for about 45 seconds, then attempted to flee but was prevented by bystanders who were talking to 911 at the time. All of this was recorded on the 911 tapes and verifies the need to charge this vermin with assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder.

They got it right in a CA courtroom. Drunk Driver Sentenced To 26 To Life For Killing Cyclist This was the guy that hit cyclists head on driving on the wrong side of the road back in 2009. The sentence means that the driver will be off the roads until at least 2037, maybe longer.

On the other side of the country an cyclist is nearly killed by a driver with marijuana in his car. [UPDATE] Cyclist Critically Injured By Pot-Possessing Jaguar Driver, No Arrests I’m seeing shades of the MS case, except this driver didn’t leave the scene of the wreck. Latest word on the victim is facial injuries and a possible skull fracture, no word on brain damage yet. LEO have not yet reviewed vide evidence to determine which vehicle was running the red light at the intersection.

Two wrecks in an Infrastructure! article from the City of Brotherly Love. Bikes, Cars Battle for Philly Street Space This is a very unequal battle between one side that is completely unarmed versus the other side equipped with WMD. For both wrecks all I can say is just be aware of your surroundings and obey traffic controls, but I really can’t help much in avoiding a door prize.

A cyclist is hit in NB Canada. Truck strikes cyclist on Woodstock Road At the time the article was posted the investigation was not complete, and because I’m in TX and the wreck was in NB I can’t read the police report to find out what happened. I can’t tell from the picture if the cyclist was fitted with some kind of head and neck restraint in preparation for transport or if he was wearing a helmet that was still on his head as they transported him, but I would say probably a neck restraint.

And that’s all I have today, now I get to buy some hardware and work on Blue.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Back from the Lab Rat Keeper and the bike store, the Feed

Yes, I have already had a full day of running around today, and now I get to read and filter the Feed and try to compose cogent prose that will fill your minds with awe. Actually I will be satisfied if I can get “Awww!” or something. 😉

Up first is a London cyclist killed in CA by a drunk driver. London Bicyclist Killed by Drunk Driver This should never have happened. Granted nobody should get drunk and drive, but this driver should never have had any alcohol to begin with. Because this was a head-on collision with a vehicle on the wrong side of the road there was no practical way for the cyclist to avoid this wreck. Also it is not known (except by LEO who are not releasing the information) if the cyclist was in the travel lane, a bike lane or on the shoulder or sidewalk.

Still in CA a left-crossed cyclist and advocate vows to continue cycling. Back-seat Driver: Collision won’t deter biking advocate Classic left cross, driver either not looking at the cyclist or just not seeing her, or in this case not expecting a bicycle to be in the bike lane at the same time as a car passing in the travel lane. To avoid use intersection protocols and a truck air-horn (or I am told the Air-Zound has a similar tone if you don’t have a high-amp source of 12V current).

A cyclist is hit-and-run in CO. Staying Safe On The Road Note from the comments that even though the cyclist was lighted and reflectorized to a fare thee well, it must have been his fault because there was a cyclist that had run a stop sign and he didn’t pay “road taxes” anyway. Since the mode of wreck wasn’t mentioned and the cyclist had already taken the standard precautions I’m going to call this one unavoidable by the cyclist.

According to LEO in OR, summertime makes drivers stupid or perhaps because there are “more targets” more cyclists get hit… Police Explain Summer’s Effect on Crash Statistics Actually it’s a combination of stupid drivers, stupid cyclists, non-stupid cyclists who have rusty road skills from the winter layoff, and “more targets”. You can avoid some of that by not having the winter layoff, after all there is no bad weather, just inappropriate clothing for the ride. One item of clothing I find invaluable is a full-face motorcycle helmet modified with a foam rubber baffle to keep hot, moist breath from fogging cold glasses during winter rides. The lack of vents on a motorcycle helmet keeps the head warm in cold weather also. I can’t wear one like that in warm weather, but in the winter it’s worth its weight in gold.

An OH cyclist hits a runner competing in a half-marathon. Runner, cyclist collide during half-marathon Really, guys, you have to watch out for pedestrians number one. And number two, this was on a posted race course with route markers and people warning vehicles to be careful, etc everything short of closing the course. This was caused by a lack of SA on the part of the rider, who I’m glad to say did not seriously injure the runner.

TN legal Infrastructure! just got massively reinforced against distracted drivers. Berke on Biking The law has been changed so that if you hit a cyclist or pedestrian it is prima facie that you were not paying attention and driving with “due care” raising the penalty to include 11 months 29 days in jail, and a one year loss of license for killing a pedestrian or cyclist. This removes the loophole in the previous law that allowed a “I didn’t see him” defense.

An infrastructure gem from Canuckistan. Protect your brain, wear a helmet That p[retty much sums up the entire article about bicycle safety.

And that’s all I have today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Running around in the heat, then Filtering a huge Feed

This has been a long day and it’s not quite 1400 here yet. I had to go to the bank to get a CU Check for the mortgage because Mrs. the Poet forgot to sign checks before she left. Because I didn’t have ID (remember that ID thing I wrote about last week?) I couldn’t be made a signatory of the account in spite of being a signatory of the account that had to be closed when her wallet was stolen. So, long story short, bills had to be paid, cash was presented, bills are now in the process of being paid, and I picked up some groceries and supplies while I was out. Why bills are not paid when cash is presented I don’t know, but they will be credited as being paid today when everything gets processed, or I will have some new beer steins made from the useless heads of the people responsible.

Up first because I had to leave it up on a separate window to be able to get to it while I filtered the rest of the Feed is a(nother) wreck in Va. Beach. Vehicle hits bicyclist on Shore Drive, 83rd St. This is another one of those wrecks that a cyclist can’t avoid. The vehicle that hit the cyclist was making an emergency maneuver to avoid hitting another vehicle. If the driver saw the cyclist before making the move then the driver is a sociopath, choosing to hit a human being rather than another vehicle, but it’s more likely that the driver just never saw the cyclist until after the impact.

Moving closer to home a cyclist is injured in a SWSS wreck in Houston. Houston bicyclist recovering after being hit by car Notice the phrasing of the narrative: “Houston police said a man was riding his bicycle southbound on Almeda and went into the right lane in front of a car. According to investigators, the driver of the car did not see the cyclist until the last second.” Classic SWSS phraseology. Use hit-from-behind protocols, and a painfully bright flashing taillight to avoid a similar wreck. Apply clue-by-four liberally to the forehead of the driver as needed.

Another report on the hit-and-run of a CA professional cyclist that left him unable to ride a bicycle. CA man sentenced in crash that injured pro cyclist Note that this wreck was while the cyclist was riding a motorcycle, but was very similar to what happens in many bicycle wrecks. The driver claimed temporary blindness and left the scene of the crime, but was caught and made to pay for the crime.

Two teen-age cyclists are hit-from-behind while riding on the shoulder in UT. Teen cyclist hit, killed by SUV in Santa Clara Notice how the driver is shielded from blame in this wreck in spite of the location and direction of travel of the cyclists being perfectly legal. Street view of the wreck site shows a mountain on one side of the road with a narrow shoulder, and a wide paved shoulder with a smooth gravel shoulder past that on the other side, leading to an area with a wide paved shoulder and a wide sidewalk. There was no reason for a car to be where the children were riding their bicycles, unless that car was out of control.

An article that goes out of its way to blame a child cyclist that was hit while using a crosswalk. Teen Seriously Injured When Hit By Vehicle On Road In Flanders Notice that the child was hit by a vehicle, no mention of the fact that vehicles have drivers, and the cyclist was “against traffic,” when he was hit by northbound traffic by a pickup truck. Notice that the fact that the weapon vehicle had a driver was not mentioned until the last third of the article, and that there might have been a safety defect in the vehicle was left to the last sentence of the article.

Some good news out of the UK. Driver who killed charity cyclist while retrieving sat-nav convicted by jury For those with short memories or who don’t read the UK stuff, this was the guy that was “driving” down the road while underneath the dash of his moving vehicle getting his GPS unit off the floor of the passenger side of the car, hitting a cyclist from behind in the process. I fully expect the driver to get community service and a fine of less than £500 for this conviction, with maybe a 2 year loss of license.

A “rational”(?) discussion of infrastructure and how to share it when necessary from CO. From the editorial advisory board: Bikes on the road

A somewhat less rational discussion of infrastructure usage in UT. Lawbreaking cyclists Note that a cyclist hit his car once. I have been hit by cars hard enough to be knocked down 3 times, twice as a pedestrian in a crosswalk and the time on my bike that I am getting tired of bringing up but must to make a point.

And that’s all I have today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Indulge me this fantasy

This will be your wreck-free Sunday post, as I write about a little fantasy I had that would make cyclists a legitimate part of the transportation system, and also make everybody safer.

What I had in mind was a system that inside a city limit you had to have a person wearing an ANSI Safety Lime shirt or jersey, or a fairing that color at least as large as a shirt riding a bicycle in front of you as a road guard. Road Guard cyclists for commercial vehicles would have to have permits and be insured, Road Guards for private vehicles would just be required to have a permit. If you hit a Road Guard cyclist on duty there would be an automatic fine of $1000 as well as paying all damages to the cyclist and his bike.

The amount of money a Road Guard could charge would be regulated much as taxi fares are regulated now, with the idea that a rider could ride at normal cyclist speeds and still make enough to live on. This would be a per-mile charge, not an hourly rate so as to encourage really fit cyclists to ride faster so they would make more money. E-assisted bikes that met the Federal speed regulation of 20 MPH without pedalling would be allowed to ride Road Guard as well.

Payment for Road Guards would be sticky at first, until people get used to the concept. What I had in mind was that the Road Guards would be required to hold the driver’s license of the driver of the vehicle they were working for, and that drivers found without licenses would be guilty of theft of services for a Road Guard, or illegal possession of a deadly weapon. This would have other benefits as well, as drivers could not enter a city without a driver’s license with proof of insurance, because they couldn’t get a Road Guard without both and couldn’t drive without a Road Guard.

Road Guards would only be required on surface streets, limited access highways would still be allowed to run at whatever speed limit was set. The idea behind this law is to reduce urban speeds to safe levels for pedestrians and keep motor vehicles out of crosswalks. It would also result in more people going to work by bike, as well as more people having work. Just think about all the trucks on surface streets in your town, then imagine every one of those trucks not only having a driver but a cyclist riding in front of them to protect pedestrians and other cyclists. That’s a lot of extra people put to work. And we know these people are going to buy food, and not just a little bit either, which means that money is going to get spread around. Add in the support services for the bikes, places for cyclists to congregate while waiting for jobs, and this becomes a major boost to the economy.

Let’s not forget about other effects that will benefit everyone. Slower-moving and gently accelerating motor vehicles produce less pollution, and use less fuel. Not to mention that when every motor vehicle is limited to bicycle speeds bicycles become a safe mode of transport for everyone. And don’t forget when drivers have to communicate changes in direction to the rider in front of them they let everyone else know what’s about to happen, making other road users safer.

Aside from making driving motor vehicles more expensive (and I don’t see that as a negative, necessarily) there is just so much win in this idea. Streets are safer, we use less fossil fuels, more people are employed, urban pollution is reduced, bicycles become not just legitimate road users but a vital part in the economy, and people that had no job skills could have employment and healthy activity all in one swell foop. And the entry cost is a working bicycle and a funny-looking t-shirt.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Hoopla is over now back to the Feed

Well, that was interesting. Now it’s back to the usual fare of this blog, bicycle wrecks and how not to be in one of them.

Up first is a SWCC wreck in FL. St. Petersburg cyclist seriously hurt in collision with car The driver’s description of the wreck doesn’t make much sense unless the cyclist was trying to get killed. Hit head on in the inside lane? Also note that the cyclist is still in critical condition and hasn’t yet had his chance to tell what happened from his point of view.

A driver in CA is sentenced for hitting a cyclist who was riding a motorcycle at the time of the wreck. Aptos man sentenced to prison in hit-and-run case that ended professional cyclist’s career The point is that drivers will hit anything on two wheels, not just people riding bicycles. The theory is people don’t see vehicles smaller than the one they are driving as threats, and what is not a threat may be safely ignored. The key is to make a cyclist a threat by law, as in you hit a cyclist (bicyclist or motorcyclist) you lose your license and your car for x number of months, with x determined by how many previous tickets and times you hit a cyclist. It will take some thought processing to make it right, so I’ll have to get back to you on that one.

Another CA bike wreck story. GREG WALKER: His road rash tells important story This is about passing a law that would have made this wreck a crime instead of an “oops, sorry”. This law is long overdue to protect all road users, it doesn’t just protect cyclists.

Final link is about the cycling community coming together to help each other because someone got hurt. Friends rally around injured cyclist While it is not known if wearing a helmet would have prevented the injury, it is known that wearing a helmet would not have caused further injury and also that it might have helped in this wreck. WoaB recommends that cyclists wear helmets on every ride because first of all it’s about the only protection you get, aside from gloves to protect the skin on your palms, and second wearing a helmet is seldom responsible for additional injury, which can be prevented by buying the right kind of helmet. The typical soft-shell helmet sold in large chains and most bike shops is the kind that under certain circumstances can cause injury rather then prevent it. What you need to look for is a hard-shell helmet that will slide over most kinds of pavement and prevent rotational injury to the brain as well as neck injury. You can find these kinds of helmets in the BMX side of the store and in skate shops where they are sold to skateboarders. Remember to look for the CPSC sticker that shows that this helmet meets bicycle standards when you buy a helmet from a skate shop as skate helmets are certified to a lower impact standard than cycle helmets, but must be capable of taking more than one hit, unlike bicycle helmets. Finding one certified to both standards means not only do you get a helmet that protects as well as any bike helmet (better than many) but you can get hit in the head more than once at the same protection level.

And that’s all I have today, tune in for a bit of fantasy tomorrow.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

A major milestone for my blog, my 1000th post, and the Feed

Yep, this is the one-thousandth time I have sat here, reading through megabytes of data and text, blowing pictures up to ridiculous levels, running descriptions of wrecks through my mind trying to “see” the wreck. In the nearly 3 years I have been at this blog host I have read more than 9000 articles about bicycle and motorcycle wrecks, seen more than 1000 cyclists die in the name of just getting from one place to another, read about a lot of really stupid things people do while riding their bikes, coined one acronym (SWCC), been asked to assist in at least one investigation of a fatal bicycle wreck, ranted and raved as drivers who used their vehicles as weapons to kill or maim cyclists are not even charged with a traffic offense, and generally had a one-sided conversation with my readers. For that I must thank you, because without readers this blog is just dust in the winds, a lot of noise and fury that signifies nothing, me talking to myself in a more sophisticated way.

Up first I have 2 links to a situation that makes me glad I have this blog, but extremely angry I need to have this blog. DA: No felony charges in injured cyclist case and cyclist reaction from the west coast Sadness in the South: Mississippi crash spurs anger, activism and the blog that tracks the victim’s recovery, Get well, Jan! Synopsis of the wreck: driver on cell phone hits cyclist from behind causing cyclist to ride up over the hood of the vehicle and into the windshield. Driver hits brakes and cyclist falls off hood and back to the road. Driver exits truck, sees cyclist sitting up on (shoulder, road?) and gets back in vehicle and runs cyclist over again, then attempts to flee. Weapon vehicle is blocked from leaving by bystanders who also corroborated the assault on the cyclist. Fast forward to the events recounted in today’s links where the DA sees no laws broken except maybe the 3-foot passing law, but they can’t even write a ticket for that because the offense was not observed by a LEO. I had been planning (for a long time) on making a trip through MS by bike to ride the Natchez Trace National Bike Route. I don’t think I’ll do that now.

Another report on the Ride Yellow wreck. RideYellow cyclist hurt Interesting how the LEO put it, “The cyclist just got too far out in the road, but it wasn’t a serious injury.” Umm yeah, it was serious as a broken arm and leg. And the car that hit her was driving on the wrong side of the road.

A horrific wreck between a motorcycle and a bicycle in MI. Riders skid 150 feet in bicycle-motorcycle crash that injures 2 The description of the wreck is somewhat confusing. The bicyclist was riding north in the northbound lanes when his hat blew off. He then made a U-turn to retrieve the hat and was hit by the motorcyclist in the southbound lane, causing both riders to slide 150 feet down the street. Two bad decisions on this wreck, the first and proximate cause of the wreck was the bicyclist’s U-turn without clearing oncoming traffic. The second and contributory cause was the motorcyclist’s decision to travel at an unsafe speed, which then caused the wreck to continue for 150 feet.

FDOT doesn’t like reminding drivers that bicycles belong on the roads. State DOT removes ghost bike in Bonita “We do not allow or permit homemade crosses or ghost bikes in state right-of-ways,” said FDOT spokeswoman Debbie Tower. “If we see them, we remove them.” No sense in reminding drivers that they kill more cyclists and pedestrians than any other state in the US, that would just make them feel bad.

A bizarre wreck in Copenhagen. Bicyclist killed in police chase The pursued car flipped onto the cycle track at a speed of about 110MPH when it hit the cyclist. That’s a speed that even a glancing impact is deadly, and this wasn’t a glancing impact. I find it interesting that they know the impact speed with such precision (181 Km/hr).

Transit-hating developers are using the recent cyclist walking his bike in front of a train after going around the crossing arms as a weapon against the train operating company. Developer: RTD Ignored Warnings At Railroad Crossing Umm, no. This is not an RTD problem, this is an idiot problem. The idiot is now dead, no more problem.

Infrastructure! in Canuckistan. Arab: Auto-crats should start pedalling in right direction Cyclists in Calgary have been trying to get bike lanes longer than my oldest child has been alive. All they are asking for is a little paint on the roads that marks where cyclists go (and cars don’t) and it has taken almost 35 years to get nothing? That’s some serious car-head thinking on the part of local transportation planners.

And that is my 1000^th post, and all the Feed that had to do with actual bicycles and stuff. Now I’m going to go read som comic strips so I can clear my mind of this.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Mule Day again today, big announcement tomorrow, and the Feed

Yes, there will be a big announcement in this blog tomorrow, but I’m not telling what until then. You will just have to wait until I post it. But until them I still have to buy groceries, and filter the Feed. It’s interesting to me how much less I have to buy from the grocery store when I’m living by myself. I still have to buy almost as much food, as my wife eats like a bird, but the rest of it, not so much. Napkins, phhht! Toilet paper usage drops by more than 2/3, I actually use less than 1/4 of the toilet paper in my house, visitors use some, and my wife uses the rest. Since my wife went on vacation I have not used a full roll of toilet paper in just over a week, usually we go through a 6 pack just in the master bath… And other stuff like that.

Up first is an injury wreck in CA. Bicyclist Injured In Fall From Bike on Glendora Mountain Road This is why cyclists need room to ride and not to be passed too close, the cyclist hit some debris in the road that knocked him from the bike. You need to have the room to not worry about getting hit so you can scan the road for defects and debris. Since this report doesn’t say what the rider hit I can’t tell you how to avoid the wreck except that it requires good Situational Awareness. You need to know what the vehicles are doing around you as you also watch the road surface for defects or debris. One road hazard that is almost impossible to avoid is the single stone of aggregate that has come loose and sits on top of the road surface. You can’t tell that this stone is no longer connected to the rest of the road and if you hit it at the wrong angle with your front tire you will fall. Fortunately this is a very low probability situation, as loose stones are rare and you have to hit that stone just wrong to wreck.

Cyclists in Canuckistan thought it was safe to cross the road after traffic stopped, but they were wrong. Cyclist Hit by Vehicle on Highway 97 Note that there were 2 cyclists that waited until traffic had stopped on the highway before starting to cross but one was hit by a vehicle that didn’t stop. At this point I don’t know if the driver failed to comply with a traffic control device or if the cyclist should have waited for traffic in the northbound lanes to stop first to do the crossing in 2 separate movements. The way that’s done is cross the first group of lanes, then wait in the middle and cross the second group of lanes when there is a break in that direction.

A safety article from Canuckistan that doesn’t blame solely cyclists or solely drivers. Respecting the law and others key to roadway safety Interesting that the picture included with the article was one of the most horrific car-driver on cyclist assaults in Canadian history as one driver hit 5 cyclists in a bike lane, not an accident. Anyway, good advice except for the bit about the helmet. Most bicycle helmets are not like mine and provide little protection in a motor vehicle wreck. Mine doesn’t even protect all that well, but it’s leaps and bounds above a standard bike helmet especially for protection against sliding wrecks. Incidentally in the picture that accompanies the article each of those little red, yellow, and orange markers is next to a bit of bicycle, personal equipment or blood spatter, and there were hundreds used at the wreck scene that you can’t see in the picture…

Infrastructure! in NYC (again). City Hall Park cyclists pose no risk says D.O.T. Yep riding a bicycle in pedestrian traffic at low speeds is not a hazard to the pedestrians. Now to the cyclists on the other hand…

Bike racks in Norfolk VA. Downtown Norfolk group unveils artsy bike racks I have seen prettier bike racks, but that isn’t the purpose of the bike rack in the pictures. It’s art and it doesn’t have to be “pretty” to make a statement. It’s also functional, as shown with 2 of the 4 parking slots filled during the demonstration and public unveiling. From the descriptions in the article there are other racks that are intended to be “pretty”.

And that’s all I have today, now to go buy food. 🙂 Foooood!

Billed @$0.02, Opus

I’m legal again, and the Feed

Well, between taking the bus and waiting in line it took all day but I am now a legal resident of the US again. I have been a citizen since birth but now I can prove I belong here as I possess a TX ID card. I will be able to purchase alcoholic beverages again, travel by air (if I ever get off the no-fly list 😛 ) and get money in and out of my bank account again (I have been going to the same bank for years but when my ID expired, suddenly I couldn’t access my money?). As much trouble as I have been having (and you don’t want to know how bad it was getting a new ID) without valid ID I have to wonder about all these supposedly drunk illegal immigrants that are killing cyclists and then leaving the scene of the wreck, who the Hell is selling them the alcohol? How are they buying the cars?

Up first is a statement from the family of a cyclist killed in a CA hit-and-run. Family of fallen cyclist near UCSC wants suspect to learn ‘value of life’ Yep, teach that guy the value of life and freedom by taking his freedom away for a few years. The wreck looks like a hit-from-behind wreck from the reports I have read.

Still in CA, the family of a cyclist killed by one of those illegal immigrant drivers a couple years ago is suing everything that moved near the wreck. Cycling Victim’s Family Files Lawsuit I don’t know why they are suing the city about this, the driver made an illegal U-turn in front of a group of cyclists which left the dead cyclist with no place to avoid the wreck. I can see suing the landscaping company and the property management company for hiring the driver that killed the cyclist, but the rest? I have no comprehension.

Still in CA, all it takes to kill a cyclist is a moment of inattention. Cyclist Timothy Bucher killed when driver ‘diverted her eyes from the roadway’ I know my readers are aware of this, but a motor vehicle is a deadly weapon of mass destruction that kills with mass and velocity. At highway speeds a second of distraction equals 75 to 95 feet of uncontrolled ballistic travel. And in this case that was too far.

More on the cyclist that walked or rode his bike in front of a moving train in CO. Bicyclist Killed in ‘Freak Accident’ with Denver Light Rail Train Of course the lawyer is going to call it a “freak accident” but honestly, I still call this one all on the cyclist. The crossing guard arms were still down when the cyclist was hit by the second train, had the cyclist merely remained behind the arms until the second train finished crossing he would have been unhurt.

What has to be the king of irony, a cyclist was hit during a charity ride to promote being aware of cyclists on the road. Cyclist struck during Ride Yellow charity event in Mobile on the mend; will ride again Coming in as the queen of ironies is the fact that the cyclist worked for one of the cycling groups that put on the event where she was injured. This was not the kind of wreck a cyclist can prepare for, the car that hit her was making an illegal pass from the other direction and drove all the way over to the shoulder of the road to hit her almost head on. The cyclist had orthopedic injuries on her left side, as well as internal injuries. The car that hit her was scraped and dinged and lost the driver’s side mirror. Given the nearly head-on nature of the wreck the fact that the cyclist still has a left side is nothing short of a miracle that can only be attributed to her quick reactions in diving to the right when the car came almost off the pavement on her side of the road in the opposite direction.

A UK driver grubbing around in the passenger side footwell hits a cyclist from behind. Court hears how cyclist killed as driver searched for sat-nav The driver only admits that sticking his entire body under the dash of a moving car is “careless” driving. I think it’s freaking insane.

Ghost bike in OH. Ghost bike on display for Judge Henry Nice thought, but displaying the bike in the courthouse instead of on the highway somewhat defeats the purpose.

More ghost bikes in the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike. Ghost bike removed from U.S. 41, 2 remain on roadways Yes, you can’t remind drivers to watch out for bicycles on state highways in the state of FL.

And that’s all I have today (tonight).

Billed @$0.02, Opus

“Cooler” today but still hot, and the Feed

We had a front move through Hell and suburbs which brought the temperature down a bunch, today’s high is “only” forecast to reach 94°F, a little above the average high for this time of year. The recent hot temperatures are above average but not all that unusual for this time of year. Our summer “blocking high pressure system” develops between this time and the middle of July, we just got an earlier start than average this year. What has been unusual is the high winds we having. Normally when the blocking high moves in we also get light to calm winds, but we have been getting steady winds averaging 20 MPH with some gusts hitting 50. The only good thing about that is the cooling effect of the breeze, riding in temperatures near 100°F with 20 MPH winds increases your “bake time” and speeds up fluid loss. Bike rides that could be done without a water break now require a full bottle that gets refilled at the destination for the return leg. Seriously, the 3.5 mile ride to church now requires carrying water because of the combination of high wind and high temperature, and even with ice in the water when I leave the house it’s almost body temperature by the time I get to church.

Up first is another report on the rider left-crossed in CO. Bicyclist killed after collision with dump truck There is a link to the Google Maps view of the are and I was able to read the speed limit sign headed past the road where the wreck took place. Just as you pass the group of cyclists in the Street View after passing the intersection in the cyclist’s direction of travel you can see the 35 mph posted speed limit. This would be an area that a cyclist travelling the same direction as the one that was killed could very easily reach or exceed the posted limit. I also noticed that there were good sightlines at the intersection if the driver had bothered to look. Preliminary charges have been filed that include failure to yield to oncoming traffic when turning left on the part of the dump truck driver.

A really weird wreck in DE. Bicycle rider injured in crash with car in NCCo The rider was in the southbound bike lane and hit the rear of a right-turning car? I looked up the area on that mapping service with the name of the number that equals 10¹⁰⁰ and that is a T intersection with a stop sign on the road the car was turning from. So the bicycle would have been through traffic which was cut off by the car running the stop sign.

A right-hook of the more normal variety in MA. Bike rider injured on Plum Island The driver was pulling in to a convenience store while passing a cyclist, leaving the cyclist sprawled on the street. Intersection protocols apply to avoid. Just remember, every driveway is an intersection.

A cyclist is hit in an intersection in Chicago. Elgin cops call off pursuit of fleeing suspects The cyclist was accused of running the red light but was taken away from the scene by ambulance. I wonder if the cop that made the report actually talked to the cyclist before she was transported. Anyway to avoid stop at red lights, and watch for cars running red lights.

Something made a cyclist fall off his bike in CA. Cyclist Badly Injured In Crash Near Balboa Park BART Well it was in an intersection, he could have been clipped by a turning car, slipped on oil or road debris, had a run-in with a pedestrian stepping in front of him… You have to be alert for all those things, not just cars…

A drunk driver runs into the cop car that just stopped someone who was pulling skateboarders with his bicycle. Wyo. Trooper Saves Cyclist, Skateboarders From DUI Crash Good for arresting the drunk driver after he hit the cop car with the light bar activated at about 30 MPH over the posted speed limit. Towing skateboarders is an activity best done in an off-road environment. I’m sure we will be seeing this moron driver in a future episode of “Car Science”.

A wreck in Central America leaves one cyclist dead. Major Mash Up On Western Leaves One Man Dead A driver not expecting to see a cyclist hits the cyclist and a pickup truck? Sounds fishy to me.

Moving on to Oz, a bike path is booby-trapped in a poorly lighted stretch. Pole-verised in Glen Iris The object was placed out of the direct light of the path markers, at a height that would keep it out of the range of normal bicycle lighting. The cyclist was not seriously injured, but could have been quite easily.

Still in Oz, they’re pulling an NYPD in Sydney. Cyclists face fines as police get tough Yep, after a spate of cyclists getting hit with car doors the police go after… the cyclists… I feel the I.Q. points leaking away just from posting this. 😉

And that’s all I have today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus