The Tea Party is playing politics with my safety, and the Feed

I’m sure you have been hearing rumors about the next transportation bill not having any bike/ped projects in it, well the real thing has proven to trump all the rumors. Not only does it remove all bike/ped transportation projects, it actively suppresses all aspects of making a mostly car project bike/ped friendly to the point of requiring features that are hazardous to bicycles on that road, to wit bike-friendly rumble strips are now disallowed under the new bill. Not to mention that they are killing my job with NCTCOG before it even officially exists by removing all bike/ped review for projects. Could we make the Rotunda a free-fire zone? That would come close to making DC as dangerous for individual Congresscritters as they are making the nation’s highways collectively for us who choose not to use a motor vehicle for transportation.

Up first because of proximity to WoaB World HQ in the suburbs of Hell, Austin PD has caught the man they think ran over a cyclist from behind and left him to die in the street. Man charged in fatal hit and run of cyclist Unfortunately by the time the driver was arrested any traces of intoxicating substances there may have been in his system at the time of the wreck was long gone. Also no word on if the weapon vehicle has been impounded as evidence pending trial.

The driver that hit 2 cyclists while DUI is released on bail. Driver released from jail on bail after killing one cyclist, injuring another and Driver released from jail on bail after killing one cyclist, injuring another What is especially disturbing about this is I can find nothing that restricts his use of a motor vehicle or his intake of alcohol, 2 things that should be mandatory for anyone convicted of multiple DUI and facing another charge of DUI, much less convicted of multiple DUI and facing charges of DUI manslaughter. And that bail was ridiculous, $90K? I have seen higher bails for bouncing checks, and this is a possible murder charge.

This has not been a good week to ride a bike in MO. Kirksville man riding bicycle hit by vehicle on Highway 3 Hit-from-behind, no charges filed, not even a ticket for breaking the recently activated MO 3-foot passing law. Anyway, to avoid use hit-from-behind protocols.

From MT is a DUI hit-and-run. Missoula man accused of driving drunk, hitting bicyclist, leaving scene Twice the legal limit of BAC%, and fled the scene in a disabled vehicle, tried to give the arresting a tire receipt as his registration and still allowed to leave the jail. The good news is that he has to wear a device that monitors his alcohol consumption and alerts LEO to arrest him if he does consume alcohol, and his driver’s license is suspended until trial. His car is impounded as evidence until the trial, sooo the citizens of Missoula are relatively safe from this alleged driver.

The cyclist killed by a school bus in a SWSS wreck has been identified to the public. Cyclist killed by school bus identified The cyclist never got to give his version of the wreck, and I bet nobody checked the road for the skid marks left from the impact by the bike, or to see if there was anyplace for the cyclist to swerve from into the bus’s path. Anyway, hit-from-behind, use the protocol…

Another Appalachian State U cyclist is injured trying to negotiate the roads around the university. Appalachian cyclist hurt while on team ride Saturday in Wilkes After all the CARnage from last year I know the ASU cycle team is extremely well-versed in rules of the road and VC survival skills, but they still get hit and injured, in wrecks where the driver of the motor vehicle is at fault. With so many wrecks happening and none of them the fault of these cyclists, doesn’t that point to a deficiency in the local drivers?

AL cyclists are concerned that young cyclists and drivers of all ages are not fully cognizant with the rules of the road as they pertain to bicycles. Cyclists concerned about the rules of the road The comments at the end of the article show that even when they quote the rules they still don’t read them completely, I refer to the comments from user Mazdaspeed3.

An article that comes as a surprize to no one, NYPD narrative of a bike wreck has almost no basis in what is visible in the video the narrative is supposedly taken from. Footage of Cyclist’s Accident Differs From Reports, Lawyer Says I can’t see the actual video with this computer, but those who can say that at no time in the video does it show the victim passing the weapon vehicle on the right. Unless there is additional footage that NYPD has failed to release in violation of the court order, how they came to the conclusion that the cyclist was passing on the right remains a mystery. The only thing that can be clearly seen in the video is the cyclist LeFevre going down in front of the weapon vehicle. To see that video Security Video of Fatal Hit-and-Run Doesn’t Match NYPD Descriptions

In the trial of a driver that delivered a fatal “door prize” to a cyclist goes all wonky as the driver’s lawyer tries to blame the street design for his sudden opening the door in the path of a cyclist causing a fatal wreck. Tamaki Dr to blame for death: lawyer I’m sure the street seized the driver’s hand and forced him to open the door into the cyclist, causing her to fall in front of a truck and get tangled in the rear wheels. More Court case continues over cyclist death

Two links to a cyclist getting hit by a truck in Oz. Cyclist killed in truck crash and Cyclist dies after being hit by truck in Epping A SWCC wreck with the driver being oh so “cooperative” with LEO… {blargh! splat} Sorry about that, I’ll clean up the virtual mess.

Somewhat of an Infrastructure! story as a woman is hit twice in the same intersection, first on her bike and then again in her car, both times by vehicles running a stop sign. Shoreline Woman Fighting Back After Being Hit Twice at Same Intersection This is a legal infrastructure issue, drivers are not waiting until crossing traffic clears but just doing a stop-and-go at the stop sign, because there are too many 4-way stops that are only there as traffic calming, in violation of the MUTCD, that when they come to a for-real per MUTCD stop sign they don’t treat it properly.

UK cyclists are getting pissed at the sentences handed down for killing cyclists as the latest was community service with a £85 fine No appeal in Jefferies killer driver case Yeah £85, that comes to $134.72 in USD… for killing a cyclist because you were driving too fast to see where you were going. This is infrastructure, of the legal framework protecting us all as we live in society, that is failing those who choose not to surround themselves with tons of steel and plastic when they travel.

And that’s all the news that gives me fits today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus