After all the phone calls from in-laws and distant (in time and space, not genetics) relatives last night, I thought it necessary to give a short rundown of what happened to the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell yesterday. Personally aside from a few scratches from trying to keep cats in the safe room that didn’t want to be 1) in the safe room and 2) in the same small room with the other cat, I’m 100% OK. We had some minor roof damage from the wind, rain, and small hail, but the house is also undamaged. There was a funnel that went west of us that I saw while I was trying to get the cats back into the safe room, but it was not on the ground at that time and did no damage while I was watching it.
Now other people did not get off so easily. While I was watching the weather news I saw several neighborhoods that were destroyed or severely damaged by one of the 5 tornadoes that were spotted on radar, although there were other funnels spotted that did not show on radar and some destruction from a couple of those funnels. I’m sure everyone has seen the YouTube video of the tractor trailers being tossed around like children’s toys when the Lancaster funnel went into South Dallas. Well along with that there were 2 daycare centers hit, one that exterior walls were peeled away with the roof but the safe area inside remained intact where all the children were unharmed. There was at least one school that was heavily damaged that has been closed until an assessment can be made of the safety of the building. The really amazing thing is as of right now I do not know of any fatalities that could be blamed on the storm.
Up first because it was in the same state as WoaB World HQ in the beautiful suburbs of Hell, an apparent salmon cyclist is hit by an 18 wheeler in the southernmost city in TX. Bicyclist dies after being struck by 18-wheeler I was looking at the location of this wreck, and I attribute part of the cause to the built environment. There was a crossing point for the cyclist to ride in the correct direction less than 1/4 mile away, but in the wrong direction. The closest crossing point riding in the correct direction was over 3/4 of a mile away, which would have added over a mile to the cyclist’s journey. Assuming the cyclist’s destination was on the corner of the crossing point, the difference would have been 1/2 mile riding salmon for the first leg and with traffic the return, vs 2 miles for riding the entire way with the flow of traffic. Now I know 2 miles is not a long trip by bike, it’s about 10 minutes at a sweat-free pace this time of year. But still, there is that human thing that rebels against going a mile out of the way to get to a destination 1/4 mile in the other direction, resulting in a round trip that is 4 times as far.
From the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike 6 years running, an unusual hazard. 26-year-old male shot and killed while riding his bicycle in West Palm Beach This appears to be some kind of criminal dispute rather than something that started on the road, but still is something that cyclists have to be ready for. Bullets shot at other people will still kill you just as dead as if they were meant to hit you.
Still in the land of blood and gore, and hanging chads. Bicyclist killed on S.R. 70 The semi-truck went from the left lane to the left shoulder and then to the right shoulder where he hit the cyclist. Kreskin could not have avoided this wreck because there would have to have been someone with a mind driving the truck for Kreskin to read their mind. SBR would only have prevented this wreck if there was enough room to stop the truck before it went into the SBR. And I can’t believe the driver of the semi would try to pass a vehicle signalling to make a left turn on the left…
What is believed to be the first case where a passing law ticket was issued in PA. Bethlehem bicyclist injured in hit-and-run crash on Fahy Bridge gives account of crash, aftermath I think a big reason why there was a ticket issued in this wreck was the city police commissioner watched the wreck from his office, and defenestrated rather than go to the front door of the building in order to assist the downed rider. The Commish saw the first 2 cars make legal passes and the third car plow right in to the cyclist. Now to avoid with the built environment, the cyclist has to be able to depend on the driver to do the right thing because the bridge leaves no escape route. SBR would prevent but would require constructing a new bridge no matter how they did it.
A story that just makes me giggle. Judge rules Clay Co. woman guilty of simple assault in bicyclist’s injuries and Woman’s Effort to Clear Name Backfires For those of you who lost track, this was the women that hit a cyclist from behind then parked her SUV on top of the cyclist while trying to escape. She objected to the miniscule fine she was assessed at first so she appealed and was not only still forced to pay the first fine but found guilty of the greater included charge of assault for the second impact that left her vehicle parked on top of the cyclist. It isn’t in any way commensurate with the crime, but you still have to love someone getting slapped down hard for being stupid after getting a wrist slap. It’s still only a wrist slap though.
A CA cyclist is hit by a pickup truck in a parking lot, assumed guilty of riding a bicycle. Cyclist injured from hitting pickup truck The cyclist ran into the pickup truck and was transported from the scene for medical treatment while the driver claimed blindness and the crazy cyclist deliberately hit him was released by authorities.
An ID cyclist is hit-and-run in what may be a deliberate act. Boise police looking for SUV driver who hit bicyclist on Warm Springs Avenue The weapon vehicle in this case was reversed in direction and fled back the way it came, so even if the wreck was not intentional, fleeing the scene was. Usual hit-from-behind protocols apply.
And more on celebrity Tracy Morgan dooring a cyclist in NYC. Tracy Morgan Hits Cyclist With His Car Door and Tracy Morgan Opens Car Door Into Cyclist In New York What Mr. Morgan did was a crime, covered by NYC and NYS statute. I don’t understand why he wasn’t ticketed.
Still in NYC a cab kills another cyclist. Cyclist Struck & Killed By Livery Cab In LIC and Bicyclist Struck and Killed by Livery Cab in Queens I don’t care what NYPD says the driver was speeding. And naturally the first statement from NYPD is the driver was suspected of no criminality in the wreck.
In DC a driver is actually charged with something after killing a cyclist. Woman indicted in fatal hit-and-run crash of cyclist I don’t think I caught the initial report on the wreck or arrest, but why was the woman allowed out of jail after demonstrating flight risk by leaving the scene of the initial wreck?
From the Great White North, cyclists are suing to prevent removal of a bike lane without an environmental impact statement on the increased motor vehicle traffic. Jarvis bike lanes can’t be removed without environmental assessment, cyclists union says Installing the lanes does not require an impact statement because the move will reduce car traffic, and thereby pollution, but removing the lane might increase car traffic (actually guaranteed to increase traffic) and requires an impact statement… Brilliant!! Putting in bike lanes is a “free” action, taking them out requires years of studies that take thousands if not millions of $$ to do. And we already know that taking the lanes out would cost 10 times as much as installing them did before the environmental impact statement… For an administration that is already pleading poverty, removing the bike lanes seems like a “no brainer”. If they do they have no brains, if they don’t they can say “fiscally conservative, but we still don’t like them”.
And last link, a pretty picture with a bicycle in it. Twin Cities Bike Picture of the Day: 4.4.12
And those are all the links that gave me fits today.
Billed @$0.02, Opus
Witch on a Bicycle 