Still laboring under the delusion that no news is good news, and the Feed

Well I didn’t hear anything from the VA all day yesterday, so I’m going to take that as a sign that Dad is doing hunky-dory (I know, who says “hunky-dory” these days?). Mrs. the Poet will be making the arduous trek via DawgBus starting tonight and be here tomorrow afternoon. Saturday’s post may be a few hours late 😉

I’m not posting any links because it has nothing to do with bicycles, really, but the big story in the Feed this morning was there were a number of people seen riding bicycles in the video of the naked guy eating the man’s face in Miami. Not mentioned was there were an even larger number of people driving cars past the altercation, but I’m assuming they were excused because nothing that goes on outside a car is of any concern to the driver… which also explains why FL is the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike 6 years running now.

Up first, a ghost bike is installed for the teen cyclist killed after falling from an obstructed sidewalk in NC and being run over by a semi. Memorial in place to remember Myers Park student killed riding bike This is another reason why sidewalks =/= bicycle infrastructure. The cyclist bumped one of the garbage cans in the sidewalk with the end of his handlebars which tossed him into the street just as the semi was passing.

Next up a cyclist towing a child-carrying trailer is hit and the trailer run over in CA. Modesto woman riding in child’s bicycle trailer is hit by SUV, dies And doesn’t a driver that runs one of those trailers over pretty much say to the world that they don’t care about anything smaller than a compact car? Since the wreck happened in an intersection, use intersection protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent a similar wreck.

A child cyclist is run over in a crosswalk according to initial reports from IL. Boy Killed Riding Bike In Round Lake Heights The report as it stands as I post this is the child was hit by the trailer being towed by the weapon vehicle, and that the weapon vehicle had the green. Intersection protocols to avoid, but this would be a place that would not be allowed to exist in the Dutch model of infrastructure as it is a high-speed arterial that directly connects to a residential street. In the Dutch model the arterial would be much slower if located that close to a residential area, or there would have been a connecting bike path that separated off from the arterial but went to the same places. But there would never be an intersection like the one that killed this child.

A cyclist’s life is permanently changed by a hit-and-run driver in LA. Bicyclist injured in hit & run, search continues for suspect No word on the mode of the wreck, but you know what I think of the driver and what he or she deserves.

A CA cyclist making a left on the green arrow is hit by a truck making a right on red from the opposite direction onto the same street. Cyclist Critically Injured By Right-Turning Truck This one is so easy to figure out I’m surprised no tickets have been issued to the truck driver yet. The cyclist had the clear right of way with the green light, the driver had to wait until the way was clear before turning with a right on red. Intersection protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right including ticketing drivers (and cyclists) that run red lights and cause wrecks, to prevent. I see this wreck as no different than a driver running the red during a bike green with separated bike infrastructure.

In the Great White North another cyclist is injured. UPDATED: Cyclist transferred to London hospital Another left-cross wreck where the driver violated the cyclist’s right of way, intersection protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right so bikes and motor vehicles are not trying to occupy the road at the same time (and space).

The rest of the links today are Infrastructure! of one kind or another, either physical or legal.First one up is about mountain bike infrastructure from the Twin Cities. River Bottoms Part II By: Chris Chavie Come the Zombie Apocalypse all cycling will be “off-road”, this is a good time to get in some practice.

The Bicycle Federation reviews the infrastructure where there were two people killed on the same road in 2 years. Bicycle Federation of WI in Wausau After Fatal Bike Accident This was in response to a second fatal wreck on KK.

Staten Island credits infrastructure changes in reducing the death toll on the streets. Deaths on Staten Island hit a record low: Traffic strategies saving lives Notice that improving bicycle infrastructure has a collateral effect of reducing the number of fatal wrecks for everyone. Bicycle infrastructure slows motor vehicle traffic while maintaining total vehicle throughput, and slowing motor vehicle speeds reduces both the number and severity of wrecks with all modes of transportation. It’s a win/win/win solution.

General legal infrastructure in VA. Some Biking Rules and Tips for the Road in Virginia Note that even the most restrictive FRAP rules in the US still allow cyclists to take the lane in many if not most situations. While IANAL, the person that wrote the linked article is a lawyer.

And Jolly Olde is decidedly not Jolly about killer drivers getting less than a slap on the wrist. British Cycling and Cycling Weekly call on government to make justice system fairer for road users People are getting tired of killers getting community service and suspended jail terms for killing people with cars or other motor vehicles. Had some other weapon, like a cricket bat (culturally congruent for the location, we would use a baseball bat) or lead pipe been used, the person that killed would have spent years behind bars, but because they killed with a motor vehicle it’s an “accident” and not to blame the driver for killing.

And those are all the links that gave me fits today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

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