Things are a bit warm in the suburbs of Hell today, and I have been out running around in the heat. I did get to stop in at a Starbucks and have a cold drink before continuing, but that was only a momentary respite from the heat and humidity. Now I’m home for a bit before I have to run to the RPG group tonight at the church, so no time to dilly-dally.
Up first is news from Enn Zed about a hit-and-run in CA. Kiwi cyclist injured in hit and run and Pro Kiwi cyclist in critical condition after hit and run also NZ cyclist Michael Torkler seriously injured Nothing on the wreck itself, other than hit-and-run, but there are some reports that the cyclist had numerous facial fractures in spite of wearing a helmet and has been upgraded to stable condition as of the last report.
From the how do you avoid this shit? section of the Feed, a man gets hit from behind while riding on the bike path. Eau Claire bicyclist killed when struck on bike path and Bicyclist dies after car drives onto bike path in Eau Claire and Eau Claire bicyclist riding on bike trail struck, killed by car If you aren’t safe riding on a separated bike trail, where can you be safe? There is no way to avoid being hit by a car driving on the bike trail, and it is already on segregated infrastructure so “improving the infrastructure would have to include “improving” drivers so they don’t try to drive on anything paved and going the general direction they are. The driver in this case needs to be hung, shot, stabbed, and recycled with his car. “And” as in “all of the above” even if they have to restart the guy between hanging and shooting or whatever. This was either deliberate, or the driver can’t tell the difference between a bike path, a major highway, or a frontage road and tries to drive on the bike path. Either case, the driver does not deserve to be allowed to drive, and if intentional then this needs to be charged as a murder.
From AZ, a child is killed by a hit-and-run driver. Child on bike killed by hit-and-run driver and Police: Boy on bike killed in Chandler hit-and-run Also Police: Driver turns self in after child on bike killed in Chandler hit-and-run The kid was trying to cross a 7 lane (!?) street and was in the outside lane just before reaching the edge of the road when he was hit. From what I could tell from the report had the driver remained on the scene this would not have been a chargeable wreck, but because he fled and tried to hide the vehicle it became a major felony. Usual rant about drivers that hit-and-run from a fatal wreck, recycle his truck with him still in it.
More on the San Antonio Boerne cyclist hit-and-run fatality. Bicyclist Killed In Boerne Hit & Run — Grace White Still a hit-from-behind, still a hit-and-run, still on the only road that allowed access to the other side of the interstate. More on the victim. He sounds like a really nice guy getting ready for RAGBRAI.
Another fershluginer hit-and-run in another state, OR this time. Cyclist injured in hit-and-run off Hwy 101 I am so tired of this, but at least in this wreck the cyclist victim has a chance at recovery. He might have had a better chance had he been attended to immediately after the wreck instead of having to wait until someone reported his bike as abandoned on the side of the road, and the person sent to investigate determined it had been hit and called a search for the body. If the cyclist had been suffering serious blood loss he would have already been dead by the time he was found, More Cyclist injured in hit-and-run off Hwy 101
A DE cyclist is left-crossed. Hockessin man killed while crossing road on bicycle I’m still trying to pull up the street view, but the initial report is a classic left cross where the driver violated the cyclist’s right of way. Intersection protocols to avoid, get the driver’s side of the infrastructure equation solved for this residential area to prevent.
Another hit-and-run, this one in RAGBRAI country. Police looking for vehicle that hit cyclist Hit-from-behind, use the protocols for that to avoid a wreck like this. Make hit-and-run a major felony like attempted murder or assault with a deadly weapon with mandatory prison time and mandatory loss of driving privileges for life if convicted to prevent.
Last link the UK’s slight drop in cyclist fatalities seems to fall more at the hands of the NHS than the MoT. Serious injuries to cyclists soar in new DfT figures When the SI number goes up (injury previously held to be eventually fatal) while fatalities go down, that is nothing to do with better roads safety and everything to do with better traumatic injury care in ER. More patients that would have died are being kept alive if they can stay alive long enough to make it to the ER in the UK.
And those are all the links that gave me fits today.
Billed @$0.02, Opus
PS I’m not sure if I spelled “fershluginer” correctly, could someone with access to several 1950’s era Mad Magazines look that up and tell me if I got it right?
Body is paying today for the efforts of yesterday, and the Feed
I woke up this morning and tried to roll out of bed like usual, only to be assaulted by a barrage of sore muscles and stiff joints that I assume are a result of yesterdays trip to Oak Cliff in the heat. I know I still wasn’t feeling 100% when I went to bed but I assumed I was just tired from having been out in the heat. As the day goes on I get a little more mobile and lass painful, so it could just be I didn’t move last night after I went to sleep, unlike my normal sleep habits of tossing and turning and grabbing the covers then kicking them off, repeat until morning.
Up first from CA via BikingInLA, a deliberate assault on a cyclist in a parking lot with a motor vehicle. Van intentionally rams bicyclist in SLO Target parking lot, police say Charges at the moment include assault with a deadly, and hit-and-run. This is
notsomething cyclists deal with, but fortunately not on an everyday basis. I have no idea how to avoid something like this aside from using the protocols like you would for the non-deliberate assault with a deadly weapon, and aside from making a driver’s license much, much harder to get and much easier to lose so that people who are mentally unbalanced enough to use a motor vehicle as a weapon are weeded out pretty quickly I have no idea how to prevent it either.Still in CA, another report on a SWSS. Sonoma cyclist killed Again I find the narrative in this report fanciful: “The CHP said he began a left-hand turn, making a signal with his left arm, and rode into the oncoming truck.” If the driver had enough time to recognize the cyclist was signalling a left movement (lane change or turn) why didn’t the driver respond to that signal? And trucks are pretty noisy, I know I have no problem knowing one is behind me and my hearing is not that great (either that or everybody is mumbling just to make me mad).
Still in CA, cyclists pack the courtroom in support of a cyclist hit by a drunk driver. Cyclists rally to support injured rider and At Napa Courthouse, Cyclists Show Support for Injured Rider Used judiciously, this might be a good tool in individual cases, especially ones where the driver has prior convictions for DUI, but for every cyclist hit by a drunk the tool would lose its edge in very short order.
Not out of CA yet, a drunk cyclist is injured when he gets passed on the right. HEMET: Alleged drunk bicyclist hurt in crash OK first things first riding a bicycle drunk is better than driving drunk but you still shouldn’t do it, Second passing a slow-moving vehicle on the right is illegal unless there is a clear lane to the right of the slow vehicle, so it’s not like there isn’t a lot of blame to go around in this one. Pity it only seems to fall on the cyclist. To avoid, don’t ride drunk or leave enough room on the right that motorists would be tempted to pass on the right. To prevent a more rigorous testing procedure for getting a license, proper infrastructure for all modes of travel, and cops that recognize when a driver screws up and injures a cyclist.
A WI cyclist gets hit bad but survives. Cyclist injured in crash with car and Cyclist suffers head injury in crash not doe Bicyclist injured after being struck by a vehicle Apparently a sidewalk cyclist forgot that driveways are intersections, and the driver forgot that she was required to make sure that there was nothing coming on the sidewalk that her crossing it would interfere with. Bleh at that sentence structure. Anyway to avoid ride in the street where the drivers have a better chance of seeing and avoiding you and remember that every driveway is an intersection. To prevent get the infrastructure right including making driving without a license equivalent to illegal possession of a deadly weapon.
I don’t know what it means when someone getting charged with very serious felonies is good news, but here is some good news. New charges filed in death of bicycle rider The driver was way over the limit and refused a breathalyser at the scene, but because she reeked of booze LEO got a warrant for a blood draw, and toxicology came back over the limit.
From RI a cyclist is accused of running the red when he hits a cop car. Woonsocket bicyclist, 17, injured slightly in collision with police cruiser Yeah, don’t run reds even if it changed while you were in the intersection, just stop until you can proceed safely.
From Oz cyclists are learning that in order to get their side of the story heard they better get it on video. Cyclists with video cameras It’s a pity that unless you provide iron-clad evidence of a crime against you, you get ignored by the people that are supposed to be protecting you from those idiots.
Infrastructure! news from MN. Is Minneapolis Done Messing with the Sabo Bridge Barriers?
And you think this might be the biggest reason why drivers hate cyclists? The Killer Commute Interesting the longer the commute is by car the more psychological problems drivers have, but not cyclists…
And last link Bikeyface shows the difference between cycling for exercise and cycling to get somewhere. Dressing I dress something in the middle of those two cyclists depicted because in TX if you’re outdoors and moving under your own power or just outdoors and have a pulse, you get sweaty so you just learn to deal with it.
And those are all the links that gave me fits today.
Billed @$0.02, Opus
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Tagged anti-bike blatherings, can you top this, cycling life, cyclist injured, cyclists killed, Don't read the comments, good news, hit from behind, hit-and-run, infrastructure, Left cross/right hook, Oz, rant, red light runner, Single Witness Suicidal Swerve/Single Witness Crossing Cyclist, Something smells, stupid cyclist, stupid drivers, stupid LEO, swss, updates, waste of human skin