Running hot and low on water, and the Feed

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?

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Still haven’t recovered from that trip Wednesday, and the Feed

That stay without a bicycle in TN has been worse for me than I thought. I still haven’t recovered to a state of full hydration since Wednesday, still have excruciating muscle pains but the duration and intensity isn’t as bad as yesterday, still sleeping in an 80°F room to force my body to acclimate to the heat.

Well, WP seems to have lost about 3 hours of work creating links and making comments when thy had a glitch in the web site. I really don’t feel like going through all that again, so I will pack it in and try again tomorrow.

PSA, Opus

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 not something 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

Hot, tired, and cranky, and the Feed

I had some errands to run today that took me into the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, riding on a busy street with the local air temperature of 100-101°F. Even though I only went 8 miles on the bike I went through more than 24 OZ of fluids from 2 water bottles. I don’t care how well acclimated you are to the heat, that kind of stuff can kill you if you don’t stay ahead of it, and I almost dropped to “even”. I’m still a little woozy and not quite thinking straight (or spelling right either, I keep dropping letters). I had some pretzel sticks, a PBH, and lots of cold iced tea and things are coming back slowly.

Up first, a reminder of why FL is the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike 6 years in a row. Man Arrested in Hit and Run That Killed Teen Cyclist They found his car where it had been repaired after the wreck, he was driving another vehicle to try to throw LEO off the scent, and in spite of proving himself a flight risk by leaving the scene, he only has a $9000 bail.

Also from FL, a possibly drunk cyclist is hit. Cyclist Receives Life Threatening Injuries in Late Night Crash Just because a drunk cyclist is mostly a danger to him- or herself, and a drunk driver is a danger to anyone within a quarter mile of the vehicle, doesn’t mean it’s OK to get wasted and ride your bike. Just DON’T!

More on that MI woman hit while she was taking a break beside the road. Washtenaw County Sheriff Releases Name of Bicyclist Killed in Accident in Dexter Township Nothing much new here on the wreck, the only thing new is the name of the deceased cyclist. More links Bicyclist killed in crash at Dexter-Pinckney and North Territorial roads and Bicyclist Killed in Accident Near North Territorial and Dexter-Pinckney Road in Dexter Township

A NY cyclist is killed Coworker: Killed Cyclist Was ‘Really Good Person’ Who ‘Liked to Bike’ And a link that covers the actual wreck Cyclist Fatality on Route 9 So, hit-from-behind because the driver was in too big a hurry to drive only as fast as he could see to stop. Hit-from-behind protocols might have helped avoid or reduce the severity of the wreck. Getting the infrastructure right would prevent it.

In East TN, a cyclist is attacked twice by a driver. Knoxville cyclist says he was injured after sideswipe, attack The initial attack was the sideswipe AKA “buzz job”, then the second attack was the driver getting out of the car to physically assault the cyclist until the cyclist had numerous facial fractures and needed surgery to repair the damage. Find this driver and put him down, he’s a wild animal behind the wheel and has lost the grace of civilisation.

A wreck In Chicago kills a young cyclist. NW Side Boy, 11, Dies After Being Struck While Riding Bike From the information provided the cyclist came out of an alley without looking, and hit the side of the car. A high price to pay for a second’s inattention.

More on a wreck in CA. Accused DUI Driver Who Hit Napa Cyclist Due in Court The accused driver already had one DUI that week when she hit the cyclist while driving under the influence of prescription drugs and pot for her second DUI in less than 7 days. How is a cyclist supposed to be able to avoid habitually drunk and stoned drivers. Someone needs to drop her on her head, from low earth orbit, or maybe cislunar space? You don’t want to go too far out, she might not come back to the right planet. We wouldn’t want to pollute any of the other local planets (assuming anything survives re-entry).

Another cyclist is hit in the Great White North. Guelph Police looking for witnesses after cyclist hit and run Apparently this was a drive up to the cyclist from behind, knock him off the bike with a buzz job, and keep driving because “Hey, them cyclists ain’t got no right ta be on MY road!” Or whatever the equivalent is that far north. Recycle the weapon vehicle and make the driver watch the whole procedure, if the cyclist dies or the driver was drunk, make him watch from inside the car. And yes, I’m not in a very happy place today.

A cyclist in Oz gets hit bad. Sydney boy on bike hit by elderly driver Apart from the existence of the wreck, LEO are not releasing any details about it.

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

Billed @$0.02, Opus

It’s hot, and I’m still recovering from Sunday, also the Feed

It’s a bit steamy outside the last couple of days, and today looks to be no exception to that. We are under a pollution watch, a pollen watch, a heat advisory and a notice of possible zombie activity political campaigning for run-off elections. Actually I would prefer the zombies, at least you can shoot them or club them to death when they overstay their welcome, and get a bit of aerobic exercise in the exchange. Politicians you either have to call the cops or listen to them yammer and lie. No fun at all, unless you play games like confronting them with the truth, claiming everything on Fox News is a lie except the weather report and you’re not sure about the weather report, asking questions about things you find important but that aren’t within the purview of the elected office. (What are you going to do about the acts of ritual cannibalism in the Catholic church? is a good one, because most people don’t equate eating the body and drinking the blood of Christ during Communion as an act of ritual cannibalism. It makes them think and while they do that you can just close the door and leave.)

The Feed is rather sparse even by Tuesday standards today. One report came in with nothing but motorcycle wrecks, one report came in with a link that links back to my blog (!), the third report has only a couple of links in it and the last report hasn’t come in at all. EDIT: the last report came in an hour late but has a few links in it.

The driver accused of hit-and-run and DUI against two cyclists has entered a not guilty plea. Alleged drunk driver pleads not guilty to charges in cyclist’s death more Alleged drunk driver pleads not guilty to charges in cyclist’s death also Man pleads not guilty in death of cyclist They did a blood draw that showed a BAC of more than .3% which should have killed the driver outright, lethal levels of blood alcohol vary from person to person but in non-alcoholics somewhere between .28 and .30 is fatal. The fact that the driver was still conscious at that level of BAC shows that this was a person with a drinking problem who should never be allowed to drive again. Now he may never be allowed to walk free again.

In NYC the death toll from May’s CARnage has been established. NYPD: 15 Pedestrians, One Cyclist Killed in New York City Traffic in May That was a buttload of injuries caused by motor vehicles, a few injuries cause by bicycles, and no lethal wrecks caused by a bike hitting a pedestrian or other bicyclist.

In AZ the defense team is pushing for the prosecution to put back on the table a plea deal that the victim had rejected as too lenient. Defense pushing plea deal in cyclist hit-and-run case The facts of the case are egregious, they are truly deserving of felony charges, as the driver lied to police and tried to cover up and destroy evidence on the weapon vehicle. The plea bargain was approves initially by the brain damaged victim in the case before he was assigned a guardian with power of attorney from his family. The prosecutor’s office should have never approached the brain damaged victim about this plea bargain.

Infrastructure! news from NYC as outer boroughs want their bike infrastructure, too. Bike Lanes Scarce in Central Queens, Cyclists Say Queens wants the added safety for all users that properly installed bike lanes has brought to the inner boroughs.

More infrastructure news from Upstate NY. Family of bicyclist killed on Route 9W in Upper Grandview seeks road changes

From the good folks at Cycle Twin Cities, another report on “free air” kiosks springing up around town. More Info on “Free Air” from the Bike Friendly State This is the kind of infrastructure that keeps people on the roads, literally.

And my internet connection is getting flaky, so I will have to stop here. I’m getting no images when I load a page, and only about half the text.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Still suffering from yesterday’s excesses, and the Feed

Yep, too much sun and not enough fluids and spending too much time on my feet all combined to leave me with a massive headache this morning as well as a pain in the butt. I got a better look at my eyes this morning and they are not sunburned, just irritated (since that started before the glitter bombs I’m going to assume it was caused by smoke and sweat in my eyes). In spite of wearing long sleeves yesterday I managed to get slightly sunburned on my arms and shoulders and the top of my head (no hat). If I put an ice pack on the back of my head for a few minutes it makes the headache go away for a while, but too long and it causes another headache 😛

Up first OH officials are in a quandary about dealing with speeding motor vehicles at a bike path crossing. Officials: Watch out for bike-path dangers Oh! what to do about cars driving so fast that they have all 4 tires in the air from hitting the bike path crossing! I guess a speed trap or radar camera at the intersection is out of the question as there is just nothing that actually enforcing the speed limits can do to prevent people from exceeding the speed limits…*cough*bullshit*cough*

Down the road from WoaB World HQ in the suburbs of Hell by about a day’s ride, what was initially reported a hit-and-run of a bicyclist is now a person falling out of the back of a pickup truck with a bicycle. Passenger of car killed in East Austin hit-and-run early Sunday Yeah, I find that hard to believe too, but it seems to be the truth. the truck driver lost the passenger and her bike out of the back of the truck and came back to find her being attended by emergency personnel. OK now the story has changed again (every time I read it it’s different) and the cyclist was riding in the back of the truck when the truck was hit by another vehicle in an intersection and she and her bike fell out the back when the truck rolled over. [Vinny Barbarino] I’m so confused! [/Vinny Barbarino] Either this is two different wrecks, or there was some serious mis-communication in the first two versions of this link.

A cyclist in MT has one of the most avoidable kinds of wreck. Bicyclist injured in collision with train I post this every time I get one of these links, but not getting hit by a train is very simple, look, listen, and don’t cross when the crossing arms are down. All the infrastructure needed to prevent this wreck was already in place, it just went unheeded by the cyclist.

A NE cyclist runs a red light in front of witnesses and gets hit by a pickup truck. Cyclist Injured in Crash on Vine Street What can I say except don’t run red lights? I don’t know if this was a demand control light that would not detect cyclists, but in cases like that you have to treat it as a defective control, and in the case of a signal light you have to treat it like a stop sign accessing a street where cross traffic does not stop. Even if it was an infrastructure issue, this cyclist did not handle it properly.

Hit-and-run in Upstate NY. Bicyclist critically injured after hit-and-run crash on Robinson Street, Syracuse Hit-from-behind wreck, use the protocols to avoid. Get the infrastructure right, including making hit-and-run equivalent in severity as assault with a deadly weapon, to prevent.

A cyclist is right-hooked in VT. Bike rider injured in SUV crash Intersection protocols to avoid, with the emphasis on angling away from the impact to reduce severity, and get the infrastructure right so that large motor vehicles are not turning right in front of bicycles that are going straight.

Another SWCC wreck in IN Car hits bike, rider injured Again a wreck where the driver claimed the cyclist was “crossing” the road in front of him with no physical evidence to back his story up…

A CA cyclist is right-hooked and blamed for the wreck. Healdsburg cyclist injured in crash with pickup truck The only way for the wreck to play out as described in the narrative would be for the truck to have been driving at bicycle speed before making the right turn.

Infrastructure!news from NYC. It’s Still Not A Crime To Kill Someone With Your Car Door The problem is there is no investigation for the majority of dooring incidents as many are reported as “cyclist hits parked car”. Also from the comments section to the article many drivers don’t want to be inconvenienced by actually looking and not killing a cyclist.

Another pretty picture from the Twin Cities of MN. Twin Cities Bike Picture of the Day: 6.25.12 Isn’t that a lovely place to ride a bike? I wish we had places like that around the Suburbs of Hell.

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

Billed @$0.02, Opus

I think I might have sunburned my eyes, Wreck-Free Sunday

We had a really wild solstice celebration at church today. We used a combination of contests to select the Sun King for the latter half of the year, watermelon seed spitting, bean bag toss, musical chairs holding cups of water that had to be full when you took your seat, and an egg toss. I came close to winning the watermelon seed spitting, and the egg toss, placed well in the bean bag toss, and did not participate in the musical chairs. Then the winners of the individual contests got to pick teams for a water balloon and glitter bomb war to choose the Sun King. Unfortunately the glitter bombs for my team kinda blew up in our hands, leaving most of our glitter on the ground around the bucket instead of applied to the skin or clothing of the other people.

Speaking of glitter bombs I will probably be pooing sparklies for at least a week if not a month. I have glitter in places I don’t even want to think about, including my eyes and inside and outside my nose.

The physical stress of the games took their toll on my body as my pulled hip muscle has been letting me know I spent too much time on my feet. I currently have my hip packed in ice in preparation for going to the evening service tonight after taking one of those muscle relaxers and NSAID combination to do something about the pain and stiffness of the pulled muscle. The combination of nightly ice packs and that pain pill have been doing a good job in getting things back to “normal”. Or as close to normal as I can get with all the other damage I carry over from the wreck a decade ago.

And now I’m going to take a break and let my eyes rest before I go back on the road.

PSA, Opus

Went to drumming last night, and the Feed

I went to the monthly drum jam at church last night and it was very warm. The drummers wanted a fire so they could keep the drum heads tight and sounding good, so we had a fire with the ambient temperature in the low 90s to high 80s all night long. (35-25 C) The good part is the heat let my leg muscles stay loose and I didn’t have any problem with the leg not working (either of them). The bad part is, hey it’s already around 90°F, lets build a fire and make it hotter… Only in TX.

Up first, a TX cyclist is hit from behind because he was screened from view by another vehicle in front of the weapon vehicle. Bicyclist hit, killed by truck in Baytown This is a textbook example of following too close and driving too fast for conditions, but the driver escapes without even a ticket. TANJ! Anyway, hit-from-behind protocols might have helped, actually punishing drivers that kill would probably help more.

The last place you expect to get hit by a motor vehicle is on a protected MUP, but not even those are safe from CARnage. Motorcyclist hits bicyclist on I-205 bike path and Motorcyclist overshoots turn, crashes into bicyclist No way to avoid this wreck, and it was on segregated infrastructure which should have prevented it, and would have had the ability to prevent it would be some way of making motor vehicles not work for drunk drivers.

A NC cyclist is hit in a SWSS, but LEO apparently don’t believe the driver’s story. Elderly bicyclist injured in Stokes Co. The driver claimed the cyclist was turning around when the cyclist was hit, but LEO are talking about an unsafe passing ticket. Anyway, to avoid use the hit-from-behind protocols, to prevent get the infrastructure right.

A hit-and-run in CA. Huntington Beach hit-run kills bicyclist and Driver Arrested After Cyclist Was Fatally Struck in Huntington Beach Hit and Run Drunk driver veered into the bike lane, hitting the cyclist from behind. Cue my rant about what drunk drivers who kill deserve, being chained to the steering wheel of the car as the car goes through the shredder at the recycling plant.

First wreck from the Great White North today is an intersection wreck with no injury. Girl, 9, not injured after hitting dump truck while riding her bicycle The narrative on this was so confused I don’t know exactly what happened, but the child seemed to be doing what children do (“play is the work of a child”) and the driver of the dump truck did a fantastic job in not killing the cyclist.

Next wreck is a hit-and-run of a pedestrian by a cyclist. Comic Mary Walsh struck by cyclist Yeah, DON’T HIT THE PEDESTRIANS!

Two links to this fatal wreck in east Canuckistan. Cyclist killed in crash and Cyclist killed in collision with truck in southeast industrial district The bike was so badly mangled from going under the truck that I have no idea what happened in this wreck, and LEO aren’t saying either. EDIT as I was creating the link to the second link the article was changed to indicate the truck was making a turn so there are a number of possible modes for this wreck, the classic right hook, or the cyclist riding up the inside of a turning truck, or the cyclist was on the road the truck was turning to and the driver did not give enough room during the turn. But, intersection protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

LifeStyle from CA, as CalTrans can’t stand being reminded that their roads are death traps for cyclists. Memorial Ghost Bike for Josh Laven Removed – Not Wanted on Highway 1 Yeah, that constant reminder that someone dropped the ball on getting the infrastructure safe gets under the skin.

More on the Ontario Coroner’s report. Mandatory bike helmets

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

Billed @$0.02, Opus

What strange madness is this? And the Feed

I have developed a new “following”, the #occupy movement has been following my blog en masse. For the life of me I can’t figure out why #occupy would find my little blog so interesting. I’m not trying to get the banksters arrested, or get the 1% that owns the 40% of everything taxed at a higher rate, or even trying to get minimum wage pegged to CEO compensation (not in this blog anyway, other places…). All this blog is trying to do is get people from A to B without a detour to the morgue or the hospital, advocating infrastructure changes that keep people alive and legal changes that punish those that kill to deter other from killing. Most of what I champion is of as much benefit to drivers and pedestrians as it is to people riding bicycles. If #occupy is happy with that, who am I to argue?

Up first was a hard decision because everything was just so mundane, aside from being horrific wrecks with unimaginable levels of pain and suffering. I mean I have been doing this for 6 years now, there are very few ways for people to run cars into people on bicycles that I haven’t seen at least once if not dozens of times. It is even starting to show in the writing: this wreck falls in that category, but this wreck is that other category, almost every wreck has a category, and follow these instructions to avoid getting involved in that kind of wreck…

So, up first is a really bad day for non-motorized transportation in one CA town. FIRE REPORT: Two Pedestrians Hit by Cars, A Bicyclist Runs Into a Car The bike wreck was a near classic left cross with a screen, the cyclist’s and driver’s view of each other was blocked by a “nice guy” that had stopped to let the driver of the weapon vehicle make his turn. And as much as I hate to say it the “nice guy” is mostly at fault in this wreck as his stop and screen were the major causes of the wreck. Intersection protocols to avoid and people following the laws and not trying to be the “nice guy” to prevent, or infrastructure that separates bicycles and pedestrians from interacting with motor vehicles.

In NJ a salmon cyclist towing a skateboarder is left-crossed. Teen cyclist struck, injured in Medford OK, first and foremost, ride with the flow of traffic, and second use intersection protocols to avoid the left-cross. Getting the infrastructure right so that bicycles and skateboards are not sharing a highway with motor vehicles would prevent this kind of wreck.

Teen cyclist in NC allegedly runs a stop sign and gets hit. Boy, 11, seriously injured after riding bike into traffic Well if he got hit at the stop sign I think the “alleged” part is pretty well proven. Looking at Google Maps, this is a residential area and would be shared space under the Dutch model, with a very low speed limit that would affect both motor vehicles and bicycles but with road priority to bicycles. That would possible prevent a wreck like this, but no guarantees.

Added to a classic right-hook wreck is the additional insult of hit-and-run in PA. Bigler Man Injured in Bicycle/Vehicle Accident Intersection protocols to avoid, and substantially higher licensing standards to prevent. Also making H&R a major felony instead of a minor one or a misdemeanor or infraction would also go a long ways to preventing something like this from happening. And crushing a few weapon vehicles that were used in hit-and-run, maybe?

You know it’s a grim day when a woman getting charged with a felony is the bright spot in the morning… Woman indicted in Skokie crash that killed boy, 9, riding his bike You might remember this wreck as the one where the child cyclist was riding on the sidewalk when he was killed in a pinball wreck caused by an intoxicated driver speeding through the intersection. The driver tested positive for pot and speed.

And another cyclist is killed in the tiny town of Middletown RI, not far from where I used to live. Middletown bicyclist killed in crash in Newport The wreck appears to be a hit-from-behind wreck with an illegal pass of another vehicle thrown in for good measure. There is nothing in the protocols that you could use to avoid a wreck like this, only separated infrastructure with very high standards to get and very low bars to lose a driver’s license would prevent this wreck. Again I’m starting to get a “theme” in the editorial responses to the wrecks.

From the Great White North, a cyclist appears to fail to yield at the entry to a road. Port Colborne cyclist critically injured Assuming this isn’t a SWCC where the cyclist just happened to get hit at an intersection when she was in fact in the road the whole time unnoticed by the driver until he hit her, then the way to avoid this wreck is to yield when entering a road so that you don’t ride in front of moving vehicles. This would be shared space in the Dutch model, so reduced speed limits and higher degrees of vigilance to prevent.

A wreck with almost no information from Enn Zed. Cyclist injured in 4WD collision Other than the facts that the wreck was in an intersection, and the bicycle looked remarkably pristine, I really don’t know anything about this wreck. Given the lack of damage to the bike, and the non-serious injuries I can deduce the cyclist was grazed in a buzz job.

AZ cyclists and pedestrians are getting peeved about drivers that kill or seriously injure with no consequences even when found guilty. Cyclists’ accidents spark debate over criminal charges I think everyone that has read this blog for any length of time knows I think current criminal statutes against hitting people with cars are, well, criminal. In many states as long as you don’t leave the scene or drive drunk, even without license or insurance you would get at most a traffic ticket for killing a person with a car. This must change, if for no other reason than the motor vehicle is now killing more people than illegal drugs or firearms, and is the number one cause of childhood mortality and all mortality under the age of 35.

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

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Too much blood in my caffiene system, and the Feed

The cats somehow got inside early this morning when the daytime people were going to work, and they decided I needed to be awake too, at 5AM. I never did get back to sleep so I have been alternating between strong coffee and near-lethal strong ice tea, because it’s a tadly warm in the office. I was up late last night because I was testing a possible road marker to use on bike paths, one with a solar panel and LEDs to actively point out the edge of the path instead of depending on the rider’s head light bouncing off a reflector. With the base model of light I can get steady light for about 4 hours, with blinking for another hour as the battery charge depletes, from a mostly shaded outdoor exposure. That is with consumer-grade electronics, and white LEDs (which use the most power). I’m sure that if they switch to amber LEDs (which use about half the power) and place the light in full sunshine sunup to sundown, the light would stay lighted all night on the steady setting without going to the energy-saving blink mode. Also the amber LEDs would work better in complying with the MUTCD lighting pages.

Up first because of multiple links, the victim in the Karma Hammer hit-and-run has died. Retired Sonoma State prof dies from injuries received in hit-and-run and Beloved SSU Professor, Avid Cyclist Steve Norwick Dies

A cyclist is injured in IL. Bike-car crash in Evanston sends rider to hospital The report states the cyclist was riding salmon when he was hit and the driver never saw the cyclist until he pulled out from the curb. Well then to avoid ride with traffic and use hit-from-behind protocols to include riding in the lane far enough out to be seen by drivers so they can pull over and pass without hitting you. To prevent get the infrastructure right including education to keep young cyclists from riding against traffic.

Speaking of young cyclists, a sociopath with a driver’s license tries to kill two at the same time in CA. DA’s Office Charges Suspects in Alleged Bicyclist Attack Hmm, using a 4000 pound weapon of mass destruction against 2 unarmed teens because they were in front of you? That’s real brave. To prevent make getting a license very hard and losing one very easy, and also make driving without a license equivalent to illegal possession of a firearm.

Two links to a cyclist getting seriously injured in Oz. Cyclist critical after truck hit and Cyclist crictical after being struck by car Well the reports differ as to the weapon vehicle, but agree on the type and degree of injury. Hit from behind wreck, use the appropriate protocol to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

Infrastructure!news from MN. Pedal Minnesota Ain’t that great? Wouldn’t it be nice to find one of those every few miles when riding cross country, inter-city?

And because there just is not enough good bike porn out there, we celebrate it when we find it. Bike Porn: 7 Awesome Innovations What, you thought there would be naked or scantily clad women and/or men with bikes? There is a site devoted to that, but this ain’t it.

Do you ever wonder about the effectiveness of hand signals while riding your bike? Bikeyface does. Mixed Signals

Last link, what do you do when your bike share bike needs fixing? Nice Ride Visits the Doctor

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

Billed @$0.02, Opus