There’s white stuff on the ground and it ain’t coke, and the Feed

Woke to bitter cold this AM with a pretty good breeze, then things started getting really weird. This white stuff fell outta the sky…

And of course I’m pulling your collective legs, I recognize snow when it hits me on the top of the head and covers the ground. I haven’t seen snow like this in an age, a fine powder that blows and drifts gracefully even in light breezes. Seriously, I haven’t seen snow like this since I moved away from the mountains of UT to lower latitudes and altitudes back when Jimmy Carter was still president. Of course just because I know what snow is and how to handle it that doesn’t mean that other people here in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell know what to do when the white stuff hits the ground. The hundreds of wrecks, mostly fender-benders, on the streets and highways of the Metromess are testament to that. The powdery snow on the walks was no problem to negotiate on the way to the mailbox but Mrs. the Poet reports that other sidewalks were not as good as ours and she slid around a bit on the way home. She also reports passing 3 wrecks during the part where she rode rather than walked.

Up first, the TX teen afflicted with affluenza again avoids jail in the deaths or permanent maimings of 7 pedestrians while the driver was drunk on stolen beer. ‘Affluenza’ Teen Ethan Couch Evades Jail Time Again This wreck was in the next county to the west from WoaB World HQ in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell.

Also in TX LEO in Houston caught a hit-and-run driver from about 2 month ago. Houston woman arrested in cyclist’s hit-and-run death The cyclist was hit from behind in the bike lane and then left for dead. There is a very good chance the driver will get some prison time as she has a previous DUI and admits she was drunk at the time of the wreck, so drunk that she doesn’t recall the wreck.

More on that MN wreck where the driver rammed the cyclist from the street onto the sidewalk through a snowbank. Bicyclist fatally struck by van in Minneapolis; DWI suspected The cyclist might have survived without getting crushed going through the snowbank. More Suspect in crash that killed Minneapolis bicyclist released from jail

From CA, the suspect in a DUI hit-and-run was released from jail because the CHP hasn’t finished their investigation and the limit for holding a person without charge is 48 hours in CA. Suspect in Cyclist’s Death to Be Released From Jail Today You would think that they could hold her based on the evidence they already have, but no.

Also in CA charges are filed against the driver that ran head-on into a cyclist while sleeping (the driver was sleeping, not the cyclist). Manslaughter charges for Santa Cruz driver who fell asleep at the wheel I covered this wreck pretty thoroughly back when it happened.

The teens who assaulted a TN cyclist with both a motor vehicle and pepper spray have been charged and arrested. UPDATE: Teens charged in cyclist assault The bit that bothers me is they are still making noises about charging the cyclist for slapping the vehicle as it passed violating the 3-foot passing law. So they are going to charge the cyclist for being close enough to hit the weapon vehicle that was assaulting him?

Closure from the UK (almost). Driver guilty of causing A444 cyclist’s death by careless driving Speeding driver runs a red light and kills a cyclist, final closure not available until April 4 when sentence is pronounced.

I could have used these guys back when Gigi and Blue were stolen. The Sith Lord Vader Squadron Want To Help Get Your Stolen Bike Back

What do you do when you’re without a car and you are not in an urban area? Transportation Cycling in Rural Areas: Some Food for Thought

An example of good bicycle infrastructure. Where Traffic Signals Automatically Give Cyclists Priority

Some good infrastructure of the legal variety emerging from FL. Get tough on hit-and-run drivers

Infrastructure news from CA. SFMTA Adopts Policy That Seeks To Eliminate Pedestrian, Cyclist Traffic Deaths I suggest that charging drivers when someone kills a pedestrian or cyclist instead of dismissing it as an “accident” would be an excellent first step.

Infrastructure from NC. Latest cyclist death raises questions about road safety News flash, NC roads are safer than a third world country’s but not by very much.

Ever have someone blame you for something another cyclist did, maybe years ago? You’re a cyclist, so it’s your fault Logic doesn’t work, appealing to their sense of fairness doesn’t work, and applying a hammer to the offender’s forehead doesn’t work…

Last link, the worst driver in Ca has vanished from the face of the Earth. Dr. Thompson disappears, why ghost bikes are needed, and Times Steve Lopez says LA isn’t doing enough Now that the state of CA no longer has a vested interest in keeping TTTWLAMWAMD alive he can get run over crossing the street? That would be karma biting with a vengeance.

And those were all the links that gave me fits or otherwise about bicycles today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Advertisement