Another long day, and the Feed

I just got back from a trip to the chiropractor with the usual drama and adventure that entails these days (but I’m getting better, so from my perspective this is worth it). Once again transportation was the issue, with the “check engine” light coming on for no apparent reason. All fluids were checked and found within limits and the temp gauge was also within limits, so lacking a code scanner we had nothing to base a diagnosis on and continued despite the light.

Up first is another wreck in what used to be the most deadly state in the US to walk or ride a bike. Tallahassee Cyclist Hit by Car, Taken to Hospital The narrative had the cyclist running a red light, and the wreckage is certainly consistent with a cyclist getting hit broadside. Intersection protocols to avoid, and infrastructure to prevent. If the cyclist really did run a red and was not just caught by a stale green then one thing I would suggest is placing bicycle signals down where a cyclist could actually see them instead of 20 feet above the intersection where a road cyclist couldn’t get their neck to bend that far to be able to see it.

More about that fatal OH wreck that killed a randoneur. Veteran cyclist killed by minivan knew the dangers all too well At this point I think they should be charging the driver with murder for hitting a conspicuous cyclist on the shoulder of the road with nothing to interfere with his vision. The driver should be proving he didn’t hit the cyclist on purpose when all he had to do to not hit him was to stay on the road on a straight stretch of road with no particular amount of hill.

Also in OH the final word on a bike wreck. Doctor gets 15 days in jail for driving drunk, hitting cyclist I think the word in this case is “F-U”.

Our first Infrastructure! article is from down the road a piece in Houston. Bike safety plan aims to eliminate fatalities I think that in order to eliminate fatalities hey are going to have to eliminate the cause of fatalities, idiots driving cars. Even the LEO with one of the worst windshield biases in the US admit that almost all of the fatal bicycle wrecks involve drivers that are distracted, drunk, asleep, or all of the above, in control of deadly weapons. How to keep the twain apart so that DDA(aota) drivers are physically unable to interact with squishy people riding bicycles will be the defining aspect of the program if they are really committed to the Vision Zero aspect.

Same problem over in Bermuda. We need common sense and courtesy on the roads

Infrastructure news from Jolly Olde. Pothole crash cyclist seeks payout When you can’t dodge one pothole without running in to another one you have too many potholes… Just saying.

Problem infrastructure in Oz as the entire width of a bike lane is covered with a slick bike symbol that gets really slick in the rain. Bike rider badly injured after crashing at problem corner on busy Brisbane road And to the internet toughs calling the cyclist a bad rider for not avoiding the problem, the symbol covers the entire width of the lane and cars encroach on what little lane there is, making dodging the slick spot a case of Russian Roulette. The video shows the actual site of the wreck with the eroded stripe and the bicycle symbol in the apex of the turn near the end of the video.

Today’s main topic from BikingInLA is infrastructure. Popular bikeway to remain open this weekend, scholarship fund for fallen cyclist, and your Morning Links

Infrastructure from People for Bikes. BIKE MYTHS DEBUNKED

A bit of lifestyle from AZ. Vendor sells safety to cyclists and pedestrians Some have given up on making drivers keep their speed to what they can safely stop in the distance they can see clearly, so they try to artificially extend that seeing distance by wearing lights.

And from the UK. Family Thanks Donors After Cyclist’s Death He was hoping for £1,000 when he was alive, but has gathered £66,000 since his death.

And those were all the links that gave me fits and giggles. I really prefer giggles to fits.

Billed@€0.02, Opus