Here it is day two of living alone without even a cat to keep an eye on me and I’m still alive. 😀 If the blog goes off the air more than the regularly scheduled breaks on Saturday then you’ll know what happened. But I really don’t think there will be any problem with maintaining life support here at Casa de El Poeta. One of the things I have been doing is leaving dishwater in the sink all day so that food doesn’t get dried to the plates and silverware and so I don’t have to run a sink full of water for a plate and a glass and a fork, saving water. One thing we are going to check on this vacation is how much more electricity and water gets used when Mrs. the Poet is here and constantly cleaning up things instead of letting things accumulate to where it can all be done at once. This will take place over a full billing cycle from the electric and water people, so a valid comparison can be made. This will be interesting to see.
Up first is yesterday’s Daily Ted as he posted after I got done filtering. Morning Links: Brake-checking driver harasses cyclist; curb-jumping drivers don’t get Redondo bike lanes
From NYC they caught the woman in that video from a couple days back who ran over a man and got out to look at the body, then got back in her car and left. Woman Arrested After Running Over Elderly Man, Getting Out To See Him Bleeding, Then Driving Away She hit him, stopped and backed off the body, got out to look at the body, then drove away to leave him to die in the street. As one commenter put it, “There is a special place in Hell for her…”
Also from NYC, a guy is just sitting waiting for the bus when all of a sudden there is a car on his head. Vietnam Vet Killed By Alleged Drunk Driver While Waiting For Staten Island Bus The driver of the weapon vehicle was cut off by a left cross driver and then lost control of her vehicle because SHE WAS DRUNK AT 1300. Then for whatever reason she was not hauled away for killing someone while drunk but given a city citation for driving while ability impaired. Seriously NYPD, WTF!?!?!?
Apparently riding around stupid rednecks is dangerous. Cyclists nervous after several deaths in South Mississippi “Cyclists should be treated like people, not animals” Hell treated like an animal would be a step up, at least people stop when they hit an animal. As pointed out in the article there are two problems here, people who don’t know the laws, and LEO who won’t enforce the laws. And then there is the complete and utter lack of any infrastructure other than the Natchez Trace Parkway federal bike route, and a short bike path connecting some casinos on the Gulf.
And another report that UK drivers are not improving, but their cars are. Cycle serious injuries rise 8% in 2014 Overall killed on the roads goes down, cyclists and pedestrians KSI goes up (again), what other conclusion could be drawn?
More good news from the UK. Revealed: Birmingham’s most dangerous roads for cyclists All those people getting killed just trying to get from A to B… Well not ALL of them were trying to get from A to B, some were riding for “fun”, just like some people driver for “fun”.
Another massive protest of infrastructure not fit for use in Jolly Olde. PICTURED: Hundreds protest at Bank junction after death of cyclist Ying Tao who was hit by tipper truck Well they have attracted the attention of the media, at least. Now if they can just get the attention of the people in charge, the oligarchs who really run things.
And some people are just “not nice”. Motorcyclist refuses to stop engine during silence for dead cyclist
Presented without additional comment. Widow of cyclist killed by Crossrail lorry considering civil action after driver found not guilty of causing death by careless driving
More on that government report in Oz that initially I only found out about the “cell phone” provisions mentioned. Turns out there was a whole lot more. Report to VicRoads recommends cyclists be blameless in any crash with a driver After checking out police reports and that wreck study done with the video cameras the researchers decided that cyclists wer so seldom at fault that drivers should have to prove that a wreck was the cyclist’s fault instead of allowing the only witness left alive to come up with a song and dance about “coming out of nowhere”.
And cue the vitriolic outrage from drivers. YOUR SAY: Should drivers always be held accountable for crashes involving cyclists? Arrgle garble licenses, rego, insurance, road tax, suicidal Lycra louts terrorizing grannies in the crosswalk!!!!!1!!!!!!!11!one!!
Will cars go out of fashion? Buying a car could soon be a thing of the past, and Ford is desperate to find what’s next Oh that I could stay healthy long enough to enjoy that!
Last link, there was an e-assist world championships? E-bike… Worlds?! The bikes were EU street legal, which meant that most of the time the riders were on their own as the speeds were too high to get assist, or the trail too steep for the motor to do anything except carry its own weight. Good for testing the athletes, not so much for improving the bicycles.
And I’m all done tonight.
Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet
Witch on a Bicycle 