As the headline says, today has already been a long day. I had to go by the bank again and get out money to pay the bills that have to be covered by this weekend, then start paying them. A big part of the problem is I was using DART to get around instead of my bike that I can’t ride yet because I’m spending so much time getting around by DART I don’t have time to finish the extended stem so that I’m sitting up on the padded part of the seat like it was designed for. Let’s face it, Francis/es has the aerodynamics of a mid-’60s COE semi or a brick with the tall, wide side facing forward, and riding in the racing crouch is not going to materially affect the cruise speed of the bike over the “sit up and beg” position. I might as well be comfortable as I ride slow. But because I still don’t have that piece built and installed I can’t ride more than a couple of miles yet. And So It Goes.
The other thing that delayed the beginning of filtering and posting to the blog was tonight’s Full Moon service, which I had to help with. It was a nice service, but a little sparse on participants. That was OK as both I and the lady who was putting this on with me had to be someplace else as soon as the service was done, she to work and me to this blog post.
And tomorrow I’m going to get my neck rubbed some more in the hopes I can get that muscle that had been compressed by “Chris Christy” until it left “Arthur, Arthur Dent” loosened up so I can ride without pain and be able to turn my head all the way to the right. My new provider only charges $25 instead of the $60 (old charge) or $100 (new charge) of my old therapist, because this is a school and they need lab rats for their students to work on. Since I am comfortable in the lab rat role I have no problem paying $25 for the use of the building to keep the school open while some mostly-trained person hones their craft on my neck.
Up first the Big Story was a ex-Navy Seal taken out riding his bike in DC. Bicyclist killed on Massachusetts Avenue identified as Bethesda man And Former Navy SEAL killed in Bethesda bicycle accident Also Cyclist fatally struck by vehicle in Bethesda identified AFAIK the cyclist was hit from behind in or near the bike lane, and was more than legal in regards to lights and reflectors to the rear. More than that hasn’t been released yet.
More on the scum that ran down a cyclist in MI and left the scene. Man surrenders in crash that killed Lake Orion cyclist and Man charged in hit-and-run death of nurse bicycling across Michigan I never will understand why they give people who have already fled once to avoid prosecution bond or bail when they catch them. Especially a guy with failure to appear warrants in his history.
Here’s a break with Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Honked at for riding sharrows, Vision Zero lost in Mobility Plan fallout, and upcoming bike events
In Jolly Olde, OMG potholes are going to kill us all! Cyclists face pothole peril as road repairs are delayed and Potholes blamed for increasing numbers of cyclist deaths If I’m reading this right over 3400 cyclists a year would be dying from potholes except for the level of care provided by the NHS (this being the reason for the KSI stat, the NHS provides the highest level of emergency care in the world, and most people survive wrecks that would have been deadly after a long hospital stay before). Man, is that a lot of pothole wrecks or what?
Back in CA, someone needs instruction on the meaning of a right hook. Cyclist In Critical Condition After Collision At Divisadero & Golden Gate Nevermind, this is the same bunch that blamed a woman for getting hit by a truck making a wide right turn, without a turn signal, across a marked bike lane.
Still in CA, a driver pleaded down from Murder and 20 years to Manslaughter and 4 years. Four-year prison sentence in Foresthill Road bike-death case Maybe this is 4 years more than he would have gotten in a trial, maybe not… But he was under the influence of a dangerous narcotic and he killed a man.
Over in UT, a salmon cyclist is hit by an SUV that apparently rolled a stop sign. 1 hurt in auto-bicycle collision; police urge caution Two wrongs here, but they only issued the ticket to the one that got hurt. Also the cyclist appears to have been riding in the sidewalk, and as I frequently say, sidewalks are not bicycle infrastructure.
NYS, where killing someone with a motor vehicle is “just one of those things, you know?” Too early to know if Hammond driver will be charged in Route 3 bicyclist death Seriously it is easier to charge someone with murder than it is to get a homicide charge on a killing with a motor vehicle.
And this juicy tidbit from NYC. Ask A Native New Yorker: Is It OK To Yell At Cyclists Who Run Red Lights? The comments section…
Another dead cyclist in ABQ. Bicyclist killed in Thursday crash Who saw the cyclist run the red, aside from the driver that killed him? SWCC wreck until proven otherwise.
Deadly hit-and-run in KY Bicyclist killed in hit-and-run on Newtown Pike The narrative makes it sound like the driver was impaired chemically or by lack of sleep.
Here’s hoping the CM tonight in Miami was safe. CRITICAL MASS RIDES TONIGHT IN MEMORY OF FALLEN CYCLIST AND AHEAD OF TROPICAL STORM ERIKA
A wreck in the Great White North. Crash southeast of Stratford leaves cyclist critically injured Prayers and energy for the injured cyclist hit by a goober on the wrong side of the road. Ain’t nothing you can do about that.
More from Jolly Olde as LEO say if you ain’t dying don’t call about your bike wreck. Police chief writes to cyclist to explain why he can’t investigate crash
And last link for this tired blogger, is this the bike that gets fat asses out of cars? Is This The E-Bike That Finally Gets Commuters Out Of Cars? Absent some tax or fee that disincentivises SOV commuting, I’m going to say no.
And tired blogger says “Good night”. Programming note there will be no wrecks in the 8/31 blog post, if I even write it. I may go out and get drunk instead. Or stay home and get drunk. Or have cookies and cupcakes. I have been told there will be cupcakes with dark chocolate bats on them (can’t stop, this is bat country) 😀
Billed @€0.02, Opus the Unkillable Badass Poet
Witch on a Bicycle 