I have just spent 4 hours filtering the first page of the Feed, and I’m almost done, with the first page. Then I have the second page to wade through, and then the specialized searches that hit places I don’t have online subscriptions for. I’m fortunate that my last haircut left my hair too short to grab and pull out, else I just might do that. The biggest problem is all the non-bike stuff that comes with the unspecialized news outlets, the stuff that makes me angry, or sad, or gives me a feeling of schadenfreude. I have to process the stories and the feelings before I can get back to filtering, and that takes time. As some of you know bike infrastructure and safety is not my only Social Justice project, just the one I spend the most time on, and these other concerns also come up while I’m filtering for the post. Fortunately I have lots of time on Friday as I deliberately stay up late to get that last search of the day filtered and any links posted to my blog. I might be still composing the post at 0500 but the post will get done with the latest information before I go off-air for the weekend.
Up first Yehuda has rebooted! Huzzah!
From PA this is why it’s so hard to get an indictment for killing with a motor vehicle, much less a conviction. The law of criminal homicide The way the law is written combined with bias about motor vehicle operations pretty much prevent anyone from getting prosecuted for killing with a motor vehicle absent stuff like social media posts about going on a killing spree in their car (don’t laugh there was somebody who posted that to their FB status).
An abbreviated Daily Ted. All hands on deck! Planning Comm to consider anti-bike LA Mobility Plan amendments Feb. 11th
Still in CA. Cyclist killed in latest hit-and-run I can’t tell if the “casual clothes” was a “not a spandex warrior” or “not wearing a GITDCS” statement.
Also in CA. Cyclist Killed in Eureka Not being able to see the wrecked bike I can’t say if this was an accurate narrative or another variation of the SWSS. Assuming the narrative as presented was accurate a simple notice that “Idaho stop” requires cyclists to yield to oncoming traffic that has the right of way is sufficient.
Bikes can do a lot of things, maybe this is also one of them? What can Seattle’s bike movement do to help end homelessness? As the article points out only if we don’t decide every homeless person with a decent bike is a bike thief, any more than we decide every person living in their car stole that.
Also in WA. Sumas boy, 14, on bike hit by pickup, killed near Paradise When I lived near there back in the mid 1960s Paradise was a wide spot in the road with a co-op dairy that sold really good milk. If they have enough people to contemplate installing a bike path beside the highway they are a lot more populous than when I knew the place. The narrative is suggestive of the cyclist getting blown off of the paved shoulder into the travel lane, but not substantive about it. And another narrative placing blame on the cyclist’s clothing rather than the driver’s headlights.
Over in AZ. Mesa police: Bicyclist hit, killed in crash Again with the useless information that there were no crosswalks where the cyclist was hit. As cyclists are not required to use such things, why include that information? Again without seeing the wrecked bike the narrative is in question.
Now in NYC they are using the data from Citi Bike to determine bike commute patterns. What 22 Million Rides Tell Us About NYC Bike-Share
A cyclist is identified after a CO wreck. Cyclist ID’d from Friday Fort Collins crash The text described the cyclist as “dodging through traffic” but the video said she was preparing to make a left turn. Gee it almost sounds like the writer for the web article was told to blame the cyclist, doesn’t it? To me it sounds like she had to wait for a hole in traffic to let her merge over and someone filled the hole after the cyclist was already committed to the merge. You would not believe how many times his has happened to me her in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell, only the hole-filler was able to haul it back down before hitting me.
Crap infrastructure only designed to get people cars out of the area as quickly as possible. Designing City Streets to Suit 47 MPH Drivers Is a Recipe for Failure Best quote from the comments: “Given that cyclists and pedestrians cannot attain driver rates of speed, it is consistent with the studies that led to the 85th percentile rule that urban streets be designed for low speeds to minimize these differentials.”
Atlanta is trying to do something about their crap infrastructure. Atlanta’s Bike Czar
Crap infrastructure in America’s Copenhagen. Videos show difficulties navigating TriMet’s swing gates That last video was scary as the rider was so engrossed with getting the gate open she failed to notice the train coming until one of her kids spoke up. I like the creative use of the sandwich sign as a doorstop though.
Still in Portland and still talking crap infrastructure. The westbound path of the Broadway Bridge will be closed for a month And for most of the month vulnerable users will be left to their own devices as to how to cross that river. The flaggers seem to be on duty as they are not required for other things.
This was our day to have lots of crap infrastructure from Portland. Gap Week: Cully, Columbia and Alderwood to Portland Airport Best quote from the article: “If only there were some type of ultra-low-cost personal vehicle that could help lower-income Portlanders reach the sorts of jobs that could make them middle-income Portlanders.”
Finally some good news from Portland> New era for off-road cycling begins as master plan committee meets for first time
And this is not unusual with car shows. Portland Auto Show entertains their customers with… Bikes!
Scary news from the Great White North. VIDEO: Police release video of hit-and-run SUV that seriously injured cyclist If you watch the video you can tell the wreck happens just out of frame at the end.
Not-so-jolly story from Jolly Olde. Motorist ‘drove off’ after colliding with fundraising cyclist in Tamworth The cyclist was not seriously injured in the wreck, but that was only by sheer luck.
Unknown if this was a cyclist or pedestrian, but still awful. Woman in ‘critical condition’ after collision with car near Tamworth The article has updated since filtering and they now say the victim was a pedestrian. Still a terrible wreck.
This is our day for crap infrastructure it seems. Here’s Benidorm’s new ‘cyclist-friendly’ roundabout – what do you think? I think it’s terrifying to have bicycle infrastructure go straight across a roundabout and expect drivers to yield to cyclists.
Infuriating story from Oz. Driver texting repeatedly before she hit and killed cyclist, Perth court told and WA woman jailed over cyclist death “Lawrence will be eligible for parole after serving 18 months behind bars.” Really? She killed a human being because she couldn’t pay attention to where she was driving (distracted by the median flora or texting) and she’s out in less than 2 years? TANJ!
Legal infrastructure news from Oz. NSW motorists and cyclists face new road rules Some of the changes are preposterous.
More on self-driving cars. Driverless cars work great in sunny California. But how about in a blizzard? It will get solved, it just will take some time and engineering talent.
And another history article about my favorite form of hot rod. The World’s First Fiberglass T-Bucket Hot Rod: Buzz Pitzen’s “Glass Image” – Part I That’s right, the guys that made the first fiberglass bucket body did not make the first fiberglass bucket car.
And that’s all I got again. It’s way late again so I’m not going to tag this one.
Billed @$0.02 Opus
Witch on a Bicycle 