OK I’m taking a step back because really stupid people pushed me into it

I’m posting this in response to something on Twitter yesterday that I read after posting yesterday’s post. The post was to the effect that because cyclists choose to ride in the roads we are responsible for what happens to us.

First is the false “choice” of riding in the street. If you want to get someplace you have no bicycle infrastructure for 99+% of all trips so it’s not a “choice” to ride in the street. It is a necessity.

Second we are not the ones using WMD as transportation that kills ~40K people/annum directly by impact and another million or so by pollution, and that’s just in the US. So it’s drivers killing cyclists, not cyclists forcing drivers to kill us. Drivers are not paying proper attention to traffic (and bicycles are traffic) and cyclists are suffering for their inattention. Or for their choice to drive on short trips. And for their demands for free storage for their property when not in use has literally destroyed city centers.

And for you not reading my recent posts I have a soft spot in my heart for cars, when used in an appropriate manner like motorsports in a controlled environment, or making long trips between places not served by any form of public transit like rural areas. Cars are a good fit for rural areas, but then we try to force them into urban areas where they are a crappy fit or worse. Unfortunately I’m not smart enough to figure out how to bridge between areas where cars are a good fit and cars are bad-to-deadly-on-a-daily-basis fit. I mean I’m no dummy, people in rural areas need cars and light to heavy trucks for their daily lives or they will be forced into poverty. On the other side of the coin those same cars and trucks are killing people in cities. And they are not so good for rural people either.

The real problem is we have baked automobilism into our economies so much that trying to prevent the harm it causes will cause as much harm as the harm we prevent, just of a different kind. To put this in a different perspective it’s like you have a cancer that will kill you painfully in a few weeks, and the operation to cure the cancer will kill you in a year, but it won’t hurt much. Either way you still die ahead of schedule. And there are times when it would be so much easier to be an absolutist instead of looking on both sides of the argument.

Advertisement

The trees are killing me, and the Feed

I’m still having problems seeing because of this allergy attack, and weather.com says the only pollen in the area is tree pollen. To make things worse we are having a pretty stiff breeze in the area keeping the pollen flying around instead of letting it settle like it did last week when the mailbox was tinted yellow. The interesting thing about this year as compared to previous years is I can breathe pretty well, I just can’t see very well. Most of the time I can see the TV or the computer not too bad, but if I let my hydration drop below a certain point, that I don’t know where it is until I pass it, then all of a sudden I get a white veil across my vision. It’s super annoying.

Ted is taking a Mental Hygiene day so no Daily Ted. Sending best wishes to Ted.

Normally I would say still in CA. Buena Park bicyclist killed by pick-up truck identified Not a whole lot of information about this wreck, aside from a general location, the type of weapon vehicle, and the identity of the victim.

Also still in CA. Cyclist hit by car in Pacific Beach suffers head injury At this point LEO believe the cyclist ran a stop sign while the weapon vehicle was on a through street.

Still in CA (lots of links from CA). FiDi & North Beach Crime Roundup: Hit & Run, Stabbing, Violent Fight Over Tips I assume this “Munchery” is some kind of food delivery. I’m extremely happy the pedestrian was uninjured. From the limited narrative given the wreck was partially due to a congested intersection, and restricted sight lines.

And guess where we haven’t left? Bicyclist critically injured in collision with UPS truck in Baldwin Park Either a cross or hook movement given that the truck was turning into a driveway. Intersection protocols to reduce damages. Drivers watching where they are going to prevent.

Yep, still in CA. DEVORE: Bicyclist hit and killed by vehicle (UPDATE) Left cross wreck, the most frequent cause of death for motorcyclists, 3rd for bicyclists. Always the fault of the driver for not looking before turning.

From America’s Copenhagen. Bicyclist struck and killed in SE Portland Witnesses say the weapon vehicle was turning and going fast enough that the cyclist was thrown into the air. While no charges were made public in this link the driver was arrested and taken away in handcuffs.

And from the Portland on the other side of the country/continent from America’s Copenhagen. Portland police arrest man on suspension of fatally hitting cyclist This was really confusing for me because the two cities are both in counties of the same name, with neighborhoods of similar names. Nothing on the mode of wreck, but that bike in the picture looks like it was hit from behind, and the several charges involving impairment suggest the cyclist was hit from behind. And someone really needs to proofread that headline. Ugh!

Moving from ME to MA. Bicyclist killed in downtown Holyoke Friday morning and Bicyclist killed in Holyoke crash Friday The first link just says the cyclist hit the truck, second says this was a left cross wreck, which is always the fault of the driver for failing to wait until the lane is clear before crossing it.

Moving south to FL. Teen on bicycle killed after being hit by car in Apollo Beach Cyclist hit from behind, comments blaming cyclist for being there at 0239…

Still in FloriDUH. Victim in fatal Merritt Island hit-and-run crash identified Hit from behind, BOLO for a Chevy S-10 P/U with fresh heavy front end damages. Speculation the cyclist was either drunk or trying to get to safety after getting hit and run before…

And we got a lot of similar links from different outlets. Cyclists upset about lack of penalties for drivers who hit bikes and Cyclists seek heavier penalties on errant drivers also Amid Cycling Boom, Penalties for Errant Drivers Remain Light Totally expected calls for bicycle license plates with the NOLA link’s comments section.

Update on the victim of a CO hit-and-run. Cyclist injured in hit-and-run near Boulder released from hospital Wishing the cyclist a quick recovery from all injuries, not expecting anything like that.

Wreck in KS. Teen bicycle rider hospitalized after hit by Kansas driver and Teen bicylist struck by car suffers serious injuries in Riley County There was no excuse for this wreck, hit from behind in late afternoon with the sun off the driver’s right meaning the roof would have blocked anything from shining into the driver’s eyes. He should have seen the cyclist and either slowed down or moved over. Instead he just plowed right into the cyclist.

This SC infrastructure test is the absolute worst-case situation, installing a bike lane by removing a travel lane for motor vehicles with nobody using the bike lane (in this case because they aren’t allowing bicycles to use the blocked lane because it “isn’t safe”). Ashley River bike lane test set for April to May

From the Great White North. Birthday horror: ‘Shattered’ mom learns son killed by minivan while riding bike The wreck was so bad that there was no viewing at the wake or funeral.

And a serious Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot moment for me when I read this link. No charges expected after Leamington cyclist killed on County Road 31 Are they seriously not going to charge the driver for overdriving their lights when they hit the cyclist from behind because the cyclist was wearing dark clothes? Do deer and moose wear reflective vests when they wander about at night?

This is just appalling. Bike courier launches fund to pay rent after hit-and-run driver left him too injured to cycle He should be getting some kind of temp disability while he recovers enough to do his job or gets another job.

This is one of the things I loathe about UK media laws. Cambridge woman stole 11-year-old’s bike as he and his mother gave chase Yeah, this would have been a good story, back in August when it happened, not in late March when she got sentenced for it.

A fitting memorial is in the planning stages. Syd Barrett memorial exclusive: spinning bike wheel artwork planned This is the song being commemorated with the artwork.

Wreck in Scotland. Teenage cyclist killed in collision with car on Moray road Typical UK report.

The money grab from cyclists doesn’t seem to have changed much in the first month. ‘Shock and awe’ tactic not helping in bicycle safety campaign

This is just low. Rebekka Meyer’s ghost bike disappears, found dumped nearby Who would do such a thing?

And I’m out of links finally.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

This looks like an easy day for posting the Feed

I know this won’t go out until after midnight so that I can catch that last update from the search service I use, but it also looks like I will get a break to watch TV or modify the vacuum cleaner so that even though the beater bar won’t work it will still get the loose stuff off the top of the rug. Modifying the cleaner is a temp step to clean things up a little until Mrs. the Poet can decide on what kind of new vacuum cleaner she wants.

OK I worked for a couple of hours on the vacuum cleaner and besides the beater bar belt constantly getting thrown and chewed up it turns out the real reason the cleaner stopped picking stuff off the rug was a clogged intermediate filter at the bottom of the debris canister that prevented any air from getting through. This prevented the vacuum cleaner from cleaning.

Up first we get an update on the supposedly salmon cyclist hit by a cop in Southeast TX. Cyclist injured in officer-involved accident dies Again, I will believe the salmon label when I see the wreckage and the coroner’s report on the cyclist’s injuries. I’m not saying that cyclists don’t ride salmon some times, just that without outside verification I refuse to accept the driver’s version of the story even if the driver was a LEO.

I have been following this one since day one and I always suspected the driver of trying to pull multiple fast ones to avoid going to jail. Judge Considers Tougher Sentence For Former San Ramon Attorney Who Killed Cyclist In Dublin and Judge considers tougher sentence for ex-local attorney who killed Dublin cyclist Seriously, the hit-and-run didn’t tip everyone off that this guy was scum from the get-go? And hiding the weapon vehicle inside his garage instead of parking it where he could show it off to the neighbors like he normally did? Or not telling anyone about the wreck until they found his wrecked car in the garage? Seriously fornicate this guy with a barbed-wire condom in a splinter-infested knothole, with a salt and alcohol based lube. Or just put him back in prison for a couple of years.

Since we are in CA anyway, let’s check our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Rio Hondo bike path closed, Glendale matches LA’s hit-and-run rewards, and way better wayfinding

And late-breaking Daily Ted Part 2. Breaking news: Bicyclist killed in Montclair hit-and-run

More news on the wreck of 4 cyclists hit from behind in NC. WOMAN WHO HIT 4 CYCLISTS NEAR ANGIER CHARGED The charges seem to be about as severe as they can get for a wreck not involving a dead cyclist. “In addition to the reckless driving charge, Williams is charged with improper passing in a curve and four counts of improper passing causing serious bodily injury.” I’m hearing that the oncoming car stopped before reaching the wreck scene when the cyclists were hit, which means the driver panicked about missing the car. I’m wondering what the tox screen will pick up.

Low-information wreck in the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike. Bicyclist struck and killed by vehicle in Fort Myers The video had even less information than the text, all it had was a bunch of pictures, most uncaptioned, of cyclists who were killed in the last 12 months.

CO letter about a cyclist hit. Adelaide Perr: Tears for injured cyclist

Still in CO they cited the cyclist injured in a wreck. Cyclist cited after being seriously injured in crash Looking at the street view and the narrative the cyclist was making a left turn and failed to yield. She must have misjudged the speed of oncoming traffic, or thought they would yield to her.

More on the NV cyclist killed by a drunk driving without a license in an unregistered vehicle. Brother of bicyclist hit and killed by ATV says, “he liked to make people laugh” I know there is the “halo effect” for people who are recently killed, but it almost always seems like the majority of cyclists killed by motor vehicles were good people with a record of trying to do good things.

More on the OH driver acquitted by a jury of drivers. Brecksville man found not guilty in crash that killed two cyclists

I almost fell out of my chair when I read this the first time. Commissioner Fritz floats another idea: Car-free streets This is the same person who said that cyclists didn’t “deserve” more infrastructure until every one of them obeyed all the traffic laws. Now the shoe seems to fit the other foot much better.

More OR infrastructure news. Oregon will phase out ‘Share the Road’ signs Again I favor the “BMUFL” regulatory sign than the “share the road” advisory sign.

Infrastructure news from NYC. Five Years Later & The Prospect Park West Bike Lane War Rages On I noticed that some of the people pushing this lawsuit are doing so from nursing homes or beyond the grave now.

More infrastructure this time from VT. COLCHESTER/RIVERSIDE AVE. INTERSECTION STUDY PUBLIC MEETING #1 Current state of affairs in an autocentric mess that nobody can navigate safely without a light armored vehicle. Suggested changes are improved pedestrian crossings and bike lanes.

Infrastructure from WI. State Infrastructure Spending Plummets This is not just bike infrastructure, but everything. Roads, bridges, water mains, the whole shooting match. Bike infrastructure has taken a bigger hit by percentage than roads and bridges, but everything has suffered. That’s the thing about “tax and spend”, you have to spend sometimes to keep things running, and you have to tax to get the money to spend.

News from far West Canuckistan. Friends gathered to bid a final farewell to a man killed in a freak cycling accident Hit by a thrown object that was tossed from a garbage can by a guy with his head still in the can. He probably never knew he hit anyone.

From the Great White North. Trending: Toronto boy, 5, makes heartbreaking posters in search of stolen bike His bike was stolen from the playground where he had ridden it to go play. D:

Also from West Canuckistan. Woman facing charges for hit and run in Vernon last fall They caught her because she only “ran” as far as the power pole she took out. This person should never drive again in her life.

Shades of “Stop de Kindermoord” protests in the Netherlands at the ends of the 1970s. Mum organises march to highlight traffic ‘dangers to children’ near Cambridge Railway Station

Sure crack down on the victims of road violence, not the perpetrators. Cyclists targeted in police blitz just days before major fines take effect And don’t forget the draconian fines for not wearing a silly foam hat.

Last link, this setup was actually an option that came with the kit for my SBC engine for the Mini Sprint-T. Potvin Supercharger Meets High Tech T-Bucket Seriously, there were 3 options for the kit induction one of which was the blower in that article.

And I’m outta links and getting sleepy again.

Billed @€0.02, Opus (Does anyone notice I switch back and forth between $ and € on this sig line?)

OK that happened, now what? And the Feed

I was watching the caucuses last night on Twitter and was Not Impressed to say the least. The Clown Car Party tossed out a few more clowns, but seriously, there are a lot more to go and some of the biggest clowns are at the head of the polls. As for the other side, seriously did you decide who would get that precinct’s delegates based on a coin toss? And not once but six times?

BTW if any of my readers are DFW locals who would like to recommend a plumber we are having lots of plumbing issues here at Casa de El Poeta that have been just waiting for $$ to get fixed and now we have $$ to get them fixed. Deferred maintenance is about to be deferred no longer. And as an aside the TX groundhog had to wear shades and sunscreen, so we get 10 more weeks of “winter”. If “winter” stays like this with daytime highs in the low 70s F and nighttime lows in the high 40s, I could deal with another 10 weeks of this.

Let’s start with Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Pendleton registration begins, Monrovia talks bike plan, and more doping news, motor & otherwise If the Marines insist on blocking bike access that means major construction for bike access on civilian non-military property. At this time the only other access is I5 which is sub-optimal because of the adjacent high-speed traffic and trash and debris pushed from the road by tires and air blasts from vehicles. The next closest road is dozens of miles to the east over a small mountain range.

Still in CA. Bicycle Enforcement Mind your Ps and Qs if you wind up in this area during this operation.

VT is working to reduce the dangers of repeat DUI. BILL WOULD REQUIRE INTERLOCK DEVICES FOR ALL DUI OFFENDERS

Addressing repeat DUI in WI. Getting Tough On Drunk Driving I can’t believe that a person can have more than 4 DUI and not be in prison, but under current WI law you have to have 4 DUI in a 5 year period and still not go to prison.

A strange case of karma working faster than the legal system in FL. Cape Coral man accused of killing cyclist dies in slip-and-fall If I’m reading this right he drowned in a puddle after slipping on a crosswalk. Or something similar to that. There was also a video with the article about a cyclist pulling driver and passenger from an overturned pickup truck. Karma restored.

Hit-and-run in KS. Cyclist injured in hit-and-run near Maple and Meridian Not much information aside from the wreck has happened and someone got seriously injured. They’re not even saying if the silver SUV was damaged by the wreck.

Infrastructure news from America’s Copenhagen. City responds to Steel Bridge homeless camp, Condo owners re-open Greenway path and Condo association releases ‘Call for Community Safety Plan and Dialogue’ This political hostage-taking of infrastructure over the homeless situation in Portland is low, but understandable for people directly faced with it.

Still more Portland infrastructure. Here’s what’s going on at North Williams and Killingsworth This looks like what’s called a “bulb-out” that’s used to reduce crossing times for pedestrians, but why put it on a quiet residential street?

An OH TV station gets on the “Wreck, not accident” bandwagon. COLUMN: There was nothing ‘accidental’ about deadly cyclist crash At least that’s what I think it’s about, since I’m not a subscriber to their service.

Another wounded veteran ride, this one off-road. Ride 2 Recovery launches fifth annual Las Vegas Mountain Bike Ride While there is a certain sense of accomplishment with a point-to-point road ride, for some with PTSD riding in traffic is too much like being back in a war zone (don’t ask me how I know).

You think riding in the US is risky, think about places where the rules of the road are merely a “suggestion”. The daily trials and tribulations of a cyclist (and his tribe) in Lima

You’re just sitting there waiting at a red light to make a legal turn, and some idiot passes you on the wrong side of the road… Video: Driver “swerves to avoid cyclist” – what do you think? …and you get blamed for “forcing” the driver to swerve. TANJ!

This stupid driver had better thank his lucky stars that he didn’t get an even longer sentence for killing a cyclist. Lorry driver loses appeal against jail sentence for killing cyclist Alan Neve in Holborn I hope he has to serve every last second of that 3½ years. He was driving without the specialized license required for the vehicle he was driving, and because he lacked the training and follow-on testing he ended up killing a man he should have been able to avoid.

“I saw a cyclist do something dangerous once”. Driver warns of cyclist ‘stupidity’ This is nothing more than anti-cyclist propaganda.

Reaction to someone putting an electric motor in the seat tube of a bike during a cyclocross competition. Mechanical doping: The social media response

This is causing my creative juices to flow. Now THAT’S a spin cycle! Exercise bike washes your dirty laundry as you pedal Put a recumbent type seat above the drum, use a 1:2 ratio for the drum during wash then switch to a really high ratio to spin the drum during the wring portion of the cycle (that would still be a heavy sprint) and I could see this as a way to put some base and interval training in. The wash/rinse cycles would be the easy part, a warm-up/recovery for the power unit. The bad thing is washing generally ends with the spin cycle.

And I’m outta links again, and I have to get up early tomorrow to go pay more bills.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Happy MLK Day, and the Feed

Today is the day we pause and remember a major leader of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Biographical note I was living less than 100 miles east of where Dr. King was shot at the time he was shot. So I wasn’t “there” there, but I was in the conflict zone at the time of the conflict. And yes I know that makes me “old”, deal with it. In many ways what Dr. King was trying to do is mirrored in the bike advocacy movement. Not that I am implying that what cyclists go through is in any way as bad as what people of color went through or continue to go through today, we can stop getting killed in the streets just by getting on the bus for example. But there are parallels. Anyway, remember what Dr. King meant to the rights movement, cherish it, and emulate that in trying to get safe bicycle infrastructure installed in your area.

Up first is Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Bicyclists help make a better world, and York Blvd is thriving

Still in CA, more links to a driver actually getting a proportional sentence for using a motor vehicle to kill a cyclist. Drugged driver who killed cyclist sentenced 15 years to life and Drugged driver who killed cyclist sentenced 15 years to life

Still in CA a left-crossed cyclist gets his medical bills covered but he had to sue the employer of the driver that hit him. City settles with injured cyclist

Speaking of proportional sentences. Seattle man gets 6 ½ years for killing bicyclist in DUI crash Not quite as proportional, but still leaps and bounds ahead of typical sentences for killing cyclists.

Cyclist killed in OH. Cyclist dies after being struck by car Not much information on the actual wreck, just the outcome.

The most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike takes another victim. Pasco County bicyclist killed after riding into path of vehicle on SR 52 Another SWCC wreck with no word on where the cyclist was crossing from or to.

A little schadenfreude in NYC. Hit & Run Driver Crashes Into Gowanus Canal and Video: Alleged Drunk Driver Arrested After Flipping Car On Upper West Side The video is no longer available through the original source, maybe they will find another place where it was uploaded.

A bit of CO infrastructure news. Boulder to shift gears on protected bike lanes I think that when drivers complain about losing a lane so that cyclists can have a safe place to ride they should plow up everything except the bike lane and leave the street filled with the rubble. But then I have been called an extremist 😉

Good news about cycling from WI. Local Collective Gets Milwaukee Biking After so many bad things about cycling from WI it is really nice to put up a link to something good.

It takes a Canadian getting killed to get MS LEO investigated for biased investigation of bicycle wrecks. A haphazard investigation of Iain Gerrard’s death in America’s Deep South The initial report was a SWSS with a salmon cyclist, but the physical evidence was entirely contradictory to that report. The report from accident reconstructionists was that the driver had 14 seconds to see and avoid the cyclist in the road.

Cyclist down in the Great White North. Cyclist in critical condition after L’Épiphanie crash If the cyclist was “in the middle of the road” wouldn’t a driver who was paying attention be able to see and avoid the cyclist? I mean if the cyclist was right there in front of him, why didn’t the driver use his brakes to not hit the cyclist? And this is probably the only place where those are rhetorical questions.

Infrastructure news from the Great White North. Claremont bike lanes will be well planned Given that the soonest they plan on installing those lanes is 2017 they had better be “well planned”. I mean how much planning does it take to haul in some K-rails and plop them down 2 meters from the edge of the pavement?

No place to (legally) lock up, but sell them bike locks anyway? Almost 200 fork out for discounted lock to crack down cycle thefts in Grimsby “We also need cycle stands, like the ones outside the Cycle Hub, throughout the town.”

Another wreck in Oz. Surf Coast cyclist flown to hospital after being hit by a car A 72 YO cyclist struck by a 74 YO driver? Are they pulling my leg? The driver was judged at fault in this wreck almost instantly by LEO. Intersection wreck so either a hook or cross is my guess as to mode.

This death in Oz is very similar to a wreck in Enn Zed from last year. Wantirna cyclist found dead in Dandenong Creek Cyclist hits a solid bollard in the bike path and falls down in water next to the bike path and drowns, the exact same thing that happened in Enn Zed.

Speaking of Enn Zed, a motorcycle crosses the centerline going up a mountain and runs into cyclists coming down that mountain. Queenstown-bound cyclists struck by motorbike and Motorbike injures cyclists The report from the one link that the motorcyclist had a rear tire slide out just before the wreck suggests he might have been going just a touch too fast.

And those were all the links I had.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

I’m a millionaire until the Powerball drawing, and the feed

Yep, I bought a ticket to that half-billion $ Powerball jackpot. I mean invest $2 for a potential payout of $500,000,000? With my luck I would be crazy not to. I mean how many people do you know who survived getting hit with a truck going 60 MPH? The odds are slightly better than winning the Powerball, but not by much.

Up first is our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Too much bike tech, cyclocross nationals, and riding your bike pony through an LA El Niño

Still in CA, an update on that Loma Linda wreck from earlier in the week. LOMA LINDA: Cyclist fatally hurt when elderly motorist turned left Left cross, one of the scenarios I had guessed at when this was last reported on.

Another cyclist is hit in the most deadliest state in the US to ride a bike (or walk). Cyclist injured in hit-and-run crash in Sarasota The narrative sounds like a left cross or right hook, or just posssibly a swoop and squat. If the latter, then this was an assault with a deadly weapon rather than a hit-and-run.

This driver in NYC was trying to go out with a bang. Suicidal Driver After Christmas Eve Hit-And-Run Rampage: “I Wanted To Go Out In A Glorious Way” The current condition of the cyclist hit during the rampage is undisclosed.

The depravity of this wreck is beyond comprehension. Drunk Developer Allegedly Tossed Dead Passenger & His Stuff From Porsche After Hamptons Crash The only thing I have to say is all the dead and injured in this wreck were inside the weapon vehicle. Oh, and the deceased had terrible taste in “friends”.

Who gets sued when the inevitable cyclist injury or wreck happens? City gives in to state demand to remove bike lanes from SE 26th Avenue Do they sue Dimwitty, or the head of PBOT, the entire city government, or ODOT?

Also in America’s Copenhagen. Hit by Uber driver? Portlander watches as car that hit him drives off The victim in this case was a pedestrian who did not suffer serious injury, but still… the driver of the weapon vehicle left the scene.

A little infrastructure news from WI. Unplowed Snow Reveals Overbuilt Streets The “sneckdown” will show where even rush hour traffic fails to tread leading to significant reductions in street space allocated to motor vehicles. Of course this method only works for places where it snows regularly, which leaves out the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell.

Infrastructure news from the coffee capital of the US (home for Starbucks and other coffee companies, but not Seattle’s Best, which is located in Texas). Dangerous, unnecessary Seattle bike lane project moving forward There are two things that make me think this might not be an unbiased article: the credit is given to a Jason Rantz from a radio station and this line from the article: “The only people who like this idea are the small group of loud bike activists and “urbanists-at-all-costs” who bully anyone who stands in their way.”

A legal saga from Canuckistan. Alberta driver who crashed into teen cyclist to be sentenced in February “The Crown is asking for a sentence of 12 to 15 months while the defence is seeking three to six months.” Of course they are, they’re not the one stuck in the living hell of a shattered mind.

A cyclist escapes death by a terrorist act only because he and his bike put his neck significantly higher than a normal rider. Cyclist is almost GARROTTED after yobs strung a piece of electric flex across a bike path The picture showed what could have been a serious boobly trap. This was no “prank”, this was an attempt to kill.

And some people will just kill with a car or truck instead of going to all the trouble to rig a bike path. Hailsham cyclist captures near-miss incidents on camera I couldn’t watch the videos because they failed to load when I clicked on them. The stills were less than spectacular.

More videos from the tiny island nation of Malta. Watch: Cyclists’ near misses in Malta

I’m out of links and ready to get some more work done on the Mini Sprint-T. I have just about finished the dam that will support the body filler that will make the kit bucket like the Speedway bucket only 1/25 the the size. There will need to be a lot of work done to the cowl especially in the firewall area to get the vacuformed body as narrow as the Speedway body, but I think I have the skills to do it. I’m still trying to figure out the best way to do it, but I know I can do it. One way or another I will have the T-Bucket of my dreams even if it’s only 1/25 scale.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

My hands are freezing, and the Feed

I actually had to get out the long-sleeved T-shirts because the house temperature has gotten a bit on the chilly side for running around in shorts. Mrs. the Poet greeted me in two sweaters and a sweatshirt this morning before she went out to do some banking and buy the kittens food that doesn’t upset their delicate tummies. She accidentally bought adult cat food at the dollar store and it has been causing gastric distress at both ends, if you catch my drift. The kittens have not been happy to say the least.

I have been enjoying the heck outta my new chair, with the cushion that actually cushions, and real back support for my aged back. I know it’s only temporary, but this was one of my better purchases of 2015. Of course this meant the previous owner of the job “Keep Opus’ butt off the ground” had to be fired.

I didn’t choose the color or even the chair, it was a Christmas present from 3 years ago. The big problem it had was a 150 pound working limit that my 210+/- eventually squished into oblivion, and the backrest was not much good at supporting my back. The chair was built for a Jr. High/HS kid to use to study at a home desk, not for a large adult male to use 8-16 hours a day as a workstation. The new chair was built for a large adult male to use as a workstation.

Lets start with Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Bicycle traffic diversion schools, record-setting rides and a bike friendly LA Planning chief That was just Part 1.

Daily Ted part 2. Describe Your Ride: A car-free, pre-Christmas Highland Park shopping trip

And Part 3 with additional link. Bicyclist killed in Loma Linda collision; first SoCal bike death of 2016 and LOMA LINDA: Traffic accident kills cyclist At this point there isn’t much information to go on aside from the body of the cyclist and a motor vehicle with unspecified damages. OK the wreck was at high noon, so there was no “sun in my eyes” excuse; the weather was halfway decent, so can’t use that excuse; and it was daylight so the lack of lights, reflectors, or a glow-in-the-dark clown suit also don’t figure in. So how are they going to blame this on the cyclist? The Suicidal Swerve?

From that most deadliest of states to ride a bike (or walk) another motor vehicle murder. Teen held in death of cyclist had no license, stolen Mazda Never had a license, driving a stolen car, that’s why I called it a murder. The wreck was completely unavoidable by human riders, the perp’s speeding car jumped the median and hit the cyclist head on.

This also happened in FL. Video: Cyclist mistakes alligator for log It’s an easy mistake as long as the alligator is just sitting still.

A little north of FL we get a drunk driver who can’t stay between the lines and away from people. Aiken man charged with DUI in death of teen pedestrian

A confusing report from TN. Bicyclist seriously injured in Alcoa Hwy. accident This reads exactly like a SWSS narrative, except for the turning into oncoming traffic. That one breaks the pattern. The bike looks like it was still hit in the back from looking at the picture.

More on the cyclist setting the most miles in a year record. Kurt Searvogel betters Tommy Godwin’s ‘unbreakable’ Year record

An OR cyclist runs a red light and glances off the side of a motor vehicle. Cyclist taken to hospital after colliding with vehicle in Northeast Portland

While we are in Portland, here’s an infrastructure article. City uses paint and plastic to enhance bike lane on SW 13th at Clay

A driver in IL nearly gets away with murder. Aurora man gets 2 1/2 years for crash that killed bicyclist in Naperville The comments section were slightly encouraging with many people saying that this was not an appropriate sentence for killing another human being.

A real wreck involving a driverless cab on the sidewalk of NYC. 22-Year-Old Woman Killed By Runaway Taxi On Midtown Sidewalk The driver left the car running while he assisted a passenger and either the car was knocked into gear and the parking brake wasn’t set, or was left running in gear and the parking brake failed, or the worst possible scenario the car was knocked into gear and the parking brake was set but failed.

Infrastructure news from WI. State traffic deaths increased by nearly 13 percent in 2015 Fail.

Lets hear it for the Abstinence-only Sex-ed of bicycle infrastructure. Let’s Bury the Sharrow for Good in 2016 Money has been spent doing “something” while people pat themselves on the back expecting things that are never going to happen.

More on the glorified rail-trail in Germany. So Long, Autobahn: Germany Is Building a Superhighway for Bikes and Germany opens first stretch of bicycle ‘autobahn’

Last link, why you should keep riding your bike in Winter. 11 Things That Happen When You Ride All Winter

I’m antsy to get started on the Mini Sprint-T and I’m out of links.

Billed @$0.02, Opus the Poet

My fingers are freezing, and the Feed

I don’t know why, but for some reason my fingers are painfully cold. The rest of me is quite comfortable but my fingers feel like I have been swimming in ice water.

I took the ham bone from the Thanksgiving feast home and used it to make a pot of beans today, and they were pretty good beans if I do say so myself. This one was a “thrown together” meal with a little of this and a little of that and a dab of something else. The ham had enough salt so that I didn’t need to add any to the pot. Throw some garlic powder in and add some cayenne pepper and a tiny touch of black pepper to get the flavor going and voila! Dinner.

Up first let’s go to LA for Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Curmudgeonly SaMo writers, LABAC meets tonight, and giving on Giving Tuesday

Also in CA. Beloved Trader Joe’s Parking Lot Attendant Badly Injured After Bike Crash Dude survived but will face years of rehab recovering from the spinal injury. Good luck and good health!

Still in CA we revisit an assault on a cyclist with a knife. Video: Man Stabs Cyclist Who Made A Simple Request, Police Say

Not out of CA yet a scooter rider gets hit in the bike lane. LAKE ELSINORE: Scooter rider injured after being struck by van They don’t say if this was a moped scooter or a mobility scooter, but the narrative suggests a mobility scooter since the vehicle was being riden ninja at night. I include this because the visibility and speed and location are exactly what a bike would have had.

Going from sunny SoCal to the Great White North. Cyclist injured in collision with truck on Quinpool Road The location was given as an intersection, and the bike shows impact from the right front so my SWAG pn this wreck would include a stale green and a driver looking at the light and not the street. That would also include the witness description of the driver reaction to the wreck.

Over in Jolly Olde we get a blatant example of anti-bike bias when a cyclist is hit and injured. Woman driver who hit cyclist is filmed telling injured man: ‘I’m pregnant and I wear glasses’ If she had been wearing her glasses she might have seen the cyclist… Also Video: Driver left hooks cyclist on upgraded Cycle Superhighway

Some cyclists get a little “testy” after fighting with cars all day long for road space. Video: Moped rider crashes on bike path as cyclist slaps him I do not in any way condone physical assault on other road users.

Meanwhile in Oz. Call for bike safety fix after woman is fined $1000 in death-dooring case and Mother fined for cyclist’s ‘car-door’ death

This would be so cool. Bono Auctioning Off Bike Ride In Central Park For AIDS Charity

And these two links say so much about cars. Bad Street Design Kills People and Earth’s Car Problem Needs a Strong Mix of Bike Activism and City Hall Cars dominate the landscape and the transportation and the mode of death.

And I’m all outta links, and I’m ready to get outta these clothes because I spilled some sardine sauce on the shirt yesterday and the smell did not come out in the wash. So I have been smelling fish all day. This has made me super popular with the kittens, as you can imagine. But eventually they lost interest in me as they discovered there was nothing they could chew on and went to find better laps to sit on.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Grocery day again, and the Feed

Yeah, one slight difference today is I have an interview for a modelling gig after I get done with the groceries. If I get picked I get some money for promoting a product, if the promotion does good I could get a steady source of income for a few years. I had to do an NDA before even getting the interview, but since they are coming to a neutral location for the interview (local coffee place I frequent because they have better coffee than the chain named after a Melville character) after seeing me on FB, I’m hoping this will be good. When this hits the web or whatever you can point to that and say “I read him when he was just a bike blogger”. Edit: Because of the weather warnings and the fact that it started pounding down rain right before they were to leave their office for the meeting the meeting got moved to Tuesday.

Up first because it’s in-state. Pasadena PD: Woman arrested in hit-and-run that killed cyclist Now she will get bail that can be paid in pocket change and if convicted maybe get community service. No, I’m not bitter, just a realist. Edit: the bond amount was announced after I filtered the link.

An unregistered car is used to murder a cyclist in CA. Cyclist Injured In Mission & Embarcadero Hit-And-Run [Updated] and Driver Of Plateless Toyota Strikes Embarcadero Cyclist, Speeds Off Deadly right hook compounded by a hit-and-run, doubly compounded by the weapon vehicle being almost totally anonymous. There is almost no chance of this car being found, much less the driver.

While we are in CA how about Our Daily Ted? Morning Links: Daily News finally gets it, and possibly the next-to-last report on the Stephany DUI murder case

And late entry Daily Ted part 2. Twelve-year old Oceanside boy killed in collision with pickup while riding his bike to school

More from CA. Chico veteran bikes 500 miles with injured vets group As a vet I would do this in a heartbeat.

Still in CA and rolling out of the same media outlet. Local cyclists reflect on recent deadly crash Green paint might help a little, but what will really help is the support of the local LEO arresting dangerous drivers and impounding dangerous cars.

Almost the last word on a killer NV driver. Man sentenced in east valley DUI crash that left cyclist dead

What happened to this MI cyclist? Injured Spring Lake man found in watery ditch and Officers ID bicyclist critically injured in crash

This SC cyclist gets a new bike after his old one was destroyed in a wreck. Cops buy new bike for Rock Hill boy injured in crash Again, way too much emphasis is placed on the helmet that would not have made any positive difference in the wreck that destroyed the kid’s bike.

NC infrastructure news. Fixit station installed at Patton Park Until we get bike repair parts and facilities as ubiquitous as gas stations and convenience stores cycling as transportation will always be an adventure.

I think these are new links to a wreck I covered earlier in the week. Updated: Woman killed after Grand Cherokee hits cyclist and <a href="GSP: Bicyclist Hit, Killed In Walker County Yep, same wreck.

More infrastructure from VA. Chesterfield Planning Commission recommends approval of bike plan

Some MD infrastructure news. Regional Biking Initiatives Picking Up Momentum With OC, Berlin, Salisbury Putting More Focus On ‘Red-Headed Step Child Of Transportation’

This guy is like me, only instead of telling other people that bike wrecks happen and we need to do something about it he creates a database about wrecks. Injured bicyclist creates webpage on bike crash data

Infrastructure news from the Great White North. Opinion: Cycling two-abreast isn’t sharing the road. It’s hogging it. But a single person riding around in a machine built to carry 7 is just the way things are, not “hogging” the road.

Does Rupert Morlock have any media holdings in Ireland? Tanya Sweeney: ‘Irish cyclists are lawless to the point of sheer arrogance’ Again all drivers are pure as the driven snow and cyclists are maniacs. Hmm, their wiki page shows a long history of conservative leanings.

Hit-and-run in Oz. Off-duty police officer seriously injured in Esperance hit-and-run I wouldn’t want to be that driver, the roads were full of cyclists when he hit those two and kept going. And he hit a cop.

I do not know what this writer’s point is this is so badly written. New laws won’t protect cyclists – but cultural change will I think he’s saying that Oz needs a cultural change that will never happen as long as he and people like him are pumping out anti-bike propaganda.

Last link is a bad penny. Volvo Cars LifePaint helps cyclists be seen when summertime ends Yes, they are pushing it again.

And that’s all I got, except bedtime.

Billed@€0.02, Opus the Poet

It’s Friday again, and the Feed

Well it’s Friday a little after noon as I start composing this post, but I won’t get done until well after midnight, with a break at some point for watching TV or reading a book or something. I found something I want for Solstice that isn’t RPG dice or a string trimmer, and costs about the same as the RPG dice.

A couple of sets of those would look nice with this.

The reason yesterday’s post went up so late was because of how hard it was to filter out bike links from the noise on Twitter. I got a lot of good links, but it took several hours to read all those tweets about yet another mass shooting to find the ones about people getting killed mostly in ones and twos. I still think that Twitter will be a regular source for links in the future.

Up first because I don’t have a lot of links to choose from but this one is still the best, our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Coronado bike lane madness hits big time, Rowena redux, and OC deputy gets bike law wrong

Over in OH the driver who hit 5 cyclists in a paceline of 8 and killed 2 pleaded not guilty. Brecksville man charged in crash that killed cyclists pleads not guilty and Brecksville man pleads not guilty in deadly cyclist-truck crash What more can I say except that this is simply a procedural step before trial or plea bargain. I still wanna see the driver’s social media profile, though.

Took them long enough. CHP releases name of bicyclist killed Sept. 18 on Highway 154 They are still sticking with the hit from behind “for unknown reasons” story.

More on the drunk driver that hit a cyclist with three kids in the car and left the scene. Pardo admits being ‘6 to 8 inches’ in cyclist’s lane The tune keeps changing, but the singer is still off-key. Earlier he was entirely within his own lane, now he was “6 to 8 inches” into the cyclist’s lane.

Hit and run outside NYC. Police: Man killed in hit-and-run, woman charged The DA is frustrated that the potential punishments are not in line with the seriousness of the outcome.

Looking at this rendition of a surface street in IN provoked a serious WTF? moment or three. Is This a Downtown Street or a Surface Highway?

More Wounded Warrior stuff. Kirk Middle students cheer as injured vets ride through Newark This was the U.S. Military Academy to the U.S. Naval Academy ride, West Point to Annapolis.

A blind driver gets some punishment for destroying the life and livelihood of a cyclist. Lorry driver banned from roads after seriously injuring cyclist in Moray Yeah, the cyclist is not coming back to “normal” from that wreck. The punishment is trivial, but at least something.

At least this driver got some jail time to go with the minimal driving ban. Texting driver gets 21 months’ jail after seriously injuring cyclist

Minimal information about a hit-and-run in Oz. Cyclist injured in Melbourne hit-and-run

And over in Enn Zed. Cyclist killed in Napier named

And that’s all I got today. See you Sunday with the “just life and thoughts” blog post.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet