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.

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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

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

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

Grocery day again, and the Feed

Back into the fray I go after the physically draining experience of yesterday. This time is just grocery buying using my new phone to keep the list legible. Given that Mrs. the Poet’s arthritis has made her handwriting worse than mine, and that I was given the options of passing penmanship, passing typing, or failing 8th grade, you can see how having the list kept in a neat sans-serif font would be an improvement. Putting the list on the phone has one major disadvantage, our normal shopping strategy is a divide and conquer of Mrs. the Poet doing shopping for the “core” part of the store, and I get the stuff at the “edges”. But with the list on my phone, and Mrs. the Poet being such a Luddite that working an Android phone is emotionally beyond her (she’s smart enough to do it, she just doesn’t want to bother learning how), I have to be with her to read the list off the phone and also the particulars of the various coupons and specials we are getting. This means we take twice as long as before.

My take on what’s important today says the then-17YO driver who tested 0.101BAC% more than 2 hours after the wreck, and more than 8 hours after the party she threw ended, when she ran over a cyclist while driving backwards in her truck, is probably the Big Story. Documents: House party, drug use preceded DUI crash that killed cyclist and Anchorage teen who hit, killed cyclist in court Friday also Prosecutor: Teen used drugs, alcohol before hit-and-run collision that killed cyclist The party ended about 0300 more or less, the cyclist was hit at 1000 or so, the driver was arrested at 1030, the blood draw was taken 1250, and the sample showed 0.101BAC%. To get that reading more than 10 hours after the party supposedly ended means she had to have been completely blitzed at the party. And apparently the defense has never heard of second-hand smoke, or THC retention, because they are blaming the cyclist for getting hit by a drunk driving a truck backwards at a high rate of speed as reported by witnesses. The defense story of the cyclist riding on broken pavement up a false flat at 30-35 MPH would be comical if the cyclist was alive to laugh at it.

Just a few miles west of WoaB, another cyclist executed by another drunk driver. Bicyclist Killed in Hit-and-Run Crash in Haltom City The crime scene footage shows a mangled bike that is so badly damaged I can’t actually tell which way the cyclist was going when she was hit. When I can’t tell if a cyclist was hit from the side or from behind or even head on, that bike is wrecked. I’m kinda sorta not convinced the cyclist was hit from the side, but I can’t even state she was hit either from the back or head on with more than a 50% level of confidence.

NYC drivers be crazy. 82-Year-Old Woman Fatally Struck By Dump Truck Driver In Bushwick At this point facts point to insufficient time to cross the street allowed before the light changed, and the dump truck driver failing to make sure there was nothing in front of the truck before driving over the victim. That said I put at least 50% of the fault for this wreck on the infrastructure, and the fact that they allowed the truck in the city in the first place.

Upstate are not much better. Bicyclist killed after crash in Kingsbury identified This wreck sounds very similar to the one that killed Larry Schwartz, mirror to the back of the head. Helmet or not you are dead in this kind of wreck.

Yesterday’s Daily Ted. Morning Links: LA’s Mobility Plan 2035 passes the council, but the fight isn’t over yet; cyclist critically injured in OC You didn’t think I would forget, did you?

Today’s Daily Ted. Morning Links: Newport hit-and-run driver turns himself in, and more fallout from the new LA Mobility Plan

Another CA wreck. 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL ON BICYCLE STRUCK BY HIT-AND-RUN DRIVER IN NEWPORT BEACH and NEWPORT BEACH MAN ARRESTED IN HIT-RUN INVOLVING 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL Incidents like this are what makes me glad that hit-and-run carries the same minimum sentence as DUI homicide in CA. Maybe if this gets more publicity people would stay at the scene and call 911 so the victim has a better chance of survival.

Another wreck in CA, this was a bad week for them. Cyclist killed in El Cajon collision Yet another SWSS, you would think that by now LEO would be wise to this after the two wrecks with onboard video showed the cyclists riding in a straight line while the weapon vehicle failed to move over to pass. There was a comment that the driver failed to react until after the cyclist was hit and flying through the air that somewhat backs this up.

The cyclist hit by a driver on a CA frontage road is recovering. Bicycle accident victim recovering

The 30th anniversary of the seminal NWA album has spawned a meme that not even cyclists can resist. The Slow Bicycle Movement (what, you thought I would show that in my blog? Click the link.) 😀

More on the MI cyclist killed by a hit-and-run driver. Lawyer, authorities talk in Lake Orion cyclist’s death I still say the statement from the lawyer shows the driver did it on purpose. And Family members organize charity bike ride to remember Lake Orion woman who was killed in hit and run

Another MI cyclist died. Bicyclist struck, killed in Grand Rapids The cyclist was killed while riding in the crosswalk in front of a stopped vehicle that didn’t stay stopped while he was in front of the vehicle.

OK this driver needs to be lost in the system for a century or two. Cyclist hit by alleged drunk driver in Hancock Co. dies; Teen held for OWI and Police: Teen accused of OWI in cyclist’s death tested at four times legal limit this, too 1 cyclist dead, another injured OK killer driver was drunk and underage to drink, there should be a nice comfy place under the jail for him. DEEP under the jail.

More on the acts of terror against cyclists in West Canuckistan. Aggressive acts towards cyclists discredits drivers I guess acts of terrorism could be called “aggressive”.

This video is now part of the UK driver’s ed curriculum. How to overtake cyclists – the video all drivers should watch well the new drivers will have to watch it, we can only hope the current ones will as well.

Another driver cursed with a wreck in Jolly Olde. Drink driver injured teenage BMX rider and four-year-old boy I say let him rot, but since this is the UK he will probably get community service, and points on his license.

Crappy infrastructure proposed in Oz. Cycling groups urge Moreland Council not to adopt double cycle lanes on Sydney Rd Seriously, they are going to paint two bike lanes and allow parking on one set part of the time, which is when the other lane is active? What are they on, and can they share?

These guys need to share, too. Surgeons urge ‘more responsible attitude’ to bike helmet laws You know you would think surgeons would be a little more reality-driven. Are they sure this isn’t a conservative terrorist front group?

And I’m all outta links.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Unkillable Badass Poet

Let’s get on with this, and the Feed

OK as I begin filtering the Feed I still haven’t heard from the surgeon, and because I don’t know who that is I can’t call and find out what’s up. So instead of sitting and worrying about it, I’m doing a blog post. Doesn’t everybody sit down and write when they are worried? 😀

OK it’s after 1800, and if this was something to be really worried about I would have had a call already, I’m thinking that the surgeon or another doctor looked at the MRI and decided I lived with it this long, a few more days wouldn’t kill or permanently impair me. [crossing fingers]

Up first, I’m doing another wreck because this is another one of those rare wrecks where the driver takes himself out after killing the cyclist. 2 dead in Hinesburg car vs. bicycle crash Either this was a “punishment pass” that went super bad for both parties, or the cyclist was caught up in the driver’s LOC wreck. Doesn’t matter, there are still two bodies at the morgue…

Today’s Daily Ted shares some links with the Feed today. Morning Links: LA Times picks Ramsay, LA bike plan site pushes rug padding, and how to pass a bike respectfully Still worth the click for the links we don’t share…

Once again proof that NYPD does not know the laws they are enforcing. The NYPD Has Been Ticketing Cyclists for a Totally Legal Activity The statute specifically excludes all vehicles that are not motor vehicles.

Another angle on the story. Cops In Brooklyn’s Most Bike-Friendly Neighborhoods Are Cracking Down On Cyclists Yep, statute still says “motor vehicles” which excludes all vehicles without motors.

Still in NYC, teen criminals have discovered the tactical advantages of bicycles in an urban environment. Central Park Jogger Attacked By Teens On Bicycles

Another “Florida man” story about bikes. Coral Gables cops say man blamed for hit-and-run tried to cover up damaged vehicle

Perception is more about bias than reality. ‘Anti-social’? Cambridge cyclists responsible for just seven out of 4,400 anti-social incidents Either there are things not getting reported, or bias is coloring someone’s perception of reality. My take is bias. Problem is he’s the idiot in charge. And having a biased idiot in charge is almost never good.

A guy in charge of a trucking firm thinks truckers are super dandy neato keen, and cyclists are scum. Lorry drivers the best road users, cyclists the worst, says haulage firm boss Interesting that there were so many violations of driving laws from drivers in his employ. Again, bias coloring perceptions.

And why is it that the phrase “UK bicycle infrastructure” is synonymous with “crap infrastructure”? Family of cyclist killed by tipper truck considers civil action after inquest returns finding of ‘road traffic collision’ Maybe because there is nothing unusual about this intersection except that a cyclist was killed by an HGV and both were using the intersection exactly as intended by the design.

Bike protest in Scotland. Thousands take part in Pedal on Parliament in Edinburgh Excuse me, Massive! bike protest in Scotland.

Bike protest in Hungary. Eyewitness: Budapest, Hungary Again, excuse me, Massive! bike protest in Hungary.

Putting the cart before the horse on this one. Community encouraged to participate in Bicycle Month Infrastructure first, party second, you don’t party in a free-fire zone.

NE TN isn’t bike friendly? Twin Cities not bicycle friendly communities This is not MSP, this is Bristol TN/VA.

How do you rebuild a cyclist’s paradise after it gets overrun by cars? Reinventing the Wheel You make cycling self-expression, not just transportation.

Need something to keep the chill off your face and don’t feel like DIY? Face Shield There is a sale going on for end-of-season savings.

And I appear to be out of links again.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Well, this is fun, and the Feed

I was looking at the hair left on the ground today after Sunday’s “Shearing of the Sheep” ritual and I noticed that while all my wavy locks were gone there were still clumps of beard and moustache hair blowing around the back yard. Apparently the critters like my hair but not my beard so much. Well as long as I’m having a positive impact, I’m good with that.

I’m having to reconstruct the post after accidentally deleting it and I’m having problems getting one of the links back, to an article on cities taking responsibility back for their walking infrastructure which I can’t seem to find again. This has been a sore spot for me as we have that issue here in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell, property owners are responsible for the sidewalk and any grassy space between the sidewalk and the street in spite of that being city-owned right of way. Hell we can’t even do anything about people who park on the sidewalk blocking it for walking.

Lots of people getting hit in the crosswalk by turning vehicles in NYC this week. 13-Year-Old Boy Struck By Driver While Walking Bike Through UWS Crosswalk “No criminality suspected” because beat cops in NYPD don’t know the law that went into effect in September, hitting pedestrians in the crosswalk is a misdemeanor. Damnit I know the law and I live in TX, why don’t people paid to enforce that law know about it?

Another person is hit in virtually the same way, left-turning vehicle in a crosswalk. MTA Express Bus Seriously Injures Midtown Pedestrian And that cyclist picture is from 2013, Gothamist. Bad form. Crossing in the crosswalk and hit by a vehicle making a left turn makes this a slam dunk “Failure to yield to a pedestrian with right of way” bust. Book ‘im Danno.

An off-duty cop is hit-and-run by an off-duty bus driver, something tells me this is one case that will be “Criminality suspected”. Off-duty MTA bus driver arrested after striking cyclist with car Sure didn’t take them long to find the driver when there was a cop involved, even a reserve cop.

Well after all that here’s a little Daily Ted to peruse. Morning Links: Carfree Griffith Park could be sacrificed for well-healed homeowners; LA beats New York That UK article about near-misses set my hair on end. Of course that is pretty much the standard case with my hair after getting my head shaved.

An arrest was made in SC. Police: Arrest made in hit-and-run involving cyclist This arrest was made because the cyclist had front and rear video recordings. WoaB strongly recommends installing these if you have the funds.

Another arrest in FL. Driver who killed Cape Coral cyclist facing 30 years The fact that the driver was doing 102 MPH just 4 feet before hitting the cyclist says it all for me, this was deliberate random mayhem with the cyclist as collateral damage. If he hadn’t hit the cyclist he would have hit and killed someone else and probably himself as well.

But in CA we can’t even get charges filed. CHP: No charges recommended against truck driver who injured bicyclist The driver was not paying attention to the road and drove in the bike lane hitting the cyclist, and they do nothing? TANJ!

In the other CA (Canada) we get much the same thing. No charges in accident that saw Ottawa cyclist killed in collision with dump truck “No reason was given in the release on how they came to the decision.” As I recall the cyclist was riding straight and the truck was turning and BAM! dead cyclist.

This cyclist is lucky to be alive. Cyclist punched in ‘nasty’ road rage attack in Cambridgeshire and collides with oncoming car OK you got angry at a cyclist, who doesn’t? I mean there they are fit and healthy and riding down the road for the few hundred dollars (or pounds) it costs to buy a bike and nothing more aside from food and clothing which they would be buying anyway, and they make you slow down for a few seconds and totally ruin your day. But really setting up an ambush to beat one up is probably really dumb, especially when you almost kill him. That goes from “traffic boo-boo” to “attempted murder” in 0.001 seconds. And all that time you lost from being behind a cyclist is minor compared to the time it took to set up the ambush, and the time you get to spend in jail awaiting trial, and then the endless years of prison time because you got mad at a cyclist in front of you on the road. Now don’t you feel really dumb?

Well, the killer is off to prison, but the question remains: “Why and How? and could it have been prevented?” Families of charity duo killed on A30 near Newquay request a full inquest into deaths is held Well the driver had been falsifying records about how much time he had been driving, had been working “off the clock” to make more money, and hadn’t slept in almost a day, so it looks like there really isn’t any way to prevent this with the current built infrastructure that has cyclists and heavy trucks share the roads. More laws would just be more laws broken in this case, as the driver broke a series of major trucking laws and labor laws to try and get a little more £££…

Infrastructure in Boston. Boston Plans Protected Bike Lane for Dangerous Avenue Guys? there is this €90 book that tells everything you need to know about building bicycle infrastructure that works for drivers and cyclists and has been proven to work for over 20 years now…

And in Sweden they are doing similar things but excluding cars completely from their cities and not missing them. How Stockholm Became the Ultimate Walkable City

Do we really need a “luxury” e-assist bike? SPA Bicicletto Electric Bike Looks Amazing, but the Price Is Painful – Video, Photo Gallery Yeah it looks nice… even has halfway-decent range if there are no hills.

And I am bereft of any more links, ciao.

Billed @€Opus the Poet

I’m really tired of seeing the same links 4 times a day, and the Feed

Yep, getting really tired of seeing the same links 4 times in the Feed for one day, especially when they were there 4 times yesterday. And I’m really frustrated when they are wreck links, because I really really stopped doing wrecks here last month. I have seen the same links to a wreck in Lubbock at least 6 times, and maybe 4 more times from another media outlet in Lubbock. And the only witness to the wreck was the driver of the weapon vehicle, as the cyclist died at the scene… so naturally the cyclist was at fault for the wreck. But I don’t do wrecks any more so I will put those links out of my mind…

Up first, did you know cycling made more jobs in Europe than cars? Cycling is a bigger job creator in Europe than anything we are doing here in America Oh yeah, also than anything in the US. Sorry ’bout that, chief. And pop culture bonus points for knowing where that came from, and who played the “Chief” referred to.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: The Times looks at the need for real bike data; and a crowded weekend calendar of bike events

A link that also appears in the Daily Ted, if you don’t know what the numbers were before, how do you know you made an improvement after? Getting a firm grasp on L.A.’s bicycling data

This is a little dense reading but worth the time. Systematic review and meta-analysis of reduction in all-cause mortality from walking and cycling and shape of dose response relationship tl;dr: Active transportation infrastructure saves lives and money at a far faster rate than the money spent for it.

Tone deaf PSA from major metropolitan transit agency times 3. MTA Warns Cyclists Not To Crash Into Buses Considering the number of cyclists injured running into the backs of buses = 0, number killed by right hooks = unknown because transit agency will not allow numbers to be released; this is beyond tone deaf. As called out in this tweet

As if anyone needed an excuse to heat up the car-bike conflicts anywhere. Hamilton car-bike conflict heats up after cyclist charged in collision

Paris is starting to get a handle on what is causing their air pollution. Paris plans to ban cars from its city center

Other parts of France don’t seem to have as great a grasp of reality. France plans crackdown on rogue cyclists Is it just me or do the English news outlets in France have pretty much the same anti-cyclist bias as the majority of media outlets in most Anglophone countries?

And those were all the links I could stomach reading to use to create a link here.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the unkillable badass Poet

Answer to pop culture question: Get Smart Edward Platt

Thinking heavy thoughts on Transgender Day of Remembrance, and the Feed

Today is a bit strange for me. I’m not Trans*, I’m not even bi, or gay. But I do have 6 Trans* friends including the couple that is living in my house now. And I read several web comics that are either written and/or drawn by a Trans* person/s, or are about Trans* people, or both. One of them subscribes to this blog (Hi!). So it’s not like this is an invisible world for me, it’s one I interact with several times a month on a personal basis. I’m not Trans*, but I’m part of their world, hopefully one of the better parts. And the statistics on violence against Trans* people, particularly M2F trans people, is just overwhelming. I’m not going to bring up the statistics here in a bike blog, but if you think you have it rough because you ride a bicycle, you don’t know how rough it can get. Sure there are people trying to kill us for existing, just like LGBT people, but they are relatively few in comparison. People are much more likely to kill one of us by “accident” where any hatred is unstated and unknown. People who (that?) kill people for being Trans* will come right out and say so while they try, so you know why you are getting killed, and they will frequently kill in the slowest and most painful method available to them. This is the truth of living in the LGBT world.

Well after that the rest of the post will be just a freaking ray of sunshine up your butts, innit? I hope so, as I go to Filter the Feed now.

Up first a slightly alcohol-impaired person on a bicycle is refused service at a fast-food place not because he was drunk, but because he was riding a bicycle. Bicyclist arrested after trying to order Taco Bell in drive-through The cyclist “resisted arrest” when he refused to allow an officer to grab a tool hung from his belt.

More on Bono’s NYC wreck. Bono’s “High Energy” Bike Accident Caused Severe Injuries Turns out it was a bit more than was first released, the most visible of which was a compound fracture of the arm. Whatever he ran into was hit with a high relative velocity to get those kinds of injuries. Either he was going really fast for a guy his age, or what he ran into was going the opposite direction at a moderate speed. The initial report said Bono was trying to avoid another cyclist at the time of the wreck, is it possible he ran into a salmon?

Another stupid driver ignores the weapon that allows someone to kill with impunity in favor of the one that gets cops to try to kill you if they find you… UPDATE: Arrest made in drive-by shooting of cyclist I’m sure Gigi will love this one for her “Stoopid” fix, because this one is really “Stoopid”.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Bono hurt worse than we thought, biking to cancer care, and WeHo kinda talks bike safety

A link that was also in the previous link about the debate over facilities and vehicular cycling envisioned as a rap battle. Epic Rap Battle: Vehicular cycling guru John Forester vs. @Copenhagenize kingpin Colville-Andersen. I drew this.

Speaking of vehicular cycling and street safety, some stats I used to quote have been updated from their 20^th Century status quo to the 21^st Century, in this graphic.

I’m really hoping this was not the result of bias against cyclists in Oz. Injured cyclist’s painful ambo wait The cyclist was hurt bad enough that she was taken with lights and siren to the nearest trauma center after waiting 45 minutes for the ambulance to get there and stabilized as much as possible during the trip. That sounds like broken bones or head trauma to me…

A photo spread of what bad infrastructure means for cyclists. Photo journal: Another cyclist dies

Is “Bad UK bicycle infrastructure” internally redundant? Jane Greaves: Calls for safety improvements after cyclist dies at Trefnant ‘accident blackspot’ I write that because I have yet to see any good UK bicycle infrastructure, all of it has been varying degrees of bad from “ugh!” to “What homicidal maniac designed this piece of crap?” And that includes the badly over-hyped “Cycling Superhighways” painted bike lanes in London, which cover the entire spectrum of the above list.

LAB has not been setting the bar too high on being “Bike Friendly”. National Award for New Britain as ‘Bike-Friendly’

Yet another article on making a bicycle easier to see when drivers “not seeing” bicycles has nothing to do with how visible they are. New products shine light on bicycle safety

Park your car and ride up to 9 miles each way on this scooter. MINI exhibits foldable electric scooter Citysurfer at Los Angeles Auto Show

And an explanation of why the Daily Ted hasn’t been daily as of late. Today’s post, in which I talk pain and what the hell is wrong with me I’m really sorry to find out Ted has joined the Chronic Pain Club, that is a club that should have no members…

And those are all the links for today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the unkillable badass Poet

All alone with the crazy people, and the Feed

Mrs. the Poet is gone to NY to meddle visit with her family while I stay here in TX and keep the roommates from killing each other, or at least be on hand to hide the bodies if they do. So far everybody has fought with everybody else (except me) at least once, and in some cases they are on their second or third go-around. I really need to win the lottery so I can give them all a nice check or bag of $$, pat them on the head and wave bye-bye. Individually I manage to not do too badly interacting with them, but the homophobe just is not physically capable of interacting with either of the two transgenders without eventually going into blasphemy mode, and the transgenders’ sexual orientations are changing as they transition, so their relationship is getting a bit rocky as well. I can generally get along with just about anybody, but 2 of the 3 are starting to get on my nerves, and one got on my nerves a long time ago.

In better news I got some more parts for the Sprint T yesterday after I had already put the post to bed, a steering wheel and the brackets that attach the windshield frame to the body of the car.

The silver color of the wheel is because it is clear anodized aluminum at about 1/3 the weight of the same size steel wheel, and the other 2 parts are made from cast stainless steel, because that was the only metal that part was offered in. The vertical windshield posts are only offered in cast brass with or without chrome plating, so it’s not like there was any lighter alternative. And as I pointed out in an earlier post, the 30° layback of the posts I bought combined with windwings will lead to a relatively draft-free cockpit.

Up first, an OR rider discovers that sometimes the trees are your allies, and sometimes they are your enemies. Falling tree hits car, woman riding bike in downtown Portland More Cyclist struck by falling tree in downtown Portland From looking at the pictures, and not being any kind of horticulturist or anything but a half-trained structural engineer, it looks like something killed the root structure of the tree, because there is almost nothing attached to the tree below ground level.

Infrastructure! news from NYC. NYPD: 1,236 Pedestrians and Cyclists Injured, 14 Killed in September Vision Zero, or zero vision? That’s 13 dead pedestrians and one cyclist in just one average month…

Still in NYC… Treyger’s Texting-and-Biking Bill — a Big Distraction From Vision Zero Read the previous paragraph and see how many cyclists killed or injured someone while using a cell phone.

Some people can’t understand riding a bicycle in anything less than perfect weather, hence this drivel. Bike lanes in winter a waste of space Imagine banning cars in the winter because they take up too much space and people don’t know how to drive.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: SaMo approves bike share, SMPD targets bike & ped safety, and a blast from the BikinginLA past good links again today.

Why ride alone? Why cycle alone, when you can do it together? Well aside from the fact that I’m as likely to see another cyclist here in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell going the same direction as I am as I am to see Bigfoot again (and he or she will probably be on a bicycle going the other direction).

Oz weighs in on the infrastructure question. Cycling injuries prompt calls for councils to boost road safety When an area with as small a population as NSW has an average of one cyclist hit hard enough to go to one particular hospital every other day on average, then you have an infrastructure problem. And as pointed out in the article, they have no real way of determining the safety of the built environment other than tracking ER admissions.

A bit of LifeStyle from PA. Memorial ride to honor bicycle enthusiast who was killed in hit-and-run And yes I know my feed is still rather heavy on the guts-and-gore I had with the old Feed, plus it takes way longer to filter out the chaff. But it still has less dead and injured cyclists than the old Feed.

A local UK bike ride raises money for bicycle charities after raising lots of money for the survivors of a drunk driver the first time. Charity bike ride in memory of Sheffield cyclist killed by drink driver set to return Isn’t that what I just said?

Last link, I’m not sure that this is a bicycle despite what the caption says. Watch this rocket-powered bike outrun a Ferrari F430 Scuderia Well it’s from Fox, and the bike does appear to have working pedals (and brakes!)

And that’s all the stuff that didn’t raise my BP or anything.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the unkillable badass Poet