Back to the salt mines, and the Feed

Gotta do something to bring my BP up for the new study med, maybe a massive increase in my sodium consumption will help. What you thought I was going to engage in manual labor? I’m going to try to eat my way through a metaphorical salt mine. Just like how a few years ago I drastically increased my consumption of fatty meats so that I could survive a non-statin cholesterol med that was being tested for interactions with other meds.

The 0.060″ square styrene rod that will eventually become the bottom frame rails arrived this morning. I can’t believe that I spent almost $10 (after tax and shipping) on a tiny package of plastic that isn’t even anything yet. And I can’t believe how tiny 0.060″ is.

Up first is a cyclist killed near Houston. Bicyclist dies after struck by hit-and-run driver on Beaumont Highway Apparently a hit-from-behind wreck, apparently a walking anal sphincter for a driver. Houston readers BOLO for an older Suburban with fresh front-end damage, call the local non-emergency police number if you see one.

Our Daily Ted, part one. Morning Links: Nine years for drunken West Covina hit-and-run; suspect wanted in Agoura Hills bike crash

Our Daily Ted part duh. Woman killed riding bike in Carlsbad when she reportedly veered out of bike lane Certainly sounds like a SWSS wreck to me.

Counting the toll in NYC. NYC Drivers Injured 1,191 Pedestrians and Cyclists, and Killed 13, in February And pedestrians and cyclists killed zero drivers. Cyclists killed zero pedestrians and pedestrians killed zero cyclists. The only mode that killed anybody was motor vehicles.

Another senseless death in NYC. Driver Backing Up to Park Kills Lin Qinyun, NYPD Blames Victim [Updated] “Since May 2015, motorists have killed five pedestrians while driving in reverse on New York City streets.” And I bet every one of those deaths was met with a “no criminality suspected” statement from NYPD, just like this one.

Still in NYC. Pedicab Drivers Sue City For Allegedly Trying To Destroy Them The only transit mode greener than the carriages (that the city is also trying to shut down) and the city is trying to make operators lives miserable.

Almost as crazy in still in NYC. Brooklyn Cyclists Fear New Bike Lanes On Jay Street Still Won’t Keep The Cop Cars Out and Sneak Preview: The Jay Street Protected Bike Lane

Infrastructure change in VT. HOUSE BACKS REFORM OF DRIVER’S LICENSE SUSPENSION SYSTEM How is this an infrastructure change? As it stands now a license can be suspended for any number of reasons, including things unrelated to driving ability or maintaining a safe vehicle or anything to do with vehicles at all. Just one point, using LEO writing tickets as a revenue-generating tool was one of the triggers for the problems in Ferguson, MO.

Speaking of MO. Local cyclists ready to protest HB 2046 with organized ride This was the bill that would have required bicycles on certain roads be equipped with flags on 15′ high poles, making the bikes illegal to use on the US Highway System because they would be over the legal height limit.

Jog up to WI for this lovely news. Traffic Deaths Increasingly Involve Pedestrians Cars are safer, drivers not so much. This is going on pretty much world-wide.

Infrastructure from America’s Copenhagen. Finally! ODOT acknowledges need for a road diet on SW Barbur Blvd How many injured cyclists did it take before this was started?

Still in Portland. Northeast Portlanders call enthusiastically for traffic diverters, greenway on 7th Avenue If the comments are to be believed (and why not?) this is a long overdue change.

A little north of Portland. Seattle Council Approves $1.5 Million Bike-Share Save Now get rid of that stupid helmet law and you might keep the thing in business.

They found the driver and vehicle that killed a cyclist in OH. First vehicle that struck, killed Franklin County teen bicyclist found I know the commenter NRWM isn’t going to read this blog, but none of the reports mentioned a lack of lights so the bike probably met or exceeded legal minimums. And the driver needs another vision test, maybe at night.

Wreck in IL. Woman on bicycle injured in accident with car This story had almost as much information as the usual UK reports.

Another wreck in CT. Cyclist injured in collision with delivery truck in Waterbury Assuming the narrative is accurate and the delivery driver didn’t do a “swoop-and-squat” then you need to be careful about brake system maintenance, along with the usual ABCQ check before riding (you do perform an ABCQ check before every ride, right? Particularly after leaving your bike unattended in public).

Terrible wreck in CO. Former pro cyclist injured in crash near Boulder I wouldn’t call losing an arm an “injury though. More like “permanently maimed”. But he will survive the wreck, and LEO still don’t know who was on the wrong side of the road.

A Canuckistan rider is killed on a trip to Mexico. Penticton Okanagan Rotary founder killed in Mexico Hit from behind wreck, to keep it from happening to you use those protocols to avoid.

Infrastructure from Jolly Olde. Getting people cycling on residential streets needs more than 20mph limits Maybe some diverters to prevent anyone except cyclists from using the streets as through, or bollards blocking the lanes at mid-block?

Jurisprudence for cyclist killers in the UK. Lorry driver who killed Derby cyclist by driving carelessly to be sentenced today The reason he was convicted was he turned across an active lane of traffic without making sure it was clear to do so.

And just UGH! ARC16: Delegates back call for society to lead cycling safety campaign Another helmet fetishist.

More on that multi-cyclist wreck in Oz. Truck driver charged over crash which killed cyclist in Solomontown and SA truckie charged over cyclist death I would say hitting 3 cyclists riding on the side of the road counts as “dangerous” driving, I guess murder and attempted murder would be a bit much. Only a bit though.

If they can standardise the plug for cars, then maybe it could be used for e-assist bikes, too? Volvo Calls on Industry to Adopt Single EV Charging Standard I’m being serious here. Mopeds can recharge the same way and at the same locations as cars and trucks, e-assist bikes should be able to get “away from home” recharges the same as other EV, right?

And why the previous paragraph is important to unassisted cyclists. Our Horrifyingly Unhealthy Environment Is Killing Millions Of People Every Year and The Planet Just Obliterated Another Heat Record We here in TX actually had a colder-than-normal winter, but paradoxically we didn’t have any real cold weather. It just stayed slightly below-average for much of the winter.

And it’s late (or early depending on your POV) and I’m ready for bed. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Billed @€0.02, Opus

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We had some wind damage to the trees, but are otherwise unscathed, and the Feed

Yep, it were windy out here in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell, with one tree losing a branch to the wind. Otherwise things are just fine. Still doing good on edibles, I have about a half pot of beans and rice seasoned to my preference, plus Pop Tarts, ramen, Spam (I’m having the teriyaki flavor tonight with my ramen), and a fresh jar of peanut butter that I just opened this morning to put on my bagel. So food I got, and Mrs. the Poet will be returning from NY tomorrow evening.

Up first is Our Daily Ted, Part 1. Morning Links: LACBC wins national award for work on Mobility Plan; Sadik-Khan says the bikes have won That’s right, we won! All that’s left now is mopping up isolated pockets of resistance. So I guess I can quit this blog and go build models…

Part 2. San Diego cyclist killed in pre-dawn trolley collision and Cyclist hit, killed by trolley in Barrio Logan Damnit people, what did I just tell you yesterday about staying off tracks? Don’t cross when the arm is down, how hard is that to do?

Still in CA, but covered in one of Ted’s posts yesterday. Bicyclist Hit, Killed by Moving Truck in Rancho Palos Verdes Right hook but the cyclist was riding hard in the bike lane. At least I think that was a bike lane. The cyclist’s speed had a great deal to do with this wreck, both in the fact that it happened and in the severity of the wreck as to how for under the truck the cyclist got squished in the initial impact. The fact the cyclist was dragged for miles under the truck more than likely only changed the condition of the body, he probably died in the initial impact.

More Portland infrastructure. Counting votes at Metro: Will the region invest in walking and biking near schools? Don’t want the kids getting too independent and thinking they don’t need a car to get around.

Another update on the MN cyclist injured in a hit-and-run. St. Thomas student critically injured in bike accident returns to class “The St. Paul Police say that since January of this year a pedestrian or cyclist is hit by a driver in St. Paul every other day. And they think it’s the cyclists and pedestrians are the problem?

A little CT infrastructure change might be in the works. Connecticut Cycling Advocates Urge Stiffer Penalty For Drivers Who Don’t Share The Road The comments section is in rare form today. I lost count of the times I saw people complaining about cyclists “not paying” for roads, like riding a bike gets you a tax refund or something like that.

From CT to MT, a fallen cyclist is remembered. Tuesday morning vigil honors cyclist killed in wreck, reminds riders of traffic danger

I think this was national but reported by a PA media outlet. Early data suggests pedestrian deaths surged in 2015 There were more deaths across the board but it looks like peds took a larger share than previously lending more ammunition to the need to get drivers out from behind the wheel because the cars are great at protecting people inside the car but utter crap at protecting people outside the car.

Ran red, killed cyclist, needs to spend rest of life working to repay victim’s family after long prison sentence in the Great White North. Trial begins for man accused of running red light and killing cyclist For those not fluent in metric, bystanders estimated the speed before the wreck at 55-65 MPH, the reconstructionist put the speed at 41.6 MPH at impact with heavy braking.

More on Canada’s helmet fetish. Bike helmets are safe, but here’s what really makes cycling safer

From Jolly Olde a car doesn’t stop at the sidewalk, but goes right inside the building. CCTV VIDEO: Man ‘lucky to be alive’ after Coleshill crash – watch footage I though it was from NYC with the car driving at such a high speed on the sidewalk. 😛

One of the 12 people likely to get killed by a cyclist in Jolly Olde this year (if this is an average year). ‘Wonderful’ woman killed after crash with a cyclist at Old Street Nothing on what happened because it’s a UK media outlet, but so far no charges have been filed.

Another cyclist memorial. Family pays tribute to cyclist killed in ‘hit-and-run’ accident

Trying to find answers in a cyclist’s death. Inquest opens into death of cyclist killed in Doncaster Road crash The UK version of a left cross since the drive on the wrong side of the road.

Another blind driver takes out a cyclist. Coach driver accused of killing cyclist on A9 heard ‘a bang’ Never saw the cyclist until they were scraping him out from under the bus.

Well this can’t be good. Police investigate spate of cyclists being pushed into London canals Getting wet in winter in the UK is not as bad as getting wet in winter in MN, but it’s still not pleasant.

This is a frequent symptom of TBI from a traffic crash. Young cyclist ‘cannot remember’ how she got facial injuries in Crawley Much of what I know of my wreck is from the police reports and witnesses who ran into me later. Except the being dead part, that I remembered on my own.

Over on the Emerald Isle. Garda appeal for witnesses after cyclist (19) killed in road collision The narrative sounds like a SWSS at the moment with the driver failing to process the cyclist in front of the car until impact.

This sounds more like pressing the gas thinking it is the brake than brake failure, but hey I’m just a hot-rodder doing a bike safety blog. UPDATE: Taxi that slammed into traffic light knocked down cyclist prior to major crash I think this was South Africa, but I’m not sure.

What’s 130 miles on a bike when you have done a full Ironman? NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson to join PeopleForBikes’ Ride on Atlanta

And last link if you think mash-ups are a recent phenomenon, here’s a mashup of “Rock And Roll, Pt.2” with the theme for Doctor Who from the ’80s. The Timelords (The KLF) – Doctorin’ The Tardis (12-inch mix)

And that’s all I go tonight. I’m going to try to get to bed early.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Another ugly day, and the Feed

If anything today is even worse than yesterday, in that it is raining harder than the light mist falling intermittently after I wrote yesterday’s opening paragraph, and it is about 10°F colder than yesterday and feels even worse because of the damp. I got an interesting ad late yesterday in my e-mail inviting me to move to Cape Breton Isle on the east coast of Canada. Seems they are having a housing deflation and you can get nice houses for about the cost of a fancy new car. I’m checking on getting broadband out there. BTW the ad headline was “If Trump Wins, where will you go?” so I might avoid the rush and buy now. Then I will take a long bike ride to the Great White North. It would not be the first time I moved to Canada, but it would be the first time I didn’t move to a military base. The first place I lived in Canada is now a Superfund environmental site, something I sincerely wish to avoid this time. The second place I lived in has been classified as “Never Existed” and I can’t find it on Google Earth either. It was near Abbotsford, but I don’t see any of the buildings there anymore from the mid 1960s. Very strange, but the only thing left from the first place I lived in Canada is the runway and the docks, even the hangars are gone.

Up first is a TX wreck between a bike and a cop car. Cyclist injured in officer-involved accident Again, until I can see the wrecked bicycle I’m taking the “salmon” rider description with a block of salt the weight of the cop car. I admit it happens but I have seen too many wrecks that the drivers and cops claimed were caused by salmon cyclists that the bikes and riders would have had to been riding backwards to get the damage and injuries they got. In fact we had an article about that very thing linked here since the start of the year.

The Big Story is the ridiculous fines about to go into effect in Oz next week. Sydney boosts fines for cyclist violations and Editorial – February 24: Licence to ride or laughing stock? also Cyclists hit by world’s harshest laws

The next biggest story is the distracted (?) driver who ran over 4 NC cyclists. Troopers: 4 cyclists hit by car on NC road and Cyclist disputes driver’s account also ‘Was she texting?’ injured bike rider asks after driver hits 4 Johnston Co. bicyclists The driver’s statement that the wreck happened “so quick” makes distraction or other inattention a serious consideration.

Our Daily Ted, part 1. Morning Links: Prize winner’s new bike, Burbank considers bike/ped bridge, and Ventura tow truck driver ID’d I’m really happy for the winner, she seems to have deserved the bike.

Ted Part 2. Breaking news: Covina bike rider killed in collision with Metrolink train

Also in CA. San Diego Is Ready to Go Big on Biking and Walking There is some re-purposing of “car space” to bike and ped space but this is not “anti-car”, just anti car supremacy.

Still in CA more on the proposal to get Zero-carbon subsidies to HPV for poor neighborhoods. Should California give subsidies to people buying bicycles?

Still in CA (lots of wrecks this time of year in CA for some reason). Authorities identify tow truck driver, officially name boy killed in Ventura hit-and-run crash

Over one state in NV. Bicyclist killed after being struck by off-road vehicle identified and Off-road driver charged in crash that killed bicyclist Driving drunk, without a license, in an unregistered vehicle…

More on the trial of the OH dude who couldn’t see 5 cyclists on the road because he had the sun in his eyes, and turned more than a hundred feet before the road he was trying to turn on. Trial begins for Brecksville man charged in crash that killed cyclists and Cyclists recall deadly Brecksville crash during driver’s trial I would think that pointing out the first cyclist was hit more than 100 feet from the intersection, and the truck stopped after hitting the last cyclist still short of the intersection would be more than enough to show the driver was driving well below “standard of care” and possibly was deliberately trying to kill the cyclists. But IANAL.

Over in AR one cyclist had a dog problem. Cyclist Mauled by Pit Bull I have known pits that were just big slobber machines that were more likely to lick you to death and drown you in slobber than to bite, and I have known pits that would attack anything that moved in what they considered to be their territory, it all depends on how the animal was socialized.

Not sure if this was a cyclist or what, but it was in the “cyclist injured” section of the Feed folder. Man Shot In Groin During Brooklyn Road Rage Outburst

I know this wasn’t a cyclist, but how could I resist putting in a link about a guy run over by a parked car? Park Slope Food Coop Member Struck By Runaway Parked Car I mean really? Pass up a juicy opportunity like that?

Some more good news from America’s Copenhagen. City of Portland considering protected intersections, bike-only lanes for West Burnside project Don’t “consider” just “do”. Doo Eeet!

It might not seem like it at first glance, but this is an important infrastructure article. Portland Bike Theft Task Force receives $4,000 donation from local bike club

Important infrastructure news from WI. $62.6 Million Requested to Improve Walking and Biking Across Wisconsin

LEO wants everyone to know they haven’t stopped looking for a CO hit-and-run driver. Search continues for driver who struck cyclist in hit-and-run north of Boulder And I still say they should be looking for front end damage (and probably a busted windshield) instead of a missing mirror.

That passing bill in IA moves along through the Lege. New bill offers protections for Iowa cyclists

PA wreck involving an ICE-assisted bike. Man on motorized bike killed in Lehigh County hit-and-run crash Bike was hit head-on by a driver cutting the left turn, not mentioned in the article but there was a comment that speculated it was a cyclist riding such a bike in “dark clothes” and a very dim or missing headlight who had been seen riding earlier.

FloriDUH strikes again. Bicyclist injured in crash at Roosevelt Boulevard and Bicyclist dies after Westside crash Interesting thing is LEO still haven’t blamed the cyclist on this one, mostly because they can’t figure out where the bike was hit or which way it was going when it was hit, and the person who could have told them that died overnight…

Cyclist killed in a truly bizarre accident is memorialized in far West Canuckistan. Memorial set for cyclist killed on False Creek seawall They’re still looking for the guy digging in the trash can where the cyclist was hit, even though it looks now like there is nothing they could charge him with.

I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who gets hot about this. War breaks out on Twitter after police and ambulance blame cyclist for #NoHelmet

What would you do if your mother was placed in this amount of danger? Chris Boardman’s horror at video of lorry close-passing his mother Since my Mother died in 2004 I probably wouldn’t have any problem with it. There is a very large tree between the road and Mom’s grave site.

Well if you ever needed a reason to visit a porn site before, here’s a good reason. World’s 3rd biggest porn site sponsors Italian cycling team I just checked and it’s free to use.

Well they are part of the way there on this one in Oz. Woman charged over fatal cyclist crash

Last link shows Amsterdam wasn’t always what it is now. Look How Much Better a City Can Be When It Designs for People Not Cars The difference between before and after are just…

And I’m outta links, and Gigi is going to be upset because it’s after 0300 and she’s lost her Internet for the night so she won’t be able to read today’s post until after midnight tomorrow.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

I feel like I got hit with a truck again, and the Feed

My son couldn’t get over here to do grocery day yesterday, so I had to grab the old ALICE ruck and walk up to the store myself. This is one reason why I need to recover as fast as I can and get back on Francis/es, so I can go back to doing the grocery shopping on my own without having to have someone drive me there and back. I only got the items I’m about out of, milk, yogurt, soda, and bread. Well, except for the bread all of those items were pretty massive, and I made the mistake of combining a trip to the hardware store two blocks up the road to pick up new door knobs and locks to replace the ones that just broke this morning. Anyone remember that song from “Hee Haw” about bad luck? Yeah, they could put a few verses in there for me. Anyway I had a gallon of milk, 2 2-liter bottles of generic soda, 4 pounds of yogurt, a bottle of beer, three doorknob sets, a front spindle to a 1937 Ford and 8 stainless steel bolts to fit the steering arm holes on the spindle (which I brought to the hardware because I needed to make sure the bolts fit), and two loaves of bread. And now I wanna lie down and have a nap. Or something. Yeah, something because as I was getting up from my desk to have that little lie-down my back decided “This would be the perfect time to seize up!” so it did. And that was about two hours ago and I haven’t even started to filter links, so here’s to working through pain. Except it doesn’t really “hurt” as much as “not work right”.

And before I forget THANK YOU SCOTUS!!!! for making marriage equality the law of the land. This isn’t like Roe v Wade where women got control over doing something that they would really rather not do if circumstances were different, this is people in love doing what people in love do, getting married. So get out there and get married to the person you love. I charge competitive rates and can do Wiccan and Klingon rituals (but I have to find a new priestess for the Klingon ritual, my last one has gone to Sto-Vo-Kor). Contact me if you are in the DFW area and need to get a religious service done. I guess this means I will have to take down the Gay Marriage Challenge page as not only was nobody able to convince me that same-sex marriage was bad, but neither were they able to convince the SCOTUS.

The big story as far as links are concerned is the UK driver getting arrested for murder in the death of a cyclist who was hit-and-run earlier in the week. Investigation into Harworth cyclist death becomes murder probe and Police name man charged with cyclist Richard Pencott’s murder as family pay tribute also UPDATE: Police arrest man on suspicion of murder after cyclist killed in Harworth not done yet Man arrested following death of cyclist Not a whole lot to say in this one because of UK media laws, but arrested for murder is really something. It has been frequently said in both the UK and this country that if you want to commit a random act of murder just get in a car and drive until you see a cyclist to run over, then claim momentary blindness after the fact. Until I saw this I would have said killing a cyclist was a “perfect crime” as it seldom gets prosecuted, and even when it is prosecuted convictions are few and far between, and when convicted the “sentences” are laughably lenient, mostly community service. But when you structure community service correctly it can be a great deterrence against the perpetrator ever doing it again, because they won’t have much free time to commit another vehicular assault. Not much of a deterrence to others, but that one will never hit another cyclist. Are you kidding me? Man charged with murder after cyclist dies in collision

Our Daily Ted, part one. Morning Links: Metro commits to DTLA bikeshare, US pros swear they’re clean, and $50K reward for fatal hit-and-run Even Ted has a link to the UK murder arrest.

And Daily Ted, part two. Update: Arrest made in horrifying high-speed Highland Park fatal hit-and-run If the road diet planned for the street where the cyclist was killed had been allowed to go through the driver would not have been able to reach anywhere near the speed he was going when he hit the cyclist. And now I see they caught the guy who was still drunk 4 hours after hitting the cyclist, which means he was super drunk at the time of the crime. They found pieces of the victim still on the car when they arrested the driver. More Man arrested after bicyclist is killed in hit-and-run in Highland Park Gil Cedillo is an accessory to this crime.

So, NYPD, how is that Vision Zero thing going for you? Issuing lots of tickets for people running down people in the crosswalk or bike lanes? NYPD: Drivers Killed 18 Pedestrians and Cyclists in May, and Injured 1,262 So, that would be a “no” on tickets for people hit crossing in the crosswalk or riding in the bike lanes.

What is wrong with drivers in AZ? Truck runs into four cyclists Seriously to hit 4 cyclists at once in front of witnesses (oncoming traffic) and scatter them “like popcorn”, is either attempted murder or someone that needs to never drive again.

More on Google trying to make Silicon Valley more like Amsterdam or Copenhagen. Google’s bike plan aims to turn Silicon Valley into the next Copenhagen $5 million seems like a lot of money, and it is, but for the number of communities they are talking about and the spread they have to cover because of sprawl, it’s a very large drop in a fairly large bucket. To extend the metaphor, they have covered the bottom of the bucket, but have a long way to go to fill it.

When you have a memorial ride for just the cyclists killed in the last two weeks, there is something terribly wrong with the infrastructure. Local Cyclists To Ride For Those Who Died In The Past Two Weeks

Oh the horror! Most area cyclists aren’t wearing helmets while riding, Statistics Canada says Windsor area cyclists are riding at about 21% helmets, while Victoria are riding with 83% helmets. So Victoria riders have how much lower head injury statistics than Windsor? Any? Buehler?

Road.cc looks at the KSI stats and comes to the same conclusion I did: UK drivers everywhere are prats. DfT admits “ever increasing problem with pedal cyclist casualties” as serious injuries rise 8 per cent Cycling increased 3.8% but serious injury went up 8%? Yep, your drivers are crap. Or maybe your roads are crap and having mediocre drivers isn’t helping any. But yeah something somewhere along the line is crap and people are getting permanently injured because of it.

Perhaps the problem is a lack of enforcement? Campaign for ‘properly enforced’ speed limits after cyclist killed in collision

Sisyphus has a stone, cyclists have politicians. Devon MPs spearhead cyclist safety campaign

And in the meantime we get things like this. Alan Cronin: Man in court charged with death by dangerous driving after cyclist killed

Last link tonight is from Oz again. Motorists, cyclists all need re-education Some cyclists don’t know the rules, but all cyclists are just doing their best to “not get hit”. So the education really needs to be on drivers so they can Know when cyclists are riding according to the laws and not hit them.

And I’m ready to go to bed, or at least lie down for a bit and try to relax.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the extremely happy about the SCOTUS marriage decision…

Adult toys for big boys (and girls), and the Feed

Someone sent me this link as a funny. Razor Presents: The all new CRAZY CART XL!!! [HD] Now I know what I want for Christmas this year, something that can get slideways! Seriously, this looks like an absolute blast to drive. Pity it can’t go over 17 MPH. I have been thinking about doing this on my own with scooter parts and casters from Harbor Freight, but the cost of doing this on my own and the cost of the Crazy Cart XL are about the same. Of course if I make it there is no reason to limit the speed to 17 MPH (except for the sanity of the driver/builder).

Up first is the continuing drama in Thailand. Cyclists call for harsher punishment and Police step up safety measures for cyclists That last link was blaming the victims harder than the drunk drivers that killed them Dreaming of the police making our roads safe for cyclists

The other big international story is the driver that hit a cyclist while running from police in Enn Zed and then crashed into a truck, killing himself. 25-year-old driver killed in car fire – after hitting cyclist and crashing into truck and Fleeing driver killed in fiery crash also One dead in crash between car and truck and finally Fleeing driver killed in fiery crash named At least this one won’t be a burden to the courts as he proclaims innocence because he “didn’t see” the cyclist he hit.

Still in Enn Zed, another blinded driver gets away with murder. Sunstrike blamed for cyclist’s death on Summerhill Drive “The sun was in my eyes, I couldn’t see the road!” And the prosecution believed him enough to not charge him with manslaughter or murder after he admitted he saw the cyclist more than 200 meters before he hit her dead center with his truck. Jocelyn Goodwin cyclist death: Jason Paul McGahey sentenced [facepalm] One hundred fifty hours of community service for killing a human being with a WMD. No jail, no fines, and only a 6 month suspension of his driving privilege. TANJ!

And local news, you can legally text and drive in TX. It’s Still Legal To Text And Drive In These 4 States I remind people this is the state where ZZ Top released Arrested for Driving While Blind. Which is what you are doing when you text at the wheel, driving while blind because you can’t see the road with your face in a phone. BTW that is the extended live version with the guitar solo in the middle.

A cyclist killer is caught and jailed in LA. Woman arrested in hit-and-run that killed cyclist Glad to see LEO taking vehicular mayhem seriously.

Our Daily Ted is pretty good today. Weekend Links: Sentencing delayed in emotional drugged driving case, rider reportedly robbed on Ballona Creek

Still in CA, sometimes us old folks don’t hear so good when a cyclist approaches and we walk out in front of them as they pass. Pedestrian injured in collision with cyclist on path The cyclist called out he was passing, then the pedestrian was startled when he passed. We aren’t allowed to have air horns on bikes, so how are we going to get through to old people who won’t wear hearing aids (like my Dad, $4K worth of hearing aids sat on his dresser most days the last few years of his life), or wearing headphones or earbuds at any age?

Is there anything easier to avoid than a train on tracks? Police: Bicyclist Hit, Killed By Light Rail Train At College Greens Station Just look and listen for a train ans if you see or hear a train stay off the tracks. How hard is that?

And of course there are no charges for a driver that turned into and ran over a child cyclist in NC. No charges in death of 9-year-old hit, killed on bike ride

Sometimes you really need to watch where the other guy is going. Four riders injured in multi-bicycle crash This was a group ride that went down because two cyclists at the head of the line touched wheels.

Legal Infrastructure for cyclists in the Great White North. Legal Matters-I was struck by an automobile while riding my bicycle. Can I receive compensation?

And physical/legal infrastructure news from Jolly Olde. Campaigners oppose plan to send riders on ‘zigzag’ around Cambridge Circus The legal part comes from this being the intersection where they refused to accept the money to redo the intersection to be safer for cyclists, and even now they are doing everything but make the intersection safer for cyclists.

Last link, could e-assist bikes be better? What’s Wrong With Electric Bicycles I wouldn’t say all hub motors are fragile, but there are a few that are of such low quality that reputable retailers refuse to sell them.

And I’m outta links again.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet