Still foggy, and the Feed

Not the weather, me. I’m still a little foggy as evidenced by making of the morning caffeine, trying to get the tiny bit of coffee I have into the reusable Keurig filter without over filling or dumping it. I do this operation over the can to catch any spills (proving I’m not a total ditz) but it still took way too long to get caffeine this morning. And I think the local pollen level is “up there” as I’m getting itchy, burning, and watery eyes, and lots of yawns which are a personal quirk when assaulted by plant bukkake. Yes the trees are having a sex party, and I’m in the middle of it. If I’m remembering correctly this is just the preliminaries as my allergies get really cranked up later in the season.

And Happy International Women’s Day to all my distaff readers. Remember we are all here because of women. They have experimentally found a way to reproduce without men, at least in smaller mammals, but AFAIK there is no way to reproduce without women. So “Respect!” those women.

Up first is Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Another sunny & successful CicLAvia; SaMo Spoke’s Cynthia Rose wins Inspiration award Unfortunately that is only Part 1.

Daily Ted Part 2. Update: Bike rider killed by moving truck in Rancho Palos Verdes

Still in CA. Ventura Police Release Photo of Vehicle of Interest in Fatal Hit-and-Run Also they held a memorial to the kid that died in that wreck.

Infrastructure from America’s Copenhagen. ODOT is repaving a key stretch of “Dirty 30”: Here’s what to expect What it all boils down to is “not much.”

More infrastructure from Portland. Construction begins on 1.3 mile section of Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail

Still in Portland, it seems that someone at Google Maps decided he preferred one of the final ballot names for the Tilikum Crossing other than the one selected. Google Maps prank renames Tilikum Crossing after Star Trek captain Yep, it’s the good old “Jean-Luc Picard Wunder Crossing” just as intended.

That wreck in Tucson is reverberating. Local cycling club talks safety after recent fatal crash Seriously, the guy driving the truck was drunk and (possibly) texting at the time of the wreck, what could the city do about that except jersey barriers on all bike routes? Still extending the conversation to the entire system and drivers would be a good start.

Meanwhile in Florida. Two teens, 13 and 14, critically injured in car-bicycle crash Let’s just say that the narrative on this wreck is highly suspicious because the narrator was the DUI driver. I think it is very unlikely that the kids would swoop all the way over the double yellow line just as a truck was passing, or in other words the SWSS is in.

Still in FL, the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike. Teen bicyclist hit, killed on Central Florida Parkway The narrative is of very little help in determining anything about this wreck. The location and direction of travel is only given for the victim, but we did get useless information like the victim’s bike had reflectors and the driver of the weapon vehicle was wearing a seatbelt and was uninjured in the wreck. Of course knowing that there were reflectors would be useful if we knew when the wreck happened, but that information was left out of the narrative. I guess “Sunday night” is as close as we are going to get.

Not out of FL yet, we get another cyclist not looking both ways crossing a train track. Bicyclist critically injured after being hit by Amtrak train I have posted this many times, it is very easy to not get hit by a train, just don’t be on the tracks when the train is coming. Heed any warning systems, and look and listen at uncontrolled crossings before proceeding after you are sure there are no trains coming. I mean trains are big, noisy even when they aren’t blowing the horn, and they are ONLY found on train tracks.

The ultimate infrastructure articles from NYC. Former DOT Head Janette Sadik-Khan Reflects On Bike Lane Battles: “The Status Quo Is The Problem” and Janette Sadik-Khan on Asphalt, Staten Island and the Adrenaline of Infrastructure My favorite quote comes from the second link: “Reporters started to figure out the counterintuitive fact that bike lanes and plazas were the budgetary equivalent of change found between the sofa cushions compared with our road infrastructure investment.”

Infrastructure from Jolly Olde. Fresh calls to improve cycle safety in Cambridge after man ‘seriously’ injured on Newmarket Road

This is being treated as an assault, not a vehicular offense. Video: BMW driver caught on film trying to push cyclist from bike and Exclusive: First interview with Bristol cyclist who caught aggressive BMW driver shoving on camera The sad thing is that without the video it would have been just passed off as the cyclist’s fault for doing something to annoy the driver who crossed the street and assulted him. And there are those who find dark humor in the situation. Bristol Drivers: always giving cyclists a hand

More vidiots in the UK. Taxi driver caught filming at wheel by Traffic Droid Sad thing is the guy taking the video we see is using cameras that run all the time without operator aiming required, where this vidiot has to manually hold the phone to point it in the direction of the camera bike.

Last UK link is about their atrocious infrastructure. Triathlon coach says he could have been killed by ‘giant pothole’ Yeah, if the pothole causes the bike to come to a complete stop while the rider continues forward, you have crap infrastructure even if it’s only in that one place.

Hey know how to get people on bikes? Norway to invest $1bn to create 10 ‘bike superhighways’ and Norway Will Spend Almost $1 Billion on New Bike Highways To give you an idea of what we are dealing with, Norway has 1 million fewer people than the Metromess I live in, more commonly referred to as the DFW Metroplex. And somehow they have found roughly $1 billion to spend on 10 inter-city bicycle highways.

Report from Oz. Two cyclists injured after collisions with cars on Tuesday morning Notice the line that said both cyclists were operating completey within the law? And then the final line “Both bicycle riders were complying with safety requirements.” You think maybe that was a dig at the new bike regs going into effect in the neighboring state?

And we are out if links and time to find any more.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

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Sleep deprivation is a &(%$&, and the Feed

I signed off last night about 0500 after finishing the writing part shortly after 0430. Yes it takes me about 25-30 minutes to proof spelling and links and tag after I finish the creative part. And then it usually takes a minimum of an hour to shut the brain down so I can sleep, usually closer to two hours. I was wakened slightly after noon by a loud vehicle (I’m assuming it was a garbage truck) and Mrs. the Poet yelling at “bad cats” and quit fighting to get back to sleep about 1400 and checked the mail. I’m still bleary-eyed as I type this at 1700.

And I’m watching the Sprint Cup practice when this commercial for Marathon gas comes on with the jingle about a “full tank of Freedom”. “Freedumb” indeed. 😛

Speaking of Sprint Cup, some of the drivers are some of us. NASCAR drivers pedal from St. Augustine for bike safety Four hour ride, so about 100km away from the track. I’m betting that lap around the track lasted a lot longer than the 45-47 seconds it took during final practice today…

Ted was a bit busy today with all the news coming at him. Morning Links: Temple City shoots down safe streets on Las Tunas; ridiculous and sublime new bike offerings

Part 2 of Daily Ted. Formerly homeless man dies five weeks after Yorba Linda collision

And an incredible Part 3. Fontana bike rider killed in early morning collision; no details available Poor Ted, this is what happens when you have lots of subscriptions to local media sites, you get to report the bad news quicker.

Still in CA. BART Struggles to Balance Current Needs with Vision for Future BART gets people off the streets in S.F. making a huge impact on bike and pedestrian safety. So this might not seem to be a bike link, but it’s totally a bike link.

Up in America’s Copenhagen, DIY DOT to the rescue! Bike lane in danger? Cone power to the rescue! Riders replace the cones when they get knocked over, unlike plastic bollards that require equipment and chemicals most cyclists don’t carry on their bikes.

Also from Portland, someone said something Really Stoopid. GOP candidate promises to end gridlock forever by adding a lane to each freeway There are no words for how Stoopid this is. This guy has literally never heard of Induced Demand until this article posted and someone emailed him a link on the subject.

And crap infrastructure is never so bad that it can’t be made worse, even in Portland. City proposes shifting future downtown bikeway from Alder to Taylor/Salmon Changing a direct, mostly flat route to one that adds about a mile to the total trip and completely routes the cyclist away from retail and other commercial destinations.

FloriDUH! strikes again. Bicyclist injured in Charlotte hit-and-run crash I’m sorry, but what do you call it when a driver swerves into an occupied bike lane, hits a cyclist, and then leaves the scene without stopping? Aside from attempted murder or assault with a deadly weapon that is.

Continuing on the “Stoopid driver” theme for the moment. NYPD: Cyclist fatally struck by car, driver arrested Driver impaired by drugs, not mentioned if they were medication or recreational drugs. But still “Stoopid” either way. More Allegedly Stoned Driver Charged With Manslaughter After Fatally Striking Staten Island Cyclist The later link says the driver was on pot at the time of the wreck.

And infrastructure news from NYC that will flat-out floor you. It did me. Astoria Will Get Three Protected Bike Lanes Despite Local Drivers’ Objections Yep, bike lanes in spite of driver’s complaints, because too many people were getting killed or injured. and to the idiot that said “at some point traffic calming becomes traffic impeding.” boo, hoo, hoo. You were extremely lucky your death machines were not banned outright, because that was on the table.

Good infrastructure news from IA. Bicycle safe passing bill clears Iowa Senate committee This is the most radical concept in bicycle safety that I have seen in a long time. “Change lanes to pass”, like you would a car or tractor or combine. Radical, I tell you.

A mandatory helmet bill in VA is killed in committee. Why bicycling advocates are happy legislators killed a helmet bill Combined with the studies that show that mandatory helmets don’t actually decrease the rate of head injury, just move it to a different part of the head that isn’t covered by the helmet or by impacts that exceed the survival envelope of the helmet.

Crap infrastructure in VT. A VICIOUS CIRCLE? STATE WANTS SAFER ROTARY IN BRATTLEBORO Note the comment that all the problems are caused by bicycles. SMH.

From Jolly Olde, really they are calling this a hit-and-run and not assault with a deadly weapon or attempted murder? Cyclist left seriously injured after hit-and-run following row with driver Motor vehicles are the only weapon that an obvious assault would be called an “accident”

And this cyclist has a case for police negligence as they refused to take a report for his wreck that smashed his bike. Cyclist feels he’s had a rough ride despite lucky escape in road smash The bike was rendered unridable, that makes this a reportable wreck under UK laws. Both vehicles were not able to leave the scene under their own power, that raises the wreck to reportable status.

And I am finishing up too late for Gigi to even read it before she loses her internet at 0300 my time. I mean it’s almost 0300 right now and I haven’t even proofed, much less tagged.

I sent the order off today on Grocery Day, and the Feed

I ordered some resin engines, and parts to detail the SBC for the main version (AKA the “this could get built” version) from VCG Resins today. Plus we have money to restock the pantry and a vehicle large enough to carry that much food so grocery shopping. I’m going to try to get this post done before midnight so I can get to bed at a reasonable time.

Up first a TX program originally intended to pay for hit-and-run victims’ medical expenses turns into a gigantic tax on being poor, whodathunkit? Texas driver offense fee program gets bipartisan blistering I have a solution for how to pay for hit-and-run: Raise the costs of registering a vehicle so that hit-and-run victims are paid for out of the costs, and label that increase so that people know they are paying for other people’s stupidity. Once people get a feel of how much hit-and-run is costing them personally there will be a much greater drive to investigate and arrest hit-and-run drivers so that they can pay instead of everybody else.

I might have to look into attending one of these sessions, I’m not as young as I used to be. Want to Be a Better Bicyclist? First, Learn to Fall This would be useful in solo falls where the cyclist has some control of their body, but in any collision with another vehicle YMMV.

Howabout Our Daily Ted? Morning Links: New app for navigating LA, advice on running for your local NC, and pointing the finger in Westwood

Still in CA. Honeymooning cyclist injured in Jan. 20 hit-and-run near Barking Dog also Cyclist injured in Sonoma Valley hit-and-run crash Classic left cross narrative. Get well quickly, honeymooner.

Still in CA comes this conundrum. Which Are More Dangerous: Scofflaw Cyclists, Or Bad-Mannered Drone Flyers? In sheer numbers it’s a draw, there are more drones than cyclists, but cyclists have about a 60 year head start over “drones” (which now seems to apply to all R/C airplanes and helicopters), and while records on people getting killed by R/C airplanes, helicopters, and multicopters is a bit difficult to come by, there have only been 2 recorded fatalities in SF history caused by bicycle riders hitting someone. That’s according to SFPD records that go back as far as the big quake at the beginning of the 20th Century.

Over in ABQ a cyclist was hit from behind in what looks like a punishment pass. Injured teen cyclist is still in a coma There were 3 cyclists riding a tight paceline with the middle and front riders getting hit, and the lead rider taking the brunt of it. This has a very strong flavor of a buzz job or punishment pass.

Another infrastructure article from WI. Highway 41 and Lisbon Is a Mess Basically 90% of the problem with this intersection is it is the last remnant of a failed freeway project that was not integrated into the urban grid.

And driverless cars may fix parking but leave roads hopelessly gridlocked. Driverless cars: Utopian idea could lead to commute from Hell If people continue to insist on SOV commutes then about half of all trips will be “deadhead” with nobody in the car. VMT will basically double (maybe 1.5 if we are lucky).

There are easier ways of seeing that your employees are doing their jobs. Freak accident left Valerie Morton impaled on a bike near St Neots – and thankful to her rescuers The victim was a high-placed executive of the ambulance service that was assigned to the wreck.

Still in Jolly Olde. Motorist who deliberately drove at cyclists jailed for two and a half years Not that it will make much difference but he will have a 2 year driving ban that starts with the completion of his sentence. Because of course he can’t drive for the 2½ years he’s in prison. Having his driving ban run while he can’t get to a car to drive anyway would just be stupid. Along with the actual enforcement of the ban, if he can just curb his antisocial tendencies he could get away with driving for 2 years. Oh who are we kidding? I would be shocked if he managed 6 months without making a swipe at a cyclist. I wouldn’t be surprised that he blames the cyclist with the camera for his arrest and imprisonment, not the act of driving at them on the wrong side of the road.

First I agree that it’s not good that he had to pay for getting his teeth put back in after the wreck. Injured cyclist angry he had to pay NHS to repair his teeth Second, do you know how much that would have cost here in the US? In 2001 I was quoted a cost of about $5k to repair my teeth after my wreck which is why they are falling out right now.

You might wonder what this has to do with my blog. Drone maker seeks UK fuel cells Well as the guy who sent it to me wrote, the cell package for this drone would also work pretty good for an e-assist bike and have the same advantages for e-assist biking as it does for drone work.

Speaking of e-assist biking. Review: Cube Touring Hybrid 400 electric bicycle It must be terrible to have something that works so well for you and then you find something that just ruins it because the new works so much better than what you had.

Another e-assisted bike review, but not quite as glowing. Cruz E-Bike A little too fast and at $5K a little too expensive. But if you govern it down to the Federal limit of 20 MPH that would help the anemic range of “up to” 30 miles.

And we are done for the night.

Nilled @$0.02, Opus

My car is shipping east, and the Feed

According to the Amazon Package Tracker my model kit left Anaheim headed east in a slow semi trailer at 0508 PST, but my take is it went into said trailer at 0508 and probably is leaving as I type this. Now it is possible that they loaded the trailers yesterday and it left this morning but as I am always prepared for the worst while hoping for the best I’m gonna stick with “tossed into the trailer at 0508” scenario. That and the fact that I worked in such a facility many moons ago back when I was a strapping young poet with few marketable skills besides the ability to run a MS-DOS computer and muscles to here. And for those not old enough to remember MS-DOS was a text-based OS with a command line interface, and you had to remember the commands to use to get the computer to do things. And also which floppy disk was program and which one was data for that program. I’m going to let you Google what a floppy disk is. It was a dark time when the internet was still controlled by DARPA and BBS ruled the cyberscape… Again they are not supposed to have the package with my car here any sooner than Wednesday, and no later than next Monday, so there is still lots of time yet.

And 74 years ago today because of a paperwork error that caused Japan’s Declaration of War to be delivered late, Pearl Harbor was attacked without warning. When you read the links today you’ll know why I made “paperwork error” a thing in that paragraph.

Up first because FloriDUH! Driver ‘killed cyclist while receiving sex act from female passenger at the wheel’ There was a news outlet local to the wreck with another article about the wreck but oddly enough the web page was “not responding” when I tried to load the article… Now this definitely falls under the heading of “things cyclists have no control over”.

Closer to home, a convicted underage drunk driver is caught on video at a drunken party violating his parole. ‘Affluenza’ teen who killed four in drunk driving case seen partying it up in new video My loathing of this particular walking canker-on-the-ass-of-society is exceeded only by my loathing of the judge who accepted the “affluenza” defense and basically let him go.

Our Daily Ted expounds on crap bicycle parking amongst other things. Weekend Links: Deplorable Gold Line bike locker, distracted beach biking, and a 17-mile non-CicLAvia ciclovía

Meanwhile in NYC. SUV Driver Kills 30-Year-Old Woman On Fort Greene Sidewalk None of the charges reflect that he was driving on the sidewalk and hit 3 people, killing one.

Now in America’s Paradise they aren’t fooling around. Driver high on meth gets stiff sentence in cyclist’s death What I was heartened by were all the comments saying that the sentence was weak, not “stiff”. It makes me think that maybe killing a cyclist while sober will get treated the same way at some time in the future.

Now since this guy hit two people and killed one, maybe they put him away for a long time, too? Bicyclist Killed, Pedestrian Injured In Lawndale Crash Or maybe they just give the guy a stern talking-to and send him on his way?

What better way to honor a fallen cyclist than by replacing him or her with dozens more cyclists? Event honoring cyclist killed in Hanover donates 60 bikes to kids We are like they heads of the hydra… Only worse.

Over in KS another gorram hit-and-run. Cyclist injured in hit-and-run on Topeka Boulevard If the location given on the map embedded in the article is accurate, all I can say is “why?” That location was shown as the frontage road for the major road, and the cyclist was hit from behind, then left to fend for himself. Standard diatribes against hit-and-run “drivers” apply.

Infrastructure in MD. Montgomery County pushing forward with Bicycle Master Plan A plan with no budget is nothing.

And this article is why I don’t see anything from the preceding paragraph ever actually getting built. Davidsonville man spared jail time for assault on cyclist after crash Only a $142.50 and 15 hours in community service for assault with a deadly weapon, assault, and leaving the scene of a wreck? And the second assault was after he broke the man’s arm with the deadly weapon, meaning he had no way to defend himself. Has everyone in the damned court gone absolutely bonkers?

Meanwhile in Canuckistan. Friends of cyclist killed on rural Alberta road raising money to benefit widow and young daughters If you’re local to this WoaB strongly encourages contributing to the event.

In the same city, 2 links of infrastructure news. Cycle track complaints have significantly decreased, 3-1-1 data shows The only ones left complaining are the severely entitled drivers.

And whaddya know, build it and they will come. Women cyclists already surpassing cycle track targets They seriously understate the increase in women cycling going from 23% to 32% as an increase of 9%, my calculations are that’s a 39% increase in women.

First link from outside North America is a bit strange. Taxi driver and passenger assaulted by cyclist in Govanhill OK the cyclist beat up two people. Two questions” 1) How could he beat up people inside a light armored vehicle? I’m assuming the doors were locked while the vehicle was in motion. 2) There were 2 of them and only the one “of slim build” cyclist how did the cyclist manage to beat up two against one? And again they were inside a light armored vehicle while he was out in the weather. Methinks there is much more to the story than is presented in the press. The delay in reporting the incident also raises red flags.

In the meanwhile, this wreck is being treated as attempted murder. Police treating cyclist being knocked down as attempted murder and Cyclist in critical condition after collision which police are treating as attempted murder The driver attempted to run over a LEO while escaping the initial wreck, which led LEO to decide the wreck may have been deliberate and no “accident”.

And more on the idiot doing more than 50 MPH on a curve posted as safe for 30 MPH and hitting a cyclist on the opposite side of the road. Dangerous driver who killed Ormskirk cyclist jailed for two years The “I was being tailgated” excuse is as flimsy as a wet Kleenex.

But they let this guy slide almost completely. Driving ban and curfew for driver who killed cyclist Again I would put the “ban” in quotes because it’s only a ban if someone is checking on him. Otherwise it’s a minor inconvenience at worst because he has to driver exactly within the laws to avoid getting pulled over.

But in this case where the driver was a danger to other drivers… Dash cam footage of dangerous overtaking lands driver in jail in UK first No one was killed, or even injured in this incident, but the driver got 8 months behind bars and a 4 month longer driving ban than the killer in the previous paragraph. TANJ!

Meanwhile in Oz… Cyclist killed in collision with car at Bennett Springs and Male cyclist dies after being hit by car in eastern Perth suburb of Bennet Springs

And as insane as it sounds I have run out of links.

Billed @€0.02, Opus (I may switch that back to US$ if the exchange rate keeps changing).

Another grocery day, and another Feed

Life is continuing on. I got up Too Early this morning to get the stock for the stair railings for the church paid for and documented, and later this afternoon I’m going grocery shopping. So, Nothing New going on outside of the blog, just things continuing on. I’m two days out from getting the $1 gift card on that silly phone game I have been playing, and almost halfway to getting the $10 card.

Up first is a report on a cyclist killed several days ride south pf WoaB World HQ in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell. Organ Donation Ceremony Held For Man Killed In Bicycle Accident I’m biased, but I think cyclist transplantable organs are of higher quality than your average couch potato.

Continuing in the “cyclists are better people” meme. LSU doctoral student killed Saturday night while riding bicycle remembered as focused, compassionate Once again a blind driver is given a free pass to kill. TANJ!

Our Daily Ted part 1. Morning Links: Confronting LA’s diabetic drivers, and bike thief’s mom gives back bike her son stole

And Ted part 2. Bike rider killed in Riverside; no details available

Still in CA. Cyclist injured, driver jailed in Marin County road-rage incident The cyclist was the victim of a “Swoop and Squat” something that used to be a favorite manuever for insurance scams. The driver admitting to it was unexpected, although it may have been more of “bragging about” than “admitting to”.

Unhappy update on the cyclist hit but a tree in NYC. Cyclist Dies Days After Tree Fell On Him In Red Hook The contractor completely ignored all safety protocols that might have prevented this tragedy.

Also in NYC. Speeding Hit & Run Driver Runs Red Light & Kills Brooklyn Woman The comments section blew up big time on this one.

More on the IL driver that killed a cyclist while DUI and got off with a gentle tap on the wrist. Stroger executive gets 100-day sentence for DUI, fatality of bicyclist Hospital exec with lots of political connections trumps middle-class veteran. So it wasn’t entirely the failure to wear the glow-in-the-dark clown suit by the victim that got this guy off of murder charges…

Meanwhile in Portland. Most of those new traffic victim memorials will be gone soon: Here’s why Again ODOT and PBOT don’t like reminders of how they failed to do their jobs.

They aren’t convinced yet that diverters are necessary? Let the city know (again) if you support diverters on SE Clinton For those not familiar SE Clinton is a bicycle boulevard that is seeing increasing motor vehicle traffic as a cut-through, placing cyclists at risk because the cars and trucks are going much faster than the speed limit.

Still in OR they have an app that allows them to ignore safety problems at a single place. State’s ORcycle app is now a one-stop shop for reporting road safety issues If you think I’m being overly cynical about this I suggest you go back to the first BikePortland link 2 paragraphs ago.

More crowd-sourcing of traffic information in the Great White North. CYCLISTS CROWD-SOURCE CLOSE CALLS ON TWITTER This is a job for the DiY DOT!

Not much information on this wreck in the Great White North. Cyclist in Bible Hill seriously injured after collision with vehicle At this point all we know is the wreck was at an intersection.

A permanent memorial to cyclist victims of motor vehicle violence in Canada. Permanent national monument for downed cyclists planned for Ottawa The idea is to somehow make cycling look fun and safe while remembering the people killed while doing it. That sounds like an oxymoron to me, too.

Meanwhile a cyclist is assaulted with a motor vehicle in Oz. Bunbury cyclist forced off the road in deliberate act The driver crossed the road and made a head-on pass at the cyclist in a deadly game of chicken.

Would you like to save your city tons of money? How Much Can Bicycling Help Fight Climate Change? A Lot, If Cities Try The benefits are more to coastal cities (especially closer to the equator), but everyone benefits from reduced noise and pollution from motor vehicles.

And that’s all I have tonight, be back tomorrow.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Moar cat pictures, and the Feed

We had a call from the Daughter In Scotland this afternoon and when she was informed we had kittens she requested I post pictures where she could find them. So without further adieu, when the cats stopped bouncing around the house like guided fuzzball missiles I snapped a shot of each.


Enjoy your cat pictures.

Up first are links from opposite sides of the country about the same subject. UPDATED: Driver Who Struck, Killed Bicyclist in Bethesda Won’t Face Criminal Charges and Why Jolene Friedow only got a traffic ticket in the collision that killed Mark Angeles Same problem in two different states, dangerous driving that breaks traffic laws and gets people killed is not an actual crime that can get steep fines and/or prison time. So the “cure” is to make a death as a result of a traffic violation a misdemeanor that carries mandatory loss of license for a period of time with loss of vehicle if caught driving during that time. I leave the amount of time as an exercise for the student.

After that we need something less upsetting, like our Daily Ted. Morning Links: LA’s Mobility Plan up for review today, and a call for to join or renew membership in LACBC

Still in CA. Cyclist injured in Oxnard accident Can I just say this narrative makes no sense? The cyclist was riding north on one street while the driver was driving east on the other, but the cyclist was hit “after entering the roadway.” At what point did the cyclist leave the roadway? The street view shows a quiet residential neighborhood with on-street parking and long straight streets.

Cycling in NYC can get a little hairy. Losing Your Fear Of Biking In NYC: Are Stop Lights Optional? Most of the article is basically saying “Pay attention to your surroundings!” when you ride and noted she only runs reds in places where she would feel safe jaywalking.

Still in NYC sometimes it ain’t safe to walk on the sidewalk. Pedestrian Killed, 3 Injured When Driver Jumps Brooklyn Sidewalk “No criminality suspected” in spite of the fact the weapon vehicle was upside down and flying when it hit the victim. And the fact the driver was driving on a suspended license…

Still in NYC and yet another pedestrian is killed with a car. Cab Driver Had Been Working 16 Hours When He Killed UWS Great-Grandmother Run down in the crosswalk by a driver at work 4 hours longer than legally allowed. And if you’re wondering why I’m including all these pedestrian fatalities, well they would have been just as fatal if a cyclist had been there because every one went through the bicycle area of the road (bike lane or no) before killing the pedestrians.

Another SWCC wreck in IL. Bicyclist killed in crash near Oakbrook Center and Lombard man on bicycle killed in Oak Brook crash The only surviving witness claimed the cyclist ran a red light. Since there is nothing to corroborate maybe he did, maybe he didn’t but either way cyclists have to be ready for drivers on intercept courses in intersections.

I think this was one of those scooter things and not a bicycle in spite of the name. 2 hurt as taxi and e-bike collide in Guelph Since there were two on the bike I’m pretty positive that’s the case, but the speed range is the same for those scooters in the Great White North as it is for e-assist bikes in the US, so everything in this blog applies except the not riding two up on one bike (except for tandems). Looks like a hit-from-behind wreck.

Example of UK clickbait article. I want to be nice to cyclists – but I’m sick of the kamikazes Oohh, surrounded by soft squishy people while in a light armored (excuse me, armoured) vehicle. The horrors. Teh bike cooties might get on you, or something. Seriously woman, get a grip. BTW don’t read the comments section if you like your brains to stay between your ears.

Speaking of crazies, someone needs to slap some sense into this plod. How I was threatened with arrest as a terrorist for trying to take a photo of a police car parked in a bike lane Sounds like this idjit got his training at the NYPD academy…

Nutter kills cyclist with knife several times over, gets long term vacation in the funny farm. Jason Voong guilty of ‘motiveless’ manslaughter and assault Seriously, the man was deranged.

I thought this link was connected to the previous paragraph until I took a good look at the URL and discovered they were not even in the same hemisphere. Man charged with attempted murder over cyclist stabbing Another less than sane person attacks a cyclist for nonsensical reasons. I blame Rupert Murdoch.

Also from Oz. Cycling stars ride to raise safety awareness Maybe they can do something about Murdoch…

More on the Enn Zed cyclist who was walking his bike because it was too dark to ride. Pedestrian killed near Nelson named

Really? ‘Beyoncé On A Bike’ Opens Sexualized Can Of Worms Sex symbol rides a bike, a sensible bike with fenders and a front basket, and everyone goes ape over the picture? Because sex symbol, therefore sexualized. Another example of people just “not getting it”.

I have been making the point for years that while helmets might be useful for individual cyclists, helmet laws just make things more dangerous for cyclists as a whole, and now there has been a study that proves me right. The Latest Evidence That Helmet Laws Don’t Help Bike Safety

And last link another front on the lumen wars. The Case Against Bright-as-the-Sun Flashing Bike Lights I can’t say as I have ever had to deal with one of those bright blinkies, every time I have encountered another bike at night they had reasonable lights or none at all. Most had none at all, nor did they have reflectors. My bike resembles Tokyo at night with all the lights.

And I’m all outta links again. Go do something useful.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Rain again, and the Feed

This has been a very rainy October for the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell, we are getting wet again as I type this. The rain today has been the steady drizzle kind of rain locally as we get the fringes of more severe downpours that go to the north or south of Casa de El Poeta. That part has been mostly good. The dull light, and cool temps are mostly bad.

Up first is a wreck close to home, by TX standards. Local Teen Injured after Getting Hit While Riding Bike Claim is the cyclist ran the stop sign. If the impact was from the side then I would have to agree, if the cyclist was hit from behind by a driver not paying attention…

Infrastructure from down the road a bit in Austin. Postcard from Austin: curb extensions that don’t block bikes Make things easy for the pedestrians and cyclists while not making drivers too mad.

That insurance company in BC has gotten international attention from blaming the cyclist for getting hit head-on by a drunk driver driving on the wrong side of the road. Cyclist to blame for his own death near Whistler in May: British Columbia insurance authorities and ICBC blames highway bike death near Whistler on cyclist’s negligence also B.C.’s public auto insurer blames ‘careless’ cyclist for his own death in crash with alleged drunk driver Guys, you probably want to settle this quickly, and big, if you like keeping your jobs. Public opinion is turning against you very rapidly.

Also making news is the cargo container that crushed a cyclist in CA. Authorities Probe How Big Rig Container Became Loose, Crushed Cyclist To Death and Authorities offer clues in the case of bicyclist crushed by shipping container The company line fails to mention the truck driver’s strike at the port and the fact that scab drivers were hired from other companies not equipped to handle cargo containers properly, and that the combination of flatbed and cargo container is about 6″ taller than cargo containers on their proper trailer. When the cargo container struck the underside of the bridge it destroyed most of the straps holding it to the trailer with the few that remained unable to restrain the load. which would not have happened with the proper trailer designed to move the container because 1) it is shorter by about 6″ and 2) it does not use straps over the top of the container to restrain the load.

Another story still making the news is the former Episcopalian bishop in MD going to prison for killing a cyclist while DUI and texting while driving in the bike lane. Bishop who killed cyclist while driving drunk gets 7 years and Bishop Who Killed Cyclist While Driving Drunk Will Serve Seven Years

The news from NYC is don’t hit NYPD with your car even when they wander in the street not paying attention to traffic. Video: NYPD Traffic Agent Struck By Driver In Clinton Hill Well now we know what it takes to get a non-fatal pedestrian wreck taken seriously.

Update from the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike. Dough bakery rallying around injured co-worker Commuting should not be an extreme sport with possible deadly outcomes. For those readers local to the fundraiser tell me how the Bee doughnuts taste.

The Show Me state takes out another cyclist. Cyclist injured after being struck by pickup Hit-from-behind, the cyclist was lucky it wasn’t more serious.

More on the death of a PA cyclist in a pinball wreck. Blaming bicyclists There were 3 motor vehicles involved besides the cyclist who was waiting on a red light between the last two motor vehicles when the last motor vehicle was struck from behind and pushed into the motor vehicle in front, crushing the cyclist.

A CO cyclist is remembered and money raised in his honor. Cyclist’s death inspires 24-hour ride

Cyclist killed in the other Portland. Bicyclist seriously injured after being hit by pickup in Portland It was a cross or a hook, without directions of travel it is impossible to know.

The most deadliest state in the US tries to shed that title. New effort aims for zero pedestrian, bicycle deaths in Tampa

IL infrastructure news. CHICAGO BUILT THE BEST BIKE LANE OF 2013 OVER ITS STATE’S OBJECTIONS

Wounded Warriors roll through AZ. Injured Service Members Cycle toward Recovery and Healing

Hit-and-run in the Great White North. Male cyclist killed in hit and run in Brampton Why are they making excuses for the killer before they even start looking for him or her?

Disgusting infrastructure news from the GWN. City wants three-month limit on memorials for traffic victims This specifically includes Ghost Bikes.

UK man killed cycling in Turkey. Bradford man, 52, killed in cycling accident in Turkey

In spite of numerous witnesses not including the victim, they let this weasel go free. Halling man did not drive van into young cyclist, court rules WTF?!?

More magnanimous than I could manage. Widow’s court message: I forgive you This was the driver who was not supposed to be driving because of a medical condition that caused him to fall asleep at the wheel.

This wreck in Oz looks like a left hook, the “drive on the wrong side of the road” equivalent of the right hook. Cyclist suffers head injuries, fractures after collision with truck in Hobart

Nothing on the mode of this deadly wreck in Oz. NSW cyclist dies after crash

Another wreck not very far from the one in the paragraph above. Cyclist injured in crash – North Wollongong I put both wrecks in the sama paragraph at first because they were both in the same suburb of North Wollongong. I mean, what are the odds they would have two cyclist fatalities in the same rather small town within a couple of days of each other?

Terrible wreck in Enn Zed. Cyclist’s wife arrives minutes after Tauranga crash

Recall on a bike trailer for kid hauling. RECALL: Child bicycle trailers due to possible injury risk

Last link, even these bicycle designers say that the best bicycle design in the world is not as good at increasing mode share as getting the infrastructure right. Will A Better-Designed Electric Bike Change Commuting Habits? Biomega Thinks So

And I’m done for the week, Yay! See you Sunday.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Large hunks of links are from Twitter, and the rest of the Feed

It takes longer to filter, but I’m finding more and better links on Twitter than I do in my Feed Folder in my e-mail. I think that may be due to having humans directly sending me the links from the articles as they post. Whatever the reason, I’m glad I can give you better links than I used to.

Up first, LEO have found the driver who killed a cyclist earlier this week. PD: Police identify woman who struck, killed bicyclist in Pasadena They haven’t arrested her, just “talked” to her.

More on the cyclist killed in MN by a driver who crossed the entire road to hit him. UMD mourns staff member killed while bicycling in Hermantown and SUV fatally hits bicyclist in Hermantown heading other way on shoulder I’m still trying to figure out why the driver is not in jail for this.

Since we are in “old wreck” mode at the moment, more on the cyclist killed in CA during a time trial event. In the News: Cyclist killed by car in California TT race and CHP Finds a New Way to Blame the Bicycle Rider Yep, getting blamed for the driver that hit you in your lane is pretty low, even for the CHP. Seriously, what would Jon and Ponch say? More Cyclist killed in Esparto was experienced Foster City rider

Still in CA, a hit-and-run driver attempts murder when the victim catches back up to him. Driver charges at cyclist, carries him on hood and Caught On Camera: San Francisco Cyclist Ends Up On Windshield In Apparent Hit-And-Run So two hit-and-run incidents, one that might have only cost the driver a ticket for violating the 3-feet-to-pass law, and a second that might end up with assault charges.

Another AZ cyclist hit from behind in the bike lane. Bicyclist killed in northwest Tucson collision I have lost count of the number of cyclists hit from behind in the bike lanes of AZ this year, but it seems to be too common even if there were only two. The danger zone in this wreck was the mixing zone before the turn lane. The driver failed to yield to the vehicle in front (the cyclist) and killed the cyclist as a result. I know what will stop wrecks like this, but I don’t know how well it would fly in the current legislative climate. When you hit a cyclist you lose your car, 90 days if there was no or non-serious levels of injury, a year for transport to hospital wrecks, and forever if the cyclist dies from injuries or in case of hit-and-run.

Not a bicycle wreck, but indicative of what you could expect as a cyclist if you get hit. NYPD: “No Criminality” as Cab Driver Runs Over Kids on Bronx Sidewalk and TLC: Driver Who Hit Children on Bronx Sidewalk Works for Uber [Updated] The car went completely across the sidewalk and bounced off the building that a commenter stated was 20-25 feet away from the curb, and in the video I thought I saw the left front wheel pointed towards the camera which means the suspension was broken when it hit the curb. I estimate the vehicle speed at 40-50 MPH. But the NYPD doesn’t suspect any criminality for driving 40-50 MPH on the sidewalk full of kids… TANJ!

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Cedillo condemns calls for safer streets, Coronado madness round 3, and more bighearted people Cedillo needs to be charged as an accessory for all the people killed and maimed since he stopped the North Figueroa project literally days before it was to begin for no apparent reason. I still say follow the money.

A restaurant named after the great Eddy Merckx. The Cannibal, a restaurant and butcher shop coming to Culver City, with bike valet Free beer when you wear your bike kit into the establishment.

A CT cyclist gets injured and he’s the guy responsible for getting other people to live more healthy. Norwalk Director of Public Health injured in bicycle accident over weekend This sounds like a buzz job to me. Or maybe a “punishment pass” for daring to ride in the street.

There are good people in this world. Woman injured riding bike wants to thank stranger who helped her Fortunately they filled the pothole but unfortunately not until after her wreck.

Another buzz job in NC kills another NC cyclist. Cyclist dies in road accident Another driver driving too fast to stop in the distance he could see clearly blames the victim for not wearing a glow-in-the-dark clown suit with body armor.

If you are going to carry cocaine on your person, know that you don’t have to submit to a search until after you get arrested, and put some lights on your bike. Bicycle stop leads to cocaine arrest “The pill bottle contained 0.2 grams of powder cocaine” or not enough to get a chihuahua high, much less an adult human being.

Another Wounded Warrior ride north of WoaB. Injured Service Members Ride toward Recovery in Oklahoma’s Capital City If you’re in the area give these guys a cheer when they ride by.

A wreck in Oz involving two cyclists and a car and they can’t figure out who was where and which way they were going. Cyclists injured in Monaro Highway crash How crazy is that?

Also in Oz they have another wreck they are trying to decipher. Police appeal for witnesses after cyclist injured – Dora Creek

Last link, I’m sure you are the kind of person who always makes sure the quick releases on your bike are done up tight, but you brother-in-law hasn’t checked his since Clinton was in office so he might want to check this out. Thirteen bike companies recall models over disc brake/QR concern This is the same QR as the Trek recall only on other manufacturer’s bikes.

And I’m out of links again for the day. Grocery day tomorrow.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

It took a while but I got my neck rubbed, and the Feed

I got up early this morning to go to my massage appointment a few miles west of Casa de El Poeta, about an hour by bus. I could get there faster if I could ride my bike there, but if I could ride my bike there I wouldn’t need to go. Anywho, I get there and the office is locked and nobody is answering the phone. a few minutes later the other therapist gets there and says my therapist isn’t in (duh!) and she’s booked solid for the whole day, and BTW the price of the hour session I have been getting has gone from $60 to $100, no haggling. I barely have the budget to pay for the original price, the 67% increase is just not gonna work. The place where I get my toes done has a neck and shoulder massage for $30, but it ignores most of my muscles to concentrate on “Arthur, Arthur Dent” and supporting muscles. It is leaps and bounds better than nothing, but about the same distance away from the benefits of a full massage. I will have to see if I can get massage at a better location/price before next week.

Up first because of proximity and number of links initially during filtering is this wreck. SANTA FE POLICE RECOVER PICKUP BELIEVED TO HAVE FATALLY STRUCK TEEN ON BICYCLE That link was completely different when I was doing the filtering, and another link from the same source turned into this link after filtering. Teen bike rider struck, killed by hit-and-run driver Two things to note here: First is even though this was late at night LEO are not making an issue about the cyclist’s visibility, or helmet, second is there was a witness that reported the driver left the road to hit the cyclist before driving off. This was not a wreck that a cyclist could avoid, in fact the victim in this wreck had done everything in his power to not be in the wreck, other than not being there. And as he was returning from his girlfriend’s home to his there wasn’t anything he could have done to “not be there”.

More on another possible case of “affluenza” in AK. Anchorage teen who hit, killed cyclist in court Friday and Sentencing for killer of bicyclist begins in Anchorage This was the princess who “celebrated” getting out of drug rehab by throwing a party with alcohol, pot, “molly”, and cocaine. She was still drunk and high according to toxicology results of a blood draw taken almost 3 hours after the 1000 wreck.

Another link to that brutal hit-and-run a few hours west of WoaB World HQ in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell. Bicyclist killed by hit-and-run driver in Haltom City Again, the bike in this wreck was so mangled by the driver driving away with it trapped under her vehicle that I can’t determine any useful information from it.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Reflections on crappy cyclist, sailor charged in fatal hit-and-run, and more Mobility madness

Another nighttime hit-and-run where cyclist visibility was not mentioned. Bicyclist killed in Phoenix hit-run crash In fact about the only thing known for sure in this wreck was the driver left the scene and left enough bits and pieces around that they were able to find the weapon vehicle in short order.

Another Upstate NY cyclist is killed. Cyclist Killed In Accident Identified and Update: No Charges in Hammond Bike Death Given the narrative I’m shocked! (not shocked) that there were no charges in this wreck. It’s as if nobody in this burg had ever heard about the oldest traffic law on the books, not to drive any faster than you could stop in the distance you could see clearly.

Update on the psychopath who has been assaulting Mpls cyclists with thrown objects, usually chunks of concrete, thrown from either a Ford Bronco or a short-bed pickup truck with a bed capper and one rear window replaced with plywood. Police reveal new clues in hunt for driver hitting Mpls. bicyclists with concrete and as People magazine discovers the story Spree of Attacks on Bicyclists in Minneapolis

Hey they caught the guy that killed the kid in NJ. Arrest Made in Hit-Run That Killed Teen Riding Bicycle in New Jersey It is no surprise that the killer did not have a valid license when he left the scene. Maybe this time they will take his vehicle instead of the license that he does not have.

I’m not the only one to notice that SFPD has different standards for people on bicycles and people in cars. The SFPD’s campaign against biking There have been 2 deaths caused by cyclists hitting pedestrians this century (or in the records of the SFPD going back to the big quake), but obviously the problem is bikes, not cars.

Just weeks before the World Cycling Championships, motor vehicle mayhem in Richmond VA. Cyclist injured after being hit by oncoming car The only witness never mentions seeing a weapon vehicle just the aftermath, so I’m going to say this was probably a hit-and-run, and since the bike was hit from the side at the back of the bike I’m thinking the driver of the weapon vehicle failed to obey a traffic control or they would have stayed at the scene.

Just because an idiot driver almost kills you and then jumps out of the weapon vehicle to make it personal doesn’t mean you should keep hitting him until he stops trying to hit back. Corte Madera man sues cyclist over road-rage beating in Mill Valley It gets even better, the driver of the truck that hit the cyclist was drinking the day he hit the cyclist.

Well, at least this GA cyclist gets a little compensation for her pain and disfigurement. Injured Athens cyclist lawsuit settled for $850,000 I wonder what my lawsuit would be worth, had they ever caught the driver tht almost killed me?

There may be some infrastructure changes coming for Beantown. After Fatal Bike Crash, One Expert On How To Make Boston Safer For Cyclists and Plans Underway to Revamp Boston’s Seaport Traffic If I make a small suggestion, severely restrict semis with long trailers, they seem to be over-represented in the death statistics. I would go with the bicycle outriders mentioned in earlier posts about the cyclist hit by the deadheading semi towing the flatbed trailer as the best compromise over an outright ban. Also this would lead to higher employment for people who can ride a bike fast.

While we are discussing infrastructure, here’s a shitty “deal” offered Portland by ODOT. State’s proposal to improve bike crossings of Powell: Remove bike lane from 26th

And thanks to helicopter parents the child death rate on bicycles has gone down. Report: Bicyclist Death Rates Fell for Kids, Rose for Men

Drivers in West Canuckistan forget they are supposed to be “nice” Canadians. Cyclist hit on Lower Springbank Road shows clashes are continuing with drivers Combine this with the several earlier reports of deliberate assault with motor vehicles, and things look grim.

Things are getting nasty over on the Emerald Isle, too. Experts warn 100 people could be killed on our roads before end of year If that seems like a rather low number remember that Ireland is about 3/5 the size of Arkansas (32,595 sq mi compared to 53,179 sq mi) and 100 deaths would be … not very much for Arkansas .

Are cyclists treated differently by the courts in Oz? Canberra cyclist appeals against order to pay fellow rider $1.7 million for crash Let me get this straight, a cyclist hits some road trash and wrecks out and takes a second cyclist with him and the second cyclist is hit by a car, and the first cyclist is out $1.7 MILLION?!? How much did the driver of the car have to pay?

An art installation/bicycle repair station honors a fallen CO cyclist. Duggan: Trail-side sculpture honors man gone too soon

And I’m outta links finally. Sleep now, Opus tired at 0346

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Unkillable Badass Poet

Full Moon, and the Feed

I’m going to go to the Full Moon service at church tonight between filtering and posting, because it’s the Blue moon and because that is just something we do, celebrate the Full Moon. And before I do that I was invited to a D&D session, so this will probably go up very late. Back from the Moon, not a good service as the group that had been doing the services for the church removed the event from the Google calendar for the church but didn’t tell anyone about it, and nobody has been replying to texts or phone calls. The people who showed up did a quick and dirty blessing of the moon and went home. At least we had a good time at the D&D game.

Up first is Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: The Feds look at road diets, including three LA area case studies, though LADOT’s stats falls flat This link shows the importance of gathering good before and after data when doing a bike project. This kind of data is readily available going back decades for motor vehicles, almost nonexistent for bicycles.

The Big Story for today is the charity cyclist killed by a drunk texting driver across the state line from WoaB World HQ. Man Bicycling Across America Killed In Oklahoma Wreck and Distracted Driving To Blame For Fatal Crash In Washita County also Cross-Country Cyclist Killed, Another Injured After Being Hit By Distracted Driver this, too Cyclist Killed After Helping Tulsa Habitat For Humanity last link Cell phone distraction to blame in death of charity cyclist Basically it boils down to this: driver not paying attention to the road and only enough right-of-way to pave two lanes, one in each direction, plus a few rolling hills and BANG! two cyclists are hit from behind on the only route through that area. They were on what was reported to be a low-traffic route but it only takes one distracted driver to make a low-traffic road a death trap.

This is why hit-and-run needs to be treated like attempted murder. Second teen cyclist hospitalized after Metairie crash involving cabdriver And this is why any wrecks not reported need to be treated as a hit-and-run. The driver did not render aid, he threw money at the kids and left the scene. One of the kids had a broken hip. That is not something you get up and walk away from a wreck with. Second kid had a brain injury that kept him from thinking clearly at the wreck and went untreated until his mother took him to the ER. The driver needs to be taken into an alley and whacked with a frame pump a few dozen times about the head and shoulders.

In CA what had been reported as a salmon cyclist earlier has been changed. Cyclist hit by car suffers serious head injury The updated link now says only that the wreck is being investigated. I was thinking that the damages to the car and bike did not look like the results of riding salmon. Apparently the witness report has been discounted as unreliable now.

Good news as the GA cyclist who almost died when a road-raging cager made multiple passes in order to finally hit him returns to work over a year later. Injured cyclist Greg Germani returns to the airwaves Yay!

Aftermath of a FL car wreck with a bicycle. One Lee County bike crash changes many lives forever This was the wreck that I posted should have been charged as attempted murder after the driver said “I should have hit them harder”. Amazingly it wasn’t even charged as assault with a deadly weapon.

Another deadly wreck in IA leaves us with few answers. Riceville woman on bicycle struck, killed by car and Female bicyclist killed in Mitchell County IA has a minimum clearance passing law, but it is seldom invoked when a cyclist is struck from behind.

Today’s winner of the “crap infrastructure” tag. Injured bicyclist files $13.5M claim against Pima County The speed limit on that stretch was way too high to use a right turn mixing lane, by about 10 MPH. That design is intended for mixing low-speed motor vehicle traffic up to about 30 or 35 MPH. In addition there is supposed to be a sign instructing drivers to yield to cyclists when crossing the bike lane. That particular intersection was designed so that motor vehicles making a right turn did not have to slow below 20 MPH when making a protected right turn.

The PGH works to become more bike-friendly. More bike lanes coming to Oakland streets I just hope those bike lanes don’t turn into sharrows. Sharrows are the abstinence-only sex ed of bicycle infrastructure, you’re spending money and seem to be making the effort, but in reality you are not doing anything.

A Ghost Bike in MS. Ghost Bike Memorial Honors Pascagoula Cyclist

Another reminder that MI cyclists have to follow the same rules as motor vehicles, except when they don’t and have to pull off the road. Rules of the road

More on a wreck in the Great White North. Driver Charged After Cyclist Seriously Injured In Huron County Crash and Charges laid after cyclist injured If those are not the same wreck then it is an incredible coincidence that two women on triathlon bikes were hit by drivers failing to move over to pass.

And a little infrastructure news from the Great White North. Market St. Bicycle Corridor to provide an east-west trail linkl This is supposed to connect two bike paths/lanes that had hitherto been marooned amid hostile automobile-centric infrastructure.

Should bicycle infrastructure make cyclists less likely to get hit? Cycling fatality suggests safety be re-examined I say not just yes, but “Hell, yes!”

Also from the Great White North comes this review of a documentary. Bikes vs Cars: Documentary cycles through the motions without a theme When you try to be “too fair” to cars, you end up with a film that doesn’t really say anything about the problem of too many cars.

There isn’t any bias against cyclists in the UK legal system /s. Cyclist fined for leaving toddler with cuts and bruises after he hit her and rode off Compare this wreck where a cyclist hits a child and causes minor abrasions (admittedly painful but not life-threatening) to the cyclist killed by a driver failing to see him as he drove into the bike lane and hit the cyclist from behind. Cyclist hit the child in May and the trial was completed by the end of July, less than 3 months after the wreck. Driver hit the cyclist in 2013 and brought to trial in 2015, almost two years after the wreck. Cyclist was fined £829. Driver got 100 hours of community service for killing a cyclist, and 3 points on his license.

So, basically they will be ignored completely then? Tessa Jowell promises police ‘will enforce London’s 20mph zones like 30mph ones’

Yep that helmet really protected him… NOT. Injured cyclist: ‘My arm landed about 20ft away from me’ OK helmet in two pieces means the helmet failed to function in the job of protecting the rider’s head, and the severed arm? Yeah, it did about the same job there. And yes I’m being extra snarky tonight because my butt hurts from this chair, and I’m tired.

Some people get the message. Minister backs campaign to protect cyclists on Manx roads

And If I understand this article, the Bafang factory team won a 24 hour e-assist bike race. TEAM BAFANG WINS AT THE 24 HOUR E-BIKE RACE AT THE NURBURGRING IN GERMANY There is some stuff in this that screams “machine translated”. Like every paragraph.

And that’s it, I’m all done.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet