That was a waste of time, and the Feed

Mrs. the Poet called for a plumber to come fix the kitchen sink today, and nobody showed up. So it is fortunate that I didn’t get to the bank to get money for the plumber. Tomorrow I’m going to get my hair cut and buy more bits to build rails for the church stairs, after visiting the bank and post office.

Up first is Our Daily Ted part the first. Morning Links: A moving look at Dave Mirra and the need to succeed, and bike racers get blown and disinvited

And also part the second. Describe Your Ride: Nearly run down by a speeding driver — with a twist

Two links of very good news from ABQ. Teen cyclist wakes from coma and Teen cyclist injured in distracted driving crash out of ICU Very glad to read that the cyclist is recovering.

More on the OH wreck where an impaired driver killed a cyclist with her car. Prosecutor: Crash that killed cyclist ‘absolutely senseless’ The prosecutor in this seems willing to throw the entire law library at the driver.

First link from KS today. Bicyclist injured in hit and run Again, I H8 hit-and-run drivers.

And another link from KS and another hit-and-run. Man injured in hit-and-run accident looking for answers The cyclist was hit from behind, but investigators were unable to tell the debris from the wreck from the junk already at the scene.

The home of the world’s largest bicycle party proposes a common-sense change to bicycle law. ACTION ALERT: Change Lanes To Pass Bicycles Filed in Iowa Senate That’s right, they want to make passing a bicycle just like passing a car or any other motor vehicle, by changing lanes to pass.

Speaking of changing legal infrastructure. Lawmakers hear testimony on bill that would fill driving’s “negligence gap” This proposed law would bridge the gap left between the Vulnerable User Law for cyclists killed by drivers and a traffic ticket when a cyclist is severely injured but not killed.

More infrastructure from America’s Copenhagen. City installs new high-tech counter on Eastbank Esplanade path This is a data collecting instrument, and data is good.

And this is one reason why that data is necessary. Got polluted air? A good biking network helps, PSU study says

A complex article about infrastructure and driver behavior from an ex-pat Scot in NYC. Christmas Eve harassment, a sociopath in Greenwich Village – and how design can cut out honking

This story shows how important it is to get checked out by medical professionals after a wreck. Elderly cyclist dies one week after Richmond Hill collision The cyclist died from internal injuries a week after the wreck.

Scheduling issues affect infrastructure in Jolly Olde. Cambridge station bike park plan triggers fresh backlash from cyclists The switchover from the temp parking to the permanent parking was scheduled during a period when many cyclists would be out of town and wanting to leave their bikes parked at the station.

Still in Jolly Olde, a closed bike shop is becoming a bike-themed pub. ‘The Old Bicycle Shop’ set to become Cambridge’s latest pub

E-assist bikes have been around a very long time. Video shows hidden motor in 1970s steel racing bike

I must admit I sometimes have this fantasy myself. No VWs for this gang: Bicycling arsonists in Berlin target Mercedes, BMWs and Porsches

LEO issue hundreds of tickets to cyclists without helmets in Oz. South Australian police fine more than 300 cyclists in safety blitz

And I’m outta links, go ride a bike!

Billed @€0.02, Opus

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My lump has a name now, and the Feed

I got a suggestion in the e-mail for a name for my lump, which I have been comparing to a GOP presidential candidate. The suggested moniker is “Chris Christie”. Whaddya think? Now as to why there was no post yesterday I just could not muster up anything to say. I wanted to write, but just could not come up with anything I wanted to share. Sorry if I disappointed anyone.

And before I forget, I hope you had a happy Star Wars Day (May the 4^th).

Up first is Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Photographic proof of bikes in Hollywood, ride LA with Phil Gaimon, and transvestites on bikes

The Big Story today is someone has been disrupting travel on Oz by putting tacks in the bike lane. Stop the tacks: Kew Boulevard cyclists say enough is enough and Angry cyclists fed up with tack attack on Yarra Boulevard Why has this not been treated as a terrorist’s attack on infrastructure? And the culprit(s) have been busy, re-tacking the route between the 11PM sweeping and the start of the protest ride against the tacks. The expense of all those tacks means that if there is a single suspect he probably has access to a lot of money, or he lives very simply to afford the endless mounds of tacks he spreads on the streets. And why call a blowout an “explosive decompression”?

It’s hard to believe that it has already been a year since a bicycle tourist was stabbed to death in a random attack. Festival honors cyclist killed on ride to Florida last year and Festival honors cyclist killed on ride to Florida last year Same headline from two different stories. Apparently the killer was off his meds or something because there was just no provocation for the attack, he just walked up to the victim while he was talking on a cell phone and stabbed him.

Another Southern killer of cyclists faces court in AL. Parker pleads not guilty in criminally neglect homicide case He hit 3 cyclists, if it wasn’t “criminal neglect” it was on purpose and he was undercharged. If this case was in TX he would have been charged with Felony DUI and since there was a death the prosecutor could seek the death penalty.

Riding season starts in Upstate NY after a very bad winter for the roads. Potholes or not, Rockland bicycle season hits high gear This sounds like fun.

Getting the word out on NYC’s pedestrian right of way law. Families For Safe Streets Demands Accountability From Bus Drivers Look before you turn.

Trying to get NYC drivers to slow down is a never-ending struggle. Jarring New Vision Zero Ad Tries To Make Drivers Less Sociopathic

Sometimes it feels like a war out there, and I’m not the only one who noticed. Bikes vs Cars: why it’s war between cyclists and drivers on city streets They have: light armored vehicles that would be classified as WMD if they were deployed against soldiers in wartime. We have: cameras and styrofoam hats. I don’t like this war…

Lifestyle in MI. ‘Ghost bike’ removed by city, replaced by activists

Lifestyle in IN. Mayor’s Ride kicks off National Bike Month events

More lifestyle this time from NE. Blood Drive Honors Former Millard Educator Killed While Biking Put some of that good cyclist’s blood in circulation.

There is something I want to say very badly about this link, but I will take the high road and not do it. President Bush’s 2015 W100K bike ride: Healing the invisible wounds of war

And those were all the links I had to share today…

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet.

Got my toes done, and the Feed

I think most of you are aware that between the ravages of age and the damages I suffered in the wreck I can’t cut my toenails on the last two toes of my left foot. That means I have to get someone else to do it for me, and the easiest way to do that is to go to my local nail spa and get a pedicure. They have gotten used to me there and sometimes just for giggles I get the whole enchilada and let them paint my toenails. Today I left part of the figurative enchilada on the figurative plate, and came home without any polish on my toes. To give an idea of how ingrained in my psyche not spending money until there is no alternative is, my shoes fit sorta loose now…

There is a new conspiracy theory out there. Did Bono Really Crash A Bike In Central Park? The crux of the argument is CP on a Sunday is a pretty crowded place, and just about everybody in NYC has a phone with a camera on it, yet there is zilch about the wreck from witnesses on any of the social media, or even “Is this Bono?” pictures on Twitter or FB. Given the number of pictures and video posted of Michael Brown getting killed, someone who wasn’t even on the radar until after he was killed, the fact that a celebrity like Bono can get that kind of damages without any pictures of someone trying to help, or even of the ambulance taking him away seems rather odd. I just did an image search and there is nothing of Bono in Central Park in the last 6 months. The only images I could find were of the free concert U2 did in CP a while back, and the tree that killed Sonny Bono while he was skiing many years ago. To quote Alice, “Curiouser and curiouser.” I left a post in a Facebook group devoted to bicycles and bike commuting asking if anyone had any pictures or knew where any pictures of the scene were posted, so I’ll keep y’all posted if I hear anything.

The war of the lumens continues. Try these bright ideas for biking at night. I still think the best thing for making cyclists visible to drivers would be a law requiring all motor vehicles used in a wreck with a pedestrian or cyclist to be crushed and shredded in front of the driver or on national TV if the victim dies, or in other words, hit a pedestrian or cyclist, lose your car. You still have to pay for it, but it will no longer physically exist to be repossessed. That would mean that you would have to pay off the balance immediately… de facto huge fine for hitting a vulnerable road user, payable to the finance company.

More about a friend of the blog who was killed (and even though I know his name and had several conversations about bicycle safety with him I still don’t want to post his name in a link description. Don’t ask why, I can’t put it into words.) Cedar Mill bicyclist killed in crash was known for his graciousness and bike safety advocacy There would be little that could be done further to increase a cyclist’s visibility that the victim had not already done, including lights and dozens of square feet of HiViz fabric covering the bike and rider. Best comment:k7
According to same logic as posted here, the stripes on the road are too low to be effective so they need to be elevated immediately so they can be seen. More Kirke Johnson’s BikePortland comments are chilling and inspiring

Former Congresscritter and current poster child for the gun control movement Gabriel Giffords rides a recumbent trike in public. Gabby Giffords completes 11-mile bike ride That is about the same distance I rode on my first public ride after my wreck…

A FL cyclist died and fell over or the other way around, but wasn’t hit by any vehicle. Medical event killed bicyclist, not traffic crash Yes, it does happen, rarely.

AZ cyclists are trying to find an infrastructure solution to an infrastructure problem. Cyclists unite after death on Pecos Road

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: San Diego cyclists get blamed for collisions, and accused Eagleson killer enters not guilty plea

That San Diego link showed in my Feed as well. Cyclists faulted most in bike-car crashes

A rider searches for the good Samaritan who helped him after a wreck. Injured rider finally tracks down helper

A bit of common sense from Oz. Time to stop the war on the roads, says injured cyclist In the War on Cars, cars are winning by a huge body count.

A modern take on Frogger with more realistic scenarios. CrossyRoad

A little assist on your way? Electric Bikes, On A Roll In Europe, Start To Climb In U.S.

And those were all the links I could find today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the unkillable badass Poet

Asymmetric warfare and bicycle commuting, and the Feed

You might be asking what does asymmetric warfare have to do with bicycle commuting. You might also be asking what the bloody blue blazes is asymmetric warfare? Well, in one of my previous careers I did military things, and asymmetric warfare is using a small, quick reacting unit against a much larger and more heavily armed unit on the tactical level, or on the strategic level it is a conflict between two groups with one group that has much better arms and larger forces than the other. Recent US examples of asymmetric warfare are the Vietnam conflict, the Panama conflict, and Iraq I and II, and Afghanistan. Vietnam was our first long-term experience with asymmetric warfare, and the results were rather unspectacular for the US as Charlie basically kicked our butts. So what does this have to do with bicycles? Well, in traffic with cars and trucks bicycles are like bringing a BB gun to a tank battle, so to survive we must employ the tactics of asymmetric warfare. The first rule of asymmetric warfare is to never engage the enemy on his terms, or in other words no direct contact. As cyclists this means not mixing with cars, because people in cars want to kill us. There aren’t very many of them who do, but it only takes a few to destroy cycling in a community. This means that segregated infrastructure is required to protect cyclists from homicidal drivers. The second rule of asymmetric warfare is that control of the narrative is imperative to survival, you have to make the backers of the superior force feel bad about their war. For cycling this means we have to wrest control of the media from car companies and oil cartels, not an easy task, or divert public attention from media controlled by them to media that is friendly to us if not controlled by us, also not an easy task but possible. The third rule of asymmetric warfare is to find where the enemy is weakest and concentrate on that until he falls or protecting that exposes another weak point. Right now the weak point of car culture is it kills the participants by the thousands in the US, of the 33000 people that died as a result of motor vehicle wrecks only about 5000 were not using a motor vehicle in some way, also Americans are dying of diseases related to our car culture in the millions per year, either from pollution from the vehicles or creating the fuels for the vehicles, or from diseases related to a sedentary lifestyle. The leading cause of death for those under 35 is the motor vehicle wreck, for those over 40 it is diseases related to a sedentary lifestyle and pollution. If the motor vehicle was recognized as a disease there would be telethons to raise money for a cure. Instead we spend an average of 25% of household income on buying, caring for and feeding our cars, and then throwing them away after an average lifespan of 10 years. If one was to use some other way to get around and invest the difference the average person would have $2M by 60 even at current rates of return on savings, I will return to this theme at a later date.

Up first is an update on a hit-and-run in FL from last year. Mom seeks justice for son killed in hit and run Now after a head on wreck, wouldn’t you consider that this might have been on purpose, especially after a hit-and-run? So shouldn’t this be a murder investigation? Just another data point to prove that if you want to kill someone at random and get away with it in the US just run over someone on a bicycle, particularly in FL. Even when you commit a second crime and leave the scene unless you left a ton of debris or a license plate, even if they identify the vehicle you’re still highly unlikely to face arrest, much less prosecution.

More on the cyclist hit-from-behind in FL on his way home from work. Friends Raising Money for Bike Accident Victim Still nothing on the status of the first driver that hit the cyclist, rumors of intoxication notwithstanding.

Moving up the Right Coast a bit, a cyclist ends up next to a partially consumed can of beer after a wreck so is assumed to have been drinking. Man critically injured in bicycle accident I don’t think anyone made the connection about how unlikely it would be for a partial can of beer to remain in close proximity to a cyclist after a wreck as violent as the one described in the article…

North of the first article but south of the third, what may be a case of assault with a deadly in NC. Avery County cycling incident: Car swerved to hit cyclist, says coach Yeah a car crossing the yellow stripe to hit you head on (even a grazing head on) sounds like assault to me.

And a hit-from-behind wreck just across the river from my former duty station. Man dies, wife injured in wreck on Banks Mill The victims were signalling a left turn when they were hit-from-behind by a car whose driver was too impatient to wait until the turn was completed to continue their journey. There was nothing the cyclist could have done in this case to avoid this wreck, it was more than entirely the responsibility of the driver of the weapon vehicle. More Couple Riding Tandem Bike Struck; Husband Killed another link Aiken man, 68, dies after vehicle strikes tandem bike Another one Aiken Man Dies After Being Struck By Vehicle While Riding Bicycle last link Couple riding tandem bike hit by car, man dies

On the Left Coast a cyclist gets left crossed and seriously injured. Bicyclist injured after being struck by truck in North Park Intersection protocols might have helped if there was time for the cyclist to react to the left cross. More Bicyclist injured in North Park crash

Moving up to OR, a cyclist fails to stop at a red light and has a painful encounter with a semi. Bicyclist hit by semi-truck in North Portland Intersection protocols, the most basic of which is to obey traffic controls. While I feel compassion for this man as a fellow cyclist, he was riding with a companion who managed to stop for the red light, he should have also.

The cyclist hit by a drunk driver in front of LEO investigating a previous wreck caused by the driver is still alive, so far. Cyclist remains in critical condition This was the driver that was charged with 7 criminal offenses last week that won’t have a chance to make bail until Thursday at the earliest.

Infrastructure! news from the UK. MP calls for all new bicycles to be fitted with lights [UPDATED]

A DC cyclist and journalist condenses what I have been saying all these years in WoaB wherever I have been posting it. Assumptions, Part 1: The Dangerous Kind This article is kind of a generalized statement about what I have been saying for individual wrecks, but with less advice. Does that make any sense?

That’s all the news that gives me fits today, I’m going to find a nice brick wall to pound my head against now and make it feel all better 😛

Billed @$0.02, Opus