What bicycle infrastructure is like, an analogy

I have been seeing an uptick in cars parked in bike lanes in social media. So I’m going to construct an analogy that puts cars and car users in the same kind of peril as bicycles and cyclists.

Imagine that people are allowed to own howitzers, really big howitzers, and somehow getting things done required shooting your howitzer in random directions and at all hours. Now imagine that getting things done also required driving around pretty much like we do today, except with random artillery shells impacting everywhere, but not the exploding kind. This analogy is horrific enough without shrapnel in the equation. So, you’re trying to go about your daily business except there are large metal objects moving at high speed everywhere and every so often somebody gets hit and either killed or seriously injured. This is the situation cyclists face now without separated infrastructure.

OK now let’s say someone says that this is not a sustainable situation with people getting hit with artillery all the time, and too many people are getting killed. So they set up areas that are artillery-free zones so that people can do their thing without getting hit by cannon fire but there isn’t much separation from falling cannon rounds and it’s highly dependent on the good aim of the people shooting the cannons to not land rounds where the people are. And there really isn’t much room in the zones so that it’s pretty much single file between free-fire ranges, until someone decides they need to put their howitzer in the no-fire zone, completely blocking it and forcing people into the free-fire zone right next to it. And blaming the people leaving the no-fire zone for getting hit in the free-fire zone, because howitzers rule, SUVs drool, and if you get hit it must be your fault somehow. And even when there is a place to put your howitzer a few feet away from the no-fire zone, because for some reason you want/think you need to put your howitzer there in the no-fire zone. This is the equivalent of parking in a bike lane.

Let me put this in a separate paragraph, parking in a bike lane is like forcing people in cars to drive in a free-fire artillery range because it’s more convenient for them. And the person doing it is such a sociopath and narcissist that they don’t care they are forcing you to risk your life for their convenience.

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Well it is pretty outside now, and the Feed

It is about the same temperature today as it was Monday, but with the sun out it’s much more pleasant than then or especially yesterday with the rain. I’m still working on mocking up the Mini Sprint-T by installing the headers from the engine kit to the engine and reinstalling the engine to the body with the temp glue that will peel off from the plastic when it comes time to build the permanent parts and install them. The “weed burner” exhaust from the engine kit looks like it was made to use on the T Bucket body, which it might have. They are both from the same model kit company and there was lots of customization potential in the kit I got the bucket from.

Up first is a hit-from-behind wreck outside Houston. CYCLIST FATALLY STRUCK BY CAR IN NORTHEAST HARRIS COUNTY I couldn’t see if the bike had lights or reflectors, and the article and video did not mention them either which usually means the bike was legally lighted. What is far more likely is that the driver was not paying attention, and/or driving too fast for conditions. My take after looking at the weapon vehicle is too fast for conditions.

Now, Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Cyclist nearly rammed by Laguna Cyn driver; man buys bike with bad traveler’s checks in OC

Update on a KC MO wreck. Man charged with hit-and-run accident that left Shawnee cyclist in critical condition My take is the driver’s priors are not pertinent to if he hit and ran. They are pertinent to if he’s a nice person or not.

Successful advocacy in America’s Copenhagen. Wonk Nights work! 30 months later, city kicks off bike parking reform It only took 2½ years to get that far. That doesn’t bode well for doing this in locations that are less hospitable politically to cycling.

Even in Portland you find some anti-cyclist Trotskyites. Bikes should rank beneath mass transit in city hierarchy, says Commissioner Fritz “Not everyone can drive. So let’s stop prioritizing driving.” Adam H. Indeed looking at the chart in the article the bike budget is about 1% that of the motor vehicle budget, less if you count transit spending as “public motor vehicles”.

What can only be called a minor annoyance for Portland cyclists. Why does Multnomah County allow auto parking on the Morrison Bridge bike path? The bridge operator parks his car there because it was constantly getting broken into when he parked off the bridge..

Meanwhile in NYC, they get street equipment left in the lane(s) for weeks completely blocking the lane(s) in both directions. NYPD Light Tower Has Been Blocking Brooklyn Bike Lane For Weeks Because Where Else Could It Possibly Go? I have been seeing the picture of the fire engine blocking the street and the light tower in the bike lane for weeks now, but the fire engine is long gone and so should the light tower.

More infrastructure news from WI. Bublr Bikes Network Proposed to Grow in 2016

And legal infrastructure news from IA. Proposed bicycle safety law much needed, North Iowa cyclists say I would be pushing my state rep for something like this except this is the election year for reps, and the lege meets on the other year. So here in TX you find out who’s going to represent you about 4 months before the legislative session, they meet with almost no public votes taken, and then you decide to keep them or not based on what they decide to tell you about what they did… Damned hard to get a bill like this through the session when you have no chance of voting the people who vote against your interests out.

Last US story is an update on a CO hit-and-run. Cyclist struck in hit-and-run north of Boulder remains in critical condition I kept saying there was more damage to the weapon vehicle than just a missing mirror, and now the LEO report backs me up on that.

First link from Jolly Olde, a driver lies after killing a cyclist. Woman hit and killed cyclist – then told police her car had been stolen I’m shocked that the driver would try to pretend she didn’t kill a cyclist.

And this guy. ‘Sorry’ driver who knocked down OAP left him in the road with another driver as he was running late Here in TX we have another definition for someone who is “sorry”. The alternative definition is someone deficient in character. I think this applies to someone who would leave a person to die in the street to avoid being late to pick up his wife from work.

American perspective on the legal changes in Oz. Australian Bicycling Advocates Worried About Tough New Laws

This was a different kind of bike, but this $&*^ is going on all over Oz. Boy injured after riding bike into wire stretched across road I keep saying this is an act of domestic terrorism when it happens to pedalcyclists, it is just as much so when the victim is riding a motorcycle.

Another kid on a bike hit in Oz. Teen cyclist seriously injured after being hit outside Melbourne school The kid didn’t even get off the block before he got hit by with a car.

And I’m out of links again. See you later.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

It’s nice to have money on Grocery Day, and the Feed

Well all the checks cleared this week, so we had basically an unlimited budget for grocery day today. I finally have a full week worth of yogurt, enough for both me and the cats, and there was a 12 pack of Shiner in the cart as well. That will probably last until mid-March as much as I drink. We splurged on the mid-priced frozen pizza, on sale for about $2.50/pizza before we redeemed a coupon that took $0.33⅓ off each one. Some habits are hard to break, we bought the $1.99/gal milk instead of the $5.99/gal. The strategic ramen reserves are topped off, and the $0.79 instant meals are likewise at reserve levels. Those make a great light lunch or dinner when it’s just me or Mrs. the Poet and we don’t feel like heating the kitchen to make something more substantial. The spicy shrimp cup meal will probably be just for me. We spent roughly $125 on groceries that overflowed the trunk of my son’s car and into the back seat. Seriously we couldn’t get the lid closed and had to put some next to Mrs. the Poet in the back seat to get it all home.

Up first is this Big Story from Jolly Olde as in spite of multiple videos from the cyclist, LEO are unable to prosecute a hit-and-run driver. ‘Brutal’ cyclist hit-and-run captured on video – but police say there is still not enough evidence to prosecute and Shocking moment hit-and-run driver rams into the back of a cyclist and leaves him unconscious in the road before fleeing this too Police rule there is ‘not enough evidence’ to prosecute hit-and-run driver caught on camera (video) Simple really, bring them both in and tell them one will get charged and convicted of attempted murder for the hit-and-run, one will get the same amount of prison for obstructing justice for failing to identify who was driving at the time of the wreck but gets to keep his/her license, and give them 15 seconds to work it out. If nobody gives up the driver they both lose their licenses for life and go to prison. Now here in the great PX, Home Of The Free, all we would need to do is just have the NSA turn over their location via the constant GPS tracking of their phones to figure out who was there or not. Or just charge the people who rented the car out as accessories.

Next is Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Long Beach cyclist killed in Mt. Baldy hiking fall, and bike safety classes in Orange County

Also in L.A. CA. The Story Of The New York Citi Bike That Traveled To Los Angeles That was an Epic Ride, driving a 3 speed 45 pound tank more than 3000 miles. Who knew that the metal basket on the front of a Citi Bike could hold a useful amount of camping equipment?

Still in CA. Cyclist hit, dragged by alleged drunken driver near UC Berkeley yep, another link to the (attempted) murder of a cyclist. I’m sincerely hoping this stays at “attempted” and the cyclist survives to kick the driver in the face.

Infrastructure from America’s Copenhagen. PBOT wants to make W Burnside at 18th/19th safer for biking and walking So far nothing has been made public as to the plans.

More infrastructure, this time from NYC. Dangerous Stretch Of Sixth Avenue Will Finally Get A Protected Bike Lane Door zone bike lane swapped for a larger parking protected bike lane (and an army of parking monitors paid by the ticket to catch drivers encroaching the lane).

If you happen to be in Bermuda with your bike this weekend. Sign up for cycle charity event It looks like there is one ride that is a mix of on and off-road, and another that is a mix of single track and swamps.

Another link to that truck driver in the UK who killed a cyclist while driving a truck without a license trying to get his sentence reduced. Tipper truck driver who killed cyclist Alan Neve fails in appeal against sentence as I said before he should get at least double that if not triple, he should thank his lucky stars and shut up.

This at least has a better outcome in the end even if the cyclist died. Family hand over cheque to charity in memory of their son

Malta is one of the former UK colonies that has as bad cycle culture as the UK. Man fined for knocking down cyclist, magistrate calls for more road awareness Wow/s… €1000 fine and 8 days he can’t get caught driving…

I’m sure this is just coincidence, right? eBike World Championship set for same venue where hidden motor found There is a class for exactly the kind of bike that was found in the cyclocross championships.

And I’m out of links again, but I have Girl Scout cookies.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Back from a date with Mrs. the Poet, and the Feed

Mrs. the Poet and I took in a movie and dinner this afternoon and evening, so I got a late start to filtering the Feed. I finally saw “The Force Awakens”, then we went to a local burger place to get dinner. We got home just before 2200, and I got right to filtering and making the post.

Up first is Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Examining 2015 SoCal bicycling fatalities, and San Diego mountain bikes seized by Marines

The most deadliest state in the US to ride a bike kills another one and nobody can figure out how he died. Authorities investigate death of bicyclist struck on Copans Road When I filtered this link they were saying the cyclist might have been dead before he was hit by the car that stopped, and they don’t know why he was in the street.

Also from the most deadliest state. Father of killed cyclist in Fort Myers speaks about arrest “Longoria was charged with leaving the scene of a traffic crash involving death, vehicular homicide, arson, two counts of tampering with evidence, filing a false police report and driving on a suspended driver’s license.” Um, yeah, if this is the guy he needs to go away for a very long time, especially with the two counts of tampering with evidence…

Infrastructure news as CT prepares to waste more than 10% of their transportation budget adding a lane to one highway. Highway Boondoggles: Widening I-95 Across Connecticut To give an idea on the scale of this project I submit this quote: “$100 Billion would Build 100,000 miles of protected bike lanes in CT. Instead of adding a couple of lanes to I-95, the same money could create a dense network of protected bike lanes in Every city, town, and Hamlet Which could do more to reduce congestion than squandering billions on failure.” Alexander Vucelic

This “cyclist” was riding an e-scooter, but in the bike lane and at bike speeds, so this still applies to us. Man charged with ‘dooring’ cyclist The scooterist was thrown directly in front of a truck that had no time to avoid him. Since this province has a mandatory sidepath law and an anti-dooring law to protect cyclists stuck in the sidepath the usual advice to not ride in the door zone is not applicable. The only thing that can prevent wrecks like this given the legal infrastructure is charging and prosecuting and applying the maximum sentence to drivers or their passengers who open doors unsafely, particularly when the incident ends up with a dead cyclist.

A hit-and-run driver in Jolly Olde is “given strong words of advice“? Cyclist and child hit by a car – but elderly motorist drove off after accident on Cambridge bridge Am I going nuts or is everyone else?

Still in the UK. Cyclist tailgated by car – on London Cycle Superhighway Not by just one vehicle, look at the back and you can see the glare from the headlights of another vehicle tailgating the first. Insanity.

This is one traffic hazard that is not very common in the US. Cape Town cyclist in ICU after attack

Presented smugly 😀 A Study Finds Cyclists to Be Six Times Healthier than Other Commuters My commute increased by 150% recently as I moved my office from my bedroom to the room across the hall. It literally takes me minutes longer to get from my bed to my computer by way of the coffeepot.

And I’m both out of links and energy to type links into the post.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Now that bills are paid it’s Grocery Day, and the Feed

Yep, another day to spend money! We had a bunch of loyalty card savings and coupons that stacked with the loyalty card, so we ended up saving almost as much money as we spent. And we have an ample supply of candy for the kiddos this Halloween. And then for me 11/01 and later. 😀

Sad news from just up the road, the cyclist hit on a group ride in Allen back during the summer has died from his injuries. I don’t have a link, just a PM on FB from a relative who is aware of this blog. This link was the next ride he was to lead but couldn’t.

More news about the CA cyclist crushed by an errant shipping container. Long Beach Cyclist Dies in Freak Accident and Bicyclist crushed by falling shipping container was Long Beach resident As previously reported the container was loaded onto a flatbed instead of the trailer actually designed to haul shipping containers and was “secured” with cargo straps instead of getting mechanically attached to the trailer, because they were trying to break a drivers’ strike at the port.

Remember that time you found the remains of a dead cyclist half in the street and half on the sidewalk? ‘Disturbing’: Passerby recalls finding bicyclist killed in Ann Arbor hit and run Oh, that wasn’t you.[Emily Latella]Nevermind![/Emily Latella] More Police identify bicyclist killed by hit-and-run driver in Ann Arbor

Expensive justice is finally obtained in the death of a 3 YO crossing the street in NYC. Driver Who Killed 3-Year-Old Allison Liao Finally Admits Responsibility Allison would be entering kindergarten this year. The terms of this settlement are highly unusual, but as there is a video of the little girl walking with her grandmother in the crosswalk and the weapon vehicle just running right over the little girl while knocking the grandmother back on the behind, I think showing that to the jury would have head far worse results for the driver.

Still in NYC. Losing Your Fear Of Biking NYC: “Get Big” VC is not how to make cycling grow in mode share, VC is surviving the infrastructure we have to deal with now. Riding in NYC is mostly VC on steroids as drivers pretty much ignore the bike lanes except to park in them.

Not out of the city yet. In NYC, More Severe Injuries After Painted Bike Lanes Installed, Study Finds My take on the question: drivers in NYC are predominantly assholes who think any unoccupied spot of asphalt is “theirs” and flat out do not “see” cyclists as “occupying” that chunk of pavement.

From America’s Copenhagen in OR. Bike-friendliness and walk-friendliness are actually pretty different, study says My take: You can have bike-friendly, you can have walk-friendly, but the only way to get both is to make it not car friendly because you have to really slow down cars to mix all 3 modes in the same street.

Still in PDX, they are having similar problems as NYC, just not on the same scale because of fewer cars. People in Portland are driving cars where they don’t belong The lead picture is an SUV in the MUP of the Hawthorne bridge. There is a good 8-12 inch curb between the motor vehicle lane and the MUP. The people making the comments on the site think the front suspension is probably a jumble of twisted metal by now.

Still in OR they have discovered the joys of e-assist for going up hills. E-bike investment in Salem The secret is connecting the motor through the human gearing so the power stays pretty much the same even when hills make the going slower.

Time for Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: LA asks drivers to stay after they hit someone; suspect identified in North Fig hit-and-run

Some Letters to the Editor in CO. Cycling initiatives are beneficial to everyone

The ICBC keeps digging itself deeper and deeper. ICBC suggests cyclist at fault for colliding with allegedly impaired driver First rule of holes, when you find yourself unable to climb out STOP DIGGING DOWN! The ICBC does not appear to have heard of this rule.

More on the UK cyclist who injured a pedestrian and did not leave contact information. City police appeal after pedestrian seriously injured in collision with cyclist DON’T HIT THE PEDESTRIANS! If you do hit a pedestrian, don’t leave without making SURE that someone in charge (LEO or ambulance attendant) has your contact information. And don’t let them leave, either until that information has been exchanged.

A little infrastructure news from Scotland, where my elder daughter lives. Cycling accident map: Road incidents on the rise

The scourge is spreading to Switzerland. Road accidents: stay at the scene! Seriously, are we going to have to resort to doing to hit-and-run drivers what I have advocated for drunk drivers? Chain them to the steering wheel and run their car through a shredder?

Last link is perfect. Magic Hour Watch it in video form, it’s really good that way.

And I think I might be done.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Yay! food again and the Feed

Yep, time to buy groceries again. Still trying to figure out how to stop doing this “eating” thing so we don’t have to keep dipping into savings to pay bills. Eventually savings will run out. I may have to start taking the laptop to the library and using the free WiFi and drop cable, phone, and Internet at the house. That would be a drag, but workable as I seldom watch anything except racing, and not much of that lately. Mrs. the Poet would probably have a harder time of it than I would, but once she got over her Pat Sajak and Vanna White withdrawal she would live over it.

Up first is massive schadenfreude unrelated to bicycles or infrastructure. Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Taken Into Custody She can be held up to 30 days after the expiration of her term if she does not allow her staff to issue marriage licences. I’m reminded of a Fleetwood Mac lyric, the second verse to “Oh Well”. I will leave looking up that lyric to the reader as I have already devoted too much space to this waste of skin.

The first bike story isn’t all that big and seems to be the same report from two different outlets of the same media company. Cyclist hurt in Southborough crash Yep, exact same report, just a different URL. So, no second link.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Avoiding bike/car collisions, too much bike theft news, and new bike coffee shop in DTLA

More on the trio of cyclists hit by a distracted driver in AL. Cyclist urges everyone to share the road after recent death of fellow rider in Blount County Back channel says serious criminal charges are pending against the driver in that wreck, if they can get past the grand jury.

More on the VA pair hit at twilight with no lights on their bikes. Fairfax police identify man killed after he was hit while riding a bike Unfortunately LEO never enforce the Basic Speed Law.

Portland doesn’t know how lucky they have things. Lane blockage on SW Stark presents a different kind of bike commute ‘challenge’ Here in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell we don’t have people parking in bike lanes that aren’t there.

Bike wreck in MN. Montgomery Remembers 8-year-old Killed Following Sunday Bike Accident Single bike wreck that a helmet may have made non-fatal had the victim been wearing one.

Hit-from-behind in MI. Man killed after being struck on bicycle Nothing on anything about this wreck except they haven’t charged the operator of the weapon vehicle yet.

We can’t get the mayor out of his car here, but that’s a different story. Here’s what happened when Mayor Hales biked to work for the first time I seriously think that every elected local official should have to interact with all of the infrastructure they are responsible for using the mode that infrastructure was intended for and then a mode that it wasn’t intended for but that has to use that infrastructure anyway, like crossing a busy street without marked crosswalk, or riding an arterial street with no bike lanes.

Now we segue to NYC traffic idiocy. SUV Driver Runs Over 4-Year-Old Girl In Brooklyn, No Charges Filed “No criminality suspected.”

Another cyclist is killed just a few blocks and few days away from another high-profile fatal bike wreck. Bicyclist struck, killed in west Modesto Salmon cyclist hit by a blind driver, we are talking about wrong² in this wreck. Obviously don’t ride salmon and get out in the lane where you can be seen to avoid a similar wreck.

A little UK infrastructure news. Calls for London’s safer lorries scheme to be applied nationwide It is appalling that death machines are allowed such free rein on the streets of the UK.

Infrastructure news from Oz. The tab heading is better than the headline. Our cities need to future-proof infrastructure to cater for those using alternative forms of transport Cyclists are awesome and this is why we need bike paths

Maybe we don’t really need Google Car. Adjustments in Already Available Auto Technology Could Reduce Frequency of Auto Bike Collisions I have a slight quibble with people who start suggesting “adjustments” that are complete reworks of the code used to run the hardware and require major research and development to get the new code right. When the only similarities between the two systems are one sensor and the CPU.

I have been debating for at least 10 minutes which order these last two links should go. I tossed a coin. Brompton CEO Will Butler-Adams on why the future of the foldable bike is electric A folding bike would probably be a good option on this train when the racks are full. Rolling onto Amtrak’s Capitol Limited Note that this paragraph would be equally intelligible no matter which link was first.

And I’m done, and I want to lay down and let the kinks unwind.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Ghisallo! it was a hot day to be out walking, and the Feed

In case you are wondering, the Lady Ghisallo is my personal feminine deity, a pre-Roman mountain goddess whose worship survived mostly intact at least into the 8th Century in the mountains north of Rome, when a nobleman set upon by bandits retreated into one of Her temples and was granted sanctuary by the bandits, who respected Her temple. The noble was so impressed by the devotion shown by the bandits that he lobbied the Vatican to declare her a Madonna or a Pagan mother of Jesus. This was the same way that Bridget became St. Bridget in Ireland, couldn’t stomp her out so she was made a part of the church. She is a protector of travellers and the RC patroness of cyclists.

And the reason I was out wandering in this heat was I had to change my phone provider, so that I could upgrade my phone to something smarter. And in the process I got a better plan, unlimited texts and calls, with 1 GB of 4G LTE data and unlimited 3G data, none of which I touch while connected via WiFi like I am now while listening to a 10 hour Derpygroove video while composing this post. whoops I got an ad in the middle of the first go around of the song so now I’m listening to Plastic Beach from the Gorillaz. I’m still learning how to use the phone so there may be interruptions in the composing of the post.

Up first, just like the Energizer Bunny, he keeps going and going… Brian Koonz: Marine loses legs, finds strength in bike ride across America And going and going… Keep on trucking Marine dood. Is it just my imagination or has his chest gotten bigger since he left Sandy Eggo?

Normally these two-wheeled modes are not in conflict with each other. BICYCLIST, MOTORCYCLE RIDER CRITICALLY INJURED IN NORTHWEST SIDE CRASH and Bicyclist, motorcyclist injured in Old Irving Park crash this too Bicyclist Injured In Crash With Motorcycle In Old Irving Park [UPDATED] As I read the reports now, the guy on the motorcycle was speeding and hit the cyclist from behind, causing both to go down hard. No word on how the two conflicted because there is plenty of room for both modes to share that stretch of street unless the motorcyclist was excessive speeding.

Still in the Windy City a drunk driver who killed a cyclist while driving 50 MPH on a city street with a 0.127 BAC% will not face one of the many charges against him because expensive defense lawyer. Driver Who Killed Cyclist Bobby Cann In Alleged DUI Won’t Face Homicide Charges According to the comments this was one of the lesser charges and since IL doesn’t “stack” sentences it wouldn’t have made much difference in how long he stays in prison.

Another cyclist hit by a drunk driver in NYC. Cyclist In Critical Condition After Getting Hit By Allegedly Drunk Driver In Long Island City and Cyclist Seriously Hurt in Collision With Car Near Queens Plaza, FDNY Says The pictures pretty much tell the story, drunk driver (and passenger?) hit cyclist from behind because nobody was paying attention to what was in front of the vehicle…

More on that CO dump truck driver hitting and killing a cyclist while passing illegally. Dump truck driver charged for fatal cyclist crash The cyclist was killed because the driver literally could not wait for the 20 seconds it would take to clear the bridge and pass safely. Hang the driver. And possibly a few of the people leaving comments on the article. Gigi would love the “Stoopid and H8” there.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Busting on Beverly Hills and its San Diego soulmates, and a Chitown writer busts on bikes

Meanwhile in eastern WA. Cyclist found dead on State Route 2 near Leavenworth I like whoever is running this investigation. Dead cyclist beside the road, suspect a hit-and-run.

And in Seattle. Cyclist’s Helmet Cam Captures Moment SUV Hits Him Then Speeds Away That was a scary wreck.

Another link to the ride for a cyclist killed winning the “door prize”. Patricia Keenan, P.E.I. cyclist killed in B.C. crash, honoured at rally

I would like to see our state level politicians doing a city-to-city ride, just to see what it’s like to use the built environment. Duceppe, Peladeau kick off 100-km pre-election bike ride through Quebec

Bad infrastructure link of the day. NZTA abandons cycle safe trial after a day I think someone needs to read that CROW manual again. Bike lanes on either side and a single car lane is for 20 MPH speed zones or slower.

Better, but still crap. Is Vision Zero Skimping On Bike Lanes? There is too much real estate devoted to storage of private motor vehicles. One lane of parking should go for a decent bike lane protected by parking.

Dangerous crap. NYC’s Most Dangerous Area for Cyclists Is Fort Greene-Clinton Hill

More UK crap infrastructure, systemic this time. Calls for action to halt rise in cyclist casualties

I think I have run out of links (checks, nothing on the other window except a Twitter Feed) Yep, all gone.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

You are allowed to hate me now, and the Feed

I’m constantly hearing from women about how hard it is to lose weight. All you ladies are officially allowed to hate me now. I weighed 220 on March 31 in the doctor’s office, and the certified scale at the grocery store reported I weighed 211, so that is a pound a day with nothing more than reducing the amount of meat I eat in a day by maybe 20% which ain’t much considering how little I eat to begin with, and dropping salty snacks for a week. And taking a couple of long walks during that time. It also reported a BP of 106/65 and a BMI of 32, which would be obese to morbidly obese if it was anyone else who was not “blessed” with bones as dense as concrete. Another reason for ladies to hate me I guess, I won the “jackpot” in the bone density lottery.

Up first because terrible behavior needs to be highlighted. Uninsured lorry driver who killed cyclist admitted he went through a red light Uninsured, driving an unregistered vehicle while driving with a revoked license, Mrs. the Poet thinks he should go directly to jail and just set up permanent residence there. His only saving grace in this wreck was he was not drunk or on drugs, which in a way is even more disturbing because that means he did it deliberately with a clear head and assumably with a clear conscience. More Lorry driver banned from the roads five times admits jumping red light and killing cyclist

Another preventable wreck in the UK that has wended its way through the legal system. County settles with widow of cyclist killed by pothole Dudes, if your potholes are big enough to kill cyclists trying to ride over them, you are way, way behind in inspection and repairs. You deserve to lose this case. More Pothole council pays ‘six-figure sum’ to widow over Clevedon charity cyclist’s death

Another idiot wreck, only this time both the idiot and the victims are one of us. Wheelie cyclist ordered to repay couple after crash Yep, you got Mad Skillz riding on the back wheel, but not enough to prevent you from injuring a couple on a tandem while you were running the red light.

Hey, even people in car-sick Houston are building bike lanes. And then people are parking on them. Dear Houston: Bike Lane ≠ Parking Spot I’m in agreement with one of the comments left with the article, drivers that block the bike lane should get immediately towed.

Our Daily Ted. San Diego cyclist dies in solo fall after suffering medical problem; bicycling deaths down nearly 75% from last year Sorry for Ted on having to report on such a sad incident. And then there’s the regular link fest from Ted. Morning Links: Evidently, Great Streets require skinny street sweepers; bike share moves forward in Beverly Hills

Mexico is getting corrupted by the US in more ways than just the narco cartels. Death of a night cyclist: how a fatal accident could change Guadalajara The deceased cyclist was wearing a reflective vest and had a bright light on the back of the bike when he was hit from behind, and the driver still claimed blindness…

The DIY DoT in OR. Signs posted by frustrated Salem cyclist are taken down I don’t see what the problem is with the signs, aside from possibly the reflectivity requirement they were MUTCD compliant.

If anything ever deserved the “crap infrastructure” tag from this blog… UPDATED | Cyclists still at risk a year after Mathilde Blais’ death, Projet Montréal says There is a tag that posits that “sidewalks are not bicycle infrastructure” and the obverse, “bicycle infrastructure is not a sidewalk”, but seriously this is a major “fuster cluck”, of detached “solutions” to pervasive problems. The people in charge are putting out “hot spots” when the whole forest is on fire, and then they can’t understand why people are still getting killed. But when you have a budget that barely pays for a little bit of paint when major construction is required you have to do what you can with what you have.

And this seems like a no-brainer, but here in TX they build roads all the time with no thought on paying to maintain them after they get built, sooo… Letter: Bike paths require basic maintenance

And years after a cyclist was killed, and her partner almost killed tending her memorial, a deadly crossing has only reached the planning stage for resolution. Mancunian Way slip road where cyclist Jaye Bloomfield died to be reduced to one lane I think putting up a box like the one used for photo radar with a strobe light triggered by a vehicle detector might do the job for reducing vehicle speeds approaching the crossing.

Another wounded veterans ride. Nearly 50 Veterans to cycle through Folsom during Soldier Ride

How do you ride faster or farther? Yeah, the nut on top of the bike, some of us are certainly guilty of not fixing the nut properly… Well either that or get e-assist.

And thank [$DEITY], I am out of links.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

I still have the lump on my neck, and the Feed

I had to call and cancel my MRI because we don’t have the co-pay. So I had to put off the MRI to a point late in April when I should have money to cover the co-pays for everything. The co-pays on this policy are out of proportion to income. Seriously, the ER co-pay is like 50% (+/-) of my monthly budget without medical expenses. The co-pays for a visit to the PCP, the MRI, the consult with the surgeon, and the surgery itself combine to about 2 months of my income, about half of which will not apply to my Out Of Pocket (OOP) maximum. This is one of the results of Gov. Goodhair deciding that Texans would not get expanded Medicaid. Rick, I hope you can sleep at night knowing that there are people who will die because of your decision, that’s all I have to say.

After that heavy intro, something light. The bike lanes in NYC are some of the heaviest used in the US. Including this guy. Ain’t he a hipster?

And as always there is one law for the plebes and another law for the elite. De Blasio’s Position On New Car Idling Bill Remains Hazy

Our Daily Ted almost didn’t make the post today. April Fool-free Morning Links: Maintaining Griffith Park for the many; traffic planning problems in Calabasas Those pedestrian crossing flags are about the stupidest thing I have ever seen, not because they aren’t needed, but because someone thought they were.

Simpsons ride many bikes. #ciclavia

What’s worse, losing $341,000 a year in parking meter revenue, or killing a cyclist or pedestrian a year? Comm. Ave. bike lane plan draws ire: ‘Outrageous’ loss of parking

Portland is using every source to embrace Vision Zero. Bike/walk advocates unveil plan for Oregon to zero out road deaths

And even car-crazy Houston can haz bike lanes. Biking through downtown Houston just got easier thanks to new protected green lane

One of the more dangerous places in NYC is getting an overhaul. “Boulevard Of Death” Will Get Protected Bike Lanes, Pedestrian Walkway

Sounds like this woman missed her Pikes Place latte that morning. Seattle Driver Blocking Bicycle Lane to Cyclist: “I Literally Don’t Give a Fuck About Anything You Say” And instead of just moving one car width to the left to get into the parking lane, the bike lane parker drives off without doing whatever it was that made her park in the bike lane in the first place as she leaves in shame.

Well, what do you know? Finnish drivers don’t yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk either. Police step up surveillance of pedestrian crossings And they also don’t yield to cyclists using the crossings when there are MUPs connected to the marked crossings. Yep, they’re drivers alright.

London’s financial elites are switching from sedate golf to more active cycling, but the roads are still a problem. Bankers swap golf for bicycles but still fear London’s roads

And one of the reasons why they are uneasy “sharing” the roads. Stars’ fashion designer deliberately knocked cyclist off bike after he kicked her Audi TT She cuts off a cyclist, cyclist kicks in the side of her car, she chases down the cyclist and commits assault with a deadly weapon, measured and reasonable responses to the situation. /s

Is it really “bike friendly” if it’s only friendly to commuters? The Web Monkey Speaks: A “Bike-Friendly” city? Let’s redefine that

I liked the comment someone made about this stuff on another link: Like a fraternity selling rape whistles. Cyclists Shine at Night Courtesy of New Reflective Spray This is victim-blaming, pure and simple. It enables drivers to drive faster than they can stop in the distance they can see clearly at night.

All you graphic designers who participated in my tattoo contest might want to get involved in this. IT’S BACK … USA PRO CHALLENGE OFFERS FANS CHANCE TO DESIGN OFFICIAL COMMEMORATIVE POSTER FOR 2015 RACE AND WIN VIP RACE PACKAGE Yeppers, a $50K or more design contest with a grand prize worth a few hundred to a couple grand tops, travel not included… Well if you were going anyway, might as well enter the contest.

Moots restores one of their bikes involved in a fatal wreck. Forever Forward: Sally Bell’s bike rides again If it was anybody else’s bike it would have been scrapped.

And I’m outta links again tonight.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the (very poor) Poet (I’m still an unkillable badass though)

Blue is back in the garage somewhat the worse for wear, and the Feed

First the good news, Blue is sitting next to Francis/es in the garage and is in repairable condition. Now the bad news, he was not well cared for while he was away. He is missing the kitty litter bucket panniers I built, and also the taillight I added. Apparently whoever removed the panniers just ripped the brackets apart which had the side effect of also removing the taillight that was bolted to the back pannier bracket. The headlight still had the NiMH cells I had in it when Blue was stolen which means those cells haven’t been charged since 08/2013. I have them in the charger now and the charger indicates the cells are in at least halfway decent condition, so we will see what condition the light is in after the cells come up to charge. The tires are flat, so I will probably need to get new tubes. The worst things are the seat cover, shifters, and rear derailler. I’m pretty sure the rear derailler was ruined after the police got the bike because it was left without putting the wheels back on after the officer had to remove them for transporting Blue to the evidence locker. The rest of it is because I’m pretty sure Blue got left outside and uncovered most of the time after he was stolen. So, the repair list so far is two shifters and a rear derailler, seat cover, probably a new chain and rear cluster (they were on the verge when Blue was stolen), tubes and maybe tires, and a new taillight and NiMH batteries for it. I will also need to get a battery for the computer and repair the mounts for the speed and cadence sensors. Lots of work to do. Lots of parts to buy.

Up first, more on the doored cyclist in Oz. Cyclists ride in memory of Italian killed in Sydney Road dooring incident and Riders pay respect to Alberto Paulon, killed in Brunswick dooring I don’t get the reduction of the speed limit to 40 km/hr because the speed limit was already reduced to 40 kph for the time period the cyclist was killed (daylight). The speed of passing traffic had nothing to do with the wreck, what caused the wreck was allowing parked cars to place the advisory bike lane (the dashed line made the lane advisory i.e. be aware there might be bikes present) completely inside the door zone. What made the wreck fatal was the size of the vehicle which was traveling at between 20 and 25 MPH when it hit the cyclist. The cyclist barely hit the ground when he was hit by the truck, meaning the truck driver had no time to react to the cyclist falling in front of him, and unless the speed limit was reduced to 10 km/hr (6 MPH) there was no way for any driver to react to the cyclist. Remove the parking and the danger goes away. This is almost 100% an infrastructure problem caused by over-allowing for cars.

Also a semi-big story is a cyclist killed in Canuckistan. City will see its 16th ghost bike in 8 years and Family of Edmonton cyclist killed still waiting for answers

FL is starting to realize that they are killing cyclists, and their [$DEITY]-awful infrastructure has a lot to do with it, that and their really crappy driving. Florida bike crashes: 7 things that may shock you The handlebar camera and rear-facing camera video was very unnerving, particularly when you realize how much further away the wide angle lens makes close passes look.

East Canuckistan fines a driver a small amount for being at fault in a fatal bike wreck. Driver fined in death of cyclist I don’t know exactly how much the driver was fined because the article was behind a paywall. But from the first sentence I knew the driver was at fault in the wreck.

They caught another suspect in the knife murder of a teen cyclist in Jolly Olde. Fourth arrest over cyclist Alan Cartwright’s murder

And can you believe this? John Oliver Created a Summer Blockbuster to Make You Care About Our Infrastructure “If anything exciting happens, we’ve done it wrong.” This is critical to cyclists as they even mentioned in the video, where a cyclist dies because of a pothole that tossed him off the bike.

This just in, the old batteries in the headlight took a charge and the headlight works, Yay! XD

And I’m outta links again, see you on Sunday.