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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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

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

Happy MLK Day, and the Feed

Today is the day we pause and remember a major leader of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Biographical note I was living less than 100 miles east of where Dr. King was shot at the time he was shot. So I wasn’t “there” there, but I was in the conflict zone at the time of the conflict. And yes I know that makes me “old”, deal with it. In many ways what Dr. King was trying to do is mirrored in the bike advocacy movement. Not that I am implying that what cyclists go through is in any way as bad as what people of color went through or continue to go through today, we can stop getting killed in the streets just by getting on the bus for example. But there are parallels. Anyway, remember what Dr. King meant to the rights movement, cherish it, and emulate that in trying to get safe bicycle infrastructure installed in your area.

Up first is Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Bicyclists help make a better world, and York Blvd is thriving

Still in CA, more links to a driver actually getting a proportional sentence for using a motor vehicle to kill a cyclist. Drugged driver who killed cyclist sentenced 15 years to life and Drugged driver who killed cyclist sentenced 15 years to life

Still in CA a left-crossed cyclist gets his medical bills covered but he had to sue the employer of the driver that hit him. City settles with injured cyclist

Speaking of proportional sentences. Seattle man gets 6 ½ years for killing bicyclist in DUI crash Not quite as proportional, but still leaps and bounds ahead of typical sentences for killing cyclists.

Cyclist killed in OH. Cyclist dies after being struck by car Not much information on the actual wreck, just the outcome.

The most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike takes another victim. Pasco County bicyclist killed after riding into path of vehicle on SR 52 Another SWCC wreck with no word on where the cyclist was crossing from or to.

A little schadenfreude in NYC. Hit & Run Driver Crashes Into Gowanus Canal and Video: Alleged Drunk Driver Arrested After Flipping Car On Upper West Side The video is no longer available through the original source, maybe they will find another place where it was uploaded.

A bit of CO infrastructure news. Boulder to shift gears on protected bike lanes I think that when drivers complain about losing a lane so that cyclists can have a safe place to ride they should plow up everything except the bike lane and leave the street filled with the rubble. But then I have been called an extremist 😉

Good news about cycling from WI. Local Collective Gets Milwaukee Biking After so many bad things about cycling from WI it is really nice to put up a link to something good.

It takes a Canadian getting killed to get MS LEO investigated for biased investigation of bicycle wrecks. A haphazard investigation of Iain Gerrard’s death in America’s Deep South The initial report was a SWSS with a salmon cyclist, but the physical evidence was entirely contradictory to that report. The report from accident reconstructionists was that the driver had 14 seconds to see and avoid the cyclist in the road.

Cyclist down in the Great White North. Cyclist in critical condition after L’Épiphanie crash If the cyclist was “in the middle of the road” wouldn’t a driver who was paying attention be able to see and avoid the cyclist? I mean if the cyclist was right there in front of him, why didn’t the driver use his brakes to not hit the cyclist? And this is probably the only place where those are rhetorical questions.

Infrastructure news from the Great White North. Claremont bike lanes will be well planned Given that the soonest they plan on installing those lanes is 2017 they had better be “well planned”. I mean how much planning does it take to haul in some K-rails and plop them down 2 meters from the edge of the pavement?

No place to (legally) lock up, but sell them bike locks anyway? Almost 200 fork out for discounted lock to crack down cycle thefts in Grimsby “We also need cycle stands, like the ones outside the Cycle Hub, throughout the town.”

Another wreck in Oz. Surf Coast cyclist flown to hospital after being hit by a car A 72 YO cyclist struck by a 74 YO driver? Are they pulling my leg? The driver was judged at fault in this wreck almost instantly by LEO. Intersection wreck so either a hook or cross is my guess as to mode.

This death in Oz is very similar to a wreck in Enn Zed from last year. Wantirna cyclist found dead in Dandenong Creek Cyclist hits a solid bollard in the bike path and falls down in water next to the bike path and drowns, the exact same thing that happened in Enn Zed.

Speaking of Enn Zed, a motorcycle crosses the centerline going up a mountain and runs into cyclists coming down that mountain. Queenstown-bound cyclists struck by motorbike and Motorbike injures cyclists The report from the one link that the motorcyclist had a rear tire slide out just before the wreck suggests he might have been going just a touch too fast.

And those were all the links I had.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Still cleanly poor not filthy rich, and the Feed

There were no winners in TX for the PowerBall jackpot, so I’m still a starving writer. At least I have a well-lighted garret with cats to keep my feet warm. I really would have liked to have a chunk of that money though.

Up first:

'I stay safe in the city by assuming everyone is an idiot', says cyclist (63) – Independent.ie https://t.co/f5d0ipfwpm via @Indo_LIFE

— Cycling Top News (@CyclingTopNews) January 15, 2016

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Truer words were seldom said.

The Big Story today comes from Oz, where a motorcycle cop assaults a cyclist on his bike because he wasn’t wearing a helmet. Motorbike cop ‘pushed’ cyclist to the ground after he allegedly ran red light and Police officer pushed cyclist off his bike in Sydney’s CBD, witnesses say Listen to the witness report, the cyclist was riding with the light when the motorcycle cop rode up from behind at a very low throttle and just shoved him off the bike right in front of the witness. No siren, no verbal warning to stop, just “putt putt putt wham!” and the cyclist going “WTF!?!” If there was anything the cop said that happened it happened outside the view and earshot of the witnesses.

Infrastructure news from America’s Copenhagen. After years of planning and compromises, 20s Bikeway is poised for construction I don’t know why but it always feels like the compromises are on the cyclists’ side.

More on the same general subject from the same location. TriMet projects on Orange Line path at SE 8th should improve cycling If only there was some process where actual users of the infrastructure could see and comment on a project before it’s built so that dangerous or annoying mistakes could be caught and fixed without having to tear out the mistakes, saving $$. Something like maybe an advisory committee of cyclists and pedestrians? Or would that make too much sense?

Our Daily Ted, part 1. Morning Links: Alleged drunk hit-and-run driver faces charges, and Che Garcetti leads urban streets revolution

Part 2. Describe Your Ride: What riding a bike can teach us about driving a car

Still in CA. Norwalk Man on Bicycle Killed in Traffic Collision in Downey The directions of travel say the cyclist got more than halfway across the intersection before the wreck. That is a strong indicator of a stale green as shown in the Google Earth view of the intersection which had what looks like 4 lanes for the cyclist to cross and a high speed limit on the street he was crossing.

Some good news, a killer driver was found guilty of killing a cyclist. UPDATE: Man who killed cyclist found guilty of criminally negligent homicide Part of me wants to do a happy dance, part of me is still sad because the cyclist died needlessly.

News from GA as someone “mansplains” why cyclists can’t use a park to get away from cars. Reader responds to News Cycle column on proposed Forsyth bike ban

More on the MD cyclist stabbed to death. Three Arrested for Murder of Cyclist I’m still waiting to hear of a reason why they stabbed the cyclist. Theft? Settling a score? Gang initiation? Attack of the Stoopids?

More infrastructure news. Blaming Pedestrians While Absolving the Streets That Kill Them There are 3 unmarked and 1 marked crosswalk at that intersection, one street can’t be crossed at all according to the LEO report and one can only be crossed on one side because that’s the marked crosswalk.

Speaking of an attack of the Stoopids, here’s a very public one by a MO legislator. Missouri Lawmaker Wants to Require Tall Fluorescent Flags for Cyclists Fifteen feet tall to be precise, or 2’6″ feet taller than trucks are allowed without an oversize vehicle permit. Illegal under Federal laws, so on any road built with Federal Funds the flags would have to be removed and then reinstalled when back on the lettered county roads.

Here’s more on my least-favorite form of bicycle infrastructure. Study: Sharrows Don’t Make Streets Safer for Cycling Sharrows work well on traffic-calmed streets with little motor vehicle traffic. But then not doing anything also works well on traffic-calmed streets with little motor vehicle traffic. So why waste the money on useless paint?

More infrastructure news. Why bike lanes make people mad

Here’s a Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot moment from Jolly Olde. Hit-and-run driver stops to berate injured cyclist before driving off The driver apparently thought enforcing minor traffic infractions by assaulting the cyclist with his motor vehicle was perfectly reasonable.

WTF? part 2. Girl, 18, drank 5-and-a-half double vodkas before crashing car through roundabout No cyclists were harmed in the production of this link, though one did require a change of pants.

Back to Oz, two bikes go down in the same space. Cyclist treated for head injury after accident at The Spit, Mosman Sure they said the second cyclist went down aviding the first, but that just means the second didn’t have time to register that he would have gone down without the first cyclist to avoid. Regardless something made the first cyclist fall…

A wreck in Enn Zed. Car and cyclist collide The damages to the two vehicles involved look like the cyclist got hit after getting most of the way across the intersection and moving at a fair clip as the front wheel showed impact from the left and the front corner of the car showed impact but the main impact of the cyclist was in the center of the windshield. The intersection looks to have bike lanes on one street and a stop sign on the other.

E-assist bike news. Electric Bike Revolution Spinning Profits for Dutch Companies

How do you feel about going for a ride with Bono? Bono giving fans the chance to go bike riding with him in New York

Last link, do you need to ride more or… 10 Things Sex and Cycling Have in Common Do you get enough… bicycling?

Billed @$0.02, Opus

I hope the cats are happy, and the Feed

After picking up the parts to build the new railing for the church steps, we discovered that the drill bit we used to make the holes in the concrete for the anchors had gone AWOL. After spending almost an hour going through the church tools looking for the bit, we decided that we didn’t have the time to get another bit and install the rail that I had just assembled, so we come back Sunday after morning service and drill holes and pound in anchors then run the nuts and bolt down the rails.

After coming back from the failed attempt to install the rails, I had to walk to the store to buy cat food. “The store” in this case is a mile away, resulting in a 2 mile round trip. On the to the store leg I found some bad infrastructure, beg buttons that failed to trigger the pedestrian crossings, so I called Garland Streets to complain aboutnotify them of the situation. On my return trip all the beg buttons functioned perfectly. So that was a win.

Speaking of win, I bought two quick-picks for the PowerBall tonight, one annual payments and the other cash option. Should I be so lucky as to win tonight there will be a major shift in tone and subject matter for this blog as I will be spending my money on getting bike infrastructure done to CROW Manual specs installed in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell. That would be Monday-Thursday. Friday-Sunday would be building my Sprint-T and Mini Sprint-T, a step-by-step recounting. So my two favorite subjects, keeping people safe from cars, and building cars, in alternating segments. Crossed fingers. XD

Up first is a SWSS down the road a piece from WoaB World HQ in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell. Cyclist killed in Killeen fatal accident At least this was a more sophisticated way of saying “swerved”: “began riding his bike diagonally“.

Our Daily Ted, Part 1. Morning Links: Expo bike path meeting tonight, and bikes may or may not be banned from Camp Pendleton

Ted part 2. 47-year old bicyclist killed in collision with semi in Downey Wednesday am Surviving a collision with a semi is really dicey.

Still in CA. Family of cyclist killed on Page Mill seeks witnesses I place at least half of the blame for this wreck on infrastructure that had cyclists crossing highway traffic to get from one bike lane to the next in the same direction.

Infrastructure from America’s Copenhagen. Martin Greenough died one month ago: Here’s the latest from ODOT, the BTA and his girlfriend

Also from Portland, the battle for trail access continues. With River View access in the balance, NW Trail Alliance urges attendance at council meeting The vest reason why this is improtant is this quote: “Commissioners Fritz and Fish trashed an inclusive public process to remove cycling from the list of approved activities in the Park. There’s no scientific evidence against allowing bikes, and the community listening process clearly showed that there is very high public interest in allowing them.”

From NYC we finally find out what it takes to get a killer driver thrown in jail for more than a few days. Serial Reckless Driver Who Killed UWS Woman Sentenced To Up To 3 Years The dude drove from 1982-99 without a license, and gathered in the following convictions: 1 hit-and-run, 3 speeding (including 2 aggravated speeding in excess of 30 MPH over the limit), 5 disobeying a traffic control, 1 failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, 2 no license, 2 running red lights, 2 no insurance, 1 unsafe lane change, 1 improper signalling, and a separate conviction for aggravated unlicensed driving. “In the six months prior to the killing, Mercado had hit three other pedestrians, including a 13-year-old boy in Queens.”

Then again they have “stuff” like this. Driver Who Killed Fort Greene Pedestrian Doesn’t Even Get His License Suspended Yeah, it was suspended when he drove into the sidewalk to avoid hitting a bus, but they took the car so it won’t hurt anything to give him his license back. /s (where is that sarcasm html tag? It has been promised for years)

From the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike comes news they are going to “Do something about it”. St. Pete Police trying to prevent pedestrian, cyclist deaths So they are apparently criminalizing splitting the crossing to make sure you can get from one side to the other by waiting for traffic to clear on the other side after crossing in the gap from the near side. You know instead of criminalizing hitting pedestrians and cyclists.

More on a MD cyclist killing. Neighborhood activist grapples with son’s alleged role in murder

You may be forced to connect your car to a device that sends your driving data on things like braking and acceleration to your insurance company. The big data of bad driving, and how insurers plan to track your every turn Forced as in sure they will “sell” you insurance, but only people who can afford to pay someone else to drive will be able to afford it.

Serious infrastructure news. New Mode Choice Model Helps Officials Make Stronger Case for Transit Improvements Better transit means fewer drivers means better cycling even without infrastructure improvements, but it also mean infrastructure improvements to handle the “last mile” problem.

Your assist bike might really be able to die some day. IU scientists develop biomaterial for fuel cells That’s right, living fuel cells that are more efficient than what we have now. Just add hydrogen and get electricity.

And it might be made by this company. Yes, Ford is Serious About Electric Bikes (Still)

From the Great White North is another report on that ridiculous sentence for killing a cyclist. Cyclist’s parents rip sentence for driver in hit-run and Driver who hit and killed cyclist Tom Samson sentenced to six months in jail I keep seeing “3 months served on weekends” and I also keep seeing things like 15-22 weekends and they just don’t mesh. By my math 3 months is 46 weekends. Just saying.

I really don’t know how to classify this tidbit from Bermuda. Retro-style bicycles prove a St George’s hit The only comment was a complaint about the bikes blocking the sidewalk outside the store.

More on the ridiculous sentence of a driver assaulting a cyclist with his car. Angry war vet who mowed down and killed cyclist jailed for nearly 5 years Five years for a deliberate murder? TANJ!

Another SMIDSY wreck only this one actually got prosecuted. Man avoids jail after hitting cyclist who came ‘close to being killed’ with his lorry Nothing near enough for the seriousness of the wreck, but better than nothing which is what it would have gotten a few years ago.

More on the situation in Malta. Cyclists and motorists The driver blames all road sins on cyclists, or the fact that cycists exist.

And it’s not your imagination, drivers really do think that all cyclists break the law on a regular basis. What Do Drivers Really Think About Cyclists?

And I’m outta links again.

Billed @$0.02, Opus the Poet

I managed to get done pretty quick, and the Feed

The deposit-the-check-and-pay-the-bills trip went uneventfully and quickly. I hit the bank and all the places I needed to pay off without exceeding my mid-day pass restrictions, which meant I only spent $1.75 getting around Garland today instead of the usual $5. That’s a pretty substantial savings. I’ll have to pony up $5 tomorrow, but I have it to pony up now.

Up first is a demonstration of why having a camera recording your ride is important. Video: Driver accused of intentionally hitting motorcycle north of Granbury The driver has been arrested on charges of assault with a deadly weapon. Granbury driver who hit motorcycle on viral video indicted He was indicted on two charges because there were two people on the motorcycle he hit. As the rider on the second bike warned him, he now “cares” about the wreck he “didn’t care” about at the scene.

Also sorta local to the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell, a disturbing infrastructure report. Why Are We Even Talking About a New East-West Highway Through Dallas? They are still using traffic models that are a decade out-of-date and now about 30% too high. Sure there has been some increase since the price of gas went below $1.80 locally, but still not as much as the model suggests.

Houston tries to not kill any more people with their infrastructure Vision Zero for Houston report release: January 14 The interesting thing is the cover has been leaked and there is a cycletrack prominent on it.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Bike lanes on WeHo’s Fairfax, news from the ‘cross Nats, and bike riding kung fu Buddhist nuns

Also in CA. Huntington Beach cyclist killed in solo crash I.D.’d I still say this guy was buzzed by another vehicle to cause that wreck.

In NYC it is still FU, because cars. SUV Driver Who Killed Woman On Fort Greene Sidewalk Gets To Keep His License Waitaminit, I thought this clown was driving on a suspended license at the time of the deadly wreck, how can he keep what he doesn’t have? Then again he already was driving on a suspended license, so it’s not like he would pay any attention if it was suspended again.

More on Portland finally getting bike share. Portland Teams Up With Nike to Launch Bike-Share Yay! Biketown.

Still in America’s Copenhagen. Checking in on the newly installed diverters on SE Clinton Drivers are reportedly “confused” about the diverters. What’s to be confused about? There is a large concrete planter across most of the lane with a “Do Not Enter” sign on it.

How do you fix traffic fines so that drivers have enough incentive to drive properly when your entire transportation system is built around private motor vehicles? ADVOCATES SAY TRAFFIC FINE REFORMS WOULD REDUCE ECONOMIC BARRIERS My personal take is make the fines sliding scale based on gross income, and make them hurt. Maybe not as bad as getting hit while walking or riding a bike hurts, but high enough that when the inevitable happens there is a fund to pay for the victims’ medical care.

Filing charges is a start in reining in motor vehicle violence. London cabbie “was using car as weapon” against cyclist Actually convincing a jury that motor vehicles are deadly weapons is the next step. See that first link at the top of the post. and revisiting a link from last week that is a follow-on to this link. London cabbie accused of ‘using car as weapon’ cleared

Because drivers are all perfect. Cast iron bollards smashed by buses in Cambridge will cost £10,000 to replace Yep, perfect drivers wouldn’t need bollards to protect an ancient wall against getting hit, much less replacing bollards that had been destroyed.

Terrorist attacks continue against cyclists in Oz. Cyclists are looking for the culprit dropping tacks on their path Notice who isn’t looking for the person spreading bike booby traps? LEO who don’t ride bikes. I have a suggestion, ask office supply stores to record names and ID when someone buys more than one box of tacks, since the tacks have been put down in numbers too large to be a single box. But them I’m just a witch in TX that is way too logical…

Good news from Enn Zed for a change. Cyclist numbers up, death and injuries down They’re starting to see some evidence of the “safety in numbers” hypothesis.

And some infrastructure news from the PI. Cyclist’s death spurs bike lanes movement Philipines infrastructure overall is pretty basic, along with their driver licensing, so they need widespread segregation networks even more than UK and US cyclists.

And I’m outta links again.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Grocery day again, and the Feed

After doing the post last night I did a little model building for the Mini Sprint-T, to try to wind down and get the brain to shut off when I went to bed. I thought I would show the results.

You can see the right side of the cowl isn’t vertical like the left side and needs to get narrowed and straightened when I make the mold.

I just have to apply body putty and use a sanding board to make this end look right.

Up first the Big Story is WTF is up with trying to get rid of bike lanes in Portland? What the heck is going on with the 26th Avenue bike lanes? and City has two years to make the case to save 26th Avenue bike lanes, it says Seriously, why is PBoT allowing the state to dictate what infrastructure gets removed from a city-controlled street? No really, the bike lanes are on a city street controlled by PBoT but ODoT is demanding they be removed or they (ODoT) won’t allow a signal to be installed on an intersection 2 blocks away that also has bike lanes. Why not just shut down motor vehicle traffic because there is another street 2 blocks over? Same philosophy, just reversed from ^cars/_bikes to ^bikes/_cars.

Meanwhile the efforts to keep transportation corridors clear of ice and snow in Seattle falls a little short for bike/ped transportation. SAFETY: Icy bicycle path near the low bridge, despite above-freezing temps The part I find amusing the use of language that implies there is only one bike path, and only one low bridge.

Another double dose of Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Bike-friendly David breaks the law a little, and something’s rotten in SoCal bike racing and Describe Your Ride: A “Tour de Two Parks” along the San Gabriel River Trail

Making L.A. bike infrastructure more contiguous. Closing the Exposition Bikeway Northvale Gap, Meeting Next Week Why is it so hard to get contiguous bike infrastructure instead of a bit here and a bit there with huge freaking gaps in between?

Still in CA are these hardy commuters. San Diego Cycling Today!

Also in CA. Climate Justice Leaders Concerned by Brown’s Budget, Urge Investment in Underserved Communities

Dang there are a lot of links from CA tonight. Google Wants To Make Silicon Valley As Bike-Friendly As Copenhagen

And here’s some good news for people who use the sidewalk as intended, for walking. New Philly Mayor: Politicos Can No Longer Park on the City Hall Sidewalk One warning ticket, then boot them.

Legal battles in CO. Monday sentencing for Lyons may who hit and killed a cyclist I hope they give him the maximum 12 years.

Watch out for flying garbage. Cyclist dead after ‘bizarre’ incident on Vancouver Seawall A non-malicious death.

“Faces” jail? Driver faces jail for killing cyclist while driving at 70mph in 30mph zone Why not life in prison? He was more than double the speed limit.

Rotten cyclists running rampant over pedestrians, and nowhere to be seen in their picture of the event. Cyclists fail to hit the brakes on canal path As many cyclists as pedestrians were injured in their dataanecdotes, and not many of either. Actually after a second read of the article, those were all the same incident, where the cyclist was worse off than anybody else after getting pushed into the canal.

And those were all the links I had today. Ima go work on the Mini Sprint-T some more.

Billed @$0.02

I’m a millionaire until the Powerball drawing, and the feed

Yep, I bought a ticket to that half-billion $ Powerball jackpot. I mean invest $2 for a potential payout of $500,000,000? With my luck I would be crazy not to. I mean how many people do you know who survived getting hit with a truck going 60 MPH? The odds are slightly better than winning the Powerball, but not by much.

Up first is our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Too much bike tech, cyclocross nationals, and riding your bike pony through an LA El Niño

Still in CA, an update on that Loma Linda wreck from earlier in the week. LOMA LINDA: Cyclist fatally hurt when elderly motorist turned left Left cross, one of the scenarios I had guessed at when this was last reported on.

Another cyclist is hit in the most deadliest state in the US to ride a bike (or walk). Cyclist injured in hit-and-run crash in Sarasota The narrative sounds like a left cross or right hook, or just posssibly a swoop and squat. If the latter, then this was an assault with a deadly weapon rather than a hit-and-run.

This driver in NYC was trying to go out with a bang. Suicidal Driver After Christmas Eve Hit-And-Run Rampage: “I Wanted To Go Out In A Glorious Way” The current condition of the cyclist hit during the rampage is undisclosed.

The depravity of this wreck is beyond comprehension. Drunk Developer Allegedly Tossed Dead Passenger & His Stuff From Porsche After Hamptons Crash The only thing I have to say is all the dead and injured in this wreck were inside the weapon vehicle. Oh, and the deceased had terrible taste in “friends”.

Who gets sued when the inevitable cyclist injury or wreck happens? City gives in to state demand to remove bike lanes from SE 26th Avenue Do they sue Dimwitty, or the head of PBOT, the entire city government, or ODOT?

Also in America’s Copenhagen. Hit by Uber driver? Portlander watches as car that hit him drives off The victim in this case was a pedestrian who did not suffer serious injury, but still… the driver of the weapon vehicle left the scene.

A little infrastructure news from WI. Unplowed Snow Reveals Overbuilt Streets The “sneckdown” will show where even rush hour traffic fails to tread leading to significant reductions in street space allocated to motor vehicles. Of course this method only works for places where it snows regularly, which leaves out the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell.

Infrastructure news from the coffee capital of the US (home for Starbucks and other coffee companies, but not Seattle’s Best, which is located in Texas). Dangerous, unnecessary Seattle bike lane project moving forward There are two things that make me think this might not be an unbiased article: the credit is given to a Jason Rantz from a radio station and this line from the article: “The only people who like this idea are the small group of loud bike activists and “urbanists-at-all-costs” who bully anyone who stands in their way.”

A legal saga from Canuckistan. Alberta driver who crashed into teen cyclist to be sentenced in February “The Crown is asking for a sentence of 12 to 15 months while the defence is seeking three to six months.” Of course they are, they’re not the one stuck in the living hell of a shattered mind.

A cyclist escapes death by a terrorist act only because he and his bike put his neck significantly higher than a normal rider. Cyclist is almost GARROTTED after yobs strung a piece of electric flex across a bike path The picture showed what could have been a serious boobly trap. This was no “prank”, this was an attempt to kill.

And some people will just kill with a car or truck instead of going to all the trouble to rig a bike path. Hailsham cyclist captures near-miss incidents on camera I couldn’t watch the videos because they failed to load when I clicked on them. The stills were less than spectacular.

More videos from the tiny island nation of Malta. Watch: Cyclists’ near misses in Malta

I’m out of links and ready to get some more work done on the Mini Sprint-T. I have just about finished the dam that will support the body filler that will make the kit bucket like the Speedway bucket only 1/25 the the size. There will need to be a lot of work done to the cowl especially in the firewall area to get the vacuformed body as narrow as the Speedway body, but I think I have the skills to do it. I’m still trying to figure out the best way to do it, but I know I can do it. One way or another I will have the T-Bucket of my dreams even if it’s only 1/25 scale.

Billed @$0.02, Opus