Still foggy, and the Feed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Advertisement

More stuff came in after Mrs. the Poet went to memorialize her sister, and the Feed

Maybe I could get a job writing headlines for UK newspapers, whadyathink? Anywho, Mrs. the Poet is now safely ensconced at O’Hare waiting for her connection to La Guardia where her dad and step-uncle will be picking her up for her trip to the boonies of Upstate NY. I expect to hear back from her when she gets to he mom’s house.

But the part for the Mini Sprint-T came in this afternoon and I couldn’t resist slapping the temp adhesive to some of them and mocking them up. The first thing I did was assemble the 700R4 transmission and mount it to the back of the engine, the second thing I did was add the EFI throttle body to the manifold. Then as soon as I could move things around without dislodging them I took a picture in front of the bucket in about the same orientation as the last mockup picture.

Can you see the problem? Look at the location of the transmission tailshaft assembly in relation to the body. Now can you see the problem? The end of the transmission is literally right next to the driver’s hip. Now in my case that’s not a problem because my ass is narrow and deep. I am literally 13″ wide in a 22″ space where the tailshaft is, so I have plenty of room to park my butt. Other people trying to drive my car are not going to be as comfortable. But wait! There’s more!

Can you see the other problem?

See how wide the transmission is all the way back? That’s going to impinge on lateral leg room almost all the way to the seat. I had previously measured the width of the footbox as 7.5″ to 8″ at the bottom with a little bit more room for the left foot as the tumblehome of the body went out as the side of the body went up. Taking the firewall out and sliding the transmission inside the body really shows how little room there is.

As you can clearly see the 700R4 was not designed for a severely dropped T-Bucket. I’m obviously going to have to provide a foot rest for the passenger and do a lot of contouring for the transmission tunnel to get everything and body inside the car. Ain’t engineering with pre-existing components fun? 😛 That thing in front of the engine is a combination of the timing cover, water pump, front engine mount, and alternator and power steering mounts all molded as a single piece. The balancer/crank pulley fits in the half-moon notch at the bottom that matches a hole in the front of the block, the water pump pulley goes on the water pump, and the alternator goes on the passenger side and the power steering pump goes on the driver side both at crank level.

Up first, a kid can’t even play in front of his own home without risking sudden death. 4-year-old boy hit, killed in parking lot in southwest Houston Seriously, are you in that big of a hurry that you run over a kid? The only “good” thing to come from this is “Police said, at this time, they do anticipate the driver will face charges.”

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: CicLAvia previews, Cycling Without Age comes to El Monte, and ToC teams announced

Still in CA. Bicyclist Killed on Monday Identified as 16-Year-Old Hesperia Teen hit-from-behind by a driver not paying attention, I bet a dozen doughnuts that LEO figures out some way of blaming the cyclist hit from behind instead of the driver that hit him and left the body spread over the hood of the SUV.

Legal infrastructure in CA. How does the three-foot rule apply when there are already bike lanes in place? Move over to pass at least 3 feet away from cyclists. Whodathunkit?

More infrastructure in CA. CELEBRATING PAGE STREET I would be interested in finding out how this works out as far as safety and usability.

More infrastructure from America’s Copenhagen. City reboots plan for SE Ankeny traffic diverter, preps for others This was supposed to be a greenway mainly dedicated to bicycles with cars “allowed”, but they are taking it over.

More infrastructure, of the IT kind. City of Portland’s 823-SAFE hotline now offered online So now you Portlanders have choices on reporting dangerous conditions.

Another link to that cyclist with an ICE-assist bike getting hit from behind in FL. Police ID bicyclist hit, killed on Westside And another media outlet feels the deceased’s criminal record has something to do with the wreck.

CO hit-and-run wreck where the bike was resting neatly against the rider’s backpack on the side of the road. Pedestrian Hospitalized In Mysterious Hit & Run In Fort Collins Can you say “tampering with the evidence”?

Over on Jolly Olde people are losing their minds over a guy bringing a bike on a nearly-empty train. Another ‘selfish cyclist’ on a train row as passenger takes up SIX seats with bike

Screw up installing bike racks so that they can only hold a quarter of the bikes intended? It’s an art. ‘Useless’ bike racks by Tube station were intended as public art, north London council insists No, seriously, it’s art.

Bike mode share in Tokyo is a cultural thing instead of an infrastructure thing. Why Tokyo Is Home to So Many Cyclists But So Few Bike Lanes

And last link is an e-assist bike share system. Crunch Time for Madrid’s BiciMad Electric Bike Hire Scheme Apparently putting nice bikes in bike share leads to disappearing bikes?

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Yesterday was a busy day, and the Feed

Yesterday was another day spent mostly away from Casa de El Poeta, being a volunteer for the HRC and mostly riding DART. I had to miss morning services because it took all morning to get from home to the bowling alley where HRC was holding their fund-raiser (Carnibowl), specifically that part of the morning when morning services were held. I got done early enough to make it to evening services at church, and then home to catch up on my e-mails. I finally got caught up on those about 0145, so I decided to just bag it and head to bed.

This morning was interesting mostly because we got checks for a class settlement for getting ripped off by Wells Fargo when we had our mortgage through them, to the tune of nearly $800 total for the six years involved in the settlement.

Up first is part 1 of Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Improving bike safety on Bouquet Canyon, less liability on bike paths, and doping gets mechanical

Part 2 of Our Daily Ted. Bike rider killed in South LA collision last week

And Part 3. And the winner is… I deliberately did not submit an entry for this because I have bikes I could ride with a little work and I thought that someone else should hav a crack at it that doesn’t have a bike. Ted agreed with me as you can read in his post.

Still in CA. Cyclist killed in latest hit-and-run Another article that is more concerned about the clothes the cyclist was wearing than the fact the driver left the scene with an injured person on the road.

Guess what happened in the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bicycle? Bicyclist killed in Sarasota hit-and-run identified Hit from behind and hit-and-run, all it takes to make it a trifecta of Stoopid would be an impaired driver without a license.

Still in FL. Cyclist, 16, dies in hospital one week after wreck in Royal Palm Another wreck that blames a cyclist for not being in a crosswalk.

Cyclist down in CO. 53-year-old Ft. Collins cyclist injured in crash

Update on a cyclist down in NM. Bike ride organized to support injured teen

Over one state in AZ, another hit-and-run. Boy on bicycle injured by hit-and-run driver Another article erroneously suggesting that cyclists belong in a crosswalk.

More on that OH cyclist killed by an impaired driver. Cyclist dies after hit-and-run; driver to be charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, police say “The driver, Melinda Woodall, 34, of Amelia, tried to hide three bottles of pills in her bra after hitting 42-year-old Michael Prater of Cincinnati on Kellogg Avenue.” There was also drug paraphenalia inside the car.

This NY wreck looks like another serious case of windshield bias. Investigation nears end, driver to be ticketed in Hammond cyclist’s death Hit-from-behind and the driver will get… TWO tickets (not just one). TANJ!

VT infrastructure news. COUNCIL APPROVES CONTROVERSIAL BALLOT QUESTION ON BURLINGTON TRAFFIC CHANGE I want to know who put giving all the streets and roads over to cars up for a vote?

Another wounded veterans ride. Ride 2 Recovery helping local veterans cope with injuries and PTSD

A confessed candidate for life in prison over in Jolly Olde. Drink-driver admits causing the death of a cyclist in Walton crash I think I have made my opinions of drunk drivers known over the last 7 or so years I have been doing the blog here on WordPress. The thought of this waste of skin actually getting back out on the roads again just makes my skin crawl.

Also in Jolly Olde. Floral tributes at Great North Road in Newcastle after cyclist dies in hospital Sounds like a great guy taken too soon.

Even the best place in the world can be made better. Even Copenhagen Makes Mistakes

Over in Oz, another driver gets a serious case of the Stoopids when he sees a pack of cyclists on the road. Cyclist’s on-bike camera shows road rage incident in Glen Forrest If I wasn’t positive the guy that tried to kill me was dead and buried…

Still in Oz… Cars are ‘lethal weapons’: killed cyclist’s partner voices her anger and grief Anybody remember that Mythbusters episode where they compared driving while talking on a cell phone to drunk driving, with drunk driving coming out slightly better?

A wreck in Enn Zed. Cyclist avoids serious injury in riverside crash Hit from behind wreck that turned out not-too-bad considering. His ‘bent is now really bent, but a wrecked bike is better than a wrecked life.

And I’m outta links, time to proof and tag and get this thing published.

Billed @$0.02, Opus the Poet

Another day spent pounding pavements, and the Feed

This was a rough one as I went to the bank to get some money out of the firewalled account, and then went grocery shopping for the stuff we couldn’t get yesterday because we didn’t have the $ in the non-firewalled account. And I still forgot the yogurt, so no yogurt for me and the poor little kitties. 😦 And I discovered that I really need to get my toes done because my toes hurt like mad from getting the too-long nails pressed against the inside of my shoes as I walked. I really wish I could still get to all my toes by myself to trim my toenails.

And I keep writing about the Sprint-T (both sizes) but many of you don’t know how long this desire has been fermenting in my brain. U.S. Speed Sport “Instant T” T-Bucket History Not quite this long, but not very long after this.

Up first in the bike links is Out Daily Ted. Morning Links: Notes from Neil Storm Stephany sentencing, and update on new Camp Pendleton bike policy

Still in CA is this infrastructure link. They’ve Invented An Ingenious New Type Of Intersection That Could Save Lives The don’t noticeably slow bike or car traffic and protect the cyclists from the cars. Good show.

With SnowmageddonII hitting the entire east coast north of FL this weekend here’s a cheery thought about the road conditions. Why rain is more dangerous than snow

This SC hit-from-behind wreck may have involved excessive speed. Woman Killed While Riding Bicycle to Work The driver had to be hospitalized, this usually means the cyclist caused a spray of glass inside the passenger compartment which requires a fair amount of velocity. LEO are not elaborating on this aspect at the time of filtering.

Meanwhile in NYC. 15-Year-Old Boy In Critical Condition Following Williamsburg Hit-And-Run When I filtered this link there was a bicycle in it, but I can’t find the bicycle now. Just a body in the street, and a red minivan.

Still in NYC a driver moving an SUV at a service garage manages to hit several parked cars in the street and two pedestrians pinning one to the side of a building. NYPD: Gas Station Worker “Lost Control” Of SUV, Ran Over Cop’s Foot, Pinned Woman To Wall I can’t believe they didn’t say “No criminality suspected” on this one. I guess that’s because he ran over a cop.

Not done with the city yet, here’s some infrastructure bad news. Say Goodbye To Jay Street’s Vital Bike Lanes “Do any of these lane designers actually ride bicycles in the city? Or is “bicycle lane” just a button in their CAD program?” j44ke. He (she?) said it better than I could. Making the street more dangerous so that cars had easier access to the BQE. (SMH)

Over in SD they are trying to force cyclists off the roads. Bicyclists Belong in the Traffic Lane

They finally got around to charging the driver in this case in MI. Suspect charged after hit-and-run death of cyclist in Ann Arbor At least they didn’t wait until the driver killed himself in another wreck like in my case. October to January…

Up there in West Canuckistan they gots an attempted killer on the loose. RCMP seek hit-and-run driver who injured cyclist in Willowbrook They turned the Mounties on him, and you know what they say about Mounties and suspects.

Still up there in the Great White North. Killer of LaSalle cyclist sentenced to nine months in jail I don’t think there is an “m” in years. There is a serious disconnect between the seriousness of the crime and the severity of the sentence.

When the building used to store your bike gets condemned, while you’re recovering from a severe chronic illness they might lose the bike. Disabled woman’s lifelong dream of cycling across Canada dashed after bike vanishes Woman has a relapse of the disease that left her riding a hand bike and had to put the bike in storage while she went home to recover and then the bike turns up missing.

In Jolly Olde a cyclist is stopped for having a flashing light 10 years after the law was changed to allow flashing lights. Police mistakenly stop cyclist for flashing rear light “We Googled it and we were wrong.” Really, the law changed in 2005 and you’re just now finding out about it?

Good news from the UK. Yeovil cyclist who suffered head and leg injuries thanks mysterious Good Samaritan When you’re hurt don’t try to “tough it out” like this guy. He had serious injuries that needed attention from medical personnel, not a home fix-up.

Rider down in Malta. Cyclist, 79, seriously injured in Birzebbuga traffic accident and Cyclist, 79, hit by car in Birżebbuġa And that’s about all LEO are saying about the wreck.

A bus hits a cyclist and takes out 3 more and leaves the scene in Oz. Gold Coast bus hits cyclists, one injured The hit-and-run is barely mentioned. “It is believed the Surfside Buslines driver was unaware he clipped the cyclist, with the bus continuing after the incident without stopping.” Seriously, WTF?

Useful art from discarded bike parts. These Awesome-Looking Chandeliers Are Made From Salvaged Bicycle Parts Used chains and wheels and a few eectrical bits, et voila! Let there be fashionable light.

Old post just brought to my attention today. So I Went Automobile Shopping… What if car buying was like bike buying? How many cars would get sold?

As the weather gets colder your e-assist bike (and your EV) will lose range because batteries don’t like cold> There’s a worrisome problem with electric cars that no one’s talking about For cars there are a couple of things you can do, pre-heat the car interior while the car is still on the charger so you are using grid rather than battery power to do the heating, and switch over to seat heat rather than cabin heat while on the road to stay warm without using as much battery power. On an e-assist bike you provide the heat inside your clothing, but the battery losing range because of the cold slowing down the chemical reactions inside the battery still applies.

Last link, this is why I have to take so many mental health days from this blog. Feeling More I know to some it seems like I can report on some serious $&(^ and it doesn’t phase me, but I have to take a lot of breaks and go read comics or other stuff between making links on this blog.

And on that note I’m going to throw a couple tags on this post and try to unwind a bit before bed.

Good News, Bad News on Ethan Couch, and the Feed

Nothing of any great importance in my life today aside from getting some stuff for the Mini Sprint-T on Amazon, a new desk chair, and a new crock pot to replace the one that had a lid going bad from age and rusting around the bottom. Interesting thing about plastic lids on cooking vessels, they craze and crack after a few years exposure to heat.

Since I put it in the headline you know I’m going to put it first in the links. ‘Affluenza’ Teen Ethan Couch Detained In Mexico and ‘Affluenza’ teen Ethan Couch captured in Mexico with his mother also Ethan Couch, the affluenza kid too rich to go to jail was arrested this one too ‘Affluenza’ Texas teen Ethan Couch detained in Mexico not done yet ‘Affluenza’ teen’s mom will face charges for taking son to Mexico after going-away party US Marshals, could we please, PLEASE, PLEASE, get a “shot dead while attempting to steal officer’s gun” in this one, preferably while still in Mexico (so it would only get investigated by Mexicans who don’t care about stupid rich brats getting killed)? _please?

Our other big story is a cyclist run down while crossing from an MUP with the signal. Bicyclist identified in fatal Md. crash and Cyclist dead after collision in Montgomery County also Police: Driver who fatally hit cyclist didn’t stop at crosswalk There is a beg button to activate the crossing signal but as was demonstrated in one of the links drivers ignore the signal without consequences unless they actually hit someone.

Up in the Great White North… Ghost Bike serves as stark reminder

Feel good story from Jolly Olde. Injured cyclist appeals for Good Samaritans to come forward If any of my UK readers recognize the Scout badges on the blanket contact the number in the article so that the good samaritan can be identified and honored.

And really, Telegraph? The terror threat on two (or three) wheels…Dutch police warn of risk posed by bikes As if there weren’t enough people scared of cyclists for nonsensical reasons. But seriously Daesh could get 5-10 times the explosives in a subcompact that would barely raise an eyebrow on the street. BTW they hate being called Daesh even more than they hate getting called Isis which is the name of an Egyptian pagan goddess (being both pagan and female is hated beyond all reason).

From OR, we are apparently “problem children”. UPDATED – ODOT says bikers, walkers, people with disabilities are “problem children” in work zones I don’t feel like a “child”… and the update was that the offensive presentation has been altered to treat people not-in-cars as fellow adults that need different facilities than the people wearing cars.

Good stuff that happened this year. 2015’s Top 10 New Bike Projects in North America Some things to feel really good about.

Is your city partially responsible for cyclists getting killed? California Case Study: Are Cities Responsible for Cyclist Deaths?

And I’m out of links again.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Grocery day again, and the Feed

Not my normal routine, but I have been following the San Bernadino thing because it has taken over the channels I use for the Feed. I had been concerned that this was some kind of terrorist thing, but now they are saying that it was a case of one guy (and his wife) getting pushed too far by Islamophobes and striking back. That was when I sat down to compose this, what might be being said now is ??

Up first we get road rage between two super entitled drivers, no bicycles required. Shocking video shows Mercedes driver opening fire on Rolls-Royce driver in Miami road rage incident Yes they are that crazy. Note that this was in the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike.

Now it’s time for Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Bikeshare success stories, turning the other cheek and Metro Active Transpo workshops

A Dutch perspective on the American use of what I call the abstinence-only sex-ed of bicycle infrastructure. A Dutch Bicycle Engineer’s Perspective on the Sharrow The big difference between the Dutch use of the sharrow and the US is they have laws that would result in traffic engineers losing their jobs even if they don’t get jail time.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the latest US transportation bill. The Best and Worst of the New 5-Year Transportation Bill Once again cyclists and pedestrians get the short end of the stick when it comes to infrastructure funding. Trucking companies come out covered in roses.

How informed about public transit are you? Thinking Differently about Public Transit
An interview with author and blogger Jarrett Walker

Trying to dispel the misconceptions about Idaho Stop laws. SF’S BIKE YIELD LAW BEFORE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ COMMITTEE

Cyclist hit-and-run in TN. Cyclist killed in Sullivan County hit and run crash I hate hit-and-run drivers with a purple passion. A big part of that is related to the number of H&R drivers who are DUI at the time of the wreck. And I REALLY hate DUI.

Salmon cyclist killed in NC. Homeless former UNC football player killed riding bike into oncoming traffic As of this posting they aren’t sure if he committed suicide or was just taught wrong about riding with traffic.

Still in NC residents are demanding infrastructure changes after multiple fatalities including a cyclist and the memorial for the cyclist getting destroyed by another wreck in the same location a month after getting installed. After a Charlotte cyclist’s death, residents want road narrowed The cyclist dying was the last straw, mainly because he was caught up in a pinball wreck between two speeding cars.

Celebrating infrastructure in progress in PA. Urban, Suburban Philly Join to Blaze New Bike Trail It ain’t done yet, but there are not many changes needed before it will be 24/7 infrastructure instead of sunup/sundown infrastructure.

A cyclist killed in the Great White North. UPDATE: Cyclist killed was Prince of Wales kindergarten teacher Another hit from behind hit-and-run. The weapon vehicle was found between filtering and posting.

Charges against a driver went from bad (for him) to worse after the cyclist died in hospital having never made much headway towards recovery. Charge upgraded in hit-and-run that killed cyclist, 39 AFAIK Canadian laws put a longer time limit on upgrading charges after a wreck if the victim dies in hospital than if the victim dies after getting released from hospital.

Jurisprudence in the UK seems to be improving. ‘Speeding’ driver killed cyclist and Dangerous driver jailed after killing Ormskirk cyclist The judge threw him directly in jail, do not pass GO, do not collect $200.

Meanwhile north of Hadrian’s wall. Cars have killed 45,000 Britons in the 21st century, bicycles less than 10 More pedestrians killed by motor vehicles on the sidewalk in a year than killed in the entire country in 14 years.

I don’t see how this could possibly be fair. Cyclists to be hit by government ‘whiplash’ reforms Cyclists going up against insurance companies with lawyers and not allowed to have a lawyer represent them? Why not just have a big “Fuck you peons!” posted outside the court?

Vindictive little snot, isn’t he? Compulsory insurance may put a spoke in the wheel of any careless cyclists This is in reaction to the cyclist getting £65K because a dog walker let the dog she was supposed to be controlling take a nearly invisible cable across an MUP that caused the cyclist to wreck heavily.

Over in Enn Zed a cyclist is taken out by hazards just off the trail. Family of dead Hagley cyclist will complain to council

Last link, have you checked your e-assist battery for weak cells lately? ‘Quarter of All E-Bike Batteries Faulty’ Regular testing of cell voltage with a good VOM could save you from a stranding down the road. LiPO cells need to match within 0.01V which means you need 0.001 resolution at 4V on your settings.

And that’s all I got today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Post Turkey Day CARnage and apocalypse in the Feed

I hope everyone read my Sunday post. If I have ever written anything from the heart this came straight from my heart. Just so you know I’m not “just” a bicycle advocate. I am a “people” advocate.

Up first is this link predicting the turkey armageddon

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Daily News spins bike news badly, not getting it San Pedro, and a local bike rider needs your help

Still in CA. Woman injured in Escondido hit and run, police seek suspect and Cyclist badly injured by Escondido hit-run driver The narrative suggests a right hook as a car turning east from going north would be making a right turn. I hope they catch the driver of that Toyota and run the car through a shredder.

On the other side of the country the most deadly state in the US to walk or ride a bike kills another one. Canadian bicyclist killed in crash with van; driver charged Another right hook as bike infrastructure is placed next to car infrastructure and depending on drivers to pay attention without putting a high price on drivers for not paying attention. Because we know cyclists pay a high price when drivers don’t pay attention to what’s to their right.

Drivers are puzzled by bicycle infrastructure in Indianapolis. What’s the deal with those funky new bike lanes on Pennsylvania Street Downtown?

A peloton is taken out in MD. Four cyclists hurt in chain-reaction pileup in Potomac, Md.

Jurisprudence in the Great White North. Milton man pleads guilty in connection to cyclist’s death in July and Milton man pleads guilty careless driving in cyclist’s death This had to be the result of a plea bargain because there was a hit-and-run with an unregistered vehicle.

Victim report from the Great White North. Chatham cyclist killed by vehicle was working to build better life for family An 18 YO dad with a 3 YO daughter speaks to some bad choices early in life that he was working to overcome.

Another link to the protest against CARnage in Jolly Olde. ‘Coffin’ protest outside TfL over cyclists’ safety in London

Windshield bias in Malta as LEO claim things that are impossible to blame the victim. Malta is always on drivers’ side, insists injured cyclist

Cyclist killed in Enn Zed. Cyclist died after colliding with van in Nelson The weapon vehicle in this wreck was not just an ordinary car, it was actually “weaponized” with reinforced bars protecting the front end.

This is one of the few news outlets that covers without bias. Carless cities are Europe’s future

And now I’m out of links again.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Unlike Garfield I have a reason to hate Mondays, and the Feed

I love my job, but I really hate to do it on Monday, mainly because there is a whole weekend of accumulated links to filter through and analyse. That means there is a lot of death and destruction to wade through, only some of which applies to the topic of this blog.

And I did notice the big mess over in Paris (I got my first report from the Eagles of Death Metal Facebook page). I’m not doing a big thing because first, I’m not that big a deal in the blogosphere, and second my personal feelings about generalized terror attacks are not really pertinent to the blog. If they had attacked a Velib station I would have said something because that was a specific target of bike infrastructure. But a heavy metal concert and a soccer (football) game are just generalized terror attacks.

Up first is a subject that has been bouncing around the bicycle blogosphere like a ping-pong ball at supersonic speed, what is appropriate criminal punishment for a death from vehicle wrecks? Cyclists Question Decision Not to Press Criminal Charges Against Driver Who Hit, Killed Bethesda Bicyclist I put the link to the BikePortland article on a similar wreck on this blog late last week, and now we have this link to a wreck in MD. And drivers in both cases basically get away with a homicide because there is a huge gap between the mens rea required to prosecute a vehicle operator and a person with a gun. If you read this blog for long you know which one is the more deadly.

Similar questions on a CA wreck. Fatal crash in which Sacramento judge struck cyclist prompts questions First we have to overcome windshield bias of investigators to get charges, then the bias of prosecutors to get to a trial, then the bias of potential jurors to get a conviction.

The drunk driver who killed a cyclist “making a u-turn” in VT is sentenced for the death. Woman sentenced for driving drunk in crash that killed cyclist

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Bikes aid Paris healing, Calbike wants to know what you want, and Wilshire bus/bike lanes open Not as many CA links as I have been getting lately.

More on the tour bus that went on a killing spree, seemingly all on its own. Tourists injured in San Francisco bus crash I keep reading reports that the bus was practically driving itself against the inputs of the driver. Was this a case of a hacked computer-controlled vehicle used as a weapon?

A bit closer to WoaB world HQ in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell is this from the Big Easy. NOPD investigating bike attack in the Bywater The article says this has been escalating over the last several months.

Still in LA, away from NOLA. Bicyclist dies after being hit by vehicle Saturday night on Lee Drive Assuming the damaged vehicle in the pictures was the vehicle that struck the cyclist it looks like the cyclist was about 2 feet off the edge of the road when he was hit from behind.

A climate zone away from NOLA we get this MN wreck. Bicyclist critically injured in Mac-Groveland collision Nothing from the article about the mode but one of the comments said the cyclist was riding on the sidewalk and failed to stop for the motor vehicle on the main road he was coming up on.

A cyclist killed in NYC restores the vision and visage of a firefighter in MS. FACE OF CYCLIST KILLED IN CRASH TRANSPLANTED ONTO DISFIGURED FIREFIGHTER I hope when I go there is enough useful tissues left after the autopsy to do someone some good. And yes I am sure there will be an autopsy because of the latest study I’m working to find out some basic science for hypertension. I get a free autopsy so they can study my brain and kidneys.

Infrastructure news from DC. Why are bike lanes such heated symbols of gentrification? I have no idea why bike lanes that do nothing to the buildings on a street are fought more than freeways that destroy entire neighborhoods. I mean they are mostly stripes on the street, not bulldozers gouging out the pavement.

That study in Canada continues to reverberate around the world. Female cyclists less likely to be injured than men finds study Now we find that this study mirrors other studies of vehicular violence that also report female drivers are less likely to get killed or injured.

Several links from the Emerald Isle today, including these about a cyclist killed in County Kerry. Cyclist killed after horror crash with car in Co Kerry and Cyclist killed in Kerry collision Other than the fact the cyclist was hit and killed without harming the occupants of the weapon vehicle LEO are very tight-fisted on this one.

Talk about LEO making up new laws, they have just decided to make wearing headphones illegal in Ireland. Cyclists face €40 on-the-spot fines if they’re caught using earphones while on a bike. “Minister Paschal Donohoe confirmed that although it is not a specific offence under road traffic legislation, using headphones could be seen as dangerous to other road users.” If there is no legislation saying it is illegal, why are you handing out fines on the street for doing it? There are laws against running red lights, riding on the sidewalk, and the other things but unless they also start fining drivers with the radio playing which has been proven to cause wrecks they have no business fining cyclists for doing something that is not technically illegal. In fact driving with earphones is legal, but much more dangerous than cycling with headphones. IOW they are fining cyclists for doing something that is legal while allowing drivers who are controlling much more lethality to do the same thing unimpeded.

Still in Ireland the families of the victims of road violence come together. Families gather to remember loved ones killed on our roads

Meanwhile in Jolly Olde a cyclist responds to the constant clamor for registering cyclists. LETTER: No other country has legislation requiring cyclists to have registration plates “You know who really liked bicycle registration schemes? The Nazis during World War Two. They were also extremely keen on cars.” I also like the question of the size of the license plate required to be readable on a bike when combined with the number of letters and numbers needed to have a unique combination for every one of the 27 or so million bicycles in the UK now plus the ones that will be bought in the future. My calculations are that 4 letters and 4 numbers would handle the current population of bicycles, which would require a plate about 9″ wide and 2″ tall, but it would not handle the expected number of bikes to be sold in the next 2 years so the plate put into use would have to be even wider.

Cyclist without ID found lying in the street in Oz. Do you know this tattoo? Police want help identifying critically injured cyclist Considering the number of reports I have gotten this year of cyclists’ wallets getting stolen after they get hit this report does not come as any surprise to me.

We may see a practical H2 powered e-assist bike sooner rather than later. General Motors Sending Fuel Cell Research Vehicle to U.S. Army For Use as Reconnaissance Vehicle

And I’m all outta links tonight. Tomorrow I check other sites that I don’t do on Mondays and also Twitter. “Bleah”, to quote Peanuts.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Another Grocery Day, and another Feed

Well, we bought groceries again today. I also treated a bunch more claw marks in my leg courtesy of Clint and Clyde, who decided swatting at each other from either side of my leg was a great fun thing to do, while said swats were claws out and mostly missed each other but managed to connect pretty regularly with my leg. Such is the life of a cat owner. One grocery purchase was something of a waste though. We bought milk, but not any coffee or cereal to put it in. I sometimes will drink plain milk, but not enough to justify buying a whole gallon at once. Fortunately we got the gallon with a 50% off sticker because I like the lowfat 1% milk that doesn’t sell well around here this time of year (this is the time when people buy whole milk or even half and half).

Up first this wreck reminds me of mine. Bicyclist grazed in Brevard County hit-and-run crash The driver of the city vehicle could face misdemeanor charged “if he knew he hit the cyclist”. “Duuuhhhh, did I hit something?” Salmon cyclist did not do himself any favors, but the law really needs to be changed so that pretending to “not know” you hit someone does not become a “get out of jail free” card.

Still in “FloriDuh” is this update on the fiery crash that dismembered a cyclist. Questions arise after new details released in fatal car crash with cyclist

Cyclist in MI hit by right-turning delivery vehicle but at this point nobody is saying where the cyclist was when he got hit. Cyclist injured in truck vs. bicycle crash in Ann Arbor There is an MUP that complicates the intersection and at this point the cyclist could have been in three places that could have been occupied by the truck. Two were legal places one wasn’t, how much you wanna bet they decide the cyclist was in the place that wasn’t legal?

Our Daily Ted part the first. Morning Links: Re-approval of Mobility Plan moves on; Breeze blows into SaMo; Caltrans nixes induced demand

Daily Ted, the second part. Guest Post: Felicia Garcia looks at Councilmember Cedillo’s Opposition to Mobility Plan 2035

Up in America’s Amsterdam, I’m not sure if this is just normalizing blind drivers or an honest attempt to protect cyclists, or maybe both. TriMet will hand out free lights and safety gear at ‘Be Seen Be Safe’ event After the article where a cyclist was killed by a driver left-crossing driver at noon (12:02 pm) on a bright, sunny day and investigators said there was “no way” the driver could have seen him because the cyclist was in shadow for a fraction of a second approaching the intersection you can see why I might have this conflict.

Infrastructure news as WDOT joins the 21st Century. A first for Washington: Green paint for bike lanes on a state highway

Making more infrastructure changes in OR. With Blumenauer in his corner, Novick pressures ODOT for changes on Barbur People have been asking for bike lanes on that street for years now partially because drivers treat the street like a speedway because it is overbuilt for the amount of traffic it carries most of the time.

Are drivers getting more aggressive? Taking the pulse: Aggressive driving in Portland Well since my attempted murder took place in 2001, I would say how much more aggressive can they get? But maybe DFW drivers have been moving out to PDX in droves lately…

Hero dog gets a hero’s funeral. Military service held for dog killed by bicyclist

Hit-and-run in CO. Cyclist killed in hit-and-run in Brighton LEO are not releasing anything about the mode of this wreck until they know more.

It’s rare but it does happen when cyclist density gets high enough. London cyclist dies after collision with another rider

Road rage just never does anyone any good. Former soldier faces jail after road rage crash left cyclist brain damaged for last 15 months of life The driver could get life for the beating. Now if he had run the cyclist over he could have gotten as much as 250 hours of community service. It strikes me as odd that the basically the same crime with two different weapons could get such disparate sentences.

Some car makers think e-assist bikes are going to be about the only vehicles left on the road besides bicycles in the coming years, and they want to get in ahead of the curve. GM executive hints at a foldable, electric bike for commuters A folding bike that fits in the trunk because cars are no longer allowed in cities?

This letter writer is blaming his anger on the wrong thing. E-bike frustration understandable The thing that is annoying him is drivers who can’t drive switching to e-bikes because they don’t require a license, and also because the silly little scooter things sometimes get saddled with two riders because they have the same seat as a regular scooter.

And I’m out of links again. Come back early Saturday morning for more.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Yay, I mean OUCH! I have a cat, and the Feed

This is what happens when your kitten starts to fall off your lap while you’re trying to type. Warning, it ain’t pretty.

Front claws in the thigh, back claws in the calf and he still ended up in a pile of fluff on the floor. Fortunately it didn’t hurt that bad initially, until I started to disinfect the scratches with hand sanitizer. Then it really hurt. But as you can see there is no infection, so the pain was worth it. The kitty hugs and kisses are worth it too.

Up first, a cyclist is killed by a driver in a stolen car he didn’t know was stolen. Cyclist and driver killed in crash on NW 12th Avenue in Miami and Bicyclist, Driver Killed in Fiery Crash in Miami also Video Shows Aftermath of Fatal Fiery Wreck in Miami this, too Bicyclist, stolen car driver killed in violent Miami crash, police say not done yet Questions arise after new details released in fatal car crash with cyclist OK as it stands now, the driver of the car thought he had a screaming deal on the Lexus which turned out to be stolen. I don’t know why he was being chased by LEO but you can see in the one surveillance video the Lexus and several cop cars following close behind. The cyclist was reportedly almost on the sidewalk after crossing with the light when he was hit so hard his legs came off his body, about a block before the car hit several objects and a tree on the side of the road and burst into flames. As for what a cyclist could have reasonably done to avoid this, I got nothing.

The other big story is over on the Isle of Man, where the kitties with the funny tails come from. Suspended sentence for driver who killed cyclist on Isle of Man upheld following appeal and Sentence unchanged for driver who killed cyclist So basically cyclists are worth about the same as the island’s famous cats.

A MI cyclist is hit “crossing” the road. Cyclist, Still Unidentified, Seriously Injured in Crash SWCC that I can’t say anything about because I don’t have any pictures of the bike. At this point they aren’t saying who had the right of way, or much of anything aside from the intersection and the direction of the weapon vehicle.

Over in AL a cyclist is blamed for getting hit from behind. Cullman bicyclist struck, killed by vehicle on St. Joseph Drive OK so maybe lights and reflectors on the bike would be a good idea, but the fact remains the law says drivers have to only drive as fast as they can stop in the distance they can see clearly, and this driver didn’t.

Salmon cyclist gets hit in GA. Cyclist struck after riding down the wrong way on Turner McCall Boulevard This is a textbook case of why you ride with traffic. The driver was turning right and looking left when he pulled in front of the cyclist and buckled the front wheel of the bike.

Our Daily Ted, part 1. Morning Links: BOLO alerts for a bike thief and a stolen e-bike, and a section of the LA River bike path closes

Daily Ted, part 2. Bellflower bike rider killed in August hit-and-run; one-third of LA County bicycling deaths are hit-and-runs

Still in CA another link to the guy killed trying to get to the bike lane in the median. Cyclist killed on Page Mill Road The consensus at this time is most of the blame in this wreck is on the infrastructure and the extremely dangerous merge across two lanes of 50 MPH traffic to get from one bike lane to the other.

Meanwhile on the other side of the country we discover the driver that flipped his car over on top of the guy walking on the sidewalk was not driving with a valid license. Unlicensed Driver Arrested After Killing Man On Crowded Brooklyn Sidewalk He was trying to prevent another car from passing him and lost control. Of course because he didn’t have a license to remind him that driving is a privilege and not a right.

Yay! Infrastructure changes coming to NYC. DOT To Unveil Plans For Protected Bike Lane On Amsterdam Avenue Small steps, baby steps.

And then they totally blow the progress they made with the bike lanes and pedestrian protection with this BS. Drivers Keep Killing Pedestrians, So The NYPD Will Crack Down On Jaywalkers Is stoopid an STD? Because if it isn’t then fvck the NYPD. A full 33% of the victims were not even in the street.

Changing the laws because NYPD doesn’t care otherwise. New Law Would “Protect” Pedestrians Once The Countdown Clock Starts NYPD is saying that once the countdown clock starts you lose your right-of-way as a pedestrian.

The way to avoid getting killed in Canada isn’t to wear a helmet, you need to grow ovaries. Female cyclists have lower hospitalization rates, study finds Of course this is exactly counter to experience in the UK where 6 out of 7 cyclists killed in London was a woman crushed by a semi or large delivery vehicle.

This just seems like a good way to get an assault charge. Injured cyclist to meet driver “Good afternoon, this is the man who crippled you for life. Please try not to strangle him with his own intestines.” Yeah, I can see that working real well.

Sometimes Bicycling Magazine gets it right. Five Cyclist-Blaming Headlines—And How to Reframe Them The one I hate is the drunk driver that doesn’t get mentioned until after 2 paragraphs of victim-blaming. Except there is usually 5 or 6 paragraphs of victim blaming.

Last link may end up being one of the most important changes to e-assist technology in history. Hydrogen Fuel Cells Are Becoming Too Big to Ignore Cars could refuel/recharge in about 5 minutes, e-bikes in 5-10 seconds. Imagine 10 seconds connected to a high-pressure hose instead of 2 hours connected to mains current.

And I’m done for the day. I went out again to build up some points on that mobile game and managed to clear $0.40 +/- but it was a bit rough on the feets.

Billed @€0.02, Opus