You could be costing me money, and the Feed

I have a situation that the blog service provider shares advertising revenue with me when I get enough people reading my blog on a daily basis. The problem is you have to read my blog AT my blog, not in your e-mail, or via your FB app, or RSS feed reader. I have enough subscribers to make some money if you read and click on my blog, but I don’t get a penny if you read someplace else. Love you all, but I can’t emphasise enough that I only get paid for your eyeballs when those eyeballs are at the same URL as this blog is originally published. And now back to our regularly scheduled nonsense and infrastructure news (if there is difference I’ll let you know 😉 )

Up first, I seem to always be near really great things in my life, and I did it again. This is about something that is a short ride on DART away from me. How One Weekend in Dallas Sparked a Movement for Urban Change This was another “I was there” situation for me. I was surprised at how fast some of these installations went from “demonstration” to “permanent”. And now the rest of the world is learning about it.

An exceptional edition of Our Daily Ted. Hundreds turn out in Hollywood for Sunday’s Finish the Ride Lotsa pictures there, Ted.

While we are talking about CA, here’s an article that treats death by motor vehicle as a public health issue. Public Health Menace Grows There were more cyclists killed in just one city last year than people died of Ebola in the US. And which one gets more attention?

And it looks like we have dodged a bullet this time. California mandatory helmet law set back following intensive lobbying from pro-cycling campaigners We are going to have to be careful on this one, it already has a comeback scheduled.

And FL does it again, a driver seriously injures a cyclist on the sidewalk without ever actually hitting the cyclist. Driver, cyclist hospitalized after car strikes pole in NW Miami-Dade So basically the cyclist was collateral damage to the other wreck as damaged infrastructure falls onto the sidewalk. And much like a pinball wreck I have no idea how you avoid getting hit by a chunk of infrastructure dislodged by a speeding driver running into it.

Two links that seem to encourage Stockholm Syndrome for vulnerable road users, first from NOLA. How New Orleans drivers and cyclists can move beyond ‘us v. them’ Look at the difference in the two sets of stories related, cyclists are assaulted, threatened, and nearly killed; drivers are annoyed by cyclist behavior that does not actually cause any harm. Even where cyclists break traffic laws, they are the only ones harmed. But cyclists have to “understand” drivers feelings?

And in this link about NYC. Finding Vision Zero Not taking an “Us vs Them” mentality when Us are dying at the hands of Them strikes me as an “Odd Thing” to do.

And while we are in NYC anyway, here are a few more links about the city. Driving a bus in a crowded city must be super easy. Video: NYC Bus Operator Keeps Busy By Reading While Driving Hey, it’s just a multi-ton killing machine surrounded by squishy pedestrians, no need to pay all that much attention to what you’re doing.

I wonder if this was the same driver caught in the video before they pulled him off the bus. Bus Driver Runs Man Over In The Bronx, No Criminality Suspected Driver hits person standing at bus stop as he was pulling out, was that a passenger who got left behind and was trying to get the bus to stop and let him on?

A memorial for all the pedestrians and cyclists killed in NYC last year. 10th Annual Ghost Bike Ride To Honor Pedestrians And Cyclists Killed Last Year and Photos: NYers Gather At “Ghost Bikes” To Demand Safer Streets And people still don’t understand the biggest cause of death in the city is the motor vehicle. More Ghost ride honors killed cyclists, pedestrians

And part of the memorial weekend was posting silhouettes for every person killed by motor vehicle violence in the city last year. While they were being put up the people doing the installation were almost part of next year’s installation. Tractor Trailer Crashes Into Memorial For Traffic Fatalities This is just so, not ironic, there’s a better word, because this is not irony. Irony would be getting killed by a person riding a bicycle, this is more of another instance of the city not being the place for a huge truck.

More on why it is so hard to keep drivers from killing. Man gets probation for Harlem hit-and-run death of cyclist PROBATION! For killing a person and leaving him to die in the streets. TANJ!

The cyclist injured by another cyclist riding a wheelie through a red light will get some money from the wheelie cyclist. Injured tandem cyclist to be compensated by Gullane teenager This is part of the criminal proceedings, so the kid will pay, or else…

Before and after a UK safety protest. Vigil planned for dead cyclist and after PICTURES: Stop Killing Cyclists vigil for rider killed at Lambeth Bridge The pictures pretty much explain everything…

And why they did it… Building industry ‘must help stop slaughter of cyclists under HGVs’ One contractor is responsible for 3 recent deaths, leading to protests in the streets. All but one fatality in London this year have been the result of collision with an HGV, protests in the streets. If only protests in the streets did any good.

Another wounded vet ride, this one somewhat close to WoaB World HQ in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell. Injured vets prepare for ‘Ride 2 Recovery’

Remembering the first person to ride a bicycle around the world. Happy Thomas Stevens Day!

And I’m out of links, go ride a bike!

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Advertisement

It pays to develop a relationship with your LBS, and the Feed

I just got back from the trip to Plano Cycle to price out the repair parts for Blue. as I stated in the headline it is a good idea to develop a good relationship with your LBS, because by doing so I can save about $50 in shipping costs by ordering parts through them and picking up at the store. I’m still paying retail either way, but this way my LBS gets a cut, a piece of the action as it were. So I’m looking at $255 with tax in parts this way as opposed to the $300-310 with shipping and the tax man looking for me. That assumes the seat cover that is being sold as a replacement part will fit the seat that I have, otherwise add $108.25 to that total for a new seat assembly that includes a new seat pan, tilting bracket, seat post (custom made for a crank-forward bike to prevent the seat post from rotating in the tube as I pedal) and various bits of hardware to install the assembly to the bike. This total does not include replacing various nuts and bolts that had been removed from the bike and either left off or replaced with non-stainless steel, and which are in danger of corroding to the frame.

Up first today is Our Daily Ted. (Late) Morning Links: LASD changes deputy distracted driving policy, CicLAvia is coming, and we’re #9 Why does it take a death and over a year to realize that cops are no better at driving distracted than us “ordinary mortals”.

Still in CA more rubbish arguing from bad information on the proposed all-ages helmet law. We all have skin in the game in bicycle helmet bill Still using the falsified “90% killed had no helmet” data from the Governors’ whatchacallit report that added “no helmet” to “helmet use unknown” where there was a helmet present but it wasn’t on the rider’s head when it came time to make the report. There is enough evidence that the vast majority of these cases the cyclist’s helmet was removed by forces of the wreck or so severely damaged that there was no way for the helmet to stay with the head. Especially in the latter set of cases the cyclist would have died from head injury regardless of helmet usage. And in every place where a mandatory helmet law has been enacted cyclists lose, mode share, safety, and personal freedom as LEO use the helmet law as a pretext for illegal searches.

And this came in after I did most of my filtering from Ted. Breaking news: OC lawyer guilty in 2013 DUI death of cyclist Eric Billings I hardly ever see a driver not plead down so this one must have been a drop dead shot.

The metro area where my brother lives is seeing an increase in vulnerable road user deaths. Winter’s bike, pedestrian fatalities underscore importance of infrastructure, safety and awareness They have a terribly long way to go, but at least they have a reliable template in the form of the CROW manual. It only took about 10 years to get the Netherlands 90% of the way they are now with trial and error, I expect it to take a lot less time with the manual and in a lot smaller area.

More boring statistics from Streetsblog as the death toll rises ever higher in NYC. NYPD: Drivers Killed 7 Pedestrians and Cyclists in January, and Injured 1,017 I wonder how NYPD would be dealing with this if those dead pedestrians and cyclists were all NYPD?

I think this has a massive effect on why LEO “don’t care” about dead pedestrians. Pedestrians Dying at Disproportionate Rates in America’s Poorer Neighborhoods

A pedestrian in Jolly Olde was hit-and-run by a cyclist. Six-year-old boy left with broken leg by hit-and-run cyclist in Darlington DON’T HIT THE PEDESTRIANS! And if you do hit a pedestrian, stick around to leave your details.

A hit-and-run driver is convicted in Oz. P-plater who left cyclist for dead after collision pleads guilty Now a stiff sentence with a lifetime ban on driving…

Still in Oz, a multi-bike pileup seriously injures a cyclist. Beach Road cyclist left with fractured skull in wake of “Hell Ride” Somebody didn’t hold their line in the pack and 8 people suffered for it.

A massive infrastructure campaign covers the entire EU. ‘See Me Save Me’ campaign for Eilidh Cairns heard in House of Lords That HGV are even allowed on the roads with massive frontal blind spots as deadly as they can be even in incidental contact is just insane.

More infrastructure news from Oz over the cyclist that “won the door prize”. Thousands ride in moving tribute to cyclist killed on Sydney Rd, Brunswick It might have been a “tribute” but it was also a protest against crap infrastructure. More Cyclist groups push for safety awareness campaigns after dooring death in Melbourne

This is really “lifestyle” as an injured soldier regains mobility and a sense of self-worth. Injured Mansfield soldier to hand cycle 400 miles

And I really wish I had the money to do this trip. The Tour de France on Recumbent bike Not a race, but a 2600 km (1600 Mile) trip around the flatter parts of the country with camping instead of hotels at overnights.

And that’s all I got tonight.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

OK the ice and snow is gone, and the Feed

By this evening the last of the ice and snow that has been dominating the weather in these parts finally went away. Good riddance! Finally we have temperatures our heating system was designed to cope with and Mrs. the Poet has divested herself of her coat and 2 of the 4 shirts she was wearing. Yep, she’s down to 2 shirts and 2 pairs of underwear and heavy wool socks, instead of the “everything in the drawers and closet” costume she was wearing yesterday and Saturday. I still keep getting awakened at night with her trying to keep getting closer even after she gets into full body contact under the covers. I mean at this point the only way she could get any closer would be to skin me and wear me as a coat, which is kinda hard to do in your sleep and messy besides. Outside of the house the roads are no longer coated in ice, just slightly damp, and the number of injury wrecks has declined to only slightly above “normal” for a weekday. Have I mentioned that TX drivers lose their minds when the roads are anything less than perfectly dry and smooth? You would think that given how low the state’s road maintenance budget is compared to how many miles of road we have people would be used to crappy roads by now.

Up first is the massive amount of links to various aspects of an Italian cyclist “winning” the “door prize” in Australia. Brunswick cyclist death: ‘Car-dooring’ fatality prompts calls for motorists to pay more attention and Chilling footage of cyclist’s road death sparks passionate debate I wonder if anyone was paying attention to the bike lane symbol peeking out from under the weapon vehicle at the bottom of the image? Alleged dooring death: cyclist launch Sydney Road parking ban petition and another one Sydney Road bicycle death: Labor minister Jane Garrett sets emergency meeting as Greens MP Greg Barber renews call for TAC-style dooring campaign not done yet Italian cyclist Alberto Paulon killed on Sydney Road, Brunswick, remembered by work colleagues and memorial ride still MORE! Brunswick cyclist’s car-dooring death a ‘wicked waste’ and easily avoidable, safety campaigner says are we done yet? Tougher dooring penalties call rejected after death of Italian cyclist Alberto Paulon As I interjected between links I noticed what appeared to be a buffered bike lane underneath the line of parked cars the cyclist was next to when he was doored and thrown into the path of the truck that killed him. What is going on that there was nothing mentioned about this in any of the hundreds of comments I read about this wreck?

Also generating a ton of links is ongoing reporting on the lawsuit filed against the driver of a car that was used to kill a cyclist and the owner of that car. Suit filed in death of cyclist hit by alleged drunk driver also Suit filed in death of cyclist hit by alleged drunk driver and Cyclist’s Family Files Wrongful Death Suit Against Alleged Driver As I have written earlier, they should also file suit against whoever is in charge of this piece of infrastructure for the third identical death in 5 years in nearly the same location, a drunk driver drifting into the bike lane and hitting two cyclists from behind at high speed. One such death is a tragic accident, two is a coincidence, three is a design defect. We are now in design defect territory.

I find this conviction unusual especially given the state it was obtained in. Judge to sentence man for death of Casper cyclist Seriously 16 years in prison for killing a cyclist in Wyoming? The state that recently decided they didn’t need to know how and how many cyclists were getting killed and injured on their streets and highways?

Another one of those links about a dead cyclist that I don’t have a good label for. BICYCLIST STRUCK, KILLED BY CAR IN FRESNO COUNTY LAID TO REST

And while we are talking about CA here’s Our Daily Ted. A giant falls — Alex Baum, the father of modern LA bicycling, dies at age 92 WoaB sends its condolences to the LA bicycle community.

And some people in CA are just bastards. Robin MIller: Grow up and put your helmet on Seriously, I wear a helmet every time I ride my bike (and the recent medical problem I have been having that has been keeping me from wearing my helmet is also keeping me off the bike), but I know my helmet is mostly to protect my heirs in the lawsuit they will file against the driver that kills me to show I did everything in my power to not get killed.

And in NYC a killer driver refuses to admit fault or even that he committed hit-and-run when he killed a cyclist. No Apology From Trucker 3 Years After Killing Williamsburg Cyclist The sad thing is even if they pull his license and he kills someone else, unless he is drunk or leaves the scene again the most he will get is a ticket for driving while revoked.

OK this is mostly a bike story because they stabbed this guy so they could steal his bike. Islington stabbing: Alan Cartwright, 15, killed while riding bike with friends and Islington cyclist stab murder inquiry begins

A little UK “infrastructure”. I use quotes because there is little to none for bicycles in this article. Cycling campaigner brands Westminster Council’s attitude to road safety as ‘neanderthal’

News of a driver actually facing charges for killing a cyclist in Enn Zed. Driver charged over fatal cyclist crash Another turning truck running a cyclist over from behind…

Seriously, what is wrong with some people? Cycle-route booby traps: a growing danger for Spain’s mountain bikers Barbed wire and heavy fishing like at face or neck height? Rocks big enough to require 3 people to cooperate in carrying and placing them? This is acts of terrorism, pure and simple. And that steel plate with spikes welded into it? Someone was trying to kill somebody.

And here is some real “Lifestyle” of the cycling kind. 2015 Twelve Hours of Santos: Riding to Help an Injured Racer

And thank [$DEITY] I have finally reached the end of today’s links.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

$@*& Texas’ weather, and the Feed

OK there is a measurable accumulation of snow on the ground and slush filling the streets that will freeze into an unrideable mess come sundown, possibly an undrivable mess for going to RPG in the morning. You can see from this picture of the place our lunch guest was eating his squirrel yesterday that we do have what Mrs. the Poet refers to as “snew”.

Our guest from yesterday would have a hard time finding where his squirrel went in this mess.

Up first an example of why the Dutch have the best bicycle infrastructure. Dutch provinces to examine ‘rapid’ cycle paths What is being proposed here are real “cycle superhighways” that are grade separated even from other bicycle infrastructure, for riders and pedal-powered vehicles that cruise significantly faster than the 15-20 km/hr that cyclists average around town. This route runs over by David Hembrook but I don’t see anything there about the route…

A little closer to home the widow of a dead FL cyclist is suing over the 3rd nearly identical fatality in 4 years in nearly the same place (and by “nearly” I mean within a few feet). Widow of Key Biscayne cyclist files lawsuit and Wrongful death suit filed by widow of bicyclist killed on Rickenbacker Causeway The only thing that kept this from having 3 hit-and-runs was one of the weapon vehicles being rendered hors du combat by one of the bicycles in the wreck.

Our Daily Ted. Weekend Links: Own your own bicycle coffee café, slower driving works in Scotland, and WeHo candidate surveys

I really need to stop calling these “lifestyle” links, but my broken brain won’t let that word go. So what would be a better word to describe these? Family say cyclist killed in HGV collision was not ‘a risk taker on the roads’ Really, there has to be a better word for it than “lifestyle” because it isn’t lifestyle.

And over on this side of the pond a woman is killed riding home from work, but people remember more about how she lived than what killed her. Bicyclist killed in Plainfield Avenue crash remembered as ‘happy go lucky’

A UK driver facing actual consequences for killing a cyclist? Man to face trial over death of cyclist Terry Brown in Warrington

Update on the consequences of a wreck from years back (that we covered some here) in Oz. Truck driver jailed over cyclist’s Dutton Park railway bridge crushing death I remember this wreck as one of those I assigned to the “unavoidable by human cyclists” category. And the 8 month prison sentence is just beyond words for me. The cyclist involved didn’t even have time for an “Oh, shit!” before he died under a mountain or broken glass bottles.

We may never know what happened to Bono that day… BONO WORKING HARD TO RECOVER FROM BIKE WRECK, PREP FOR U-2 VANCOUVER CONCERT START When someone claims memory loss from a head injury (and Bono without a doubt had a severe head injury) there just is no point in asking what happened. Most of what I “remember” from my wreck is from people who were there telling me afterwards. My personal memory of the wreck ends with being yelled at just before impact.

WA decides to make a federal guideline law. Olympia Update: SSB 5438 – Faulty Traffic Signals Bill – Moves Forward This bill makes law the “Wait 2 minutes or 2 cycles” federal guideline.

IA decides to make sharing a lane with a bicycle illegal unless the bicycle rider chooses to do it. <a href="[Action Alert] Safe Passing Bill in Iowa House That’s right, a “change lanes to pass” bicycle law.

Not to be outdone SD also has a passing law wending its way through the process. Safety zone to pass bicyclists gains tailwind # feet to pass when the speed limit is under 35, 6 feet everywhere else.

More on the proposed CA helmet law. The Best Reasons Not to Support the Helmet Bill #SB192

Also in CA is this little slice of heavenly infrastructure. Why BART Bike Stations Are Actually Very Cool

And in the same city. SFPD Cops Shoot and Kill Suspected Bike Thief and SF OFFICERS SHOOT ARMED SUSPECT TRYING TO ROB CYCLIST IN MISSION DISTRICT As a victim of bike theft myself I say “If that’s the way he tried to do it, then that’s the way he made it go.”

An indictment of what passes for bicycle “infrastructure” in London UK. More than 20,000 cyclist accidents in London over five years That is 4600 people hit and injured severely enough to require a report to the police a year on average, or more than 12 injured cyclists a day, every day.

And a real lifestyle story, one that means something to the disabled vet writing the blog. Wounded Warriors ride together to heal

And I have run out of links again.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Working off two screens today, and the Feed

Hey! As I type this I’m looking at my TV with the links displayed on my laptop screen. Meaning I can read what I’m posting about as I post it so I can paraphrase more accurately and type while looking at a screen closer to my eye height so I have less neck strain. Yay! less neck strain.

First link is a little music to improve your mood a bit. Walk Cycle : animated music video : MrWeebl Trust me on this one, your mood will need improving. As a matter of fact I suggest you come back to the top of the post after you finish reading and click this link again…

More links about that [$DEITY]-awful bill proposed in CA to make every cyclist wear a helmet. California Mandatory Bicycle Helmet Law Would Make Riding Less Safe, Advocates Say and Cycling experts split on proposed helmet law

Our Daily Ted, round one. 47-year old bike rider killed in Escondido collision

And Daily Ted round two. Morning Links: The Tour of California comes back to LA; Calbike petition opposes mandatory bike helmet law I have signed on to that Calbike petition.

Still in CA, they arrested a hit-and-run driver. Man arrested on suspicion of killing bike rider in crash I think I have mentioned before what I feel about hit-and-run drivers, but for new readers it involves a car crusher and two pair of handcuffs, combined with the weapon vehicle from the incident. Use your imaginations.

OK I don’t know what to say about this except Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot, Interrogative. Trial set for Utah man accused of hitting cyclist with SUV Not once but twice, having circled back around to take another swipe at him after knocking him off the bike. And he might have gotten away with calling it an “accident” if he had stopped at one hit, idiot. Gigi will love this link, it has her two favorite human failings, H8 and Stoopid.

Speaking of Stoopid. Prosecutors: Driver in Key Biscayne cyclist’s death legally drunk What I said about hit-and-run drivers also applies to DUI killers. Except the car should also be on fire before the crusher starts.

It is possible to convict a driver of homicide in New York, he just has to kill people inside another car. Driver Who Killed Williamsburg Family Convicted Of Manslaughter & Homicide This driver was doing about twice the posted limit of 35 MPH at the time of the wreck.

And NYC is trying to do something about traffic homicide. Here’s NYC’s Ambitious Plan To Protect Pedestrians In Brooklyn Now the problem is getting NYPD to enforce the laws against cars hitting pedestrians.

And in London in Jolly Olde, cyclists are getting tired of their friends getting killed by crappy infrastructure that makes them ride next to blind semis. ‘Enough!’ Cycling activists demand action as rush-hour collision with lorry claims woman’s life Four cyclists have been killed by HGV (semis, mostly) since Jan 1. At that rate they will eclipse the previous annual record of 14 some time in late July.

And I’m finally out of links.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet