This was a long day even before I sat down to post today’s blog post, and the Feed

As the headline says, today has already been a long day. I had to go by the bank again and get out money to pay the bills that have to be covered by this weekend, then start paying them. A big part of the problem is I was using DART to get around instead of my bike that I can’t ride yet because I’m spending so much time getting around by DART I don’t have time to finish the extended stem so that I’m sitting up on the padded part of the seat like it was designed for. Let’s face it, Francis/es has the aerodynamics of a mid-’60s COE semi or a brick with the tall, wide side facing forward, and riding in the racing crouch is not going to materially affect the cruise speed of the bike over the “sit up and beg” position. I might as well be comfortable as I ride slow. But because I still don’t have that piece built and installed I can’t ride more than a couple of miles yet. And So It Goes.

The other thing that delayed the beginning of filtering and posting to the blog was tonight’s Full Moon service, which I had to help with. It was a nice service, but a little sparse on participants. That was OK as both I and the lady who was putting this on with me had to be someplace else as soon as the service was done, she to work and me to this blog post.

And tomorrow I’m going to get my neck rubbed some more in the hopes I can get that muscle that had been compressed by “Chris Christy” until it left “Arthur, Arthur Dent” loosened up so I can ride without pain and be able to turn my head all the way to the right. My new provider only charges $25 instead of the $60 (old charge) or $100 (new charge) of my old therapist, because this is a school and they need lab rats for their students to work on. Since I am comfortable in the lab rat role I have no problem paying $25 for the use of the building to keep the school open while some mostly-trained person hones their craft on my neck.

Up first the Big Story was a ex-Navy Seal taken out riding his bike in DC. Bicyclist killed on Massachusetts Avenue identified as Bethesda man And Former Navy SEAL killed in Bethesda bicycle accident Also Cyclist fatally struck by vehicle in Bethesda identified AFAIK the cyclist was hit from behind in or near the bike lane, and was more than legal in regards to lights and reflectors to the rear. More than that hasn’t been released yet.

More on the scum that ran down a cyclist in MI and left the scene. Man surrenders in crash that killed Lake Orion cyclist and Man charged in hit-and-run death of nurse bicycling across Michigan I never will understand why they give people who have already fled once to avoid prosecution bond or bail when they catch them. Especially a guy with failure to appear warrants in his history.

Here’s a break with Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Honked at for riding sharrows, Vision Zero lost in Mobility Plan fallout, and upcoming bike events

In Jolly Olde, OMG potholes are going to kill us all! Cyclists face pothole peril as road repairs are delayed and Potholes blamed for increasing numbers of cyclist deaths If I’m reading this right over 3400 cyclists a year would be dying from potholes except for the level of care provided by the NHS (this being the reason for the KSI stat, the NHS provides the highest level of emergency care in the world, and most people survive wrecks that would have been deadly after a long hospital stay before). Man, is that a lot of pothole wrecks or what?

Back in CA, someone needs instruction on the meaning of a right hook. Cyclist In Critical Condition After Collision At Divisadero & Golden Gate Nevermind, this is the same bunch that blamed a woman for getting hit by a truck making a wide right turn, without a turn signal, across a marked bike lane.

Still in CA, a driver pleaded down from Murder and 20 years to Manslaughter and 4 years. Four-year prison sentence in Foresthill Road bike-death case Maybe this is 4 years more than he would have gotten in a trial, maybe not… But he was under the influence of a dangerous narcotic and he killed a man.

Over in UT, a salmon cyclist is hit by an SUV that apparently rolled a stop sign. 1 hurt in auto-bicycle collision; police urge caution Two wrongs here, but they only issued the ticket to the one that got hurt. Also the cyclist appears to have been riding in the sidewalk, and as I frequently say, sidewalks are not bicycle infrastructure.

NYS, where killing someone with a motor vehicle is “just one of those things, you know?” Too early to know if Hammond driver will be charged in Route 3 bicyclist death Seriously it is easier to charge someone with murder than it is to get a homicide charge on a killing with a motor vehicle.

And this juicy tidbit from NYC. Ask A Native New Yorker: Is It OK To Yell At Cyclists Who Run Red Lights? The comments section…

Another dead cyclist in ABQ. Bicyclist killed in Thursday crash Who saw the cyclist run the red, aside from the driver that killed him? SWCC wreck until proven otherwise.

Deadly hit-and-run in KY Bicyclist killed in hit-and-run on Newtown Pike The narrative makes it sound like the driver was impaired chemically or by lack of sleep.

Here’s hoping the CM tonight in Miami was safe. CRITICAL MASS RIDES TONIGHT IN MEMORY OF FALLEN CYCLIST AND AHEAD OF TROPICAL STORM ERIKA

A wreck in the Great White North. Crash southeast of Stratford leaves cyclist critically injured Prayers and energy for the injured cyclist hit by a goober on the wrong side of the road. Ain’t nothing you can do about that.

More from Jolly Olde as LEO say if you ain’t dying don’t call about your bike wreck. Police chief writes to cyclist to explain why he can’t investigate crash

And last link for this tired blogger, is this the bike that gets fat asses out of cars? Is This The E-Bike That Finally Gets Commuters Out Of Cars? Absent some tax or fee that disincentivises SOV commuting, I’m going to say no.

And tired blogger says “Good night”. Programming note there will be no wrecks in the 8/31 blog post, if I even write it. I may go out and get drunk instead. Or stay home and get drunk. Or have cookies and cupcakes. I have been told there will be cupcakes with dark chocolate bats on them (can’t stop, this is bat country) 😀

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Unkillable Badass Poet

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Gonna go dance to drums tonight, and the Feed

Tonight is the monthly drum circle at my church, so I’m going to stop and take a break in the middle of composing this post to get my Pagan on and shake it to the beats. I meditate to polyrhythmic drumming, so this is a calming experience for me. Just FYI, my favorite meditation CD is the first Blue Man Group CD, Audio. I pick out the different rhythms from the music as focal points for my meditation. It sure beats how I learned to meditate, focussing on my arthritis pains as a kid. Now I barely feel pain…

Up first, have you ever looked at pictures or videos from places like anywhere in the Netherlands or Copenhagen and just drooled? Lane Envy

Rough day at work for Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Good news on Mt. Hollywood Dr; Calabasas driver busted for DUI after injuring two cyclists

The Stoopid is strong with this one. Officials ID Cyclist Killed in Carlsbad Crash “No fault has been determined” means “we still haven’t figured out a way to blame a cyclist for using the infrastructure the way it was designed for him to use it, without also blaming the poor defenseless driver”.

Someone must have hit WY LEO with a clue-by-four. Authorities charge Casper man for hit-and-run that injured bicyclist This is the third wreck in a row where criminal charges have been filed against the driver in an injury wreck with a cyclist. This was the idiot that claimed he wasn’t driving when it happened when two passengers said he did, and made the claims on Facebook… Speaking of Stoopid, this one is death-penalty Stoopid except for the grace of his victim surviving the wreck.

OH LEO aren’t quite up to RCMP standards, but the got their man this time. Troopers identify suspect in hit-and-run of VeloSano cyclist As someone suspected, he was driving illegally when the crime happened. “He’s charged with false statements, tampering with evidence, driving under suspension, fictitious registration and leaving the scene of the accident.” Basically there was not one thing legal in his being there to hit the cyclist.

When a driver swerves off the road in front of you do you go to their aid? Albemarle Co. Cyclists Happen Upon and Help Driver After Accident Well these cyclists did, but I check the license plate against my list of drivers that buzzed me before I do anything… 😛

And after that Monday report we got all the way through to Thursday before another report of a wreck at RAGBRAI. RAGBRAI riders injured in separate Linn County crashes One was a cyclist hitting the back of a truck that stopped unexpectedly, the other a hit-and-run.

This wreck was about a half day’s ride to the east of WoaB World HQ in the beautiful suburbs of Hell. Teenager killed on bicycle identified Another hit-and-run on a barrier to human-powered transportation.

Cyclists in NOLA protest bad infrastructure and worse drivers. Bicyclists memorialize killed bikers No word on how many of the deaths were due to bad infrastructure and how many were due to bad driving, my guess is about 50/50.

This was a hard article to read. Two bikers harassed by driver on Butler Street, biking advocates seek improvements Yelled at and pushed to the ground, or “assault and battery” in the “throw the book at him” language.

Update on a VA wreck. Stratford Hall’s executive director dies from injuries suffered in accident I can’t believe it has taken so long to charge the truck driver. VA has a 3 foot law. I think this is definitely a chargeable wreck, if you hit a cyclist you obviously did not have the required clearance.

If you think hit-and-run is bad for cyclists in the US… Revealed: 1,000 cyclists injured and two killed in London hit-and-runs in last year alone and More than 1,000 cyclists in London injured in hit-and-run collisions in 2014 this, too Number of cyclists injured in London hit-and-runs up 13% More than 20% of all London cyclist collisions were hit and run, higher than any US location except CA.

Talk about victim blaming. Cyclists banned from stretch of A19 after several serious accidents in last few years Do they make women stay indoors so as to not get raped in the streets? Geez that is offensive to the victims and their survivors, especially when all the victims were hit from behind while riding legally. Basically they are punishing an entire class of road users because other classes can’t stop hitting them.

Drivers in OR are getting quite the shock. Injured cyclist sues driver who waved truck through Since drivers who “direct traffic” from inside the vehicle are going to be blamed for resulting wrecks, I see a good chance that not many will continue to do it.

I can think of a couple of dozen things that drivers do that are wrong and could get cyclists killed…The dangerous mistakes bicyclists (and drivers) make on the road The main thing is that when drivers make mistakes cyclists and pedestrians die. When cyclists make mistakes cyclists and (rarely) pedestrians die.

Sometimes it really does feel like a war zone out there. ‘Real Sports’ Examines the War Between Cyclists and Drivers Between the potholes and the crumbling road surface, and the small but not zero number of drivers that want to kill cyclists, it is a wonder that anybody rides in the streets and roads.

Speaking of riding in a war zone. Bike Rider Describes Perimeter Built By Marines During Shooting

One Of Us. Patricia Keenan, killed cyclist, honoured in Critical Mass ride

Infrastructure from S.F.CA. S.F. Spends $5 Million to Make Pedestrian-Friendly Freeway Fix It is a small thing, but it is a thing that makes both human-powered modes (cycling and walking) safer.

I keep saying this and posting this, and writing letters to the editor about this, and finally someone who has the credentials to back it up agrees with me, sorta. #CityCycling: ‘There are accidents where helmets are a great thing. There are others where a helmet doesn’t work’ – hospital consultant A bicycle helmet is built to a 20 km/hr impact standard when human skulls can normally endure a 15 km/hr impact without breaking. That does not require a great deal of impact protection, and the soft shells on most modern (cheaply made) helmets don’t slide like the separate shells of the helmets used in the ’80s and ’90s that a lot of studies used in determining relative safety. I want everyone to know that when I get my neck mobility back I will be wearing a full face BMX helmet with a heavy polycarbonate plastic shell that can slide over pavement on every ride I don’t need my ears free to troubleshoot a problem.

And I’m outta links, patience, and my back hurts. See you Sunday.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

They closed the tax office an hour early today, and the Feed

Cutting to the chase, they closed the GISD tax office as I was walking up to it at 1600. The line of people out the door were very vocally unhappy about getting turned away, to the point that police were on hand for crowd control. I think that this may have been a planned thing, because the police were there long before the office was closed. I know this because I was walking up to the door as they closed it and there was a cop inside already.

Up first is good news from just a half-day’s ride east from WoaB World HQ in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell. Injured cyclist rides again following months recovering WoaB and employees very happy to see this. Her recovery period was about the same as mine.

LAPD shows NYPD how it’s done. Suge Knight Arrested For ‘Suspicion Of Murder’ After Fatal Hit-And-Run This was a pedestrian death on a closed film set, but still, NYPD should be taking notes.

Speaking of NYC, they had another fatal pedestrian right hook. Woman Fatally Struck By Nassau County Bus Driver In Queens And in spite of a bus full of witnesses NYPD failed to arrest of even charge the driver.

Another article on the loss of who may have been the world’s oldest active cyclist. Long Beach loses its 106-year-old symbol of cycling

And that makes for a great segue into our next link, our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Atwater paper calls legal cyclists lane hogs, a handful of links and a long list of upcoming events

Update on a cyclist that a road-raging driver tried to kill. Donations help injured cyclist recover at home I like the remodeled bathroom, Mrs. the Poet wants a shower like that, too.

Infrastructure news from VA via DC. Bills in the Virginia General Assembly would hurt and help transit and cyclists I’ll withhold comment on this because I haven’t read the full text for any of the bills.

A hit-and-run driver gets a gentle caress on the wrist from a CO judge. Woman gets probation for hitting Fort Collins cyclist, fleeing They totally ignored the sentencing guidlines for felonies of this nature. According to one commenter if this had been treated like other crimes of this grade of felony the minimum sentence would be 2 years with the possibility of probation.

A little legal infrastructure in action in Jolly Olde. Marjorie Trappenden accelerated into Kevin Lane on High Road, Woodford Green, on February 9 Another dead cyclist with the killer getting community service in the UK.

I find it interesting that a surviving cyclist elicits more severe punishment than a deceased cyclist. Diabetic driver mum jailed for crash which left cyclist seriously injured

Another “bicycle safety” article from people who haven’t been on a bike since elementary school. Life in the bike lane: Riding responsibly Once again too much emphasis is placed on helmets to prevent wrecks.

Another article that should not have to be written, but was because too many drivers have the morals of a Chaotic Evil kinder. Attorney John Nojima of Lederer & Nojima, LLP Reminds Cyclists to Carry Uninsured Motorist Coverage in Light of News Regarding Hit-and-Runs Now if they would just provide a source for this insurance that doesn’t require buying a car and getting a license first…

A little humor from Spokesmama. 10 Reasons Not To Get A Cargo Bike The one I thought was hilarious was the one about not supporting the poor oil companies… HA!!

Last link is a bit of bike culture from the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike. Critical Mass Set To Take The Streets Friday

And I’m out of links again.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet