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

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Bean Day, Monday, and the Feed

What can I say, it’s another Monday, and another Bean Day. I was supposed to get a paying gig to go work on another bike but this is one of those bikes that cannot fit inside a heated room, and the current weather situation is such that I dragged a hoodie out of the closet so I have a decent chance of keeping my fingers warm inside the house. I’m still wearing shorts but the combination pf the long sleeves and hood trap enough heat in my core that my fingers can function normally. And yes I know how silly long sleeves and shorts look. I don’t care about that, I just want to be comfortable when I’m working.

Up first Ellen DeGeneres is one of us as she teaches an actress in a show I don’t watch how to ride a bike. Ellen Makes Sarah Hyland Ride A Bike – See The Pics!

Our Daily Ted may not be visible to some as the site has been up and down all day resolving a server issue. Morning Links: Gloria Molina wonders where all the poor cars will park, and KFI’s John and Ken go on the attack If only there was a way to get back at people who lie and encourage illegal activity on the air, like maybe a license to use the airwaves, a broadcasting license for example…

And the Stoopid is strong with these. Should California cyclists be required to wear helmets? Question of the Week

And what is the problem here, cyclists or the people in cars that kill them with no fear of prosecution? Report: S.F. Is One of the Few Cities Where Cyclist Deaths Are Increasing

Along the same lines. Jeff Jardine: ‘Ghost bikes’ reminders of cyclist tragedies There was some misinformation in the article, mainly the bit about riding single file. Riding two up when there are many cyclists taking the lane both makes cyclists more visible and also easier to pass by reducing the amount of time needed to pass a group of cyclists.

I’m shocked that this is even being seriously considered. Should Bus Drivers Be Arrested For Failing To Yield? The question is making bus drivers immune from the law making death by failure to yield a misdemeanor and arrestable offense, instead of the previous maybe a traffic ticket only.

A little CA lifestyle article. Tour De Ed on Feb. 22 helps injured bikers I hope they rake in buttloads of money, Metric buttloads even.

Lifestyle in AZ, as cyclists remember one of our own who switched to handcycling after hip replacement. Bicyclists remember Rose Peters, rider killed in crash

A little UK lifestyle that I was also invited to attend/report on. Hundreds expected at vigil for cyclist killed in Holborn I’m still not sure of why I get invited to these things, I think I got on someone’s list by mistake. There is no way I could make it there to participate.

A little infrastructure news from the Emerald Isle. Cyclist urges council to repair road From the number of filled but still crumbling potholes I would say there is a word missing from the headline: “properly”.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Overloaded with links and covered up in other obligations, and the Feed

Things have been a bit busy this week, and this is only Monday. Among things I can talk about I have a consultation with a surgeon this Thursday for removing the thing on the back of my neck that is making drinking soda from the can a painful and difficult proposition lately, and I had a discussion of volunteering for the Wendy Davis campaign this afternoon as well as a trip to the bank to pay for the new hat I’m giving myself for my birthday. The new hat is being custom-made by an Etsy vendor called “Steezy Workz” and hopefully will be ready by year’s end. And my spell checker thought “Steezy” was spelled right but not the “Workz” part of the name? WTF?!? Anywho, I’m having to order the hat over the Internet because there are no local vendors still making the hat I want. Also I am up to my eyeballs in the NDA project that is burning up tons of time as well. For a guy who doesn’t have a steady job I sure seem to have a lot to do…

Up first, despite all the predictions of mass carnage when bike share went into effect just about everywhere in North America it has been tried, those predictions have all come up negative. Why? Ideas why 0 bikers have been killed on bike-sharing bikes The hypothesis have been as many and as varied as the color schemes of the shared bikes, more so even. But as it stands now it’s all guesswork.

A NM cyclist is killed making a left turn. Cyclist killed in hit-and-run near NM 528 and Coors Bypass Apparent drunk driver runs over a cyclist moving to the turn lane as required by NM law to make that left turn, then left for dead. Modify the hit-from-behind protocols to take moving to the left into account to avoid or reduce damages, and get the infrastructure “up to Dutch” to prevent.

Two links to a DE hit-and-run. Police ID bicyclist killed in Hockessin hit-and-run and Bicyclist killed less than mile from home Cyclist was hit head-on apparently riding on his side of the road, and from user descriptions of the road may have had less than a second to react to the oncoming vehicle. There are no protocols that will help you avoid a wreck like this and getting the infrastructure “up to Dutch” would only have helped if the cyclist was struck away from a residential area so that he would not be sharing the roads with a suspected DUI.

Wasting the court’s time in ID. Trial set for man accused of killing cyclist Changing your plea at the sentencing hearing is a serious “no class” move.

A drunk cyclist in PA. Sentinel police log for Sept. 12 Not a good idea but still better than driving while falling-down drunk.

Aftermath of a drunk driver hitting 4 cyclists head on driving on their side of the road. Cyclists stress awareness to stay safe I’m still at a loss how watching what’s going on where there is no escape route and a drunk driver is driving on your side of the road is going to do anything but leave you all tensed up when you get killed, like for those guys who died.

A hit-and-run in the Great White North leaves an injured cyclist in its wake. Police seeking driver after Dartmouth hit-and-run The driver just drove right through the cyclist leaving the stop sign. That’s not a wreck a human cyclist can avoid, and as the location appears to be the boundary between shared space and where cyclists would head to segregated infrastructure, so getting the infrastructure “up to Dutch” is kind of a tossup depending on where the segregated infrastructure began.

Infrastructure! news from CA. Give cyclists 3 feet: It’s the law now The comments section is a war zone.

Infrastructure worries after a wreck on a group ride in the Great White North. Laurie Strano’s death sparks caution at Gatineau cycling event

Infrastructure worries in the UK. Shocking road stats warn of dangers for cyclists in Sevenoaks I think people are starting to get the message that recent reductions in overall KSI are the result of changes to cars and advancements in medical care and drivers are still as bad as they ever were.

Infrastructure news from Oz, as a driver comes to the shocking revelation that they are guiding tons of killing machine around fragile human beings. Peace offer in cycle war

Infrastructure news from Enn Zed. Cyclists, drivers urged to share the road and Cyclists get the helmet message The “message” received is that unless you exceed all legal requirements to make yourself visible and protected, even if those requirements don’t actually provide any protection aside from the placebo effect (for drivers). So every square inch covered in HiViz and a silly styrofoam hat, and maybe you won’t get blamed for the drunk driver that slams into you and crushes your fragile internal organs with 2-3 tons of speeding projectile.

Lifestyle news from the RGV of TX. Son of cyclist will ride in his honor

Lifestyle from GA. Atlanta police officers join charity night bike ride

Last link, the bike to have in the garage when the zombie apocalypse hits. Bug Out Bike – Apocalypse Bicycle Maybe painting the chain isn’t such a bright idea… but having a MTB with reliable components and lots of cargo capacity with medical supplies, food, and water pre-loaded along with shelter is a good idea for anything short of a kaiju invasion, and if you’re lucky enough to know which way the kaiju is headed then even for that. Good XC tires with airless tubes gives you the lowest possible rolling resistance with no flats. I need to get Francis/es sorted out (we are down to getting the fit right now) and then all I would need would be having all those things in one area with tiedowns to secure the load ready to go.

And those were all the links I got before 1800, those I’m saving for tomorrow.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the unkillable badass Poet

Thinking about Patreon, and the Feed

I have been thinking about subscribing to Patreon so that my income is more linear and more predictable and less “manna from heaven” between long bouts of poverty. I’m still checking with Automattic (the company that hosts my blog) about putting a Patreon button in one of the sidebars, or if I will have to put a link in every blog post to remind people about it. Having Patreon in the blog is totally kosher as far as they are concerned because it is just another link off-site like all my news links. The “other” problem is incentives for supporters. How should I reward supporters without spending everything I get on incentives? Put names in the headlines? Autographed pictures? One free ride on Francis/es? I have been thinking about making T-Shirts as a promotional item and to sell, so maybe a t-shirt at one level, with an autograph at a higher level? I made good some money last year amounting to just under $3K, but doing the blog keeps me from doing other things that I could be doing to make money that while not as much fun would be a steadier stream of income. I await comments and will continue to ponder.

Up first the Really Big Story is the driver that killed one of the three cyclists she hit on an arrow-straight flat road at 0130 is suing the trio (including the dead cyclist) for “ruining her enjoyment of life”. >retch< Woman sues parents of cyclist she killed with her SUV, complaining “her enjoyment of life has been be lessened” and Driver of SUV that hit cyclists suing dead teen’s family more Driver that fatally hit cyclist sues family and this Canadian Female Motorist Who Killed Teen Bike Rider Suing His Estate not done yet Woman who killed teen on bike sues teen’s family for $1.3 million for ‘emotional distress’ not done yet Driver sues dead teenage cyclist she knocked over and killed for HER “emotional trauma” still more Driver suing teenage cyclist she killed Can I just say that even the thought of suing the parents of a dead child for the psychological harm you suffered in killing that child is abhorrent to me, but doubly so in this case. The wreck was on an arrow-straight road that had an unobstructed view for miles, the 2 bicycles closest to or in the road had reflectors, all the riders had reflective raincoats on because of the drizzle, and the combination of clothing and reflectors should have given the driver a minimum of 30 seconds to see, identify, and avoid the cyclists by moving to the other lane that was free of traffic. Only one of the cyclists (the deceased one) was completely in the road, one was on the line between the shoulder and the travel lane and the third was completely in the shoulder at the time all three were hit… Maybe riding side-by-side was not as safe as all 3 riding single file in the shoulder, but the driver had more than enough time to move to the empty lane and make a safe pass had she been, you know, looking out the front of the car.

Moving a little closer to home, I have ridden this very train. A-train strikes cyclist I don’t know the crossing but local knowledge reports state that there is very obstructed visibility and no crossing gate where the cyclist was hit. Unfortunately I can’t get a recent Street View of the scene so I can’t say one way or the other.

Speaking of cyclists getting hit by trains, we have more on the one hit in NM last week. A preventable, tragic death: Some lessons Based on what was known last week and this new information SFPD garners new details from video of fatal train/bicycle crash Video always helps, especially good clear video. And now this becomes super puzzling, because people that know the victim and rode with her had commented on how careful and law-abiding she rode with them, and this report states she was crossing the street against the light and then turned directly in front of the train, going the opposite direction from the original reports. So Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot?

Still on the cyclists hit by trains theme, on in IL. Cyclist struck and killed by freight train after falling on tracks in downtown Elgin Nothing solid except the cyclist would not have been hit had he managed to stay upright. Still in all these cases the standard mantra of avoiding getting hit by trains applies. Trains are only found on train tracks and you can avoid getting hit by never being on the track at the same time as a train. That said all of the reports today are just confusing as to how the cyclists ended up getting hit.

A PA wreck with low information when I was filtering links. Coroner IDs cyclist killed in Silver Spring Township The bicycle in the picture appears to have been hit from behind, but I can’t see if the cyclist went under the wheels or if he was just clobbered and knocked to the side. Also can’t tell if the cyclist had lights or reflectors as that part of the bike was mangled. Also I can’t see what the clear visibility was but what little I can see of the scene suggests that it was straight up to the point of impact and had the cyclist been visible he would have been visible for some time prior to the impact. Late night and 74 YO cyclist could mean either the cyclist or the driver could have been drowsy. Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure “up to Dutch” to prevent.

Another wreck that LEO are sitting on all the information about. Name of victim in bike/SUV accident released by investigators The location and even the facts of was he hit or not are all being kept way to close to their vests for my liking.. I smell a cover-up.

A CA wreck has more questions than answers. Santa Cruz Bicyclist Killed in Friday Night Hit-N-Run So they have a hubcap that might have been from the weapon vehicle, and a dead cyclist. LEO are claiming the cyclist was riding salmon in the bike lane but at the same time stated he fell from his bike and was laying in the travel lane when he was hit, so how are they sure which way he was going before he fell? At any rate the direction of travel is immaterial to this wreck if the cyclist fell over and was in the travel lane when hit.

Our Daily Ted link. Morning Links: Successful Finish the Ride, state hit-and-run bills advance, and an Agenda 21 conspiracy fail

And this unfortunate news from Ted. Today’s post, in which I win the genetic lottery, or why you haven’t seen me on my bike — or anywhere else — lately I don’t like the symptoms Ted is reporting, low energy and high blood sugar are tripping my alarms about other metabolic disorders, not diabetes.

A hit-from-behind wreck in Oz. Cyclist death leaves community mourning Protocols and infrastructure…

Hit-and-run in Oz. Driver flees scene after cyclist dies at Inglewood, west of Warwick Hit from behind, protocols and infrastructure including confiscating and destroying all vehicles used in hit and run. With the driver in them if they killed someone. 😡 More Police ask for help to find hit-and-run driver who killed cyclist Dr Martin Pearson at Inglewood

Lifestyle from CA. Cyclist who lost part of leg highlights hit-and-runs with bike ride This was the guy who got hit by a driver driving on the wrong side of the street to try to get around a long line of traffic that then turned on to an onramp for I-5 and dragged the cyclist almost a quarter of a mile. More Cyclist struck in hit-and-run looks to ‘Finish the Ride’

Sorta kinda lifestyle in IN. Man killed in collision with bus loved to ride his bike The thing that gets my goat on this one is there is no ambiguity in the laws about this wreck, the driver of the school bus was 100% at fault for hitting the cyclist while the bus was turning left.

More lifestyle from PA (I think). Bicycle event shows injured veterans are capable of anything

Infrastructure! news from south TX. Prioritize making S.A. friendly to pedestrians, cyclists Whodathunkit, a Texas politician actually espousing entering the 21st century as far as infrastructure is concerned. And all it took was one constituent a month getting killed in her district. >:P

We should be so lucky as to have this problem. Netherlands reports rise in bike-on-bike cycle path injuries There are so many people riding bicycles (as opposed to “cyclists”) that the bicycle paths are getting congested and people are having wrecks. But on the bright side, many fewer cyclists are getting hit by cars because the infrastructure there is the best in the world. Even the best in the world needs improvement, though.

More legal infrastructure problems in Jolly Olde. Campaigners say justice system is ‘failing to protect cyclists’ Yep, a prosecution rate of just over 10% is never going to win any friends except in the group doing the killing, who are literally getting away with murder. More Cyclists slam low number of car smash court cases The amount of money sounds huge until you stop and think that is the cost for rebuilding one freeway interchange. Then think of how many thousands of interchanges there are, how many dozens have to be rebuilt each year, how many miles of roads are being built between those interchanges and then you realize that the money is just a drop in the bucket compared to motor vehicle infrastructure spending. And the facts that even when a driver breaks the law they have a 9 in 10 chance of walking away without even a ticket.

And bad infrastructure continues to kill even after being alerted to replace it. Coroner demands safety action from council at Holborn junction where cyclist was killed Couldn’t there be a charge the next time someone was killed or injured trying to negotiate this intersection by bicycle? Like a criminal charge against the people dragging their heels about getting this fixed?

Last link, if this breakthrough can transfer over to rechargeable batteries it could spell wonders for all forms of EV including e-assist bikes. ‘Revolutionary’ advanced battery leaps theoretical maximum boundary Right now this research is only applicable to primary (disposable) batteries, and could mean less frequent battery change surgery for implanted devices, but there is hope that there will be secondary cells that can benefit from the research if not the actual discovery.

And those were all the links that gave me fits and giggles today. Sadly way too many fits and not enough giggles.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Running late again from the neck cracker, and the Feed

Here I am again starting this post right about dinner time because I spent half the day getting to and from the chiropractor. The good news is I’m getting better, they almost have the pelvic tilt straightened up as long as I keep the lift in my shoe. The even better news is now they are moving on to fix other things that have been not right, like the shoulder that keeps me from being able to raise my arm much above horizontal or rotate my palm as far as the good arm. My good arm has 270° rotation at the wrist when I combine the rotations from the elbow down with the shoulder, the bad arm as a little over 180 or basically from the elbow down only. Between throwing wood for the camp fire and loading Francis/es for trips around the camp site I didn’t do it any good this past weekend either. But as I said, things are improving.

Up first for your anger management class testing is the news that the cabbie who cut off the foot of a British tourist in NYC last summer as he was trying to hit a cyclist and drove onto the sidewalk is back driving a cab. Cabbie Who Maimed Tourist In Midtown Is Driving Taxi Again Yeah, I’m angry and upset about it too, but what can you do? The DA refused to even charge the guy after he publicly admitted he was assaulting the cyclist (who had only minor injuries) when he ran over the tourist.TANJ!

Closer to home a rare sentence that is almost fitting for a drunk driver that ran over a TX cyclist. El Paso woman sentenced to 10 years in prison in bicyclist’s death She will be eligible for probation in another 5 years, but I didn’t see anything about her losing her license to drive.

The cyclist that survived the double collision in NOLA when a blind driver hit two cyclists from behind with an empty lane to the left of the wreck is making great strides to recovery. Cyclist injured in deadly crash making strides At this point they are not saying if he will recover the use of his legs, but reported signs are hopeful. The driver was still in jail as of the last report on that situation. That makes almost a week that hitting those cyclists has kept him from reaching his destination for the day.

A MI cyclist is injured while having a separate medical emergency and does not have wearable ID. Deputies seek public’s help identifying injured cyclist found near Dutton This is another reminder of why wearable ID is not just a good idea.

And here is our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Torrance father rides for his daughter, and court hearings for Wendy Villegos and Jose Gonzales I have a suggestion for the DUI driver that killed the cyclist, if no prison then force her to ride a bicycle for a period of 10 years instead, with some way of monitoring her location and speed to make sure she only walks or rides that bike wherever she goes.

A blotter report on a cyclist getting hit in Oz. Street Watch: Police blitz snares officer over the limit As the article is posted at the moment the cyclist wreck is second down. No mode given, so infrastructure “up to Dutch” to prevent.

A little Infrastructure! news from SC. Myrtle Beach aiming to be more bicycle friendly This from the state that is 4th in cyclist deaths and 34th in bicycle infrastructure spending.

Legal infrastructure news from Bike Portland. Get Legal: Doored? The law is on your side (but that might not be enough)

A little Lifestyle from the UK. Cyclists turn out to help brave Linthorpe teen Ben Honeysett on the road to recovery after crash

Gothamist loses their collective minds over a cyclist riding without a helmet and carrying a little girl in a Citibike. Photo: Father And Daughter Enjoy Death Defying Citi Bike Ride
Not what I would recommend as a way to move a child around a busy city, but I’m not the parent in charge, presumably the grim-faced adult in the picture is.

And some real fun from SF CA. ‘Big Wheel’ Race Down Crookedest Street In The World Thrills Thousands, Dings A Few This looks like it would be so much more fun with smaller heat races qualifying for the final run so that the riders had some room to really cut loose.

And those were all the links that gave me fits or giggles. Lots of giggles today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Help a bronie, and the Feed

Most people will agree that I am by no means a bronie (Even if I do have a soft spot for Fluttershy’s Lament). However I am a person that cares about fair treatment for everybody (except maybe drunk drivers that kill). Well lately a kid in North Carolina who likes My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic was bullied about that mercilessly, both physically and psychologically, to the point that he tried to hang himself to escape the pain. More details here He was not successful, but doctors say he may be permanently brain damaged because of the hypoxia. If you have any artistic talent and enough knowledge about MLP:FiM to assist I encourage you to submit something to this to help pay for the medical and legal bills resulting from this episode.

Up first was a difficult decision as there were so many “worthy” contenders, but I think the Tesla story starting to go viral is the top of the list. Tesla Motors Blamed For Cyclist Death: Did New Car Smell Cause Driver To Pass Out? [REPORT] and Driver Who Killed Cyclist Blames Crash on New Car Smell What can I say about this? Well for one thing the family of the victim is trying to aid the prosecution by getting Tesla Motors on record stating that nothing in their “new car smell” could induce a person to sleep unless they are already fighting to stay awake. They are making the defense pay for information that the prosecution will use against them, for the cost of filing a lawsuit they were going to file anyway.

A drunk driver who was nearly 4 times the legal limit for BAC% blames the trace amount of THC in the cyclists for the wreck. Trial set for accused drunk driver who hit cyclists, killing one This was a driver who hit two cyclists from behind who were riding in single file, killing the rear cyclist and crippling the front one, and tested at 0.307% BAC with the legal limit being 0.08. This is so close to the lethal amount for non-alcoholics that it isn’t even funny. This driver needs to be placed under the jail and left there until advanced decomposition has set in.

A drunk driver pleads guilty to seriously injuring a cyclist while driving drunk. Doctor pleads guilty to driving drunk, hitting cyclist OK this one survived with “serious injuries” but he could have just as easily been dead. The infrastructure needed to prevent this wreck is two-fold, physically segregated cycling infrastructure to prevent drunks from getting close enough to kill cyclists, and legal infrastructure that makes driving drunk so costly in both time and treasure to the drunk that people just don’t do it. I suggest that any wreck that leaves a victim with permanent injury or death result in the confiscation and scrapping of the weapon vehicle in addition to a permanent loss of license and also make driving with a license that has been revoked for DUI with death or injury be a major felony akin to the unlawful possession of a firearm. After all there is a 2nd Amendment that guarantees the right to keep and bear arms, but there is no corresponding right to use WMD as transportation; i.e. drive a motor vehicle.

Another SWSS in FL. Bicyclist hit, killed along St. Pete street Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid or to mitigate the damages, and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

This one seriously harshes my vibe. Cyclist killed during Tour de Palm Springs ran stop sign In spite of multiple witness reports that the cyclist stopped and was waved through the intersection by a car that stopped blocking the way, and that the weapon vehicle swerved into the left turn lane to pass the stopped car without slowing down, they are blaming the cyclist on this one. More Tour de Palm Springs officials to review event after death

More from CA via BikingInLA. Near Rapid Bus road kill, and a letter from a Brit driver that questions their care for the mentally ill

Another report on hit-and-run from the Great White North. Cyclist critical after Oshawa hit and run I don’t know if this is the same wreck from a different source than yesterday’s hit-and-run report, or a different wreck, but either way there was no place for the cyclist to get away from this wreck because of the heaps of snow piled on the sides of the road. Infrastructure to prevent.

More information than usual about a UK wreck. Vigil protest as first cyclist dies in London this year and People call for safety measures after first cyclist dies in London this year The first death was at an intersection that has had repeated pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries. That says something to me about the quality of the infrastructure. Also says something about the speed limit being too high for the area.

First link from Oz is a fatal wreck report from NSW. Cyclist killed in crash at Byron Bay The narrative reads like a hit-from-behind wreck, so protocols and infrastructure…

Also from Oz. Injured teen cyclist thanks police for helping him when injured in Dandenong The back wheel malfunctioned causing a loss of control wreck. When passers-by refused to help police on patrol saw him bleeding and applied first aid.

A wreck in Enn Zed. Cyclist injured after 4WD collision Intersection wreck with a vehicle that failed to yield to oncoming traffic, so protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

Last links are to pictures of my bike in final assembly after coming back from paint and powdercoat.

And those were all the links that gave me fits today. today’s post is late because I had a chiropractor’s appointment to get my back adjusted and lined up right after I lost 11 mm from my left leg in the wreck leaving my left leg 17 mm shorter than my right, causing a severe pelvic tilt. This in turn causes me tons of low back pain, and tightness. The adjustments are getting my back back in line and reducing the amount of scoliosis from the pelvic tilt. Yay me!

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Another grocery shopping day that I don’t have to play a mule, and the Feed

I’m waiting to see if there are any good links in the Feed today (that I haven’t already used) so a little commentary on life in general while I wait. Regular readers know that Blue was stolen back in August of 2013. What I haven’t been talking about is I haven’t had a bike I could ride without pain since then. All the bikes I have at my disposal are either too big or way too small (kids’ bikes). The other problem is my local source for small batches of steel tubing in bicycle diameters and wall thicknesses has ceased its retail operations and gone strictly to big batch orders that would be a 40-50 year supply for my operation and tie up thousands of dollars in metal inventory. This prevents me from building something on my own that would fit and be comfortable. Having tools and designs doesn’t help if I can’t get the materials to build them. And I find this to be incredibly frustrating, to have all these ideas floating around in my head and no way to make them real. The closest analogy I can think of is being perpetually pregnant, only without the bladder issues.

And segueing from pregnancy to the other problem I’m having is I’m gaining weight. I really need active transportation for two reasons, not the least of which is I need the exercise. There is a reason I don’t do the “e word” except for my rehab stuff, and that’s most of it is a waste of time and energy. I’m using the term “waste” in the sense of “for no purpose”, because if I’m going to be working that hard I want the work to be accomplishing something other than “exercise”. Most of the things I can think of to do already require some degree of fitness, they’re not things you do to get fit but they are activities that let you hold on to what fitness you already have. Also they require a degree of sociableness that I’m not comfortable with. Riding the bike was something I could do without having to participate in team sports, but it did require interacting with entitled idiots who think the world revolves around internal combustion engines. Also it was a “useful” form of exercise, I was moving my butt from A to B and frequently also various amounts of cargo so that things would get done. It was also my social outlet in that point B commonly involved interacting with other people. And it was cheap, after the initial costs were amortized. I could make trips similar in length to what people around here drive for the cost of a bottle of water and a PBJ sandwich which I would have needed to buy anyway just to keep alive. So basically for me the costs of riding a bike were nil.

First up, while I’m no great fan of JB I wasn’t a hater either until this. Justin Bieber Arrested For Alleged DUI And Drag Racing In Miami OK for someone like JB to get arrested for this in Miami where a minor pop singer from South America is treated like a foreign dignitary when he kills a cyclist while DUI tells me 2 things: first that he was so blitzed that he was a danger to himself and others, second that there has been a major change in LEO attitude in Dade County. I keep hearing rumors that Canada may deny him re-entry into the country if he tries to return. Bicycle related content: About 30-40% of cyclist fatalities involve weapon vehicle operators that are DUI.

Up close to WoaB World HQ in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell, a cyclist gets hit by a train (again). Bicyclist injured in collision with Metro rail car C’mon people, we have hashed and re-hashed this until it’s practically meat puree, not getting hit by a train is about the simplest traffic safety thing you can do. Trains can only be found on train tracks and normally have crossing guard systems or other warning devices. Granted this is light rail in the street, but there are still multiple warning systems that are supposed to keep you off the tracks when a train is coming. Add to that the size and noise of a train, even the light rail variety, and well it takes a rare combination of multiple lacks of awareness or a total disregard for what’s going on around you, or even a personal disregard for safety. Stay away from train tracks to avoid and be very careful and alert when staying away from the tracks proves impossible.

From the former most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike (pending confirmation) another cyclist is hit. Lakeland Man Charged in Bicyclist’s Death OK this is another one that needs to have the car crushed with the driver inside. Drunk and hit the cyclist on the wrong side of the road (salmon driving) and swerved into the cyclist. This isn’t manslaughter it’s murder… and the cyclist was riding exactly where the haters say cyclists should ride, in a park.

From WA, it seems bike paths are a bad place to have high-speed motorcycle chases. Man on stolen motorcycle killed on Renton trail while fleeing Washington State Patrol trooper Those things are full of obstacles that (rarely) kill and (much too often) injure people riding bicycles. Riding on one at high speed with a motorcycle ain’t gonna work out well.

A little south of that wreck a cyclist is injured by a driver who did not hang around. Bicyclist injured in hit-and-run in San Luis Obispo Another candidate for the car crusher. The damage and location of this wreck lead me to deduce the weapon vehicle hit the cyclist as the vehicle left the parking lot to the store and as the victim proceeded straight. So that would imply intersection protocols to avoid or to mitigate damages, infrastructure to prevent.

Nearby a cyclist is hit with a bus. Breaking news: Pomona cyclist killed in collision with Foothill Transit bus

Final outcome in the criminal charges against a driver that hit a cyclist waiting to turn in Jolly Olde. Widow: ‘No sentence can ever match my loss’ and Family to sue driver over death crash A year’s driving ban and a six month suspended sentence. And the driving ban will most likely not be enforced because I didn’t see anything about relinquishing the keys or the car. So effectively no punishment for killing a driver waiting to turn from the opposite lane.

A wreck in Oz results in charges against the driver. Engadine woman charged with injuring cyclist at Helensburgh Nothing on the mode because it was a hit-and-run and the cyclist could not remember what happened, but it looks like hit-from-behind so protocols to avoid and infrastructure to prevent. Along with crushing the weapon vehicle, of course. Nothing prevents a second hit-and-run quite as well as destroying the means of doing so.

They REALLY don’t like bike riders in Pakistan. 15 killed, Spaniard injured in attacks in Pak’s restive areas They killed 6 national police trying to get one bike rider. I don’t think the fact he was riding a bike was the issue, more that he was an infidel foreigner. I do know how to read for content.

A bit of e-assist bike news from the EU. Working Group Decides on Standardized E-bike Interfaces When I first started working with e-assist they couldn’t even settle on a common charge plug so that you could grab a few watt-hours on the road without having to pack a charger, now they have a common software interface with the BMS. That’s progress.

And “old people” who used to ride a lot still ride a lot when they get e-assist. E-Bikes Boosts Bike Usage Among Elderly Whodathunkit? People ride bikes when it doesn’t hurt.

Along the same lines people will take cruises to locales that are fun places to ride bikes and the they ride bikes. Luxury cruise and biking? Turns out it’s a surprisingly good combination for adventurous types

Last link, runners do more damage to bike trails than bikes do to hiking trails. Runners repair their damage to park’s bike trail

And those were all the links I could find about bicycles.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Out running errands on a warm bright day, and the Feed

Yep we went from a subfreezing high on Monday to a mid-60s high on Saturday. I was out running errands today wearing jeans and a t-shirt (and my hi-viz road worker’s vest) and not even the slightest bit chilly. This is what climate change has brought to us here in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell, winters that you need a closet full of clothes for because what was appropriate one day is dangerously warm/cold 3 days later. We had similar temperatures as today at the beginning of last week as well. Is it any wonder I’m surrounded by people with coughs and sneezes?

Before I start, this was an exceptionally difficult Feed for me to filter on the emotional side of the equation, because of some of the final judicial outcomes recorded. Mrs. the Poet even threatened to throw me out of the house if I didn’t calm down and stop pacing up and down the hall from my office to the living room and back, grunting and sighing. I thought I was being rather restrained about things, really. There are no bodies in the house, and no structural damage to the house, nor even a broken window nor mirror…

I’m starting in SC with updates to a previous story. Cyclist fatally struck by fire truck identified and earlier reports that were too late to make yesterday’s Feed Bicyclist hit and killed by North Charleston fire truck and Cyclist hit and killed by North Charleston fire truck OK the cyclist was hit from behind. Still no word on the how and why of the cyclist getting hit from behind. When dealing with emergency vehicles moving over as far as you can is pretty much the only protocol in the book, especially when they are running “hot” with lights and siren.

One of the articles that resulted in pacing and grunting comes from CA. Probe into Santa Cruz cyclist’s death likely to take months This was the Tesla that ran head on into a cyclist riding in the bike lane on the correct side of the road.

Another article that resulted in pacing and grunting, with the frequent use of muttered profanity. Drunken driver gets prison for killing cyclist near Prosser The driver was 19 at the time of the wreck, and had a prior DUI. How in the names of all the deities of death and destruction did this guy get off with only a 2½ year sentence and not life? The cyclist was wearing an LED blinky reflective vest like I used to own and had multiple tail lights on the back of his bike, and he wasn’t even on the road! The cyclist, Jared Carr, was changing a flat tire with the back of the bike lighted up and facing traffic while stopped in the ditch. All the driver had to do to avoid this death was to stay on the road, at which he failed miserably. And people wonder why I’m so “cranky” about bicycle safety, I mean besides the fact that I ride and have been hit several times on my bike.

Back to CA for a SWCC wreck. School Board Member Involved in Injury Collision Since this was a mid-block “crossing” I can’t say for sure what happened, especially since there were no pictures of the wrecked bike. Intersection protocols if the bike was really crossing the road, or hit-from-behind if the cyclist wasn’t crossing the road.

Continuing the hopscotching across the country a driver in OH faces serious charges for killing a cyclist. Man charged in October death of cyclist appears in court This is a first for me, I believe. I do not recall ever seeing a driver charged with manslaughter for left-crossing a cyclist without a record of previous run-ins with cyclists.

Back to the other side of the country. Cyclist hit by car in Milwaukie identified, upgraded to serious condition Still no word on how many “witnesses” were not inside the weapon vehicle, nor any pictures of the wrecked bicycle. So, assuming the narrative is somewhat related to actual events, intersection protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

Stating a truth in the UK. Reader’s letter: Very few people are injured by cyclists

Good people in the Jolly Olde. Torquay fall cyclist Ron Keegan, 75, wants to thank Good Samaritans Lots of good people doing the right things came together to save this man’s life.

Moving down south a long ways, we get this head on wreck in Oz. Cyclist seriously injured in car crash at Waterfall Someone was on the wrong side of the road, kinda a given in Oz, but really since this was a head on wreck one vehicle had to be on the wrong side of the road for the location. Since the article doesn’t say who was salmoning all I can say is riding with traffic if it was the cyclist, to avoid. If the driver was on the wrong side then a cyclist is up the proverbial unsanitary tributary without visible means of locomotion. Infrastructure to prevent.

More from Oz. Skimming cyclists a dangerous practice Here in the US this is a “buzz job” or a “Jerry Brown”.

Infrastructure! news in the US from Al Jazeera? The truth about bike lanes

The same thing from a different perspective, where do the kids ride? A PLACE TO RIDE

Infrastructure in the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike. Fabiola Santiago: Gimenez absent on Rickenbacker cyclist safety

Same song with a different tune from”Down Undah”. Richie Porte joins campaign for greater protection of cyclists on public roads

Really want to ride a fat bike, but don’t want to fight those tires? Part two. Felt – Bosch Concept Fat-bike

How do you grow eyes in the back of your head? Students invent ‘Bike Radar’ to help prevent cyclists getting knocked down It needs some work, but that’s a good start.

And those were all the links that literally gave me fits today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

I’m doing that decapitated chicken thing again, and the Feed

How did I get so busy? Between the blog and church and trying to cut up the fallen tree bits in the back yard I barely have time to take a deep breath. I mean when did this happen? I went from writing a blog and reading web comics with long bike rides nearly every day to having to figure out a schedule and manage appointments and still get things done outside and never getting any time to ride the bike. I’m an “Old Dude”, this shit ain’t supposed to be happening to me…

Up first, I hate being right about things that are stupid. This is really stupid. This Bike Suit Makes You Look Like a Marvel Superhero Remember all those stories I mentioned the glow-in-the-dark clown costume? It’s here. >shudder<

From the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike another is killed in a SWCC. Orlando police officer strikes, kills bicyclist The Street View of that intersection shows no bicycle infrastructure at all and poor pedestrian infrastructure. The cyclist would have had to been crossing from the grassy median to get hit on the right side. And I wonder how many “witnesses” were not riding in that police car.

Up north a bunch from that a driver with 13 major moving violations in 3 years hits and kills a cyclist. 13-time Loser Kills 61-Year-Old Bicyclist I agree with the author of the article, how was this guy driving to be there to kill the cyclist? And also I agree with the “suspended license means never drive unless you want to go to jail”.

From NM an act of terrorism is dismissed as a “prank” because the intended victims were cyclists? Steel cable tripwire prank causes bike crash, injury Had this “prank” been set up across a road and damaged a car and injured a driver, would it still be a prank?

A cyclist is killed in Central America (that place south of Mexico). Another Knocked Down And Killed On Christmas Eve SWSS again, which the police apparently did not believe because there were a plethora of charges placed on the driver. Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid and infrastructure to prevent.

It has been a bad weekend in Oz for cyclists, starting with this update on a wreck I covered Saturday. Cyclist killed in hit-and-run south of Adelaide, woman charged

Things get worse from that with another hit-from-behind wreck. Young cyclist dies in road crash and Cyclist killed in Tasmania road smash According to the first link the cyclist was in compliance with all applicable laws, including one that put him 18″ from the outside edge of the road IOW completely outside a driver’s vision.

An indictment of the state of infrastructure in Enn Zed. Cycling: It’s hell on two wheels The comments are made by mostly what Archie Bunker would call “meat-heads”. You know, dead from the neck up?

More infrastructure from CA. Smith: It’s taxing when we consider getting from place to place Here’s a clue, there was lots of bike infrastructure in existence at the turn of the 20th Century, it was called “streets” and everybody paid for them and everybody could use them. Asking cyclists to pay not to get killed sounds an awful lot like extortion…

I keep telling people that motor vehicles are WMDs, here’s another example of that from CA. Suspected drunk driver crashes into home, killing resident The vehicle retained enough energy after plowing through the wall of a house to cause death inside the house.

Lifestyle from down the road a bit. Wife of cyclist killed in crash speaks the night before his memorial ride

One of those I really don’t know how to classify. Inside: McLaren and its partnership with Specialized

Last link is a review of the first Clyde off the line. I’m getting the second. Customer Review: The Clyde It appears to have sufficient capacity for a large amount of groceries limited more by volume than by weight.

And finally I get done with today’s links just before I get hit with tomorrow’s.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Mrs. the Poet turns 60, and the Feed

Yes my blushing bride of more than 35 years turns 60 today. I have a small present and was thinking I should get dinner or buy a cake or something. Anyway, Happy Birthday Mrs. the Poet!

Up first we have another blind driver right here in TX running over a cyclist from behind when said cyclist had a reflective vest on, and lights (plural) on the back of the bike. Man Killed In Round Rock Car vs. Bicyclist Acci and Cyclist killed in Round Rock crash also Cyclist killed in Round Rock crash identified I’m willing to bet that lights were working before the wreck and that the driver just did not pay attention to where they are guiding a lethal projectile. Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent. I’m also willing to bet that there was no better route for the cyclist to take and that he only used the frontage road until he could connect to a safer street. I have lived in TX 24 years and know that when a major highway goes in connecting parallel routes go out to keep people on the highway even when there is a traffic jam. Looking at Google Maps we see that there was a parallel residential road just a few thousand feet from the wreck site that could only be reached from the frontage road where the cyclist was hit.

From the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike comes a gruesome tale of callous indifference to human life. Pompano Beach motorist charged with striking cyclist, then driving for 2 miles with injured man on back of car The cyclist went over the weapon vehicle at impact and became lodged in the back window of the weapon vehicle, and the driver pulled behind some garbage receptacles and dumped the cyclist’s still-living body where he was found hours later. It is not yet known if the cyclist will survive, but even if he does the odds are with his injuries and the failure of the driver to secure medical assistance the cyclist will be paralyzed. Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid or to mitigate damages, and get the infrastructure right to prevent. The crime scene is a 4 lane highway in the middle of a residential area and should never have been allowed to exist in this condition. I place a large portion of the blame for this wreck on bad infrastructure that encouraged drivers to act as if they were driving the real highway a few blocks away, rather than the residential area it was. And just as I was wrapping this up I was hit by a massive barrage of links to this waste of human skin. Hit-And-Run Driver Flees 2 Miles With Cyclist Stuck On Car Before Dumping Him Behind A Trash Bin and also Police: Driver hits biker, drives with him on car also Axel Inostroza, World’s Most Evil Driver, Arrested in Pompano for Paralyzing Bicyclist, Dumping Body Well, I don’t know that he “Most Evil” but he’s surely in the top 10 Police say cyclist stuck to rear windshield of car that hit him Not done yet Hit-run victim stayed wedged on car during 2-mile drive, police say still more Driver Hit Bicyclist, Drove Home With Man on Back Window, Then Tried To Dispose of Him: Cops I think this is it Bicyclist struck, carried on suspect’s car OK this is the last link Police Arrest Alleged Hit & Run Driver Who Tried To Dispose Of Body

From MO comes a report that slightly stuns me. Man Charged With Murder in MSU Hit and Run Death Not even the driver of the weapon vehicle in the wreck and he was charged with murder in the death. LEO in this town are on the ball.

Another stunner from CO as the driver in a left cross death is going to trial after rejecting a plea bargain. Truck driver set for trial in collision that killed cyclist near Boulder Don’t forget there was a second cyclist following several feet behind the victim that escaped getting hit by inches. This was a case of another blind driver going where he couldn’t see if it was safe to go.

From Enn Zed another link to the road-raging “farmer” who repeatedly assaulted a cyclist with his vehicle before assaulting him with his fists. Road rage farmer who hit Ironman cyclist jailed

And those are all the links that gave me fits today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus