Mrs. the Poet is back, and the Feed

Amazingly enough with all the bad weather we had, Mrs. the Poet returned on time tonight to DFW airport. We stopped off at the Whataburger down the street to get dinner instead of heating up leftovers which would have been too much cooking for Mrs. the Poet after her day of travelling. I had a Bacon Jalapeño and Cheese Whataburger, Mrs.the Poet had a Grilled Whatachicken, and our son had the regular Whatachicken. And of course everyone had fries and a soft drink. I also ducked into the neighboring grocery store to get coffee and milk so that there would be caffeine in the morning.

Up first is Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: UCLA cyclist screwed by insurance company needs your help; team track cycling league comes to LA She should countersue for intentional infliction of mental duress, and triple the amount she would get for the initial wreck, plus attorney’s fees. No check that, the dollar amount should start with 6 zeroes between the initial digit(s) and the decimal point, plus attorney’s fees. Unless she gets allowed to meet them in a back alley with them blindfolded and her with a u-lock.

Still in CA, more on the cyclist hit by a trolley. Cyclist killed by trolley identified and Cyclist Wearing Earbuds Dies on Trolley Tracks in Barrio Logan I said all there is to say about this wreck yesterday.

Moving north and a bit east of San Diego to NV. 13-year-old cyclist critically injured after hit by car in southwest Las Vegas Kid trying to get to school and not adequately trained in how to use the road cuts off a car.

Portland debates implementing “Vision Zero”. No more road deaths by 2025? Here’s the latest on Portland’s Vision Zero progress Maybe by then there will be many self-driving cars to reduce human error, and take car of most of the problem for them without drastic infrastructure changes.

Second infrastructure link from America’s Copenhagen. County’s new mobile app tells you if the bridge is up or down For those of us who live in the flatlands this doesn’t sound like that big a deal, but knowing which bridges are going to be impassable because thay are up to allow tall river traffic to pass can literally be a life-saver.

Promises of small mercies for a hit-and-run driver in MN. ‘Come forward,’ Dakota County sheriff says to hit-and-run driver who critically injured cyclist Doctors think the cyclist will survive but with a drastically changed lifestyle.

Awaiting the governor’s signature in VA. ‘Dooring’ law in Va. would fine motorists who open car doors in front of cyclists

Infrastructure in NYC. NYC On Pace To Build A Record 15 Miles Of Protected Bike Lanes In 2016 Wow, 16 miles in only one year. Meanwhile here in the Metromess they rebuilt a freeway from 4 to 6 lanes in each direction in about the same time. It didn’t help, of course, and it cost billions of dollars to build, but hey, they were doing something to reduce congestion. And side-street congestion did go down on the through streets immediately adjacent to the freeway, so far. But, Woo! yeah, 16 miles of protected bike lanes.

More NYC infrastructure. Bratton: “We’re Not Going To Get To Zero” Traffic Deaths Not with that attitude billy boy.

And what is it with drivers who can’t stay off of the freaking sidewalk? Taxi Driver Hits Two People On First Avenue, Crashes Into Building

Still in NYC a man assaults a cyclist riding in the bike lane and gets bashed in the head. New Video Shows Pedestrians Ignoring Bloodied Bike Lock Assault Victim According to comments they were ignoring him because he instigated and took one to the head in response. Not that I advocate violence against pedestrians, but when one jumps out into the street to start wailing on you, you are within your rights to return the favor with prejudice. I mean the idiot went up against 3:1 odds, he can’t be all that bright.

A man in West Canuckistan is charged in the death of a cyclist. Man, 29, charged with causing Richmond cyclist’s death and Driver charged in Richmond cyclist’s 2013 death It took them 2½ years to charge this lowlife? It’s almost as if they were waiting for the SOL to run out or something.

A recurring theme in this blog is “Don’t hit the pedestrians” for a reason. Pedestrian hit by cyclist on Princess Parade Hythe As of this posting they don’t yet know if the injured person was the cyclist or the pedestrian.

Infrastructure demands made after cyclist hit, again. Repeated calls for traffic calming as young cyclist injured on “deathtrap” Horndean road I know this is another one because the previous call for infrastructure was from a city that started with an “M”, this one is a “P”.

And apparently driving while blind is still OK as long as you get a jury with no cyclists on it. Coach driver cleared of killing cyclist by careless driving How are they going to get drivers to pay attention to where they are going unless there is a substantial penalty for failure to do so?

The guy wasn’t even riding the bike yet. Hit-and-run driver kills cyclist on Madrid shared bike scheme The victim was just at the pulling the bike from the rack portion of the transaction when he was hit. I see this as much an infrastructure failure as a driver failure, because if you can get hit using the system as intended before you even get a bike, then someone has screwed up majorly.

Another link about Milan paying cyclists to reduce pollution in the city. https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/milan-italy-pay-bike-commute-smog-pollutionMilan Commuters Could Get Paid to Bike to Work If I didn’t work from home I would say this would be a great deal for me.

Two vulnerable road users were injured in Oz. Skateboarder and cyclist injured in two accidents last night Of course it’s now Friday night over in Oz… and I don’t know what led to the cyclist hitting the lamp post, if he had help from a motor vehicle “guiding” him or if he somehow did it in his own.

LEO are blamed in part for a wreck that injured a cyclist in Enn Zed. Police should have pulled out of pursuit that killed Whanganui man, report says The cyclist was not seriously injured in the first wreck according to the report, although I’m sure he would disagree with that.

And no more links. And I’m beat.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Still batching it, and the Feed

I’m still alive and feeding myself (and using up some leftovers). I’m building the other engines I got from VCG Resins (the LS7 and the Ford Coyote) so that I don’t spend much time thinking about not being with Mrs. the Poet and doing my own cooking. Something I noticed is the LS7 engine is almost identical to the SBC, while the Coyote is slightly shorter but much wider than the SBC. I can foresee much wailing and gnashing of teeth trying to get that in the same chassis and especially under the same hood as the SBC. I mean the hood barely fits over the SBC when everything is above the bottom of the lower frame rail and the body sits on top of that 1.5″ square lower frame rail. And I just measured the thickness of the transmission pan and the thickness of the temp floor in the bucket and if I use the temp adhesive to glue the transmission to the inside of the floor without the pan it raises the engine to exactly the height it would be if the bottom of the body was sitting on top of a scale 1.5″ square rod. This makes mocking up much easier, and I will be able to take a picture showing almost exactly what I would see from the driver’s seat of the 1:1 Sprint-T.

Up first is Our Daily Ted for no particular reason (except I want to avoid the Big Story for a few more minutes). Morning Links: LACBC & SaMo Spoke up for national honors, CHP looks for driver in East LA bike hit-and-run

Still in CA. 2 Suspects Sought in Shooting Death of Man Riding Bicycle in San Bernardino Talk about stupid, if they had run the guy over and stayed at the scene and cried a bit how they never saw the guy until they hit him, there would have been no big deal over the dead guy and LEO probably wouldn’t have even put any points on the driver’s license. But because they shot the cyclist now there is a big manhunt going on and probably both are going to get charged with murder and conspiracy to commit.

OK, now that Big Story, more on the drunk driver that hit a group of 10 cyclists waiting in a bike lane for a red light in AZ. 2 bicyclists killed, 2 injured on Tucson’s NW side and Santa Fe bicyclist killed in Arizona; truck driver arrested also 2 bike riders dead as pickup hits New Mexico group in Tucson this too Santa Fe cyclists among those killed, injured by impaired driver in Arizona Again, there were 10 bikes in the group, 4 cyclists were injured enough to not be able to walk from the wreck site, one was pronounced dead at the scene, one died after reaching the hospital, one remains in critical condition, and one may already be out by the time I hit the “publish” button on the composing page. There was some speculation that the driver may have been distracted in addition to being drunk, which would make his loss of driving skills drunk². Actually I don’t know that is true, I’m extrapolating from the MythBusters episode where they compared driving with a cell phone (hand-held and hands-free) to driving with a BAC of 0.08% and found cell phone driving to be slightly worse than drunk driving, so combining the two would be either 2drunk or drunk². It all depends on if it is a linear or exponential relationship. And I just went full nerd on you, sorry.

It took FL LEO long enough to charge this guy. Driver charged in death of Weston bicyclist I mean he only killed the guy back in July, the victim died at the scene so they were not waiting on tox screens or anything.

Bad news about infrastructure from OR. Negligent driving bill won’t pass this session This comment encapsulates things perfectly.
“Anne Hawley March 3, 2016 at 1:57 pm
“In their mind,” Rhoades continued, “this bill just criminalizes distracted driving.”
That was the whole damn point.”

More infrastructure news from America’s Copenhagen. Mayoral candidates make cycling part of green policies at environmental debate Everybody put bicycles as a major component of their environmental policies.

And what will be good news to some in the Power Assist Yahoo Group, and bad news to other members. Shop Visit: Pedego Electric Bikes now open in downtown Portland The guy that owns the Pedego company used to be quite active on Power Assist, but not so much any more, maybe because his little empire is expanding.

A distinctly NYC hazard. SUV Driver Shot In The Head, Crashes Into Utility Pole In Astoria Don’t know that any cyclists were involved, it might have been an Uber or Lyft that someone attempted to hijack and everything went to crap.

How do you hit-and-run a building? Knucklehead Cops Allegedly Fled After One Plowed A Car Into A Hair Salon Oh, you get shitfaced celebrating your cop promotion.

An important part of WI infrastructure. Teaching Safe Bicycling Couse Misspelled word is a cut-and-paste from the headline, I know where to put the “r” in “course”. It does slightly worry me that such a major typo got through.

Ranking cities by bicycle safety and Dallas doesn’t even crack the top 20. D.C., Boston Tie for Cycling, Pedestrian Commuting Rates and Safety But, a city I used to live in when LBJ was president did well in the medium city category.

Want to know how much walking and cycling really mean to your city? Snow and the Walkable, Bikeable, Accessible City Look what happens when it snows.

Scary video from Jolly Olde. Glasgow cyclist shows why you shouldn’t always ride in a bike lane Yep another door-zone bike lane.

Another link to the man convicted of careless driving for killing a cyclist while driving drunk. Seven years behind bars for West Molesey man who killed a cyclist Once again I say this was a case of serious under-charging when they called driving drunk “careless”. Seriously, drinking and driving is a deliberate act, not “careless”.

This is one thing about UK jurisprudence I really like. Cyclist won payout from TfL after hitting gaping manhole on cycle superhighway ‘that hadn’t been fixed’ Here in TX government has “Sovereign Immunity” from being sued over sub-par infrastructure even when it was deliberately done that way.

More infrastructure news from Jolly Olde. Commuters want better cycling infrastructure – even if it creates delays I guess people weighed 5 minutes from their day against permanent injury or death for someone else, and decided their 5 minutes were not worth someone else’s life.

Last link looks at the connection between bicycles and early feminism. First The Bicycle, Next The Vote: The Story Of Bicycles And Feminism

Now it’s time to put this to bed in time for Gigi to review it.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Back from a date with Mrs. the Poet, and the Feed

Mrs. the Poet and I took in a movie and dinner this afternoon and evening, so I got a late start to filtering the Feed. I finally saw “The Force Awakens”, then we went to a local burger place to get dinner. We got home just before 2200, and I got right to filtering and making the post.

Up first is Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Examining 2015 SoCal bicycling fatalities, and San Diego mountain bikes seized by Marines

The most deadliest state in the US to ride a bike kills another one and nobody can figure out how he died. Authorities investigate death of bicyclist struck on Copans Road When I filtered this link they were saying the cyclist might have been dead before he was hit by the car that stopped, and they don’t know why he was in the street.

Also from the most deadliest state. Father of killed cyclist in Fort Myers speaks about arrest “Longoria was charged with leaving the scene of a traffic crash involving death, vehicular homicide, arson, two counts of tampering with evidence, filing a false police report and driving on a suspended driver’s license.” Um, yeah, if this is the guy he needs to go away for a very long time, especially with the two counts of tampering with evidence…

Infrastructure news as CT prepares to waste more than 10% of their transportation budget adding a lane to one highway. Highway Boondoggles: Widening I-95 Across Connecticut To give an idea on the scale of this project I submit this quote: “$100 Billion would Build 100,000 miles of protected bike lanes in CT. Instead of adding a couple of lanes to I-95, the same money could create a dense network of protected bike lanes in Every city, town, and Hamlet Which could do more to reduce congestion than squandering billions on failure.” Alexander Vucelic

This “cyclist” was riding an e-scooter, but in the bike lane and at bike speeds, so this still applies to us. Man charged with ‘dooring’ cyclist The scooterist was thrown directly in front of a truck that had no time to avoid him. Since this province has a mandatory sidepath law and an anti-dooring law to protect cyclists stuck in the sidepath the usual advice to not ride in the door zone is not applicable. The only thing that can prevent wrecks like this given the legal infrastructure is charging and prosecuting and applying the maximum sentence to drivers or their passengers who open doors unsafely, particularly when the incident ends up with a dead cyclist.

A hit-and-run driver in Jolly Olde is “given strong words of advice“? Cyclist and child hit by a car – but elderly motorist drove off after accident on Cambridge bridge Am I going nuts or is everyone else?

Still in the UK. Cyclist tailgated by car – on London Cycle Superhighway Not by just one vehicle, look at the back and you can see the glare from the headlights of another vehicle tailgating the first. Insanity.

This is one traffic hazard that is not very common in the US. Cape Town cyclist in ICU after attack

Presented smugly 😀 A Study Finds Cyclists to Be Six Times Healthier than Other Commuters My commute increased by 150% recently as I moved my office from my bedroom to the room across the hall. It literally takes me minutes longer to get from my bed to my computer by way of the coffeepot.

And I’m both out of links and energy to type links into the post.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Feline interference with blogging, and the Feed

Clint and Clyde have been interfering with blogging this morning, mostly by attacking my feet, and my hands when I try to remove them from my feet. The rest of the time they spend chasing each other around the office and demanding head rubs. I would take a picture, but that would require at least one of them slow down long enough to point a camera at them, frame the shot, and push the button. I can manage the first two steps but by the time I get to the third the cat is out of the shot headed for parts unknown. So instead of pursuing a career as a cat photographer I shall fall back on something I sorta do well and write stuff.

On another front I managed to match 3 of 6 in yesterday’s Texas Lotto, scoring me a massive $3 payoff on odds of 148,824:1 against. It has been said that the lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math. I think it is a tax on the desperate and the dreamers and especially the desperate dreamers. As you can see, I can do math. I’m just a member of the third group. BTW I’m keeping $2.70 of this because I’m still following my agreement to give 10% of my lottery winnings to my church.

Up first from a fee that was mainly overseas today is a cyclist hit by a loose trailer in the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike. UPDATE: Stuart man in critical condition after bike wreck The cyclist was riding in the sidewalk when he was hit by a trailer that also took out a fence and 3 boats. This is not something anyone can avoid except to not be there.

Still in FL, they have an epidemic of blind drivers. UPDATE: Bicyclist dies in crash on 231; officer nearly struck securing scene How the hell do you “not see” a cop car with all the lights flashing? If they let that one slide, there’s no hope for anything as “small” as an adult human being with blinky lights.

KS cyclist hit by a car riding on the sidewalk, cyclist gets ticket. Injuries reported after woman’s bike hits car downtown Driver gets pat on shoulder for driving on sidewalk to hit cyclist, nothing for “failure to yield” to traffic on the sidewalk.

Another link to that awful story about the driver killing a cyclist and getting away with nothing more than a $260 ticket, or barely more than a cyclist gets for not putting a foot down at a stop sign. No criminal charges for driver in crash that killed Reed College grad on bicycle Running a stop sign on a bicycle gets a $220 ticket. Killing a cyclist should result in a much higher fine by at least an order of magnitude, not $40.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Savvy cycling in OC, keeping bike theft petty, and riding with the Ovarian Psychos

Still in CA, a memorial ride. Memorial ride honors Redding bicyclist

Wounded Warrior ride in NV. Ride 2 Recovery hits the Strip

Drivers having a hard time dealing with a parking-protected bike lane in IN. “Protected bike lane” causes confusion What they need is to run some parking stoppers between the bike lane and the parking lane.

Memorial ride for the couple killed by a drunk driver while riding a tandem bike. Ceremony held to honor husband and wife killed on tandem bike

Another cyclist hit in the Great White North. Cyclist seriously injured after being struck by vehicle in North York I really can’t tell what happened from the bike wreckage picture because both wheels have a small amount of damage, but the frame is buckled and the fork is broken.

How do cyclists die in Jolly Olde? How are cyclists most likely to die? I find it interesting that cyclists killed 4 pedestrians in the UK were killed in collisions with cyclists, from the ranting and raving in the comments section of the Daily Mail you would think it was a daily happening.

A negative review of the Volvo LifePaint reflective coating. Volvo’s hi-vis paint for cyclists is not such a bright idea To be honest I expected this result when the spray finally made it to the “wild” away from photo effects and digital editing.

From Oz an expensive but ultimately futile campaign to stop dooring. TAC issues ‘Rider Reminder’ rubber tabs for door handles to stop ‘doorings’ Why do I call this “ultimately futile”? Because in a few weeks or days drivers will no longer notice the textured applique on the door handle.

Cyclists in Oz are threatened by a persistent road terrorist attack that LEO refuse to take seriously. Cyclists protest lack of CCTV amid Yarra Blvd tack attacks These terrorist attacks have been going on nearly daily since January 2014. That represents a serious investment in the means used. Good police work would say, look for someone buying large amounts of tacks on a regular basis.

Still in Oz, a cyclist is hit from behind on a straight road with excellent sight lines. Cyclist killed I see LEO are trying to blame the fact the cyclist was riding a ‘bent for the fact that the driver ran him over from behind. Face it, if a driver can’t see an adult human being in the road they have no business driving.

Over in Enn Zed, a cyclist pushing his bike is hit. Young cyclist killed after getting off bike and A pedestrian killed by a motorist near Mapua may have been a cyclist reported by concerned motorists earlier. Cyclist discovers he isn’t as visible as he thought and gets off to walk, then gets hit because he’s still not visible?

A sad story about a dead cyclist. Dead Hamilton cyclist hoped to mend marriage The cyclist was using cycling to get his head back together, and a motor vehicle destroyed that effort. The real kick in the head was that had they managed to get him out from under the truck sooner he might have recovered with no lasting effects beyond the orthopedic injuries. He died from the hypoxia caused by the chest compression.

And I’m finally out of links before I ran out of patience.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Cold pizza for breakfast, and the Feed

I got to have one of my favorite breakfasts this morning, cold pizza. I had leftover frozen pizza last night, so Breakfast! Yum. Usually when Mrs. the Poet is home we wipe one of the cheap pizzas completely out between the two of us and I don’t get my favorite breakfast, but today I did. I’m looking for every upside on this I can find.

Up first because nothing really struck me as super important today is Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Map of closed Orange Line bike path, dangerous Rowena, and Stephany too high to be responsible There’s no such thing as being “too high” to be responsible, being high is what made you legally responsible for the wreck in the first place.

Still in L.A. Lowrider bikes as activist tools: General Dogon’s rolling art works are part of Skid Row history Not the first time bicycles have been used as adjuncts to political action, see the Suffragette Movement.

Still in CA. Bicyclist hit by vehicle in Huntington Beach “Suddenly veered into the bike lane” should be investigated as attempted murder first, then as a traffic wreck. But as the narrative is posted now it sounds like someone decided to murder a random cyclist.

Note done with CA yet. Murder by DUI Trial to Begin in Death of Bicyclist Unfortunately, that’s what it takes to get murder charges brought in the death of a cyclist, second DUI with the death.

Still not finished with CA yet. Bicyclist killed in collision with vehicle identified I hate when the only narrative was the wreck was at an intersection and the driver remained at the scene.

Closer to WoaB World HQ in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell. Bicycles should top Austin transit priority list, group says Yes for less than the cost of 2 miles of urban freeway you can get a completely built-out urban bike network.

Near one of the places I used to live in UT a cyclist apparently runs a red light. Cyclist in critical condition after early morning crash There was a comment that the cyclist was hit in the crosswalk, which meant he was probably riding in the sidewalk before the intersection, and as I frequently say, sidewalks are not bicycle infrastructure.

Cyclist down in MA. Hudson man killed in hit-and-run Black Ford F-150 does a hit-and-run, why does that not surprise me? I think the only thing that would make me less surprised would be that it had dark tinted windows.

Another dead cyclist in DE. Bicyclist killed on Hazlettville Road This is about the wildest example of a SWSS I have ever had the displeasure of reading, a cyclist suddenly leaving a bike lane directly in front of a motor vehicle. The fact that the driver was facing the setting sun I’m sure had nothing to do with hitting the cyclist from behind./sarcasm I left the angle brackets off because WordPress still has not implemented the sarcasm HTML tags.

Moving on up to NYC we get another wreck with “no criminality suspected” by the NYPD. [UPDATE] Cyclist Killed By Truck Driver At Queens Intersection Check that, the updated report is the driver was arrested at the scene for violating the victim’s right of way. Color me flabbergasted, I never thought NYPD would actually apply that law when there was a cyclist as the victim. Look at the picture with the victim’s bike under the front bumper of the truck. The cyclist more than likely never knew the truck was turning until it hit her, because it was behind her until impact.

Cops who tasered a man riding a bicycle go to trial on federal charges. Federal trial lined up for police who Tasered Hillsboro man after bike infraction IMHO there’s no excuse for tasing a man on a bike.

A little physical infrastructure news from Portland. Why the new traffic signal at N Cook and Vancouver is such a big deal I think the really big deal from this is the signal was equipped from the outset with a sensor that can detect a bicycle without a bunch of crazy maneuvers to find the 1″ wide “sweet spot” that a bike will trigger the light.

More infrastructure news from the ATL. Streets Have Changed Before, and They Can Change Again People have such short memories. Things have not always been this way, and they will not stay this way in the future.

Unlike NYC right hooking a cyclist is not a crime in Canada, and may not even be an infraction. No charges to be laid after fatal cyclist/truck collision TANJ!

A wreck up in West Canuckistan injures a cyclist. Cyclist injured in crash Driver hit a cyclist and then hit a power pole, then ran away from the vehicle? No that’s not suspicious at all.

Cyclist down in far West Canuckistan. Injured cyclist in James Bay aided by passersby, emergency crews One minute you’re riding your bike, and a fraction of a second later you’re on the deck with your bell rung, missing one or more teeth and your helmet busted.

Cyclist in West Canuckistan gets doored on camera. Video of cyclist getting doored sparks debate Fortunately the cyclist was not seriously injured in this wreck, nothing beyond getting shaken by the suddenness of the situation. One second there is a clear way to the right of the vehicle to get to the beg button, the next it’s full of passenger side door.

More on a wreck in Enn Zed. Police name cyclist killed in crash Well now we know who was killed, but not if he was hit.

It’s a wreck, not an accident. Stop Calling My Daughter’s Death a Car Accident I remember this wreck, the little girl was holding her grandmother’s hand when the grandmother was brushed back and the little girl run over while crossing in the crosswalk with the light.

Getting there any way possible sometimes means taking a bike. Avoiding Risky Seas, Migrants Reach Europe With an Arctic Bike Ride Any way you can.

And I’m outta links today. Program note, I have a D&D game tomorrow so there may not be a post.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Any time travellers out there want to give me winning lottery numbers that haven’t been drawn yet? and the Feed

I’m not in dire straights (and I don’t know Marc Knopfler so I’m not in Dire Straights either) I’m just in a situation that having a large supply of money available would make the situation “go away”. And by “large supply” I mean several thousand dollars of disposable income. I understand the concept of “disposable income” in theory, but my experience of it in practice is sorely lacking. This situation is NBT, first world problems to be honest, but the problems would all vanish with having enough money.

Also, wishing everyone a happy Indigenous Peoples Day. When I was young and ignorant I used to celebrate this as the anniversary of the day Columbus discovered America, before I found out that Leif Ericson discovered it 500 years earlier, and before someone pointed out that if there are people already living there that means someone else discovered it many many winters earlier. Now I don’t do that. Columbus was the point man for the invasion, not the guy who discovered the New World.

Up first is a report from Oz, because they had the story with the most links. Cyclist killed in collision with car at Springton, in the Adelaide Hills and Cyclist killed in collision with car at South Australia intersection also Toddler, cyclist and motorcyclist killed in separate SA accidents this too Cycling collision at Springton kills vibrant grandfather Michael Tully The wreck narrative and the damage to the bike look like a right cross (Ozzy version of our left cross because they drive on the “wrong” side of the roads).

Major wreck in NYC that nobody knows how it happened. Citibike rider seriously injured after fall from Queensboro Bridge and from Gothamist Man Seriously Injured After Falling From Queensboro Bridge Bike Path One of the things I love about Gothamist is that is the media outlet where witnesses love to report on wrecks. “It’s worth mentioning every story seems to think he fell from a path, which is only on the outer lane of the lower level. But, he was in fact on the upper.” So the guy was riding in heavy, but very slow traffic on the upper level and somehow ended up on the lower level sans Citibike, with the bike resting undamaged against the rail on the upper level. ?!? A previous wreck injured a motorcyclist who fell from the upper level so maybe there is a railing problem where people can fall off a bike or motorcycle and leave the bike on the rail as they fall over the rail? This is just a SWAG on my part at this point.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Unannounced Orange Line bike path closure, Go Human in the wild, and still more legal cases

Still in CA a disgusting display of lawyers taking care of other lawyers as a judge reduces felony charges that come with years of minimum sentences to misdemeanors. San Ramon attorney’s conviction over killing of Chinese tourist reduced to misdemeanor “Everything has gone so much in favor of the defendant, it seems like some shenanigans are going on.” Really.

As if that wasn’t bad enough for Bay Area cyclists. Separate Bicycle Collisions Leave One Dead, One Injured The fatal wreck was covered by several video recorders including the weapon vehicle, the other all they say was it was at an intersection, so maybe a hook or cross wreck?

Meanwhile the non-lawyer driver is going on trial for murder. Huntington Beach man charged in hit-run death of cyclist to stand trial Granted, he deserves to go on trial for murder as he was indisputably drunk high on heroin at the time of the wreck.

Still in CA, another cyclist hit by a train. Cyclist Killed By Union Pacific Train While Crossing Tracks In Richmond I have posted many times how to not get hit by a train, I think I even made a separate page about that about the same time as I did the protocols on how to avoid getting hit by cars. But somehow people still get hit by trains while riding bikes.

Over in NC the Ghost Bike for a cyclist killed in a pinball wreck was wiped out by another pinball wreck. Memorial for dead cyclist damaged in yet another crash Something has to be done about idiots on the road. But looking at the intersection in the video, and the median between the two directions of travel on the street, something has to change on the street. If you can’t get to your destination without making a U-turn then intersections have to be wide enough to make U-turns, or the medians need more cut-throughs so that U-turns are not required to reach a destination on the other side of the street.

Hit-and-run in KS. Hutch man injured after car hits his bike and leaves This was a really low-information report.

ALWAYS take the ambulance to get checked out when hit by with a vehicle. 15-year-old boy injured after car hits him on bike at Kwik Shop When something hurts you need to get it checked out so you can file for recovery. If you don’t get checked out and something is wrong the driver’s lawyers are going to claim you did something after the wreck that caused the injury, not the wreck.

Over in CO another hit-and-run wreck. Police looking for hit and run suspect who injured 76-year-old cyclist Right hook of a highly conspicuous cyclist at an intersection signed to warn drivers cyclists have the right of way over turning vehicles, and then the driver left the scene… More Cyclist injured in hit-and-run recovering after surgery

For all those who say MI doesn’t absolutely cater to drivers and give lip service for cyclist and pedestrian safety I present this article. Police: Warrant issued for driver who hit, killed bicyclist I read the headline and said “Warrant, that means arrest and maybe a night in jail for killing a cyclist.” “Michigan Legislatures changed the law from neglect homicide which was a two year Circuit Court misdemeanor to moving violation, causing death which is a one year misdemeanor.” One. Year. Maximum sentence. For killing. And not even a year in prison, a year in jail. TANJ!

Infrastructure problems in VA. Intersection where VT cyclist was killed highlighted as ‘problem area’ near campus Cyclist on the left (of the picture, right in the lane) is way too close to the parked cars, right in the most dangerous part of the door zone where he could get hit by a driver throwing a door open without looking. The cyclist in the middle of the lane is just barely outside the door zone but still might clip a suddenly thrown open on a vehicle parked too far from the curb, like the two red vehicles in the picture.

Another hit-and-run, this time in LA. Update: Baton Rouge police identify bicyclist struck, killed Sunday while riding on Plank Road; pickup truck driver accused of DWI No license and DWI, we have a winnah! All he needs for the Trifecta is a social media profile riddled with comments about cyclists “not belonging” on “his” roads.

I wonder if they got the expected turnout? Organizers expect 1,300 cyclists to turn out Saturday for bike ride around New Orleans

WI is still struggling with how to deal with vehicles without motors on the roads. Bicycling advocates renew push for ‘vulnerable user’ law And the comments section shows just how bad they need this law.

And IA isn’t much better. Update: Police Say Driver Not Cited In Sioux Falls Car vs. Bicycle Accident Cyclist was hit riding salmon on the sidewalk while the driver was making a right turn out of a driveway. This is why I keep saying sidewalks are not bicycle infrastructure.

Infrastructure in Portland OR. In their own words, here’s what Portlanders are saying about Clinton traffic diverters Personally I prefer mid-block diverters with parking spots removed next to the diverter so that U-turns for idiots trying to cut through can be made w/out too much trouble. That way they make the street a cul-de-sac for cars while retaining the grid access for pedestrians and cyclists.

Some good infrastructure news from Salt Lake City. How Bike Lanes Helped Salt Lake City Businesses Bike lanes and traffic calming have been proven over and over to boost adjacent retail, in spite of removing parking.

They are still trying to figure out what happened in this wreck in the Great White North. Family pleads for more witnesses after young cyclist killed in crash Cyclist was hit broadside in an intersection, LEO are evidently having problems assigning right of way for the wreck.

And the endless helmet debate continues. Should bike helmets be compulsory? Lessons from Seattle and Amsterdam And per usual, nothing will be settled.

Last link. 5 Things You Need to Do After a Bike Crash I did the “don’t get up” check when I got hit, but all I could feel was the broken hip not working. YMMV.

And that’s all I got today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Today’s delayed blog post brought to you by new shorts, and the Feed

I had to go out in the heat again, this time to buy shorts (outerwear) because the ones I have now are well on the way to becoming rags. I have one (1) pair that is not split up the back and only useful for wearing around the house when I don’t want to bother getting dressed, and that pair is developing huge holes where the pockets used to be. The corners of the pockets started to tear away from the then pants, and even though the pockets have been removed the holes continue to grow with every wearing. So I go to the store to buy new shorts I can wear on the bike or just “around”. Back soon, I swear. 😀 OK, I bought 3 pairs of shorts on sale at the Old Navy across the street from the sporting goods store I shopped first and rejected for costing too much, total costs $21.01 including tax. I got one black, one medium grey, and one light green pair in my size on sale for 50% off. So now I don’t have to wear raggedy shorts outside just to have pockets for stuff.

The Big Story continues to be the impaired driver who crossed 4 lanes to hit a sidewalk cyclist head on. Driver charged after cyclist hit and killed in Hickory and Police: Driver charged after cyclist hit, killed in Hickory and this one that was very hard to track down ‘I’ve never seen anything like that’ That last one I had to do an archive search at the paper because the URL and headline had changed. That “nobody would have done something like this on purpose” quote is exactly what makes me think he “done it on purpose”, or as Mrs. the Poet says, “Only someone who did it on purpose would say it that way.”

Remember that woman killed on USBR 36? Charges filed in Alton bicycle death

Someone wanted to show that this death was not an accident. MAN SHOT AND KILLED WHILE RIDING BICYCLE IN WYNNEFIELD Got out of the car to stop the cyclist and shoot him in the face, then got back into the car. That pretty much defines “not an accident” for me.

A cyclist in MA finds that drivers do not pay attention to bikes anywhere. Cyclist injured after colliding with car in Brockton Cyclist negotiating a parking lot and driver not looking for bicycles in the parking lot. And a miraculous transformation took place, “The man was riding a bicycle in the parking lot of the Westgate Mall about 10 a.m. when he turned into a car.” I wish I could turn into a car sometimes. Does anyone remember Turbo Teen?

Commentary on bicycle infrastructure in MN. Thoughts on danger and biking The chances of getting hit are low but non-zero, and the consequences fall mainly on the cyclist because there is little likelihood of prosecution in a wreck. And the article that brought on this article. Hit by a car (again) in Downtown St. Paul, or why we need the bike plan The cyclist was taking the least-awful route between destinations, not the “best”.

And a less local look but still from the same city. Is a safe bike ride too much to ask?

And it isn’t limited to drivers vs. cyclists, either. WATCH: Horrifying video as man is struck by car and thrown into the air in road rage brawl They hit the guy with his own car after failing to hit him with their fists.

I think this might be infrastructure-related, seeing as this was the scene of one of the UK’s worst motor vehicle wrecks before this bike wreck. Cyclist dies after falling from notorious bridge in North Yorkshire Dales The bridge has been in existence at least since 1925 when they had a big wreck there that killed 7, but that is no excuse especially since they had the wreck in 1975.

This door prize was within inches of being fatal. Heart-stopping moment cyclist falls into path of a black cab after swerving to avoid car door Cyclist injured, bike and cab damaged, all because the driver of the weapon vehicle failed to maintain a proper lookout.

And this from the Emerald Isle of my ancestry. High death and injury rates among cyclists alarm road safety campaigners Maybe adopting the CROW manual instead of trying to reinvent the wheel would do the job?

And I’m outta links again. Only 26 more days until my Death Day celebration! I think I want some new dice this year, I don’t have enough d6 for my D&D3.5e Warlock10 that I’m playing, and none of my digital rollers will let me roll damage in one roll either. I have magical devices that give me a total of +13 to hit with Eldritch Blast (ranged touch attack), and a total of 10d6 damage when I hit, which I do anytime I roll a 2 or higher against almost all enemies.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Unkillable Badass Poet

I’m inundated by links and I haven’t even half finished filtering the Feed

I had to stop and compose the opening paragraph before the Chromebook locks up completely. Way too many flash ads in the tabs and everything is closed except links that I hope to use in today’s post. I really need to see if this computer can be upgraded with more memory, because I rapidly run out of resources with all the flash running in the background. That’s what irks me the most, that this is blinking whirling image-swapping resource-hogging going on in tabs that aren’t even visible. When G-Mail has to reload, you know things have gotten bad.

Up first because I need to dump something and Ted is good to lead off with. Morning Links: Graphic testimony in the case of a fallen PCH cyclist; riding the Reseda protected bike lanes

And just as I was closing down the Feed this came in. Anaheim Hills bike rider died from solo fall last year; his family makes moving video calling for helmet use Hey, if a helmet would have made a difference in the wreck, promote away!

And just over the border from WoaB in Sooner land. Cyclist hit by pickup, injured The cause of the wreck was listed as “driver’s ability and age“.

This was caused by bad infrastructure. Bicyclist killed Friday in causeway crash and Bicyclist struck and killed on bridge on St. Simons Island causeway The cyclist was hit because someone parked a car in the bike lane, completely blocking it in both directions. This would not have happened had the bike lane in question been built properly with a solid barrier preventing motor vehicle incursions.

This cyclist was apparently not looking when he entered the intersection. Bicyclist killed in Tacoma intersection and Cyclist killed Friday in Tacoma identified The cyclist apparently went into the intersection completely oblivious to what was going on around him.

I used to race my 10-speed down this road, and had no problem keeping up with the cars. Cyclist injured in hit-and-run hopes to find driver of car responsible for crash But back then I was 16YO and fearless, our bike tires had much more grip compared to the car tires of the era and if I used the rim brakes too much I ran the risk of blowing the tires off the rims before I got to the bottom of the canyon. These days standard passenger car tires for “transportation appliances” have more grip than full-blown race tires had back then, and bike tires are about the same as they were 40 years ago as far as levels of grip are concerned. But that still makes the driver that sideswiped this cyclist a douche canoe for leaving the scene.

More on a FL ride for a cyclist killed riding on the road. Cyclists honor swim instructor who died and Ride to honor cyclists killed in collisions with cars

A memorial ride in MS. Bike ride and memorial honors cyclist, educates motorists

Stumbled on this report by accident. Kitchener women say they were stopped by police for cycling topless At least they weren’t stopped for Cycling While Brown, as that can get a person killed.

Followup to the memorial ride for the Canadian cyclist killed “winning” the door prize. Memorial ride held for cyclist killed in downtown Kelowna That was a large ride.

UK infrastructure news. Cyclist knocked off his bike at ‘dangerous’ Chichester junction calls for change I looked at the “street” where the car came from and I think that would be a good place to put some bike infrastructure and ban cars.

This came up a few hours after I finished Friday’s post. Cyclists banned from stretch of A19 – but is there a viable alternative route? The cyclist was hit in a designated bike lane, so they are going to ban cyclists from the bike lanes? How does that work?

And I’m finally out of links to crazy, which means I’m totally out of links I generally get one or two “not crazy” links a day on a good day.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Getting a horrendously late start, and the Feed

I did not even begin filtering today until 2300 because I have been busy all day. First I had to mow the lawn again, in 90+°F heat, which required frequent breaks to cool off and rehydrate, then a shower and laundry because I was down to one pair of underwear and the “emergency” pair of house shorts, the one with the small split up the back from when they were baggy bike shorts I wore for the pockets. Then it was time for the second-biggest NASCAR race of the year, the Mud Summer Classic at the Eldora dirt track in Rossberg OH. This is a big deal because this is the only dirt race on any of the NASCAR national touring series. NASCAR started this race in 2013 after their last dirt race in 1972 (won by Richard Petty, of course) and people come from all over the world to see the Camping World Truck Series race in the dirt. And the reason this is the second-biggest race of the season is not because of speed, or violent wrecks. This is the second-biggest race of the year because it has the best racing, and because people you never heard of could win the race by out-racing the competition. The tires they use for this race don’t have much grip, being built more for durability than traction, and nobody can use all the power from the engines because the back tires will lose traction and cause the truck to spin out so the teams that spend the big bucks for more horsepower have no advantage here. Everyone has the same suspension components, shocks, and springs, and the crew chief that makes the best adjustments to those combined with the best driver will win the race. Tonight it was a former USAC Midget champ making his fourth start in the CWTS, but he almost got beat by an 18 YO dirt modified driver making his first CWTS start. I’m sure if the rear deck lid hadn’t gotten knocked loose so that it covered his rear spoiler the 18 YO would have won.

Up first some infrastructure news from the next town over from WoaB World HQ in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell. League of American Bicyclists Presents Richardson With Our Bronze BFC Certification

If this doesn’t make you angry, you should check for a pulse. Cop’s Drunk-Driving Wife Won’t be Charged for Killing Cyclist I covered this earlier but I didn’t realize that the driver is going to get away from killing a cyclist while DUI with no charges whatsoever. You know how I say that a cyclist should never hit a pedestrian? There is an exception to every rule.

Cyclists and advocates in AZ are outraged. Friends of killed cyclist react to driver’s 9 year sentence That is actually pretty harsh for any driver killing anybody with a motor vehicle.

I wonder what those cyclists and advocates from the previous paragraph would think about this sentence? Man Sentenced in Hit-and-Run Crash That Killed Mother of Eight Three years, and nothing for obstruction of justice for repairing the truck to destroy the evidence. Why nothing for destroying the evidence?

Another SWSS wreck in NY, not far from whee my wife is visiting her relatives. Police: Cyclist hit, killed after swerving into oncoming traffic in Lake Ronkonkoma Standard response to reports of “swerving” cyclists getting hit, who saw it other than the driver of the weapon vehicle.

UK infrastructure news from a US source, StreetsblogUSA. After Another Cyclist Dies, David Cameron Considers Truck Ban in UK Cities This story is mainly notable for introducing me to a new troll, Keith Peat. Now I’m following his dog on Twitter.

Another door prize “winner”, but why show a track bike on a velodrome for an article about a road wreck? Cyclist allegedly injured by opening car door sues driver A similar effect would be dicussing a pedestrian injured by a truck running over the curb at a corner while showing a picture of an F1 racer.

Speaking of door prizes, lots of links to this one on Wext Canuckistan. Patricia Keenan, Kelowna Cyclist, Dies After Crashing Into Car Door and Patricia Keenan, Kelowna cyclist, mourned after fatal crash into car door also Event Will Honour Kelowna Cyclist Killed When “Doored” finally Bike riders to mourn cyclist Some of those links have very toxic comments sections with many people blaming the cyclist for getting hit…

And also speaking of mourning a dead cyclist. Funeral held for Army veteran, 26, killed when truck hit his bicycle in Mount Pleasant “The bicyclist was wearing dark clothing, and inclement weather appears to have been a factor, police said.” Edited to remove “truthiness”.

Back to the Great White North for an exercise in the absurd. Montreal police remind cyclists to follow the safety code Apparently the “safety code” has a heavy emphasis on helmets and HiViz.

A cyclist in the UK couldn’t get even a ticket issued when he was run over. Cyclist left permanently injured after crash hits out at Met for failing to prosecute driver who ‘admitted liability’ How do we force LEO to live up to the first two letters of the designation?

Is the government in Oz schizophrenic? Riding into a storm: Sydney cyclists face politics on two fronts

Last link. How Bicycles Gave us Freedom

And I’m tired so I’m sending this one out unproofed.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Pooped Poet

Having allergy problems again, and the Feed

I’m having allergy problems again (deja vu!) with my legs this time. I have an itchy rash around my ankles and slight swelling of the right leg with the left one looking like I’m smuggling oranges in my calf. When I take a diphenhydramine the swelling and the rash mostly go away, but I get a little sleepy and slightly loopy until the pill wears off, which happens in about 3 hours. The the rash and swelling come back. Yay! consistency.

Up first is yet another link to that heinous murder of a cyclist just a few miles away from WoaB World HQ. Cyclist dies after being stuck in windshield as driver fled The author of this piece remembered the killer nurse who left a man stuck in her windshield also, there is a link to that wreck in the article. Not the same as my link, though.

This story is a little further away and somewhat of a palate cleanser after that last link. Waco cyclist, cancer survivor overcomes obstacles to set world record The bad thing about melanoma is it can kill you quickly, the good thing is it can be easily treated without impairing your ability to function as a human being after treatment. As demonstrated in this story.

And I immediately take you back down again with this link from the same area, ain’t I a stinker? Bicycle rider robbed at gunpoint This is kinda inevitable, really. I mean they attack people inside cars and rob them or steal the cars, which are like mini armored vehicles now. All cyclists have are wits and situational awareness, and sometimes that just isn’t enough. With the M.O. used in this robbery there is no amount of situational awareness that could protect you. Once crooks started identifying cyclists as having enough money and “stuff” on them to be worth robbing, they started robbing us.

An internal debate made public at StreetsblogLA. Man is Shot and Killed by the Officers He Called to Help Search for Stolen Bike. Is it a Livable Streets Issue? When does police racism and brutality become a livable streets issue? IMHO when people are in fear of LEO, then streets are no longer livable. When people are in fear of anything when they are out on the street, that area is no longer “livable”.

Since we need some good news to balance the previous link and paragraph, people raised a ton of money for the survivors of the victims of a hit-and-run in CA. Nearly $80K Raised For Family Of Afghan Immigrant Killed While Riding Bike If you give people half a chance they can and usually do good.

And this looks like a good place to put Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Scofflaw drivers and bike riders break laws at the same rate; too much news from Tour de France

A cyclist hit in MT has been transferred to Seattle to treat her injuries. Cyclist injured in downtown Missoula stable in Seattle hospital And for those whose geography is a little weak Seattle ia almost 500 miles from Missoula, and you’re basically crossing 2 and ¹/₃ states to get there. That’s roughly equivalent of transferring a patient from Belfast to London for my UK readers, or Antwerp to Paris for readers on The Continent. Stop and think for a moment what this says about the level of treatment available in Missoula…

A cyclist is almost “taken out” on a charity ride. Braden Tucker: Bicyclist critically injured in hit-skip during VeloSano ‘Bike To Cure’ event and UPDATE: Injured VeloSano rider in fair condition There is no way the driver that hit this cyclist does not know he hit someone especially looking at the level of destruction of the bike in this wreck. The rear wheel was ripped out of the dropouts during the wreck, that kind of impact is going to make a lot of noise.

Speaking of large group rides, we have our first drunk driver hitting someone in RAGBRAI on the first day of the ride. Hudson couple on bike injured by drunk driver Can’t say for sure, but there is no way the driver did not know there were a lot of bicycles on the roads that day, so it might be a case of drunken road rage.

Speaking of RAGBRAI, did you know that an ambulance company started to provide coverage to the ride went on to become a state-wide provider? I didn’t. Local ambulance service keeps RAGBRAI riders safe How about that?

The wheels of justice grind very slowly, and sometimes you think there isn’t anybody at the controls. Woman arrested for cyclist’s death Is that a bike flag stuck in the front bumper of the weapon vehicle? The crime scene pictures don’t show very good sight lines for the cyclist, who may (probably) thought the way was clear when he started crossing the road. The degree of damage makes me think the drunk and distracted driver may have been speeding at the time of the wreck, further reducing the cyclist’s clear crossing window. Drunk drivers who kill need to be handcuffed to the steering wheel of their cars while the cars are run through a metal shredder. On fire.

Continuing on the drivers that need to be fed through a metal shredder topic… Suspected drunk driver hits, kills prominent Albuquerque homebuilder This cyclist was hit riding on the sidewalk inside a gated community. If there is any place safe to ride a bike in ABQ that should be it.

On the other side of the country we have another one. Atlanta police searching for driver who hit, killed cyclist And by “another one” I mean a cyclist hit riding on the sidewalk by an out of control driver. This guy died because the driver decided to do some doughnuts in the middle of the street when he lost control and went over the curb and ran down the cyclist.

FL puts another notch in the gun. Bicyclist critically injured in crash with car and Weston man, 51, struck and killed while riding bicycle The cyclist was hit with the driver’s side of the car, but the cyclist ended up on the right-hand sidewalk after clearing a hedge. Either the bike was moved after the wreck, or there are some strange physics going on here.

This link is not for the squeamish. Bicyclist impales neck on fence after pothole crash in Queens The cyclist did not impale himself during the wreck but as an aftermath to the wreck, staggering around after picking himself up off the sidewalk. That is going to hurt, long term, but since it looks like critical blood vessels were not hit or the cervical spine damaged he should live a fairly normal life after the initial recovery.

This ‘hood is too dangerous for kids to be kids. Girl on bike injured after collision with car in Lowell The damage visible on the weapon vehicle shows it was traveling too fast for a residential neighborhood, but still people blame the victim for not wearing a helmet when her arm was injured. SMH The damage to the bike and the weapon vehicle are much too severe for the claimed “25 MPH” impact with a “little” 13 YO girl. I will say this in the driver’s favor, the apparent geometry for this wreck did not allow any reaction time to stop or even slow down.

How do you keep people in cars from hitting people on bikes? Turn down the volume. We must change the car vs. bike culture we have created Part of the problem is the Culture of Speed we have developed. People in cars expect a road clear of slow-moving vehicles, not to have to move around a bicycle in “their” lane.

What can you do about drivers backing blindly across the bike lane when leaving parking? My Turn: Downtown parking not good for cyclists How about reconfiguring the stripes so the driver is looking the direction traffic is coming from? Simple in concept but getting drivers to change the way they have done things for decades will not be easy. Why change the way you’ve done things for decades just because you kill nearly 100 people a day every day doing it like that?

A sad update from West Canuckistan. Injured cyclist passes The injuries were too severe for the cyclist to recover from her door prize. Helmets are just not built to survive that kind of concentrated force.

Well one way to prevent HGV from killing any more London cyclists would be to ban them when the concentration of cyclists is highest. PM To Consider Banning Rush Hour Lorries After Cyclist Death

Gee, maybe it has something to do with a poor state of driver licensing? Growing numbers of cyclists being killed or seriously injured on Welsh roads Perhaps raising the standard of cereal they hand them out from as premiums will improve that somewhat. Something more adult with less sugar in/on it

How stupid do you have to be to get out of a car and chase someone down with a knife? Family of ‘road rage’ victim Don Lock pay tearful tribute to him

People sitting in the bus saw the cyclist, why didn’t the driver with a much better view out the front? ‘Shattered’ bus driver admits causing cyclist’s death That’s all I have to say about that.

And I think I have run out of links. [checks] Yep, all done.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet @opusthepoet