Well now that that is over I face another reminder of mortality in 3 weeks, and a huge Feed

Yep, it is an irony that I get two reminders of “OMG yur gonna DIE!!!” less than a month apart, but my birthday is 3 weeks from today. I’m still wanting those d6 or a working string trimmer (replacement for people not local, or come get the 2 I have that run but won’t run out fresh cutting string and get them repaired, if you can get to my house to pick them up). There were 17 messages in the Feed folder this morning, so I probably won’t get done until some time in the early morning…

The Big Story today is the death of 1 cyclist and 2 injured in a hit-from-behind wreck by a driver who admits distraction. Wife of prominent B’Ham contractor killed talks about his death and impact on Magic City and 1 cyclist killed, 2 injured after being struck by truck also Pickup truck strikes, kills cyclist; 2 others injured and this hot mess 1 cyclist killed, 2 others injured after being struck by pickup in Blount County In at least one of those links the driver admits dropping a lighter while trying to light up, and was also reading texts when he dropped the lighter. This, this is why we need a death penalty for drivers. Because they are guiding a freaking killing machine they are using to get from A to B. Many times when such a device is the worst possible choice to use to get from A to B. Late links Cycling community stresses road safety after man killed Saturday and 1 cyclist killed, 2 injured after being struck by truck also Recent fatal bicycle accidents spark concerns over bike rider’s safety

Our Daily Ted, Part 1. Today’s post, in which I remember a friend. Rest in peace, Howard Krepack.

And Daily Ted Part 2. Morning Links: OC driver faces DUI vehicular manslaughter charge, and a long listing of bike academic papers

Lots of links from the Most Deadliest State in the US. Cyclist killed in suspected hit-and-run and FLPD: Cyclist Dies In Hit & Run, Driver At Large also Bicyclist dies after hit-and-run crash in Fort Lauderdale Yeah if I saw a cyclist run over and then the weapon vehicle left the scene I would “suspect” hit-and-run too. BOLO for the weapon vehicle.

More on a DUI hit-and-run in KY. Memorial Created For Cyclist Killed In Crash, Suspect Pleads Not Guilty and Police Charge Man In Deadly Hit-And-Run That Killed Cyclist The driver had been drinking for several hours prior to the wreck but the BAC% has not been released. It has to be astronomical.

Right hook in NYS. Cyclist killed in collision in Geneva and Teenager Riding Bike Killed After Being Hit by Tractor Trailer Also Teen killed on bicycle mourned in two school districts The narrative does not say if the cyclist was stopped first and waiting to cross straight through, or waiting to turn right, or pulled up after the truck stopped or what, just that the truck turned right and ran over the cyclist. Without knowing who was there first I can’t really say what the cyclist could have done to avoid this wreck, if anything.

Another DUI murder, this time in WI. Beloit police say alleged drunk driver hit & killed bicyclist I can’t believe they are going to try to blame this wreck on the cyclist instead of the drunk driver. TANJ!

Another hit-and-run this time in IL. La Grange police blotter: La Grange teen on bike hit by tan SUV The geometry of that wreck does not make sense. If a vehicle is going north then east is on the right, not west. But this is either a cross or hooking wreck, and still a hit-and-run.

More on the cyclist hit head-on by a drunk salmon driver. Memorial held for cyclist killed by suspected DUI driver

A really bad wreck in CA. 79-year-old cyclist hit by multiple cars in Modesto identified and Cyclist killed after being hit by multiple vehicles in Modesto It sounds like the cyclist misjudged the speed of the first vehicle, then the hits just kept on coming, and coming, and coming. At this point LEO are not even sure how many times the victim was hit. Talk about your distracted driving…

This CT wreck must have been the cyclist’s fault, he wasn’t wearing a helmet. /snark GHS Football Player Severely Injured in Early Morning Bicycle Collision with Truck Intersection wreck, there are ways to avoid those listed below the header at the top of this page.

This wreck was in MI. Police identify bicyclist killed in alcohol-related crash OK who was drunk, the driver or the cyclist? I was wondering because they kinda seemed to be blaming the cyclist for getting hit by the drunk driver. Hit from behind wreck keep a close eye on your six to avoid. The driver “didn’t see” the cyclist. The helmet was completely destroyed in the wreck, demonstrating how effective they are in wrecks with motor vehicles.

Closer to home a woman is killed riding in LA. Troopers ask for help identifying woman killed in bicycle crash Another blame the cyclist wreck.

Another wreck in LA on the same highway but a different town. 60-year-old woman struck, killed while riding bicycle in Mandeville, MPD says Another wreck caused by bad sight lines. This intersection could use some way of alerting the cross street when there are no motor vehicles coming, or maybe there was some way of getting drivers to stop when someone needed to cross the intersection, like a signal of some kind.

OK you won’t find me here mostly because I still can’t ride, and Philly is too far to ride from WoaB World HQ in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell. Naked, body-painted bicyclists ride through Philadelphia and 3,000 Philly Naked Bike Riders photo-bomb wedding shoot

This is why I keep saying that sidewalks are not bicycle infrastructure. Cyclist injured in Morristown crash; police investigating The sight lines in this wreck were so bad that neither party in the wreck saw the other until it was too late to avoid the wreck.

Infrastructure improvements on a national scale, but only the ones approved by the Feds. U.S. Transportation Officials Cheer On Ambitious City Planners

Infrastructure gets changed after a cyclist is killed by bad infrastructure and a bad driver. Fixes set for deadly Back Bay intersection

Getting to the other side of the Pond, more on the terrorist attack on a cyclist. Labour councillor seriously injured after bike brakes cut deliberately For those who think I exaggerate, what would cutting the brake lines on a car or truck be called?

More on the killer potholes in the UK. Cyclists being killed due to delays fixing potholes say CTC

Killer infrastructure is killer. Council admits new Oxford junction DID make cyclists ‘vulnerable’ Good of them to admit their mistake, now how about fixing said mistake?

Drunk driver gets a gentle tap on the wrist. Darron Gibson handed 20-month driving ban for hitting cyclist while drink-driving Drunk hit-and-run driver comes within millimeters of killing a cyclist, while almost hitting two others (so close they were injured by flying debris from the wrecked bike) and gets a “Bad boy, but he’ll recover so pay damages and take a time out and that will do you.”

I’m hoping I’ll have Francis/es fixed up in time for this ride. Injured Veterans Tackle Wounds of War in Soldier Ride Dallas

And I’m finally out of links, patience, and coffee. I think the last two kinda go together.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Good news for and about Blue, and the Feed

I was out running errands today, dropping the shoe at the shoe-repair place, getting money out to pay for the parts I need to repair Blue, transferring money to Mrs. the Poet’s account, going to Plano Cycling to pay for those parts with the money I took out… And while we were going through the order for the parts the parts guy noticed that there was a shifter set offered that was more than $20 cheaper than buying front and rear shifters separately, same parts in one box instead of two boxes. And it turns out that for one item I will have to pay shipping because it isn’t a part that’s stocked by their warehouse, it has to be bought directly from RANSbikes in KS.

Up first is some semi-local news from the next town over from the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell. 2015 City Council Candidate Survey

I’m trying to figure out whose ox is being gored in this one. Virginia Beach says no to Boardwalk bicycle ads

I suggested doing this to freeways as a means of reducing the need for AC in the summer and running fossil fueled powerplants year around. This bike lane in Korea is topped with 20 miles of solar panels For a bike lane this “solution” has 2 problems: 1) It is running right down the median of a freeway, which means nasty, smelly pollution generated just feet away, and 2) getting on or off the bike path requires getting over that freeway and the barriers on both sides. I can see some cyclists using the facility, so either they are trapped there since it was opened, or there is some way on and off that is not visible in the video.

Speaking of bike lanes, this person enthusiastically supports them. Cyclist badly injured by truck: Bike-only lanes a must Yeah, me too.

I was unaware that Buzz Feed used machine translated text, the other question is what language did they translate it from. Auto Vs. Bicycle: Duking It Out In L.A. Targeted visitors “From visitors jams, to pushy motorists, to purple lights and some close phone calls” Red, stop; amber, proceed with caution; green, go when clear; which one is purple again?

And since we are already in L.A., let’s drop in on Ted Rogers and see what he’s up to. Morning Links: Bike the vote in Pasadena election; cyclists urged to defend Mt. Hollywood Wednesday

Vision Zero meets Zero Vision in NYC. Cy Vance: $580 Fine for Driver Who Killed 9-Year-Old Cooper Stock If this name sounds familiar this is the Cooper that “Cooper’s law” was named after.

How not to implement a road diet. The road diet is history, Paw Paw to go back to 5 lanes of traffic, no more angle parking First of all never tell them that this is an experiment, even if it is. You tell them “This has worked well in other places with similar levels of traffic, so we should end up safer and still getting to where we want to go.” Second, you have to give it at least a year to work, not a couple of months.

A Canadian tragedy results in renaming a charity ride. Ride the Rideau cycling event to be renamed, rerouted after last year’s tragedy The fatality has tarnished the reputation of the event, none of the organizers wishes to cease the fund-raiser, so change the name and never mention the wreck again except in a separate setting.

A UK bike retail association asks how do you grow cycling? OPINION: How do you grow cycling? Start with proper infrastructure and instruction on how to use it, then add layers of legal protections. It’s all spelled out in the CROW manual for only €90.

Well, I’m glad they clarified that the drivers were equally or more useless in the article, but the headline is still excessively provocative. ‘Useless’ WA cyclists need lessons This is from Oz, by-the-by.

And now I need a lie down, because I need to get up early for the new RPG group to have an all-day gore fest. There will probably be a short report on my new Warlock5’s adventures, now that he has been gender swapped and is a girl in magical armor, and a cursed armored belt. You may recall my character put on a cursed belt of gender swap thinking it was a Belt of Giant Strength. It might be a Belt of Giant Strength under the curse, my character hasn’t had the chance to test that part yet, he was too busy being seduced by 2/3 of the female members of the party… He’s “real purdy” now. 😉

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Well this is disappointing, and the Feed

All my life I have wanted to go to Indianapolis to see the 500, until yesterday. Neither will I ever go to watch the Brickyard 400 even if I get to go for free, all expenses paid. Why the sudden change in desired objectives? Indiana passed a law allowing discrimination for religious reasons. The reason this law was passed is to “protect” people from having to serve gay people getting married, but the stoopid sheeple writing the law couldn’t make it that narrow without danger of getting it immediately shut down. This widens the scope of the law so that anyone can discriminate against anyone for any reason even including things like race, gender, long hair on men and short hair on women, or riding a bicycle instead of driving a car. And it would allow Sharia law for Muslims because that is a deeply-held religious belief. So, until this law is repealed or overturned, Indiana is a no-go for me. I might watch the races on TV still, maybe.

And just for the record, this witch is a straight ally, not LGBTQA or any of the other initials in any of the acronyms used. I’m a dues-paying member of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC, the guys with the equal sign as their symbol) and you can go into the list if pages in the header to find a link to The Gay Marriage Challenge, where I invite people to make a logical case against same-sex marriage as damaging somehow to straight heterosexual marriage. So far the only serious attempt managed to shoot his case in the foot twice.

Up first today is Our Daily Ted. Weekend Links: Bicyclist voices heard in Griffith Park flap, but not in San Diego; Seattle driver doesn’t give a f*** The thing I liked about the Seattle bike lane video is the driver didn’t just move over to the parking lane right next to the bike lane she was parked in, she flat-out left completely.

Still in CA SFPD blames a dead cyclist for running a red light when there was a witness statement made to both them and the news media that the weapon vehicle ran a red light. SFPD investigation into bicyclist death called into question This just a couple of years after blaming cyclist Amelie Le Moullac killed in a right hook wreck without looking for the video that showed the truck driver at fault, which was found by a local bicycle advocacy group just hours before it would have been erased. Yeah SFPD, nobody is going to believe you when you make statements that contradict witnesses after that previous SNAFU.

Another link to the possible judicial collusion averted in CA. Attorney who had pled in death of cyclist withdraws his plea This situation just screams “We got caught” setting up some kind of sweet deal for the perp, something like time served, probation, or [$DEITY] forbid, deferred adjudication.

Do you have a hard time getting your brake levers where you can reach them? Lever Position Don’t forget to bring your yard or meter stick to the party.

Assault with a deadly weapon is perfectly fine when the weapon is a motor vehicle. Driver Who Rammed Minneapolis Protestors Charged With Traffic Offenses Someone in the street protesting something that you don’t like? Just drive right over them. No problem aside from a few tickets. The driver rammed through the demonstration at speed injuring several of the protesters.

Prosecutors in Oz go all out in punishing a drunk driver that killed a cyclist. Drunk driver Joseph Haenga sentenced to five years for causing death of champion cyclist Brynt McSwain Five years for killing a human being… TANJ.

We will never manage to pay off building suburbs with tax revenue from building suburbs. Study: Annual Cost of Sprawl in America Adds Up to $4,500 Per Person

Since they aren’t allowed to follow the Dutch blueprints for the wheel, Portland traffic engineers have to do some trial and error to reinvent it. City removes portion of N Rosa Parks bike lane to allow right turns> Actually what they are doing is trying to prevent right hooks. That’s something the Dutch have very nearly eliminated without resorting to mixing zones.

In other infrastructure news (from WI, where Scott Walker has just deleted the bike infrastructure budget)… Second Fatal Crash On Sheboygan Highway The report is not that there was a crash, or even that there were two crashes, what is interesting (for a traffic engineer) is the two fatal wrecks happened within a few feet of each other, meaning this may be infrastructure related.

Another link to the lawsuit filed in the death of a Vancouver West Canuckistan cyclist possibly pushed off a MUP by a pedestrian to be killed by a bus. Antonina Skoczylas, cyclist killed on Stanley Park Causeway, lawsuit launched I said at the time those sidewalks did not look wide enough to use as MUP coming off the bridge, and there is ample room for a bike lane there.

On the one hand he’s a pompous windbag with zero regards for the safety of cyclists even when he is one, on the other hand he’s a funny guy on the telly. Jeremy Clarkson on his bike in every sense – but who should replace him?

And very seldom is the victim of a bike wreck an awful person, unfortunately. Tributes paid to Michael Beard killed in Lincoln cycle crash

An e-assist bike can make your Silver Years more Golden. Electric bikes make inroads in the U.S. The ones I experimented with were set up to keep my average speed as constant as possible so I could route plan based on my cruise speed without assist on flat roads with no winds.

They experimented with co-ed team pursuit on a velodrome with four randomly selected teams. Mixed men and women track event tested at UCI World Cycling Centre The experiment seems to have gone well.

Another wounded veteran ride. Local veterans injured in combat participate in The Warrior Ride Cycling seems to be very therapeutic for combat injured vets.

And I’m all out of links again, finally.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

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

Finally paid all my property taxes, and the Feed

I made my final trip this year to pay my property taxes, at the GISD tax office. Now I understand why there was a line out the door when they stopped accepting payments Friday, there isn’t enough room inside for more than 2 people to be in line before they hit the door. There were 4 windows to pay at, but I don’t know how many people they had to take the money Friday. Today they only had 2 people working the 4 windows, but there was no line and I was in and out in seconds.

We are going to start out with a double dose of Our Daily Ted. Weekend Links: Burbank Sunday Funday ride; Spokane police bend over backward to blame bike riding victim and A rider fallen, family and friends shattered, and a young woman on the verge of hard time

And to go with that second Ted link… Bike ride to honor Irvine cyclist killed on Santiago Canyon Road

Another link to cycling lifestyle in FL, the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike. Critical Mass Comes a Week After Cyclist’s Death and another protest Cyclists Gather Over Concerns For Safety Amid Deaths

This was how things were when I was a kid. This Is How Normal Walking to School Used to Be For some reason they just left off things like sidewalks as subdivisions grew up in what used to be rural areas. And then there was the “Stranger Danger” panic, so now most kids only get to school by bus or by car, and some places will arrest parents trying to walk with their children.

More victim-blaming from NC. Being reminded of the ‘see and be seen’ mantra Heaven forfend that we should place any onus on drivers to not run their killing machines into cyclists and pedestrians using the roads with them.

A bit of infrastructure from Jolly Olde. Dramatic rise in road deaths as numbers of traffic police fall Surprise, surprise, when you don’t enforce the laws people ignore them.

Speaking of bad UK infrastructure, this updates at the beginning of every month. Cycle Facility of the Month Yes, that is a bollard-protected bike path that is just over a meter long.

I keep getting invited to these things, but I don’t know why exactly. Vigil and Die-In If someone could get with me (maybe by a FB message?) and tell me why I’m getting invited to a UK protest from TX.

More about the unconscious driver that ran over a cyclist during a diabetic episode. “…An accident waiting to happen ” – Diabetic who fell unconscious while driving jailed for seriously injuring cyclist and Diabetic crash driver jailed

When drivers break traffic laws they’re bad drivers/people. When cyclists break traffic laws all cyclists are “provocative”. Provocative cyclists

Sometimes advertisers have a “tin ear” when it comes to cyclists. Taxi advert shows cabbie running over a cyclist I’m absolutely convinced that many of not most cyclists get hit by taxis in search of a big payout, not because cabbies drive like maniacs. [/sarcasm].

Another veteran gets back into life thanks to the UK version of the Wounded Warrior Project. Injured veteran’s vow to join Help for Heroes cyclists set to be fulfilled

Some Ozzie cyclists remind a news media outlet that the plural of “anecdote” is not “data”. Cycling risks insurance This bit is about 2 Page Downs from the top of the page.

In bits and pieces, even sub-standard infrastructure can look great. The best cycling infrastructure in cities around the world – your pictures

And I’m fresh outta links.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Blue has been found, and the Feed

My stolen bike Blue has been found at a Garland pawn store and placed on hold pending a property hearing in front of a judge. I haven’t seen him yet, but the RBENT club member who spotted him said that he was mostly intact except for a missing headlight. The rack was still on the back but no mention of the pump, fenders, or computer still being there. I will probably have to get another frame pump and fabricate another mount to hang it from. I am somewhat resigned to having to redo the fenders, but heartened that having done the job twice already the biggest problem will be buying another 2 sets of fenders to get the blanks to use to build the front fender. After I did the first part of this paragraph I got a call from GPD that the pawn shop was disputing my claim and I will have to be present at a property hearing in 6-8 weeks.

Up first is a Daily Ted left over from the weekend. Weekend Links: UCLA Transpo group honored; Bike the Vote next month and score a Wolfpack Hustle T-Shirt Catch the stuff that hasn’t happened yet.

Here’s a good one for you and three friends of a similar size and riding similar size bikes. Free to good home: a bicycle-powered star destroyer About the only place I could ride this would be the lead hole. Any other position and the supports would be floating above my shoulders. Put the big guys in the back and let it slope down to me.

I really don’t care if the Episcopalian church has a raging drunk leading them so long as the drunk is not driving. Cyclist death opens debate about theology of addiction Seriously, as long as she’s not driving they can do any damn thing they want with her, that’s outside my purview. Separation of church and state and all that.

I can haz infrastructure in CA? Plan in works to add third eastbound lane and bike path on Richmond-San Rafael Bridge All that money and the bike lane doesn’t even have a permanent barrier? Yeah, that “bike lane” will never see a bike.

More CA infrastructure news. Berkeley Bicycle Subcommittee Mtg: Bike Plan Launch, Hearst Ave Bikeway

More infrastructure news this time from MN. Guy On A Bike: Ghost Bikes

Sad news as what is believed to be CA’s oldest living cyclist gives up the “living” part of that title. Long Beach’s oldest cyclist Octavio Orduno dies at 106

Several cyclists have been killed on one short stretch of road and there is debate about changing the infrastructure to keep drunks out of the bike lane? Facing South Florida: Cyclists Struck Part II That there is any debate on what to do just strikes me as insensitive to the memory of the deceased, and insulting to the survivors. It’s simple, put in a steel guardrail between the bike lane and the driving lane so there is no way for the drunk drivers to get to the cyclists. Since the problem is drunk drivers put a tax on alcohol to pay for it. I also like the real-time speed monitoring idea.

UK infrastructure at its usual crap state. Edinburgh cyclists sue council for tramline injuries The video in the article was shot less than 5 minutes after the camera was set up on a notoriously bad stretch of road, and there were pictures of other bicycle traps disguised as bike lanes. Seriously, whose idea was it to put the tram in the freaking bike lane?

This news from Oz just floors me. Police investigate rope-stringing incident that injured cyclist Part of what floors me is the amount of time elapsed between the terrorist act and the posting of the news article. Really, it took from October to the end of January to let people know about a home-grown terrorist attack on a citizen?

They ignore a terrorist attack on cyclists but one cyclist a year causes pedestrian injury and they demand cyclists all line up to pay insurance? Pedestrian case sparks cyclist insurance calls

Another collision with wildlife or pets in Enn Zed. Cyclist injured in collision with dog Dogs are bad because they can take you out and you will never see one coming.

Still in Enn Zed, someone thought they had the right to abuse a little girl for riding her bike in the bike lane. Show respect: mother The comments are literally priceless, and worth every penny of it.

Your next package could come by bike. 5 businesses embracing the cargo bike

Last link, someone else has made a minor improvement to a hub-motor e-assist bike. Salem company bets on smart electric bikes Yet another company that will “change the world” with an e-assist bike.

And that’s all I got today, I had a late start because of having to go all the way across town to find Blue today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Busy night tonight, and the Feed

I will take a break in composing the post today to go to a function at my church while I wait for all the links to come in. Some of you may know that I wait until after midnight to get the last update from the Feed before I finish composing the post, but usually there are only a link or two to stuff into the mostly-finished post so it just takes a little while to come up with the deathless prose that surrounds the link (if I am an “unkillable badass” then I can write “deathless prose”, unkillable badasses can write any damn thing they want 😉 ) check the links for functional HTML and proofread the other words and wallah! Post is done.

Another reward in South TX for yet another hit-and-run driver. Reward offered in hit-and-run death of cyclist

More on federal prodding of local officials to make the built environment compatible with human beings outside of motor vehicles. U.S. Transportation Chief Urges Mayors to Make Pedestrians a Priority The one thing wrong in the article is ascribing the decrease in people getting killed inside motor vehicles to “fewer crashes” when the reality is crashes are also up, it’s just that as the 2006 crash standard of “hit a steel-faced concrete barrier at 35 MPH and every door has the operable and anyone inside the vehicle has to be able to get out of the car unassisted and walk away” has propagated deeper into the existing fleet as older vehicles are retired for whatever reasons. This video shows how much newer cars do to protect the occupants. So does this video with an older “new” car and a slightly younger “old car”. The “new” car was a generation older in that video than in the first video and you can see the previous generation did not have the same requirement to be able to open the doors after the wreck.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: The wages of road rage sin, bike thieves get busy (and get caught), and how car wrecks happen Enjoy!

More on the UK cyclist ripped off while on the deck semi-conscious after getting hit. ‘Disgraceful’ thief takes £1,700 bike after rider is hit by car and YEP Says, January 22: A cyclist lying in the road? Great, let’s steal his bike

South Dakota decides to get ahead of Texas in bicycle laws. Lawmakers Consider Bicycle Passing Bill This is almost identical to the bill vetoed by Perry here in TX back in 2009. Some day I hope all his actions detrimental to my health and safety come back on him. I lost count of how many bills he vetoed and federal programs he decided not to participate in…

Similar law with bigger teeth being proposed in the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike. The birth of a bill to protect cyclists, walkers This bill includes aspects of the L.A. CA cyclist anti-harassment law, only with a bigger bite, and defines where a cyclist may “take the lane” more precisely.

More from FL, this time about physical infrastructure that has demonstrated several times needs to be upgraded. Cyclist’s death in Key Biscayne spotlights needed road protections The next cyclist hit from behind in the bike lane needs to sue the county for failing to put up a barrier between the drunks at freeway speeds and the cyclists after having several demonstrations of need. I notice there is no way to add comments to this article… More Increased Police Presence On Rickenbacker In Wake Of Cyclist’s Death and Bicyclists Push For Safety Plan Following Rickenbacker Causeway Death

Eye-witness account of just how bad FL is for riders from an outside perspective. SWFL’s dangerous roads an eye-opener for bike specialist I wonder if SYG applies to people threatening cyclists with motor vehicles? Because that is a threat with a deadly weapon brandished which when the deadly weapon is a knife or club permits use of deadly force…

And sometimes the legal infrastructure works, even in FL. Man charged in Christmas Eve hit-and-run crash that injured cyclist One of the major factors in this wreck was the cyclist remained conscious and was able to give LEO a good description of the weapon vehicle.

WA decides that it’s cheaper to allow bikes to run broken traffic lights than it is to make every light detect cyclists every time. SB 5438 – Updating State Law to Accommodate for Faulty Traffic Signal Detection

And a judge in the other Washington (the one chock full of parasites) decides that a cyclist hit from behind was a victim of a lawbreaking driver, not contributing to the wreck just by being there. DC JUDGE UPHOLDS THREE FOOT LAW; CASE HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR CONTRIB REFORM

Even Oz is starting to get the message on passing clearance. South Australian motorists will have to leave at least a 1m gap when overtaking cyclists and riding on footpaths will be permitted under proposed laws backed by Premier Jay Weatherill. and New Laws Will Force SA Drivers To Leave A One-Metre Gap Between Their Car And Cyclists When Overtaking

Turns out it was more than just rural roads that were paved first by cyclists. Cyclists in corsets built NYC’s roads

Some UK students had some practical experience with their first-aid classes. Students go to the aid of injured cyclist

A car breaks the cordon for a bike race and collides with one of the racers and the racer got the ticket? Race marshall: Cyclist not to blame for crash If I’m reading the article right this was not the first car to break the cordon while bicycles were on the course.

Lifestyle events in the other LA. Two fundraising events raise awareness for bike safety WoaB says this might be a good ride if you are in the area.

What do fracking for natural gas and dead cyclists have in common? Leaders: Murphy’s law on fracking | Cyclist’s rage Turns out they are both tricky legal questions that are being heavily pursued by a Scottish politician.

And I finally ran out of links after finally getting back from services at church that I totally did not expect to be tonight. I honestly thought the Uster service for the Sumerians was going to be on Saturday just like all the other Sumerian services, silly me.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

The rain is helping my allergies, and the Feed

The weather has turned cold and rainy, and the drizzle has the side effect of washing the pollen out of the air so I can breathe without drugs. I wish all those climate change deniers would buy me a 100 count bottle of diphenhydramine so I can breathe normally all the time and get to sleep at night. Do you know how hard it is to sleep when you can’t breathe through your nose? My throat and mouth get so dry it hurts, I can’t speak when I wake up, and I sound like a truck load of gravel for several hours until I get my throat properly hydrated. All because of what a former president of the board at my church calls “plant bukkake”.

Up first a meaningless gesture at “justice” from NYC. DMV Revokes License Of Driver Who Killed 3-Year-Old In Crosswalk As nobody cares about driving on a suspended license, even if he kills again there will be no consequences to this death. And until death by motor vehicle is treated like death with any other kind of deadly weapon this will continue to happen.

Another hit-and-run in America’s most deadliest state to walk or ride a bike gets a protest ride. Family members of bicyclist killed near Key Biscayne reflect on loss and Cyclists Ride In Honor Of Man Killed In Causeway Crash This is as much an infrastructure problem as a drunk driver problem. When the only way on or off the island was built there was a small walkway sheltered by a concrete barrier but nothing for cyclists except what was the breakdown lane is now a paint-“protected” bike lane. The wreck happened when a drunk driver veered into the bike lane at speed hitting both cyclists from behind. The long and straight bridge looks like a freeway to a drunk driver so they just put the pedal down and just GOOOooo!

There are some really low-class people out there. Thief stole cyclist’s bike as he lay injured in road after Leeds crash and How low can you get? Callous thief steals bike from injured rider after car crash This story comes less than 2 weeks after people robbed both the driver and the cyclist in a wreck in CA while the driver was providing first aid to the cyclist… I’m reminded of something my elder daughter used to say, “I hate people!”

Another memorial ride, this time in AZ. Prescott College holds memorials for alum killed while riding bike

More infrastructure news from the Feds on local infrastructure. DOT head challenges mayors on bicycle, walking safety Ultimately all infrastructure is local even when serving a national purpose.

UK infrastructure is examined and declared to be “not good”. ‘A cyclist is going to get killed at some point’ I think that headline is the epitome of “not good”.

Wounded Warrior gets a bit of a financial boost. World T.E.A.M. Sports Welcomes DuPont Fabros Technology as Face of America Sponsor

\Last link is sorta ironic for this old hot-rodder. America’s best-selling cars and trucks are built on lies: The rise of fake engine noise Basically, they program an MP3 player to play different tracks based on engine load and speed, pipe it through the stereo system and use sound shaping technology to “aim” it at the driver, because modern cars are sound like crap.

And I’m out of links today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet (still an unkillable badass)

Post! or something and the Feed

Making beans today because we are having a guest and my beans and rice were requested. I have red kidney beans instead of the small reds I had before, so slight change in texture from the usual, but the flavor should be about the same as usual. And good news, one of the people here without a job is at a job fair. I have a job, actually several jobs even if you don’t include this blog, so I’m speaking in the third person non-ironically. I’m still having computer issues related to the latest versions of Flash and Chrome OS but there is a ticket out on that so maybe soon I won’t get crashing while I’m working? Please? The issue of the wandering cursor is getting worse, too, and appears to be related to the number of Flash ads I have in tabs or open windows, so back to the first problem.

Up first is another article that puts blame on the infrastructure for placing cyclists next to fast traffic when a cyclist was killed by a driver who was DUI and texting. A driver killed Tom Palermo in Baltimore, but road designers deserve some blame, too Specifically blamed are multiple wide lanes of traffic and a median that looks like a highway to a drunk person with the cars on the wrong side of the bike lane to prevent the drunk driver from hitting the cyclist.

Bicycle deaths in the Windy City more than double. 7 Chicago cyclists died in auto-bike collisions in 2014, up from three in 2013: data Actually 2013 was an anomaly, 7 dead cyclists a year is an average year, and 2014 is one less than 2012.

From ABQ is a report that bad infrastructure hurts lots of people even when only one is actually physically injured. One injured bicycle rider, many victims Looking deeper this is another “I ran over a cyclist, now I’m a victim, too!” from someone safely enclosed in a light armored vehicle.

More on the SF truck driver who killed a cyclist being found “negligent” after escaping criminal prosecution. Truck Driver Who Killed Cyclist Amelie Le Moullac Found Negligent Just like OJ, he got away with the criminal charges (because of a wimp PD and DA rather than from having a good lawyer) but was not able to escape the civil courts.

Updates on infrastructure spending in WA. WSDOT Report: Bike/Ped and & Safe Routes to School Projects up for state funding in 2015-17 In a nutshell, about 20% of the projects that need to be built “yesterday” are getting funded, with some of those needing to be built “last week”, not just “yesterday”.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: CicLAvia comes to the Valley, bike confusion east of Barstow, and why our roads are dangerous

A Facebook group devoted to bicycles not just as transportation but as a transformative force for good. Bikemuters – Public Transformation

“Not enough room” to build bicycle infrastructure? Once again, ask the Dutch. Dutch Suburbs Are Like America’s, and Protected Bike Lanes Work Fine There The trick is not to just assume that people will drive everywhere if that’s the only alternative to staying home. Give people a choice and they might choose to ride a bike. Hell people are choosing to ride a bike even when that really is not a viable choice because of a lack of infrastructure. Just look at the number of people riding bicycles in Garland, TX, the literal “Beautiful Suburb of Hell” where WoaB is located. Garland is one of the most car-dependant towns in the US with an average annual mileage of 19+K miles a year. And in spite of this there are people other than me who live without motor vehicles, riding bikes and taking transit where they need to go.

Dude, when you get assaulted with a motor vehicle and then assaulted for a second time when the driver gets out of the vehicle while you’re on the ground, and you have a camera recording the event, take it to the police, don’t just post it to YouTube. Police issue cyclist appeal on Twitter after shocking ‘van assault’ video is shared on YouTube

And last link is a collection of e-assist devices that were all destined to “change the world” by being cheaper and easier to install on your bike. All-In-One E-Bike Motors For An Environmental Commute Swap out the front or rear wheel, run the wire to the throttle or the pedal speed sensor, and wallah! electric power to aid your legs…

And those are all the links I have today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Things have been weird again, and the Feed

I met with a social group that decided to go to a new restaurant this month and we went from a place that costs about $9 per person including drink to one that cost $13 plus drink per person with $3 drinks. I spent a whole week’s outside entertainment budget on one meal. It is a good thing the conversation was good or this would have been a total bust. I took a friend and $20 and expected to take home a buck or so after tip like the last place, not to have to ask my friend to chip in on the food.

Up first is more on Charlie Hebdo. Cartoonists Worldwide Create Tribute Drawings For Slain Paris Journalists RIP.

A bit of schadenfreude as a stockbroker admits to doing a hit-and-run on a cyclist on social media, then gets fired for making inappropriate statements on social media. Stockbroker fired for cyclist hit and run ‘joke’ As a victim of hit-and-run I find this “joke” about as funny as a holocaust denier or killing an abortion provider.

If only they had these things back when I got hit, I would be so viral on YouTube. And probably not be writing this blog because I wouldn’t have gotten hit. Caught on cam: Cyclist verbally attacked by angry driver The cyclist was riding in a too-narrow-to-share lane when he was accosted by an idiot driver, on camera.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Doublespeak in NELA, SaMo guide to Smart Cycling, and an ex-Bond bikes in the ‘Bu

A bit of Federal infrastructure news via Bike Portland. After a decade of less driving, federal forecast shifts to match reality Reality what a concept!

Green waves and bicycle priority sensors for traffic controls? Is this heaven? Cyclist commuters never hit red lights in Copenhagen Nope, it ain’t even Amsterdam.

Meanwhile in the UK, cyclists are being allowed to ride on the sidewalk because the road is a death trap. Preston’s cyclists get green light to use pavement on busy road Not “Dutch quality” bicycle infrastructure, it’s an MUP with pedestrian priority. That is NOT “bicycle infrastructure” it’s “Where can we stuff cyclists?” with multiple definitions of “stuff”.

And I seem to be completely out of links.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet