OK this one is funny

I think I have related at least one story about how I was accused of “cheating” when I was testing e-assist bikes a while back. Since I was not involved in any kind of competition I said so and asked “Cheating how, and who?” Actually there was a competition, to get the most miles out of a pound of batteries back when most batteries were literally bricks of lead.

Well now e-assist has been popping up in the pro peloton where it is literally “cheating” to use a motor. At this point names are not being named, but the rumor persists that Alberto Contador was using assist in the Giro a while back. My contention is that it makes more sense to put assist on the bike of a sprinter during a mountain stage to get him over the mountain well inside the cutoff so he can compete for more stage wins on flat sections in the bunch sprint. I guess I shouldn’t make you wait on the links any more. Hidden motors used at Strade Bianche, claims French TV (+ video) also Tiny Motor Powers a New Threat to Cycling Races

I should point out now that the motors being used were at most ¹/₃ the power of the motors I was testing with back in the day. And at no time was I doing anything other than testing the range and power consumption of the system.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

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I broke a tooth last night, and the Feed

I had a piece come off one of my few remaining teeth last night as I was putting the post to bed. It’s a very strange situation, half of the front of one of my incisors just fell off the tooth while I was eating a crunch candy bar. Notice the “crunch” is not capitalized because Mrs. the Poet bought generic candy at the Dollar Store rather than the name brand stuff. I don’t think the fact that the candy was not brand had anything to do with ¹/₄ of the tooth coming off. At the moment it isn’t uncomfortable except for the sharp edge that was left exposed to my lip and I have managed to only cut myself on that the once. But I have to remember that I have a broken tooth and bite and chew accordingly.

Early Christmas gift notice. Dumbing of Age: The Fifth Book Collection I love the title of the book. Seriously, love. And I want a physical paper book, not just the PDF. I’m old fashioned that way. I have a bunch of books on PDF but I also have many tons of paper books.

Up first is Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: A very sad weekend in bike racing, and bikesplaining from a windshield perspective That “windshield perspective” link is a riot.

Local but not actually bike related. Driver to face charges in West Dallas crash that killed 3 children How fast was he going to kill three people inside a light armored vehicle, and critcally injure another, while also inflicting injuries on the driver?

Another driver runs a stop sign hitting a cyclist on a through street and LEO can’t decide if the driver should be charged? Broomfield cyclist injured after car collision The one earlier was in CA this one is in CO. And to answer the question, the driver ran a stop sign and caused injury to a cyclist with the right of way, you better at least give a ticket, if not an assault charge.

Hit-and-run wreck in IL. UPDATE: Altamont Man Riding Bicycle Struck and Killed on Route 40 Monday Morning, Search for Driver That Left the Scene Continues Hit-from-behind wreck or maybe just a buzz job that killed because of aerodynamic effects causing the rider to get caught in the rear wheels.

Nice little infrastructure fight in NJ. Bike-Share Fight Brews in New Jersey You can ride your out-of-town bike-share bike but you can’t park it because, it ain’t our bike-share bike. Sure that will pass muster with the constitutional folks?

And since we are discussing NJ infrastructure why not NYC? The Official (Mostly Accurate) 2016 NYC Bike Map Is Here Looks nice, but most bike infrastructure looks nice when it’a lines on paper.

And since we are in NY here is the NYP take on the stupid rich guy riding a bike from L.A. to Vegas in less than 48 hours for a $1.2 million bet. Instagram playboy reveals why he’s risking his life for $600K OK 10 years ago this would not be that big a deal for me to do since I was riding 120 miles round trip to have lunch with a friend, but since having “Chris Christie” move in and be evicted from my neck I probably couldn’t do this in the time limit today.

How to fund cycling infrastructure while reducing carbon pollution. Comment of the Week: Raise the gas tax one penny per fatality If this had been in effect for last year using the 2013 fatalities there would be a $52.80/gal tax on gas last year, because it usually takes until August or September to get all the vulnerable users totalled up and then the tax would go into effect the next year after that. The tax would be $56.04 nationally this year. OR would have a $0.64/gallon tax based on the 2014 statistics while we in TX would be ponying an extra $5.26/gallon. Yes I think this would be an excellent way of reducing vulnerable user fatalities, both because drivers will be incentivized to not hit vulnerable users and as a way to build infrastructure that protects vulnerable users from motor vehicles.

Another infrastructure article from America’s Copenhagen. Guest article: Want safer streets? Ask for them I guess asking nicely would work, if there was an “Or else” with teeth attached to it.

More from the DIY DoT in Portland. What are all these unauthorized orange traffic cones telling us? They are telling us that the bike lanes are incomplete without something sticking up to keep drivers out of them.

And tragedy in Portland. Gresham police say 10-year-old boy’s death on Burnside is “horrible accident” This is one of those wrecks that human nature and bad infrastructure combine to create a situation with no winners.

Do you know the words before you click the link? The three words that mean so much when they come from a cyclist. “Also known as calling your pass.”

Wreck in West Canuckistan. Cyclist, 73, killed in collision with delivery truck in Victoria Truck wreck with a cyclist at an intersection, probably a right hook but since LEO aren’t telling anything we don’t know.

Infrastructure article from Jolly Olde. Chris Boardman dismisses Janet Street-Porter’s anti-cycle infrastructure article as shouting and stamping devoid of logic

Still in the UK, this guy did something extraordinary. Tamworth man completes gruelling 1,000 mile cycling challenge John o’Groats to Land’s End is comparable to riding from Texarcana to El Paso by way of Brownsville or Amarillo.

Another extraordinary achievement in Jolly Olde. Shanaze Reade sets Guinness World Record – for cycling Wall of Death Of course a track cyclist would be good for this. It’s like the world’s smallest and steepest banked velodrome.

Another link to that attempted murder in Oz. Police seize car in connection with hit and run that left cyclist in critical condition Get ‘im! grr!

Another wreck in Oz. UPDATE: Cyclist, 78, killed in freak accident If witness accounts are to be believed he may have had some kind of medical condition just prior to hitting the parked vehicle while riding uphill. Or in other words he wasn’t going fast enough to get injured from the impact, much less killed, so something must have happened before the wreck.

More wreck news from Oz. Police question man after cyclist killed in hit-and-run near Perth [facepalm] Seventy-three years old and “didn’t know” he hit anything.[/facepalm] And there was a second cyclist hit who didn’t even merit a separate article… More Three dead in Easter Monday crashes as weekend toll rises to four

Still in Oz. Loved ones remember man with passion for cycling and humour

Responding to the many injuries and the death in the pro peloton. The Elephant Not in the Room

The good news is getting on your bike will cause you to lose a few pounds. Middle-aged cycle commuters typically 4-5kg lighter than those who drive to work The bad news is unless you restrict calorie intake and really push your commutes long you probably won’t lose much past that initial loss. Of course you really don’t “need” to because your fat to lean ratio will be so improved.

Review of an e-assist bike. Testing the Bosch Edgerunner This is a mid-drive bike as opposed to the cheaper but less able hub motor bikes.

And while we are on e-assist, here is a cell comparison for the ones who make their own packs. Ebenezer Scrooge’s 18650 Ebike Battery Shopping Guide For 2016 If you make your own packs you can get bleeding edge performance for a season, maybe a year. That’s how much the technology is moving, still. It’s not the same as when I was doing experiments with SLA just as NiMH cells became cheaply available and you could get twice the capacity at half the weight, but there are still major advances out there in capacity and especially current delivery.

And it’s after 0400, I’m going to bed. Sorry Gigi for posting late again.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Back to the salt mines, and the Feed

Gotta do something to bring my BP up for the new study med, maybe a massive increase in my sodium consumption will help. What you thought I was going to engage in manual labor? I’m going to try to eat my way through a metaphorical salt mine. Just like how a few years ago I drastically increased my consumption of fatty meats so that I could survive a non-statin cholesterol med that was being tested for interactions with other meds.

The 0.060″ square styrene rod that will eventually become the bottom frame rails arrived this morning. I can’t believe that I spent almost $10 (after tax and shipping) on a tiny package of plastic that isn’t even anything yet. And I can’t believe how tiny 0.060″ is.

Up first is a cyclist killed near Houston. Bicyclist dies after struck by hit-and-run driver on Beaumont Highway Apparently a hit-from-behind wreck, apparently a walking anal sphincter for a driver. Houston readers BOLO for an older Suburban with fresh front-end damage, call the local non-emergency police number if you see one.

Our Daily Ted, part one. Morning Links: Nine years for drunken West Covina hit-and-run; suspect wanted in Agoura Hills bike crash

Our Daily Ted part duh. Woman killed riding bike in Carlsbad when she reportedly veered out of bike lane Certainly sounds like a SWSS wreck to me.

Counting the toll in NYC. NYC Drivers Injured 1,191 Pedestrians and Cyclists, and Killed 13, in February And pedestrians and cyclists killed zero drivers. Cyclists killed zero pedestrians and pedestrians killed zero cyclists. The only mode that killed anybody was motor vehicles.

Another senseless death in NYC. Driver Backing Up to Park Kills Lin Qinyun, NYPD Blames Victim [Updated] “Since May 2015, motorists have killed five pedestrians while driving in reverse on New York City streets.” And I bet every one of those deaths was met with a “no criminality suspected” statement from NYPD, just like this one.

Still in NYC. Pedicab Drivers Sue City For Allegedly Trying To Destroy Them The only transit mode greener than the carriages (that the city is also trying to shut down) and the city is trying to make operators lives miserable.

Almost as crazy in still in NYC. Brooklyn Cyclists Fear New Bike Lanes On Jay Street Still Won’t Keep The Cop Cars Out and Sneak Preview: The Jay Street Protected Bike Lane

Infrastructure change in VT. HOUSE BACKS REFORM OF DRIVER’S LICENSE SUSPENSION SYSTEM How is this an infrastructure change? As it stands now a license can be suspended for any number of reasons, including things unrelated to driving ability or maintaining a safe vehicle or anything to do with vehicles at all. Just one point, using LEO writing tickets as a revenue-generating tool was one of the triggers for the problems in Ferguson, MO.

Speaking of MO. Local cyclists ready to protest HB 2046 with organized ride This was the bill that would have required bicycles on certain roads be equipped with flags on 15′ high poles, making the bikes illegal to use on the US Highway System because they would be over the legal height limit.

Jog up to WI for this lovely news. Traffic Deaths Increasingly Involve Pedestrians Cars are safer, drivers not so much. This is going on pretty much world-wide.

Infrastructure from America’s Copenhagen. Finally! ODOT acknowledges need for a road diet on SW Barbur Blvd How many injured cyclists did it take before this was started?

Still in Portland. Northeast Portlanders call enthusiastically for traffic diverters, greenway on 7th Avenue If the comments are to be believed (and why not?) this is a long overdue change.

A little north of Portland. Seattle Council Approves $1.5 Million Bike-Share Save Now get rid of that stupid helmet law and you might keep the thing in business.

They found the driver and vehicle that killed a cyclist in OH. First vehicle that struck, killed Franklin County teen bicyclist found I know the commenter NRWM isn’t going to read this blog, but none of the reports mentioned a lack of lights so the bike probably met or exceeded legal minimums. And the driver needs another vision test, maybe at night.

Wreck in IL. Woman on bicycle injured in accident with car This story had almost as much information as the usual UK reports.

Another wreck in CT. Cyclist injured in collision with delivery truck in Waterbury Assuming the narrative is accurate and the delivery driver didn’t do a “swoop-and-squat” then you need to be careful about brake system maintenance, along with the usual ABCQ check before riding (you do perform an ABCQ check before every ride, right? Particularly after leaving your bike unattended in public).

Terrible wreck in CO. Former pro cyclist injured in crash near Boulder I wouldn’t call losing an arm an “injury though. More like “permanently maimed”. But he will survive the wreck, and LEO still don’t know who was on the wrong side of the road.

A Canuckistan rider is killed on a trip to Mexico. Penticton Okanagan Rotary founder killed in Mexico Hit from behind wreck, to keep it from happening to you use those protocols to avoid.

Infrastructure from Jolly Olde. Getting people cycling on residential streets needs more than 20mph limits Maybe some diverters to prevent anyone except cyclists from using the streets as through, or bollards blocking the lanes at mid-block?

Jurisprudence for cyclist killers in the UK. Lorry driver who killed Derby cyclist by driving carelessly to be sentenced today The reason he was convicted was he turned across an active lane of traffic without making sure it was clear to do so.

And just UGH! ARC16: Delegates back call for society to lead cycling safety campaign Another helmet fetishist.

More on that multi-cyclist wreck in Oz. Truck driver charged over crash which killed cyclist in Solomontown and SA truckie charged over cyclist death I would say hitting 3 cyclists riding on the side of the road counts as “dangerous” driving, I guess murder and attempted murder would be a bit much. Only a bit though.

If they can standardise the plug for cars, then maybe it could be used for e-assist bikes, too? Volvo Calls on Industry to Adopt Single EV Charging Standard I’m being serious here. Mopeds can recharge the same way and at the same locations as cars and trucks, e-assist bikes should be able to get “away from home” recharges the same as other EV, right?

And why the previous paragraph is important to unassisted cyclists. Our Horrifyingly Unhealthy Environment Is Killing Millions Of People Every Year and The Planet Just Obliterated Another Heat Record We here in TX actually had a colder-than-normal winter, but paradoxically we didn’t have any real cold weather. It just stayed slightly below-average for much of the winter.

And it’s late (or early depending on your POV) and I’m ready for bed. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

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

Wedding anniversary, Grocery Day, and the Feed

Yep, 38 years ago we got a baby sitter to watch the eldest son and got hitched. It was probably the only shotgun wedding where the groom’s father was the one holding the shotgun on the groom. Mom and Dad wanted grandkids, they just were not expecting them quite that soon. I was barely 19 at the time.

On the other part of the headline, we has foods now, yay. There was a sale on coffee flavor greek yogurt so I picked up a few cups, and some peach for Mrs. the Poet. The cats can’t eat yogurt any more so we didn’t worry about flavors they can’t share because now that’s all of the flavors. I feel sad for them because it was kinda fun watching them eat the yogurt off their little saucers, but they outgrew being able to eat dairy and I don’t want to smell their nasty farts. Seriously, that’s how you can tell when it’s time to stop giving the cat yogurt, when a UN weapons inspector stops by the house because of reported leaks of poison gas.

Also in the background is the Duels at Daytona Sprint Cup races that set the field for the Daytona 500 Sunday. Yay, racing.

Up first is another round of Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: A bridge over troubled roadway, post memorial hit-and-run, and buffed Cipollini in the buff Super Mario is Mrs. the Poet’s favorite bike racer, mostly because she likes the name “Cipollini”, and I have to admit he looked really good in that picture. (Yes I clicked through.)

Our Daily Ted part 2. Attorney Solves the Great Mystery of the “No Biking In Crosswalk” Signs

Still in CA that hit-and-run Ted mentioned. Bicyclist injured in hit-and-run after memorial for teen killed in bike crash and Cyclist hit after attending memorial for teen killed in bike accident I don’t know why the first link spent so much time on the kind of bike that was hit because it had nothing to do with the left cross followed by the driver leaving the scene of the crime. And as it was a left cross there are a list of protocols that will reduce the impact of a left cross, assuming you have time to react, posted in a link at the top of the page this is posted on.

The dead cyclist whose memorial the injured cyclist in the previous paragraph was leaving. Community Mourns Tragic Death of 13-Year-Old Student Killed in Bike Crash They are now saying the bike had brakes that were not very effective in stopping the bike. If this was a result of the robbery attempt the cyclist was fleeing or unrelated bad maintenance not released at this posting.

Also from CA. Co-workers remember cyclist killed in San Jose hit-and-run as ‘hardworking’ Lots of hit-and-run in CA this week, I hope that’s not a trend. The fact that they found the weapon vehicle with the plates removed tells me that the hit-and-run was deliberate, and possibly the wreck that preceded it.

Still in CA some of these things are not like the others, can you tell what’s different? Bicycle Safety That’s right, all the things suggested to drivers are all LAWS, while some of the things suggested to cyclists are NOT LAWS.

Are we never going to get away from CA today? FONTANA: Foothill Blvd. crash kills bicyclist, prompts DUI arrest OK everybody, what does the Witch on a Bicycle say is the thing to do with drunk drivers who kill? That’s right, put them back in their car and run the freaking car through a high speed car shredder. Seriously, by the time the pain signal from the driver’s feet get to the brain said brain is already confetti. Aside from the slight mess involved the execution is completely humane.

Moving to MO and another stupid hit-and-run. Two weeks after hit-and-run, cyclist grapples with injuries and unsolved case Finding red mustang convertibles from partial plates is Hard! It’s not like they can just to a computer search of the registered red mustang convertibles looking for the partial and hope for a match… SMH…

Legal infrastructure in OH. “I AM Traffic” – Getting Out of a Ticket & Revisiting AFRAP Unfortunately too many LEO and judges are only aware of the general case for these laws, and not that the exceptions cover as many as 100% of streets and roads in a jurisdiction. That is what was discovered one town over from WoaB World HQ in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell when they did a CIS survey. They now have BMUFL signs posted at the city limits.

This SC girl has done good. South Carolina Teen Rides Face of America to Honor Veterans and Inspire Others You Go Girl!

Gotta love the street names in Jolly Olde. Councillor says Nuns’ Corner ’roundabout plan’ is ‘outrageous’ All that work, and it still wouldn’t meet CROW Manual standards.

Another funny street name, similar problems. Toll Bar roundabout: School drop-off bay plan to help allay safety fears It would be much simpler to just ban the source of the problem, all the motor vehicles crowding into the same tiny space.

This car has been burning up the e-assist message group because it uses 5.3 pounds of H2 in a compressed gas vessel and a fuel cell pack instead of a bulky battery pack. This car travels 300 miles on just 85oz of (hydrogen) gas If it scales down that would be 300 miles of assist in a package smaller than a 25 mile battery.

And on the T-Bucket front, this car takes big motor in tiny car to the extreme possible with current technology. Allison V 12 T Bucket by Cliff Hix Yes it does say 1710 cubic inches and 1840 HP in a 3200 pound car. That makes the Sprint-T’s 430 HP and 1750 pounds curb weight look anemic, but I still think the Sprint T could beat it to the eighth mile, just barely. After that the massive HP of the V-12 and crappy aero of the Sprint-T would combine to let the Allison T top end me in a drag race. Now if there were a couple of hairpin turns and slaloms involved then the Sprint-T would be in its bailiwick and the airplane engine car would be a fish out of water.

And now I’m outta links and Mrs. the Poet beckons from the boudoir.

Bye.

That was a waste of time, and the Feed

Mrs. the Poet called for a plumber to come fix the kitchen sink today, and nobody showed up. So it is fortunate that I didn’t get to the bank to get money for the plumber. Tomorrow I’m going to get my hair cut and buy more bits to build rails for the church stairs, after visiting the bank and post office.

Up first is Our Daily Ted part the first. Morning Links: A moving look at Dave Mirra and the need to succeed, and bike racers get blown and disinvited

And also part the second. Describe Your Ride: Nearly run down by a speeding driver — with a twist

Two links of very good news from ABQ. Teen cyclist wakes from coma and Teen cyclist injured in distracted driving crash out of ICU Very glad to read that the cyclist is recovering.

More on the OH wreck where an impaired driver killed a cyclist with her car. Prosecutor: Crash that killed cyclist ‘absolutely senseless’ The prosecutor in this seems willing to throw the entire law library at the driver.

First link from KS today. Bicyclist injured in hit and run Again, I H8 hit-and-run drivers.

And another link from KS and another hit-and-run. Man injured in hit-and-run accident looking for answers The cyclist was hit from behind, but investigators were unable to tell the debris from the wreck from the junk already at the scene.

The home of the world’s largest bicycle party proposes a common-sense change to bicycle law. ACTION ALERT: Change Lanes To Pass Bicycles Filed in Iowa Senate That’s right, they want to make passing a bicycle just like passing a car or any other motor vehicle, by changing lanes to pass.

Speaking of changing legal infrastructure. Lawmakers hear testimony on bill that would fill driving’s “negligence gap” This proposed law would bridge the gap left between the Vulnerable User Law for cyclists killed by drivers and a traffic ticket when a cyclist is severely injured but not killed.

More infrastructure from America’s Copenhagen. City installs new high-tech counter on Eastbank Esplanade path This is a data collecting instrument, and data is good.

And this is one reason why that data is necessary. Got polluted air? A good biking network helps, PSU study says

A complex article about infrastructure and driver behavior from an ex-pat Scot in NYC. Christmas Eve harassment, a sociopath in Greenwich Village – and how design can cut out honking

This story shows how important it is to get checked out by medical professionals after a wreck. Elderly cyclist dies one week after Richmond Hill collision The cyclist died from internal injuries a week after the wreck.

Scheduling issues affect infrastructure in Jolly Olde. Cambridge station bike park plan triggers fresh backlash from cyclists The switchover from the temp parking to the permanent parking was scheduled during a period when many cyclists would be out of town and wanting to leave their bikes parked at the station.

Still in Jolly Olde, a closed bike shop is becoming a bike-themed pub. ‘The Old Bicycle Shop’ set to become Cambridge’s latest pub

E-assist bikes have been around a very long time. Video shows hidden motor in 1970s steel racing bike

I must admit I sometimes have this fantasy myself. No VWs for this gang: Bicycling arsonists in Berlin target Mercedes, BMWs and Porsches

LEO issue hundreds of tickets to cyclists without helmets in Oz. South Australian police fine more than 300 cyclists in safety blitz

And I’m outta links, go ride a bike!

Billed @€0.02, Opus

It’s nice to have money on Grocery Day, and the Feed

Well all the checks cleared this week, so we had basically an unlimited budget for grocery day today. I finally have a full week worth of yogurt, enough for both me and the cats, and there was a 12 pack of Shiner in the cart as well. That will probably last until mid-March as much as I drink. We splurged on the mid-priced frozen pizza, on sale for about $2.50/pizza before we redeemed a coupon that took $0.33⅓ off each one. Some habits are hard to break, we bought the $1.99/gal milk instead of the $5.99/gal. The strategic ramen reserves are topped off, and the $0.79 instant meals are likewise at reserve levels. Those make a great light lunch or dinner when it’s just me or Mrs. the Poet and we don’t feel like heating the kitchen to make something more substantial. The spicy shrimp cup meal will probably be just for me. We spent roughly $125 on groceries that overflowed the trunk of my son’s car and into the back seat. Seriously we couldn’t get the lid closed and had to put some next to Mrs. the Poet in the back seat to get it all home.

Up first is this Big Story from Jolly Olde as in spite of multiple videos from the cyclist, LEO are unable to prosecute a hit-and-run driver. ‘Brutal’ cyclist hit-and-run captured on video – but police say there is still not enough evidence to prosecute and Shocking moment hit-and-run driver rams into the back of a cyclist and leaves him unconscious in the road before fleeing this too Police rule there is ‘not enough evidence’ to prosecute hit-and-run driver caught on camera (video) Simple really, bring them both in and tell them one will get charged and convicted of attempted murder for the hit-and-run, one will get the same amount of prison for obstructing justice for failing to identify who was driving at the time of the wreck but gets to keep his/her license, and give them 15 seconds to work it out. If nobody gives up the driver they both lose their licenses for life and go to prison. Now here in the great PX, Home Of The Free, all we would need to do is just have the NSA turn over their location via the constant GPS tracking of their phones to figure out who was there or not. Or just charge the people who rented the car out as accessories.

Next is Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Long Beach cyclist killed in Mt. Baldy hiking fall, and bike safety classes in Orange County

Also in L.A. CA. The Story Of The New York Citi Bike That Traveled To Los Angeles That was an Epic Ride, driving a 3 speed 45 pound tank more than 3000 miles. Who knew that the metal basket on the front of a Citi Bike could hold a useful amount of camping equipment?

Still in CA. Cyclist hit, dragged by alleged drunken driver near UC Berkeley yep, another link to the (attempted) murder of a cyclist. I’m sincerely hoping this stays at “attempted” and the cyclist survives to kick the driver in the face.

Infrastructure from America’s Copenhagen. PBOT wants to make W Burnside at 18th/19th safer for biking and walking So far nothing has been made public as to the plans.

More infrastructure, this time from NYC. Dangerous Stretch Of Sixth Avenue Will Finally Get A Protected Bike Lane Door zone bike lane swapped for a larger parking protected bike lane (and an army of parking monitors paid by the ticket to catch drivers encroaching the lane).

If you happen to be in Bermuda with your bike this weekend. Sign up for cycle charity event It looks like there is one ride that is a mix of on and off-road, and another that is a mix of single track and swamps.

Another link to that truck driver in the UK who killed a cyclist while driving a truck without a license trying to get his sentence reduced. Tipper truck driver who killed cyclist Alan Neve fails in appeal against sentence as I said before he should get at least double that if not triple, he should thank his lucky stars and shut up.

This at least has a better outcome in the end even if the cyclist died. Family hand over cheque to charity in memory of their son

Malta is one of the former UK colonies that has as bad cycle culture as the UK. Man fined for knocking down cyclist, magistrate calls for more road awareness Wow/s… €1000 fine and 8 days he can’t get caught driving…

I’m sure this is just coincidence, right? eBike World Championship set for same venue where hidden motor found There is a class for exactly the kind of bike that was found in the cyclocross championships.

And I’m out of links again, but I have Girl Scout cookies.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

OK that happened, now what? And the Feed

I was watching the caucuses last night on Twitter and was Not Impressed to say the least. The Clown Car Party tossed out a few more clowns, but seriously, there are a lot more to go and some of the biggest clowns are at the head of the polls. As for the other side, seriously did you decide who would get that precinct’s delegates based on a coin toss? And not once but six times?

BTW if any of my readers are DFW locals who would like to recommend a plumber we are having lots of plumbing issues here at Casa de El Poeta that have been just waiting for $$ to get fixed and now we have $$ to get them fixed. Deferred maintenance is about to be deferred no longer. And as an aside the TX groundhog had to wear shades and sunscreen, so we get 10 more weeks of “winter”. If “winter” stays like this with daytime highs in the low 70s F and nighttime lows in the high 40s, I could deal with another 10 weeks of this.

Let’s start with Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Pendleton registration begins, Monrovia talks bike plan, and more doping news, motor & otherwise If the Marines insist on blocking bike access that means major construction for bike access on civilian non-military property. At this time the only other access is I5 which is sub-optimal because of the adjacent high-speed traffic and trash and debris pushed from the road by tires and air blasts from vehicles. The next closest road is dozens of miles to the east over a small mountain range.

Still in CA. Bicycle Enforcement Mind your Ps and Qs if you wind up in this area during this operation.

VT is working to reduce the dangers of repeat DUI. BILL WOULD REQUIRE INTERLOCK DEVICES FOR ALL DUI OFFENDERS

Addressing repeat DUI in WI. Getting Tough On Drunk Driving I can’t believe that a person can have more than 4 DUI and not be in prison, but under current WI law you have to have 4 DUI in a 5 year period and still not go to prison.

A strange case of karma working faster than the legal system in FL. Cape Coral man accused of killing cyclist dies in slip-and-fall If I’m reading this right he drowned in a puddle after slipping on a crosswalk. Or something similar to that. There was also a video with the article about a cyclist pulling driver and passenger from an overturned pickup truck. Karma restored.

Hit-and-run in KS. Cyclist injured in hit-and-run near Maple and Meridian Not much information aside from the wreck has happened and someone got seriously injured. They’re not even saying if the silver SUV was damaged by the wreck.

Infrastructure news from America’s Copenhagen. City responds to Steel Bridge homeless camp, Condo owners re-open Greenway path and Condo association releases ‘Call for Community Safety Plan and Dialogue’ This political hostage-taking of infrastructure over the homeless situation in Portland is low, but understandable for people directly faced with it.

Still more Portland infrastructure. Here’s what’s going on at North Williams and Killingsworth This looks like what’s called a “bulb-out” that’s used to reduce crossing times for pedestrians, but why put it on a quiet residential street?

An OH TV station gets on the “Wreck, not accident” bandwagon. COLUMN: There was nothing ‘accidental’ about deadly cyclist crash At least that’s what I think it’s about, since I’m not a subscriber to their service.

Another wounded veteran ride, this one off-road. Ride 2 Recovery launches fifth annual Las Vegas Mountain Bike Ride While there is a certain sense of accomplishment with a point-to-point road ride, for some with PTSD riding in traffic is too much like being back in a war zone (don’t ask me how I know).

You think riding in the US is risky, think about places where the rules of the road are merely a “suggestion”. The daily trials and tribulations of a cyclist (and his tribe) in Lima

You’re just sitting there waiting at a red light to make a legal turn, and some idiot passes you on the wrong side of the road… Video: Driver “swerves to avoid cyclist” – what do you think? …and you get blamed for “forcing” the driver to swerve. TANJ!

This stupid driver had better thank his lucky stars that he didn’t get an even longer sentence for killing a cyclist. Lorry driver loses appeal against jail sentence for killing cyclist Alan Neve in Holborn I hope he has to serve every last second of that 3½ years. He was driving without the specialized license required for the vehicle he was driving, and because he lacked the training and follow-on testing he ended up killing a man he should have been able to avoid.

“I saw a cyclist do something dangerous once”. Driver warns of cyclist ‘stupidity’ This is nothing more than anti-cyclist propaganda.

Reaction to someone putting an electric motor in the seat tube of a bike during a cyclocross competition. Mechanical doping: The social media response

This is causing my creative juices to flow. Now THAT’S a spin cycle! Exercise bike washes your dirty laundry as you pedal Put a recumbent type seat above the drum, use a 1:2 ratio for the drum during wash then switch to a really high ratio to spin the drum during the wring portion of the cycle (that would still be a heavy sprint) and I could see this as a way to put some base and interval training in. The wash/rinse cycles would be the easy part, a warm-up/recovery for the power unit. The bad thing is washing generally ends with the spin cycle.

And I’m outta links again, and I have to get up early tomorrow to go pay more bills.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

I sent the order off today on Grocery Day, and the Feed

I ordered some resin engines, and parts to detail the SBC for the main version (AKA the “this could get built” version) from VCG Resins today. Plus we have money to restock the pantry and a vehicle large enough to carry that much food so grocery shopping. I’m going to try to get this post done before midnight so I can get to bed at a reasonable time.

Up first a TX program originally intended to pay for hit-and-run victims’ medical expenses turns into a gigantic tax on being poor, whodathunkit? Texas driver offense fee program gets bipartisan blistering I have a solution for how to pay for hit-and-run: Raise the costs of registering a vehicle so that hit-and-run victims are paid for out of the costs, and label that increase so that people know they are paying for other people’s stupidity. Once people get a feel of how much hit-and-run is costing them personally there will be a much greater drive to investigate and arrest hit-and-run drivers so that they can pay instead of everybody else.

I might have to look into attending one of these sessions, I’m not as young as I used to be. Want to Be a Better Bicyclist? First, Learn to Fall This would be useful in solo falls where the cyclist has some control of their body, but in any collision with another vehicle YMMV.

Howabout Our Daily Ted? Morning Links: New app for navigating LA, advice on running for your local NC, and pointing the finger in Westwood

Still in CA. Honeymooning cyclist injured in Jan. 20 hit-and-run near Barking Dog also Cyclist injured in Sonoma Valley hit-and-run crash Classic left cross narrative. Get well quickly, honeymooner.

Still in CA comes this conundrum. Which Are More Dangerous: Scofflaw Cyclists, Or Bad-Mannered Drone Flyers? In sheer numbers it’s a draw, there are more drones than cyclists, but cyclists have about a 60 year head start over “drones” (which now seems to apply to all R/C airplanes and helicopters), and while records on people getting killed by R/C airplanes, helicopters, and multicopters is a bit difficult to come by, there have only been 2 recorded fatalities in SF history caused by bicycle riders hitting someone. That’s according to SFPD records that go back as far as the big quake at the beginning of the 20th Century.

Over in ABQ a cyclist was hit from behind in what looks like a punishment pass. Injured teen cyclist is still in a coma There were 3 cyclists riding a tight paceline with the middle and front riders getting hit, and the lead rider taking the brunt of it. This has a very strong flavor of a buzz job or punishment pass.

Another infrastructure article from WI. Highway 41 and Lisbon Is a Mess Basically 90% of the problem with this intersection is it is the last remnant of a failed freeway project that was not integrated into the urban grid.

And driverless cars may fix parking but leave roads hopelessly gridlocked. Driverless cars: Utopian idea could lead to commute from Hell If people continue to insist on SOV commutes then about half of all trips will be “deadhead” with nobody in the car. VMT will basically double (maybe 1.5 if we are lucky).

There are easier ways of seeing that your employees are doing their jobs. Freak accident left Valerie Morton impaled on a bike near St Neots – and thankful to her rescuers The victim was a high-placed executive of the ambulance service that was assigned to the wreck.

Still in Jolly Olde. Motorist who deliberately drove at cyclists jailed for two and a half years Not that it will make much difference but he will have a 2 year driving ban that starts with the completion of his sentence. Because of course he can’t drive for the 2½ years he’s in prison. Having his driving ban run while he can’t get to a car to drive anyway would just be stupid. Along with the actual enforcement of the ban, if he can just curb his antisocial tendencies he could get away with driving for 2 years. Oh who are we kidding? I would be shocked if he managed 6 months without making a swipe at a cyclist. I wouldn’t be surprised that he blames the cyclist with the camera for his arrest and imprisonment, not the act of driving at them on the wrong side of the road.

First I agree that it’s not good that he had to pay for getting his teeth put back in after the wreck. Injured cyclist angry he had to pay NHS to repair his teeth Second, do you know how much that would have cost here in the US? In 2001 I was quoted a cost of about $5k to repair my teeth after my wreck which is why they are falling out right now.

You might wonder what this has to do with my blog. Drone maker seeks UK fuel cells Well as the guy who sent it to me wrote, the cell package for this drone would also work pretty good for an e-assist bike and have the same advantages for e-assist biking as it does for drone work.

Speaking of e-assist biking. Review: Cube Touring Hybrid 400 electric bicycle It must be terrible to have something that works so well for you and then you find something that just ruins it because the new works so much better than what you had.

Another e-assisted bike review, but not quite as glowing. Cruz E-Bike A little too fast and at $5K a little too expensive. But if you govern it down to the Federal limit of 20 MPH that would help the anemic range of “up to” 30 miles.

And we are done for the night.

Nilled @$0.02, Opus

Another day spent pounding pavements, and the Feed

This was a rough one as I went to the bank to get some money out of the firewalled account, and then went grocery shopping for the stuff we couldn’t get yesterday because we didn’t have the $ in the non-firewalled account. And I still forgot the yogurt, so no yogurt for me and the poor little kitties. 😦 And I discovered that I really need to get my toes done because my toes hurt like mad from getting the too-long nails pressed against the inside of my shoes as I walked. I really wish I could still get to all my toes by myself to trim my toenails.

And I keep writing about the Sprint-T (both sizes) but many of you don’t know how long this desire has been fermenting in my brain. U.S. Speed Sport “Instant T” T-Bucket History Not quite this long, but not very long after this.

Up first in the bike links is Out Daily Ted. Morning Links: Notes from Neil Storm Stephany sentencing, and update on new Camp Pendleton bike policy

Still in CA is this infrastructure link. They’ve Invented An Ingenious New Type Of Intersection That Could Save Lives The don’t noticeably slow bike or car traffic and protect the cyclists from the cars. Good show.

With SnowmageddonII hitting the entire east coast north of FL this weekend here’s a cheery thought about the road conditions. Why rain is more dangerous than snow

This SC hit-from-behind wreck may have involved excessive speed. Woman Killed While Riding Bicycle to Work The driver had to be hospitalized, this usually means the cyclist caused a spray of glass inside the passenger compartment which requires a fair amount of velocity. LEO are not elaborating on this aspect at the time of filtering.

Meanwhile in NYC. 15-Year-Old Boy In Critical Condition Following Williamsburg Hit-And-Run When I filtered this link there was a bicycle in it, but I can’t find the bicycle now. Just a body in the street, and a red minivan.

Still in NYC a driver moving an SUV at a service garage manages to hit several parked cars in the street and two pedestrians pinning one to the side of a building. NYPD: Gas Station Worker “Lost Control” Of SUV, Ran Over Cop’s Foot, Pinned Woman To Wall I can’t believe they didn’t say “No criminality suspected” on this one. I guess that’s because he ran over a cop.

Not done with the city yet, here’s some infrastructure bad news. Say Goodbye To Jay Street’s Vital Bike Lanes “Do any of these lane designers actually ride bicycles in the city? Or is “bicycle lane” just a button in their CAD program?” j44ke. He (she?) said it better than I could. Making the street more dangerous so that cars had easier access to the BQE. (SMH)

Over in SD they are trying to force cyclists off the roads. Bicyclists Belong in the Traffic Lane

They finally got around to charging the driver in this case in MI. Suspect charged after hit-and-run death of cyclist in Ann Arbor At least they didn’t wait until the driver killed himself in another wreck like in my case. October to January…

Up there in West Canuckistan they gots an attempted killer on the loose. RCMP seek hit-and-run driver who injured cyclist in Willowbrook They turned the Mounties on him, and you know what they say about Mounties and suspects.

Still up there in the Great White North. Killer of LaSalle cyclist sentenced to nine months in jail I don’t think there is an “m” in years. There is a serious disconnect between the seriousness of the crime and the severity of the sentence.

When the building used to store your bike gets condemned, while you’re recovering from a severe chronic illness they might lose the bike. Disabled woman’s lifelong dream of cycling across Canada dashed after bike vanishes Woman has a relapse of the disease that left her riding a hand bike and had to put the bike in storage while she went home to recover and then the bike turns up missing.

In Jolly Olde a cyclist is stopped for having a flashing light 10 years after the law was changed to allow flashing lights. Police mistakenly stop cyclist for flashing rear light “We Googled it and we were wrong.” Really, the law changed in 2005 and you’re just now finding out about it?

Good news from the UK. Yeovil cyclist who suffered head and leg injuries thanks mysterious Good Samaritan When you’re hurt don’t try to “tough it out” like this guy. He had serious injuries that needed attention from medical personnel, not a home fix-up.

Rider down in Malta. Cyclist, 79, seriously injured in Birzebbuga traffic accident and Cyclist, 79, hit by car in Birżebbuġa And that’s about all LEO are saying about the wreck.

A bus hits a cyclist and takes out 3 more and leaves the scene in Oz. Gold Coast bus hits cyclists, one injured The hit-and-run is barely mentioned. “It is believed the Surfside Buslines driver was unaware he clipped the cyclist, with the bus continuing after the incident without stopping.” Seriously, WTF?

Useful art from discarded bike parts. These Awesome-Looking Chandeliers Are Made From Salvaged Bicycle Parts Used chains and wheels and a few eectrical bits, et voila! Let there be fashionable light.

Old post just brought to my attention today. So I Went Automobile Shopping… What if car buying was like bike buying? How many cars would get sold?

As the weather gets colder your e-assist bike (and your EV) will lose range because batteries don’t like cold> There’s a worrisome problem with electric cars that no one’s talking about For cars there are a couple of things you can do, pre-heat the car interior while the car is still on the charger so you are using grid rather than battery power to do the heating, and switch over to seat heat rather than cabin heat while on the road to stay warm without using as much battery power. On an e-assist bike you provide the heat inside your clothing, but the battery losing range because of the cold slowing down the chemical reactions inside the battery still applies.

Last link, this is why I have to take so many mental health days from this blog. Feeling More I know to some it seems like I can report on some serious $&(^ and it doesn’t phase me, but I have to take a lot of breaks and go read comics or other stuff between making links on this blog.

And on that note I’m going to throw a couple tags on this post and try to unwind a bit before bed.