I have found a 3D printer I can use for making parts for the Mini Sprint-T, and the Feed

OK one of the minor problems I have been facing building the Mini Sprint-T as a mockup for the full size car has been things like steering boxes, and brake discs in the right diameter, and power steering pumps and brackets. But I have found place that will let me make 3D printed 1/25 bits for $50 and the cost of materials, provided I can find or create a CAD file in the .dwg format, or a half-dozen or so other formats this printer understands. I could even make bits to make the front wheels turn and roll by printing spindles as well as hubs. Or using a printed spindle to cast a metal one that would make the wheels roll better.

Up first because reasons is the gun tragedy in CO. Two women and a cyclist killed after heavily armed gunman opened fire in downtown of Colorado spot voted ‘America’s best place to live’ and Colorado Springs neighborhood honors cyclist who was shot, killed also Cyclist begged for life while Colorado gunman fired I have been exposed to gun violence, to motor vehicle violence, and been the victim of a hate crime (someone thought I was a Mexican because I spoke fluent Spanish and rode my bike for transportation), but I have never seen this kind of depraved indifference to human life.

Getting to the rest of the stories with multiple links we get this drunk driver running over a MD couple on a tandem bike. Two Montgomery cyclists killed while on their tandem bike and 2 bicyclists hit & killed by drunk driver in Md. also Loved ones remember cyclists killed by possibly drunk driver Stories like this remind me of why I want to put drunk drivers back behind the wheels of their beloved vehicles for one last trip, through a car shredder. The cyclists were wearing about as much HiViz as a humans can wear and riding in bright sunshine but that didn’t keep the wasted driver from running right into them.

Hit-and-run in NV. Police Looking for Driver Who Hit and Killed Bicyclist and Bicyclist struck and killed by vehicle in Reno The narrative is hit-from-behind and then a hit-and-run. The ways to avoid a hit-from-behind are in the protocols link at the top of the page. The careful mention in both links of the cyclist’s lights are a clue that the cyclist was equipped well beyond the legal minimums, which means that the driver may have either fixated or deliberately targeted the cyclist.

From CA we get this hit-from-behind wreck. Cyclist killed in Road 99 collision and Coroner identifies Davis bicyclist killed in collision with SUV The narrative is interesting. It reads like the driver saw oncoming traffic first and slightly fixated on that and just didn’t process the cyclist out there on the shoulder/right side of the lane until just before impact. Since there was no mention about the cyclist’s lights and reflectors we have to assume they were there and operational because if they weren’t you know there would have been mention of that fact, prominent mention. The cyclist was not far to the right over on the shoulder that was just barely there, but might not have been far enough out into the lane for the driver to see him. The fact remains that the driver chose to hit the cyclist over moving into the other lane with oncoming traffic, a common trope among carhead internet commenters who don’t seem to realize there is such a thing as a brake pedal.

While we are in CA how about some Daily Ted? Morning Links: A reminder to lock your bike the right way, more kind people, and citing Cedillo as a bike expert

Why did this driver “lose control” and drive into a group of Halloween revellers? Halloween Tragedy: 3 Killed, 4 Injured When Driver Crashes Into Trick Or Treaters In The Bronx “No criminality suspected”

In the most deadliest state in US to walk or ride a bike we get a demonstration of “why”. Seminole woman hit, killed while riding bicycle The driver was crossing the sidewalk while not looking where he was going or for any traffic on the sidewalk at all.

Still in FL, a driver “forgets” how to change lanes to pass. Cyclist killed in Melbourne incident Several drivers saw and passed safely before the weapon vehicle ran over the cyclist from behind. The cyclist was doing it right, not her fault the driver forgot how to drive.

Over in Bayou Country an allegedly ninja cyclist is hit from behind. Lake Charles bicyclist killed in accident Not getting lighted like a Christmas tree is not an excuse for driving faster than you can stop in the distance you can see clearly in the light from your headlights. Still, lights and reflectors people, they can save your life.

PA cyclist is chased down and shot (?!?) POLICE ID TEEN KILLED ON BICYCLE IN STRAWBERRY MANSION

Over in IL there were 4 minor bike wrecks in one day. La Grange police blotter: Bike rider gets clipped, escapes injury

GA gets a USBR. U.S. Bike Route 21 will be one of the first of its kind in America If you want to ride from Cleveland to Atlanta via Chattanooga USBR 21 is your way to go. Not the shortest route, but the one route where drivers will be expecting to see cyclists.

Mapping where drivers and cyclists almost hit will predict where they actually do hit. Mapping Safer Streets for Bicyclists, Pedestrians in Portland This is important because the difference between a scare with no contact and a fatality can be fractions of an inch. Do something about the scares and you don’t have to worry about the fractions of an inch.

WY wants to fix their infrastructure so they don’t lose any tourists. Bike benefit bill ready to go to Wyoming House

Remembering a fallen PA cyclist. Cyclists remember Taylor Banks during memorial ride

Another SWCC wreck in the Great White North. Cyclist critically injured in Parc Avenue collision You can look at that bike and tell the driver does not have a firm grasp on reality. Can’t LEO look at a bike and see the directionality of the impact? Or is that a skill that I developed on my own?

Nothing a cyclist can do about a car on your side of the street, even in the GWN. Cyclist killed in head-on collision near Quebec City “The jaws of life were necessary to free the driver from his vehicle” says more about the severity of this wreck than I ever can.

After creating a controversy with the 3 month limit for ghost bikes they want to make a permanent memorial. Ghost bike debate: Permanent memorial for cyclists proposed. That’s wonderful, but a permanent memorial to killed cyclists does nothing to alert drivers about bad intersections or other bad infrastructure that gets cyclists killed by motor vehicles.

LEO have the time of a hit-and-run death down to a very tiny window. Police have narrowed time when cyclist killed to five minute window It sure seems like this has been a bad weekend for bicycles in the Great White North. More Brampton cyclist fell, then was run over by transport truck: police OK buzz job and then fell under the rear wheels of the truck. Why do they have to find ways of blaming the cyclist for falling first when Occam’s Razor says he got hit by the truck and run over?

Jolly Olde reacts to the US Bishop going to prison for killing a cyclist while driving drunk. Seven years for bishop who killed cyclist while driving drunk and texting

More on the driver who assaulted a kid with his car and was barely given a tap on the wrist. Motorist jailed for chasing down and hitting teenage cyclist in his car

A cycling hazard that’s unique to Oz. Cyclist seriously hurt after hitting kangaroo at Victor Habor There was a song popular when I was a kid that seems appropriate here.

Another one gets hit in Enn Zed. Cyclist seriously injured after being struck by car The cyclist was either hooked or crossed, from the damage to the weapon vehicle my money is on “crossed”. You can see the imprint of the handlebars in the doorskin leaning away from the direction of travel with obvious impact damage to the quarter window behind the door.

And I’m finally out of links today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Hoping I don’t lose this post, and the Feed

I really hope the auto-save function of this composing page doesn’t crap out on me, because my computer has been crashing all day trying to filter the Feed. I have had several links crash fortunately they could be reloaded. If this page crashes, on the other hand, I have to retype anything that doesn’t get saved. Given there are at least 24 links waiting to be collated commented and posted to the blog, losing this page could be a major pain in the grommet, to use an expression popular with my father. So here’s hoping the computer doesn’t trash the composing page.

Up first was a hard decision today as there were lots of stories with multiple links. I think this NYC hit-and-run “wins” the right to go first. 27-Year-Old Woman on Bike Killed in Hit-Run Crash and Officials ID woman killed in hit-and-run also YOUNG WOMAN KILLED BY CAR WHILE RIDING BIKE HOME FROM WORK; POLICE SEARCHING FOR DRIVER this too Cyclist on City Island killed by hit-and-run driver Part of the problem is either there were three different 27 YO victims killed by white cars on the City Island bridge who all worked in the same restaurant, or whoever gave out the reports to media changed the make of the weapon vehicle… But yeah, nothing the cyclist could have done to avoid this wreck besides live and work in the same building so she didn’t need to cross that bridge.

Also with lots of links is this wreck from the Great White North. Cyclist seriously injured in Oshawa and Cyclist seriously injured in Oshawa Well there were a lot of links that somehow disappeared from the links window, at least one as I was trying to copy the URL to post here. Funny thing is what wasn’t mentioned, the driver wasn’t charged with hit-and-run in spite of having left the scene, which is heavily implied by the driver “returning”. Can’t return if you never left.

This FL cyclist was killed off of the road waiting, in the median, to get a second break in traffic to complete crossing the street. FHP: 1 dead, 1 charged with DUI manslaughter and Driver charged with DUI manslaughter after cyclist struck, killed in Winter Park LEO are still trying to figure out what caused the driver to veer off the road to hit the cyclist. Well, DUH! he was drunk and probably angry at seeing a cyclist in “his” road.

Still in FL, the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike. Bicyclist dies after being hit by minivan in Pompano Beach “Authorities said the bicyclist did not have any proper working lights.” Of course not, they were smashed to bits in the wreck, that’s why the didn’t work after the wreck.

Moving one state over from FL we get this fatal wreck in AL. Alabama cyclist killed in collision is sixth such death this year For those of us who have to depend on the media to get accurate reports of wrecks reports like this are a nightmare. “The crash is being investigation.” Really? was this written by the same people as ‘All your base are belong to us’? At this point it looks very possible that this was a right hook by a driver who never saw the cyclist.

Still in AL we get a kid hit head on in a residential area. McCalla 9-year-old hit by car, injured while riding bicycle outside grandfather’s house The remains show a hard, but survivable impact, and also really bad welds in the fork. I’m being serious here, look at that wheel and you tell me if something really hit hard enough to break the steer tube on that fork. This is the bicycle builder coming out in me, which explains why it takes me so long when I build a bike. The steer tube broke between the crown race and the fork crown, which could only happen 2 ways, not enough heat to actually join the steer tube to the fork, or way too much heat welding in the crown race destroying the base metal in the steer tube without actually joining it to the fork… I know, TMI.

Our Daily Ted provides a breath of fresh air today. Morning Links: How the economy and bike lanes affect bike wrecks, and fight the bikelash over Rowena road diet

Still in CA. Long Beach woman killed in bicycle collision on PCH in Huntington Beach identified The wreck is still somehow a hit from behind wreck in an intersection they were both crossing.

Two reports on the same wreck in CA. Emmy winning sound editor one of two killed in Moorpark crash involving car, bicycle and motorcycle and Distracted driving may have been factor in fatal Moorpark crash That might be the only explanation of why a driver went from one shoulder to the other to kill two people on two-wheeled conveyances, absent some evidence the driver hated cyclists.

Maybe crap infrastructure contributes to bike wrecks? A Young Cyclist’s Death Spurs Changes, Lawsuit in Cupertino

NC cyclist killed in pinball wreck. Cyclist killed Sunday morning in east Charlotte collision He cleared the intersection, but not the killing zone when a left-turning vehicle sent another vehicle spinning through the shoulder area.

It just occurred to me today that the same group that was getting injured/killed the most at the beginning of the study period are the ones getting injured/killed at the end of the study. Cycling deaths, injuries rise as pastime grows in popularity The people getting killed the most at the start would be in the same age group as the ones getting killed the most at the end of the study, they just aged into the biggest group of cyclists as they got older.

I’m still trying to figure out how the truck got on the race course to hit the cyclist. Surely they closed the streets to traffic while the state championship race was running? Cyclist injured after hitting truck at Fort Smith race Comments say the course was closed and the driver of the weapon vehicle had been told twice to scram but went on the course anyway.

I strongly suspect this was a kid being a kid. Boy rides bike off embankment, suffers serious head injuries, police say I can’t say for sure, but this sounds like something I would have done at his age.

PA cyclists remember those taken too soon. Cyclists Pay Tribute To Slain Bike Riders, Hope To Raise Awareness

Making cyclists less “other”. Letters: Humanizing ‘cyclists,’ pope and refugees

Making drivers more aware that cyclists have a right to the roads and are going to be there. Signs of Our Times: Sharing the Streets I would prefer a sign that told drivers hitting a cyclist or pedestrian would cost them the car they hit said cyclist or pedestrian with, but hey, can’t have everything.

The cyclist who tried to get LEO to enforce the bike/bus lane restrictions gets hit by a car in the lane he was trying to get enforced. Cyclist who complained about Clifton Boulevard lane violators injured in bike-car clash We all know how loud a car horn can be when you are outside the car, especially a few feet in front of the car when the horn goes off. It can make you jump out of your skin if you are not expecting it. And there were a couple hundred comments when I filtered the links, but none as I posted the link here.

Signs of another kind. You Won’t Soon Forget These Photos of Ghost Bikes. That’s Exactly the Point.

A wreck in Canuckistan. Cyclist critically injured in collision south of Edmonton Ouch, cyclist hit head-on by a salmon driver. Nothing you can do about that. I hope the victim recovers.

Road.cc has the same opinion of a left hook wreck as I did. Accidental death verdict in case of Guernsey cyclist crushed by lorry Seriously, how hard is it to blame a driver for hitting someone on a parallel road when crossing that road?

A cycling hazard that is mostly confined to Oz, thank the lady Ghisallo for small favors. Where magpies swoop in Canberra: Cyclists fall prey to swooping birds I mean it sucks for the Aussies, but there are only a couple million cyclists there, compared to the billion or so in the rest of the world.

Programming note my friends have decided I need to get out of the house more and are taking me to do something not involving computers or cell phones. I think I’m going shopping or something.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

I was shanghaied Monday and the Feed is Huge

I was only supposed to be gone a couple of hours yesterday to create new characters for one of the D&D groups I play with that is starting a new campaign, over and done with by 1700 and home in time for dinner, but instead we got into debates about getting the best possible party and balancing the characters out against each other. This continued with point buy calculators going nonstop until everybody’s phones died and we had to quit about 2230. Anyway my Warlock died again last session as we had another TPK by cultists with mind control spells, except the one character who has so many ranks in hide and the hide-in-plain-sight feat that he is essentially invisible at will and who only joined the party for that session so not actually part of the party, just there when the rest of the party showed up. This time I created a Warblade character with huge hit points and incredible Dex, leading to a touch AC of 16 or regular AC of 20 and impossible to catch flat-footed unless unconscious so flat-footed AC is equal to regular AC. Part of my equipment includes +2 gloves of Dex that added to my already high Dex results in the Dex mod of 6. I also have a feat that adds another 2 to Dex for days when I’m going to not wear armor, like on diplomatic missions or other activities when armor is a faux pas, making my AC on those missions 17 touch 18 regular. My current status is part of the Town Guard near the site of the TPK, but on a provisional basis as a reservist when I’m not adventuring. I’m about to go off my reserve status as a monster has invaded the town…

Up first is a breaking story off my Twitter Feed. Ex-Bishop Who Killed Cyclist Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter Ten years for killing a person… And that is one of the harshest sentences I have seen for killing a cyclist in the US. I don’t know if I should be happy she’s getting one of the harshest sentences, or dismayed that 10 years for killing a cyclist is “harsh” when there are people serving life without parole for pot possession.

They are all stupid wrecks, but some moreso than others. Glen Allen woman killed in Hanover bike crash and Cyclist killed in Hanover called “a force for good” The cyclist was hit from behind on a straight road in the middle of the day. I can’t describe this in any other way than “stupid”.

This story is semi-local to me. Sorry, DWI Barbie car girl, drunken driving isn’t cute I hadn’t heard about this one before today, but there was a girl who lost her driving privileges after a DUI, not because a judge took them but because her daddy took the keys to the car back. Princess Spoiled Brat “protested” by driving a pink Barbie™ Jeep™ around campus because she didn’t want to ride a bicycle. I have nothing good to say about convicted DUI “drivers” who think they are “too good” to ride a bike on trips that a Barbie™ Jeep™ can do with ease. Take away the kid’s toy AND the bicycle and let her walk or die of starvation.

This one is a little closer and just as annoying but for different reasons. Mother speaks out on son killed in car/bicycle crash Same old story, LEO with windshield bias ignore evidence that cyclists are riding within the law because of imaginary laws that they think say cyclists shouldn’t be there to get hit.

Here’s a little Daily Ted because I need to cool off a bit before getting into the “other” parts of the feed. Morning Links: NY Times fumbles LA’s Mobility Plan, anti-Rowena road diet petition, and a CicLAvia sneak peek

A WI cyclist is killed but nobody is talking about the wreck. Cudahy man dies after he was struck by vehicle while riding a bicycle in Franklin and Cudahy man, 51, killed while bicycling in Franklin also Cudahy father killed riding his bike hat last link says it was a hit-from-behind wreck and the cyclist was lighted and reflectored far beyond legal minimums. And they can’t decide if the driver did anything wrong. TANJ! If the cyclist was hit from behind like that, the driver always did something wrong, especially in states with minimum passing clearance. This is lazy police work, pure and simple.

From the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike, a survivor. Boy,12, riding bike struck by vehicle in Lake Worth Oh, that explains it, he was hit riding in the parking lot of a C-Store. Getting hit at 10 MPH and below is only about 2% fatal.

Also in FL. Bicyclist critically injured after being hit by ambulance If the ambulance hit the cyclist on his right side he was more than halfway through the intersection, why do they think he ran the stop sign?

Another hit-from-behind, this one in VA. Family friend: Carrie Wortham, woman killed riding bike, made huge difference and Community mourns death of cyclist killed in Hanover crash This was a person who gave from the heart and was one of us. I am saddened to see her go,

Another DUI wreck in CA (this is why I’m so pissed at the DUI Princess in that article above). Cyclist killed by man who was arrested for drunk driving

Why? She was on a group ride, it’s not like she was invisible. Des Plaines woman riding bike struck by car, killed in Aurora If I’m reading this right she was crossing the road from a bike path or MUP and the traffic controls were either set improperly, or the sightlines were such that the rider was unable to complete her crossing.

LEO in NC are leaving no stone unturned in trying to blame this cyclist. Bicyclist dies in traffic accident on Highway 194 The picture of the weapon vehicle in impound with driver’s side front damage raises 2 questions: Which way was the cyclist hit, head on or from behind, and 2) since both vehicles were in their correct lanes how was the driver not at fault in this wreck? Blaming the rain is just another way of excusing the driver for not driving to conditions.

More than 500 riders in two different locations turn out for memorial rides. At least 500 cyclists honor Birminghamian who was killed last week while cycling and 500 rally in memory of bicyclist killed on the road When I filtered that first link there were several comments about all the cyclists on the road on the tail end of rush hour bolluxing the traffic. I just think they probably would not get 50 people to show up, much less 500. Anywho all the comments were removed.

A wreck just down the road from my in-laws. Update: Police ID LaGrange cyclist injured on Union Vale road Notice the quickness to blame the cyclist for being there… Then again this is NY State, where the cyclist is always wrong unless there is video.

Another link to a wreck from last month. Friend says Hammond cyclist killed in August was safety-minded

Another SWCC wreck with two injured, one fatally. Man killed, woman hospitalized after pickup hits bicycle

I can NOT relate how angry this link leaves me. Granville veterinarian dies in car-bicycle crash The cyclist was hit head-on by a sleeping driver around 1500. Was the driver a third-shift worker out too late?

IA is regarded as a decent but not exceptional state to ride a bike, but lately those with dogs on the fight have noticed there are more wrecks than there should be. Why does Iowa have so many bike-car crashes? Because you have a state full of Faux Nooz watchers? No? How about you have a bunch of spoiled brats who never learned to share and now are incensed that there is someone else using the roads?

Up in the Great White North another cyclist is splatted. Cyclist suffers life-threatening injuries after being struck by car in St. Catharines and St. Catharines cyclist seriously hurt in collision I call this a SWSS wreck, because there’s only the driver’s word on what the cyclist did and we all know how well drivers process the existence of a cyclist in front of the vehicle.

And if you’re falling-down drunk, you might want to wait a while before riding your bike home. Intoxicated cyclist struck, injured in Newmarket

You know when you pass a cyclist too close they get a little hyper? Driver hit in the face with rider’s helmet in road rage outburst I mean look at the evidence: “I got out and he swore at me and said people like me get cyclists killed. He then took his helmet off and smacked me in the face.” There were three other vehicles that passed before the one with the assaulted driver, and then the driver had to slam on the brakes to keep from hitting the cyclist. That is not how to do a safe pass. But don’t hit the driver with your helmet even when he gets out of the car to have an argument with you after almost killing you.

And dude, no, just no. Bicycles Don’t Belong on Busy City Streets The wrongness just oozes and drips from every word in this article. Seriously, I have been cycling since LBJ got sworn in and I’m wondering about all the taxes that I wasn’t supposed to pay. Where can I apply for the refund? That’s almost 50 years of refunds due…

And I’m outta links and patience and my back is killing me, I’m going to tag but not proof this because I have been staring at this computer for like 14 hours and I want to have a lie-down.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

I had errands to run on the Big Feed Day

Now that Mrs. the Poet is home I have access to her account for paying the bills that my income won’t cover (which is just about everything except groceries). So I spent a few 2½ hours out in the 99°F heat paying bills that had to be covered today or face huge late fees. I was fully hydrated before I left and did not stop to rehydrate until I got home, so I’m all hot and sweaty and thirsty now. That’s called “living in Texas”. 😛

Up first the biggest story continues to be the cyclist hit by a texting driver in OK. Young Teacher Biking Across America Senselessly Killed By Driver On Her Phone also Key Biscayne native killed riding bike on Oklahoma highway and this Schoolteacher Killed by Distracted Driver While Biking Cross-Country for Charity: Officials Wow a bike wreck covered by People magazine! NYC teacher killed during cross-country bike ride for charity And from Gothamist NYC School Teacher Biking Across Country Killed By Distracted Driver In Oklahoma and even this Teacher on cross-country charity bike trek killed by driver looking at cellphone in Okla. Am I allowed to say this was a senseless death? Because this was a seriously senseless death. This is even easier to avoid than a DUI murder: put the fucking phone away when you are behind the wheel or handlebars. BAM! your driving or riding abilities are improved 1000% over your on-the-phone state.

Our Daily Ted, Part 1. Morning Links: It’s Mobility Monday — contact your councilmember to support LA’s Mobility Plan as written

And Part Two. Update: 23-year old Newport Beach e-bike rider died after colliding with parked van and Corona Del Mar Cyclist Killed After Crashing into Parked Car Something caused that cyclist to be a couple feet off the curb at nearly the speed limit when he hit the back of that van. Seriously I have seen bikes hit by cars going 40 MPH on the wrong side of the road that had less front end damage than the bike in this wreck. Unfortunately the only witness in police custody has been transferred to the coroner’s custody…

Part three. An open letter to the LA City Council in support of the Mobility Plan 2035

And another wreck in Sooner Country. Cyclist killed in Pontotoc County crash If the street view of that intersection is to be believed, there is no way to safely cross that ramp as a cyclist, and no way to avoid the frontage road riding from northeast to southwest or vice-versa in certain areas. This is as much an infrastructure failure as a wreck between two vehicles.

Interesting response to a MI wreck. Boy seriously injured in car-bike accident in Lansing What is interesting about this report is in the comments section, where none of the comments blamed the cyclists involved, and at least one directly blamed the driver. And this is in spite of a Street View that shows the weapon vehicle had right of way and the cyclists were facing stop signs. I wasn’t able to follow the street view far enough to find a speed limit sign, but from the comments it can’t have been too high as this was in a residential area.

Another hit-and-run in PA. Cyclist injured in hit and run in East Liberty, police say If you see a car missing a mirror near Philly, call the number in the article.

More on that 2 vehicle bike wreck that was minus any motor vehicles in Philly. 68-Year-Old Man Seriously Injured After Collision With Another Cyclist While Riding Bike Not known if the victim was the one riding salmon or the other one.

Another bike wreck minus motor vehicles in MA. PMC Rider Seriously Injured In North Attleboro Bike Crash The PMC is a ride on the long direction of MA from NY to the sea going east. Neither of these guys finished the ride.

And in upstate NY they can’t figure out how a cyclist got hit from behind. Bike rider seriously injured in Kinderhook collision Seriously? “when a Hyundai Azera driven by Leah Tricozzi, 45, of Valatie, heading northwest on Route 28, struck Donald J. Wilber, 68, who was biking in the same direction in front of her, for unknown reasons.” When a car hits a car travelling the same direction do you try to figure out a way to blame the slower car for getting hit, or do you just write the damn ticket?

Another one killed in the most deadliest state in the US to ride a bike or walk. Fatal bicycle crash in Polk County and 2 Die in Separate Polk Crashes The cyclist appears to have been setting up to make a left turn on one of the intersecting streets in the area. I call this one an infrastructure failure, the cyclist was doing what it takes to make a legal left turn and appears to have had the legal requirements of lights and reflectors (not mentioned means everything legal 99% of the time).

Meanwhile in NC a drunk crosses the centerline and hits a cyclist head on. Driver charged with DWI after cyclist hit, killed in Hickory Remember what I said about the bike running into the back of the van in CA? This is the picture I was writing about. Notice the blood on the roof of the weapon vehicle, which sustained additional damage from hitting a pole after hitting the cyclist on the shoulder of the road. It almost looks like the driver was targeting the cyclist.

These kind of wrecks make me the craziest because they are almost always the fault of the cyclist and so easy to prevent. Huron: 15-year-old bicyclist killed by train See what I mean? All that is needed to prevent this wreck is staying behind the crossing guard.

Another hit-and-run in OH. Pickerington man injured in bicycle crash If my area readers see a vehicle matching the description of the weapon vehicle notify LEO at the number given in the article.

Read the article, then read the comments to see why the article fell on deaf ears blind eyes. Editorial: An open letter to cyclists, motorists Seriously, it is like they read the article and then completely dismissed it because it didn’t comply with their prejudices.

More of the same in a different accent. Bicyclists seek solutions following accidents

This is just one city among thousands in the US, albeit one of if not the largest city (depending on how you define “largest”) so multiply this by say, 100? NYC’s $138 Million Pothole Problem

Tragic story from the Great White North. Did vigilante kill Michael Sullivan for pretending to take child’s photo? Not a True Canadian then. And talk about jumping to fatal conclusions.

Ugghh! Cyclist struck by SUV in Oshawa intersection Who outside of the weapon vehicle is saying the cyclist ran the red light?

I was uncertain about including this one because it was so low-information. Cyclist dead after collision in Vaughan

Not a good ride in Jolly Olde. RideLondon 2015: cyclist dies from suspected heart attack while climbing steep Surrey hill I’m reading separate reports that I can’t link to at the moment that are blaming heat and dehydration for the death.

And here is one of the Good Guys. Cyclist going the distance to help terror victims

And I am out of links, hurrah!

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Unkillable Badass Poet (this will be my sig for the rest of the month to celebrate my upcoming Death Day 08/31)

Ringing out 2013 with a small Feed

Thank [$Deity] the last post for 2013 has very few links. Hundreds of cyclists have died this year and thousands more were injured, for what? for the most part it was because people driving motor vehicles did not want to be inconvenienced with a delay of a few seconds. Seriously, that’s it. Not for any grand plan, not as the result of devious designs, not even out of malice, but to save a few seconds on a trip. And the price for that few seconds was someone’s life or health or a leg or an arm or perhaps the ability to think straight for more than 2 sentences. And for many that were killed the driver was never caught with fatal bicycle wrecks being 4 times more likely to be a hit-and-run than the same result with other road users at 17% for cyclists and 4% for everyone else. That could end with Dutch-style bicycle infrastructure, which we could get for ~$30/person/year for about 20 years. Compared to the $336/person/year we spend on highways that’s a pittance, and compared to the savings in health-care dollars that would come from the investment, it’s a bargain as riding 30 minutes a day can save $544 per person, per year

Up first on the news is what looks like a vehicular murder in CA. Ending the year of hit-and-run on a sadly appropriate note and Bicyclist victim of hit and run The driver of the weapon vehicle crossed the centerline to hit the cyclist head on and then drove away without diminishing speed. Not something a human cyclist with human reflexes can expect to avoid, and the only way I can see to prevent is segregated infrastructure built to the Dutch standards.

And in Oz a driver that hit and killed a cyclist remains in jail until she can be transferred to a facility closer to her home. Queensland hit-run accused appears in court over death of Adelaide cyclist Kathleen Heraghty

And that’s all the links I have today this year. See you in 2014.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

After another adventure, the Feed

This has been a very long day for me and it still ain’t done. I have a Christmas tree to put up (still), and presents to put under it, and some time today it might be a good idea to eat.

Up first, are people in Houston trying to kill cyclists? Do Houston drivers hate cyclists? Another biker killed in hit-and-run accident Of course Houston drivers hate cyclists, Houston drivers hate everything and everyone that isn’t them. That includes cyclists because cyclists fall into that category of “not them”.

Still in TX, a really stupid driver. Driver allegedly chugged cologne during Fayette County traffic stop What scares me the most is I was riding my bicycle in that area a few years back.

Another link to the Aussie killed in the bike lane by a drunk and texting minor. Melbourne man killed in Los Angeles riding bike I was hoping this link would have a better picture of the bike lane to show the skid mark left when the weapon vehicle hit the cyclist’s back wheel, and also marks or lack of same left by the weapon vehicle to indicate the application of brakes.

Still in CA a bike cop gets hit-and-run while on patrol on his bicycle. Oxnard police search for vehicle after it rear ends an officer on bicycle patrol I wonder how much more diligently they look for the guy that hit one of theirs instead of one that hit one of us.

Apparently there is a Lodi NJ as well as a Lodi CA because they took this cyclist to a Hackensack hospital when he got hit in Lodi. Bicyclist, 51, struck, killed in Lodi Salmon cyclist, hit in a left cross by a blind driver, I think we hit the Trifecta! Ride with the flow of traffic, and use intersection protocols to avoid a wreck like this, get the infrastructure right to prevent it.

From the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike we get another SWSS wreck. Cyclist injured after darting into car’s path in Port Charlotte, FHP says “Darting” into the traffic lane 9 out of 10 times means the driver was not looking for the cyclist in his lane. Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent including making hitting a cyclist from behind the same as felony assault with a deadly weapon.

A cyclist in Singapore is caught on a dashcam video as he’s hit. Cyclist’s terrifying accident near Singapore Expo caught on video Since I can’t see the traffic light I can’t say what went down on this one. I can barely tell that there is a guy riding a bicycle in the video. I have to say that they must not have a very long amber phase in the traffic lights in Singapore because the light for the camera vehicle went green in fractions of a second after the wreck.

And another report that the US has ULTRA CRAPPY infrastructure compared to the Netherlands. Study Says U.S. Has Fewest Cyclists, But Americans Most Likely To Die Bicycling

And those were all the (new) links that gave me fits or otherwise again today. I had a bunch of old links in the Feed that I had already linked to in the blog. Merry Christmas to everyone who hasn’t already finished celebrating.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

I have to buy hammers and horseshoe pins, and the Feed

I am part of the Patron Selection Process at my church this year because one of my nominees made the finals in spite of some dirty tricks trying to bring some of the other nominees into the game. So I will take a break today and go buy altar decorations from either the nearby home store or Harbor Freight (I already have the anvil, but I need some BFH to go on the altar next to it) and bribes from a party store.

Up first is a prominent political figure killed riding a bike in UT near where I used to ride. Utah Judge Anthony Quinn killed in canyon auto-bike accident and Utah judge killed in auto-bike accident also Utah judge killed in bike accident Cyclist killed by driver that veered all the way across the road and on the oncoming shoulder, not a wreck that human cyclists could avoid, and one that infrastructure would not help prevent without a barrier which would be highly unlikely for this area in the Dutch model.

An update on a hit-and-run wreck in OH. Licking Co Prosecutor To Look Into Hit-And-Run That Killed Teacher From the comments it appears the family of the driver in this case is too well-connected politically to prosecute at the local level so they had to move to someone who could not be harmed politically.

Update on a CA hit-from-behind. Bicyclist dies in Yuba County accident Now they are saying the bike had non-working lights instead of none at all. Protocols to avoid or to mitigate damages, and get the infrastructure right to prevent. Include hitting another vehicle from behind as prima facie evidence of driving too fast for conditions.

Update on a MA wreck. Family of cyclist killed in Boston files lawsuit If you can’t get a criminal prosecution, go for the wallet!

And last links are from Jolly Olde. ‘First aid’ penalty notice scrapped and ‘Good Samaritan’ gets parking ticket while helping cyclist I have already heard mutterings about a “police state” mentality concerning this one, and I agree ticketing people pulled over to help at a wreck seems a bit on the extreme side…

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus

F*** the GOP, and the Feed

In case you have been living under a rock, or someplace outside the US of A I’m typing these words without the benefit of a fully-functioning government. Although we have been in a so-so functioning government since January of 2009 when the GOP made running Obama out of office their goal, last night the Tea Party wing(nuts) of the GOP pushed the whole mess over the cliff and shut (almost) everything down. About the only smart thing they did was to pass a bill that kept the paychecks of the military coming on time, because I would have loved to see tanks circling the Capitol with the guns pointed inward while the vote to shut down was being taken. If there is one thing bullies understand it’s threats of force.

I spent the morning walking down to the local nail spa and getting my toes done so that I don’t continue to rip the sheets. That kinda makes Mrs. the Poet upset, and making Mrs. the Poet upset is something that must be avoided at all costs. I go to the nail spa because the nerve damage to my leg has not improved any since about 2005 and as I get older things are getting worse. Now when I bend at the hip to get to my toes the toes on my left foot pull down, making getting to them to cut the nails an exercise in frustration. I may have mentioned a few times that I don’t do exercise, and that especially includes the frustrating kind. So I get the nails cut, the fungus gets treated and goes away for a week or two, and they buff my calluses so I don’t get any pressure points inside my shoes for a while. They also exfoliate my legs and feet which makes my skin feel better for a day or so, all included in the standard pedicure package. I go once a month and consider this money well-spent.

More about that double hit-and-run down the road a “piece” in Austin. Cyclist says dangers are getting worse for 2-wheelers Still hit-from-behind on not just one but 2 lighted and reflectored cyclists riding AFRAP in accordance with the laws. Cyclists survived by using hit-from-behind protocols to mitigate the damage, not known at this time if infrastructure would prevent this wreck.

A cyclist gets hit by a SUV backing over the sidewalk, and the cop lets the driver off without even a ticket. No wonder it is the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike. SUV Backs Over Cyclist but Driver Escapes Punishment Because Cop Didn’t Know the Law The SUV went backwards as the cyclist passed behind it, injuring the cyclist and crushing the bike. It was only pure luck that the cyclist was not seriously injured or killed. And I don’t know what could be done about people backing up vehicles they can’t see out of other than ban those vehicles until made safe. That has about as much chance of happening as I have of being elected Pope.

Assault with a deadly weapon in NH. Man charged with striking cyclist in road rage incident He hit the cyclist on purpose with the vehicle and then gets out to have a fist-fight? Lock the idiot up and take away the vehicle and the license to use it.

A tricyclist is killed by a blind driver in ME. Bicycle rider killed in accident with pickup truck Yeah I’m pretty sure that a “three wheeled vehicle” is a tricycle. Hit-from-behind by a driver that admits to driving blind “took his eyes off the road right before impact.” I don’t know if the victim’s vehicle was one of these Adult Trikes or something more like this. I don’t know what to do about blind drivers, either. Another link Bicycle rider killed in Corinth

A cyclist is knocked off the bike and robbed while unconscious in MI. Bike rider crashes after being chased and is then robbed by THREE people as he lay unconscious…including one woman who returned to steal from him again Yeah that’s some headline. I don’t know what you can do in a case like this, apparently the thieves just kept at the cyclist until the cyclist wrecked, then took his stuff.

More on the cyclist killer in ID. Boise man faces felony for cyclist death My previous statement still holds about drunk drivers that kill, let them watch their vehicle get recycled chained to the steering wheel. The car shredder kills a lot quicker than a lethal injection.

A pinball wreck in CA ends up with a cyclist under a van. Firefighters, Police Lift Van Off Trapped Cyclist: Update Nothing the cyclist could have done to avoid this, and infrastructure appropriate to the location would not have done much either. The only good thing I see out of this report is nobody is blaming the cyclist for being there to get hit…

Bail is reduced for a bicyclist-killer in Paradise. Bail reduced for Big Island man accused of killing cyclist Head-on wreck, no time to react for the cyclist to avoid, and I guess a barrier would have been the only physical infrastructure that could have prevented it. Earlier link Driver charged in death of cyclist on Hawaii island

Surprise! Drivers are still crap in the UK… Cyclist still face “selfish” driver problem As overall KSI drop for traffic wrecks, everyone not protected by being inside a motor vehicle is getting almost killed or killed at an even higher rate. Same conclusion as last year, the cars are way too survivable in wrecks so people don’t care about hitting other things because they know they will be alright. Other people are not real.

A lady in Oz proves you don’t need a $200 helmet to keep the melon intact. Far North Queensland cyclist admits helmet saved her life Hit-from-behind wreck and by all means wear a helmet to keep that noggin intact. Just don’t expect miracles from it. Also INFRASTRUCTURE! to prevent. The wreck took place in a roundabout with no bicycle provision and drivers with little to no training on how to act around cyclists.

A Ghost Bike installation in Enn Zed. City ceremony for cyclist RIP fellow cyclist.

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Another rush post, and the Feed

I have a gig helping someone move again today and my last RPG session tonight before I depart for my vacation, and I need to set up my Warlock6 for the new adventure we are having (our huge party has split up into several small groups to try to take down a gang that is interfering with the local couriers’ guild and disrupting commerce and I’m going undercover in the guild with the help of potions that increase my long-distance speed to 25% faster than my normal sprint). So I have a couple of hours before the moving gig that I’m going to use to post the blog.

Update on the ND wreck that killed a kid. North Dakota Highway Patrol releases name of boy killed in bicycle accident The kid was turning left, and the intersection had obscured sight lines. So if the kid is in the middle of the intersection and can’t see the van or vice versa, shouldn’t someone be getting a ticket for overgrown landscaping? There is an odor of dead fish about this one. More Boy killed on bicycle in Hettinger remembered

From the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike comes more information about a head on wreck between a bike and a car. Jacksonville police identify bicyclist killed in Sunday crash The motor vehicle pushed the cyclist into the side of a house and crushed him. I think the person riding salmon probably wasn’t the cyclist in this wreck. This puts this wreck into the “not avoidable by human cyclists” category, and probably not too affected by bicycle infrastructure, either…

Another head-on crash where the cyclist wasn’t doing anything wrong, this time in IN. Man dies after crash on bicycle in Elkhart County Wednesday Again this falls under that “not avoidable by human cyclists”. It should also be stated just to make the obvious even more so that even wearing a motorcycle helmet will only make it possible to have an open casket at the funeral. You will die in a head-on wreck with a motor vehicle moving at highway speeds even if your head is completely unharmed.

A cyclist in Northern Ireland is still off the bike approaching a year after his wreck. Cyclist Noel still recovering months after being hit by car Intersection wreck that shows even if you do everything right someone making just a small mistake in a motor vehicle can change your life forever.

E-assist in the UK. Electric bike championships in Bristol this Sunday

Last link is to a video from a bike chain in the UK that is very funny. Every so often, it’s time to remember why we get on our bikes again and again. Well done Halfords. Thanks to BikingInLA for the link.

And those are all the links that gave me fits this morning.

Billed@€0.02, Opus

Mule Duties again today, and the Feed

Starting out, let me say that yesterday’s trip was very fruitful and productive, even with a 20 mile urban round trip (who needs hills when you have stoplights or 4-way stop signs every quarter mile or less?) with light winds. I have another trip coming up to get a replacement for my replacement computer. I need something that will let me unhook from my cable modem and move around the house a bit. We have Wi-Fi but none of the computers I currently have working has Wi-Fi working on it so I have to use a stand alone Buffalo Air Station to connect to the wireless router, and even that doesn’t help for the laptop without RJ-45 connectivity. That would be the Win98 laptop with the bios so old that it can’t even boot from the CDROM on the PCMCIA bus because nothing on the PCMCIA bus even exists as a usable drive until Windows loads. I have all this neat stuff on the computer that I can’t use because the only wireless device I have needs a driver for Win98 to install but I can’t get the driver until I get the wireless device installed. At the moment it is a game player that has (only) Solitaire installed. So, new laptop coming. I was looking at the Chromebook laptops as they seem to be all the computer I need when I’m not actually at home or even not in my office at home. I’m hoping the local Best Buy still has the version with the hard drive as I don’t see the 16GB SSD of the newer version as being adequate, partially because I don’t trust The Cloud for my storage and partially because some of the programs I use to make this blog don’t work with Cloud storage, they require storage on the same device as I’m using the program on. Also the hard drive version has 320GB of storage, meaning I could wipe the Chrome OS and install Ubuntu if I have any “issues” with Chrome.

Up first an update from the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike. Flagler Beach bicyclist killed Tuesday riding in bike lane This was the cyclist killed when the driver sneezed. If you can sneeze and kill someone with something, that deadly thing needs to be very tightly regulated so as to prevent “death by second-hand pollen”. Seriously, if you are in control of a device so deadly that a sneeze at the wrong moment can kill that device needs to be removed from inadvertent contact with the public.

Second update is on the driver that hit the cyclist head-on in the cyclist’s lane, then flipped the vehicle. Cyclist killed when struck by car Nearly a week later and no charges have been filed for running a cyclist over in her own lane and then wrecking your vehicle? TANJ!

And those are all the live links I had, except for an old one about the Jalabert left cross. That one has been hashed to death in other media outlets, and covered in this blog as well.

Billed @$0.02, Opus