Surviving the next 6 weeks, and the Feed

This is usually a very deadly time for cyclists as the days are short meaning more commutes are going to be dark in both directions, fewer cyclists are on the roads so drivers aren’t looking for the ones that remain, and the weather is worse for driving meaning idjit drivers are going to be in even less control over their machines than usual as not only are they going to be driving faster than they can see to stop in good weather but stopping distances are going to be longer and that “swerve” away has a much better chance of just breaking the front tires’ traction and just plowing straight ahead.

In addition I have links from Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday to filter as well as the first report from Saturday so that next Monday isn’t so much of a battle. And on a food-related note I’m still suffering from yesterday’s excesses so I’m having a cup of coffee for breakfast and nothing more until lunch, when I will probably be able to consume a sandwich. On cat-related notes, does anyone have any suggestions for gassy kittens? Clint has a real bad gas problem today. On the other hand kitten farts are hilarious sounding squeaks.

And this has nothing to do with bikes but there is a terrorist attack going on at a CO Planned Parenthood as I type this. It is a pretty good bet the shooter is not a Syrian refugee.

Here is a pleasant image to start your weekend.

Note the drillium brake levers.

Up first because it makes me feel good. Lafayette man formally charged in hit-and-run incident that injured cyclist Can I just say that the fact that LEO took this case seriously and didn’t just sweep it under the rug because the victim was a cyclist warms the cockles of my heart. I think they have a pill for excessively warm cockles now. Anyway, the alleged perp is being kept far away from motor vehicles until someone comes up with $$ for his bail…

Along those same lines but in the Emerald Isle. Man due in court after death of cyclist in June and Man in court charged in connection with death of cyclist in Clontarf Again Ireland’s media laws are patterned after UK laws that prohibit releasing details until after they are disclosed in open court when criminal charges are filed so we don’t know anythinf aside from the bare facts that the driver has been charged.

Back to CO for this missive in the “war on cars”. Dom Nozzi: War on cars? If there is a “war on cars” it is one of the most lopsided “wars” in history.

Charlotte NC residents are starting to get tired if the death and destruction on their streets. Residents ask city council to make neighborhood streets safer This was where the man was killed in a pinball wreck while riding a bicycle, then his Ghost Bike was destroyed less than a month later in another pinball wreck at the same intersection.

Meanwhile in TN, a wreck during an Ironman triathlon was caused by poor traffic management. Report details crash that severely injured Ironman Chattanooga competitor The truck driver was watching the guy directing traffic, and the guy directing traffic didn’t see the car getting towed and did not allow enough room for both the truck and the cargo.

Bike wreck in LA with limited information when I filtered the link. Sulphur man killed riding bike Monday Now the link reads like a SWSS wreck at night by a driver overdriving his headlights. One could ask how a cyclist could swerve hard enough to get hit from behind but get thrown into oncoming traffic.

And up in OK. Bicycle Rider Killed By Car In Miami The cyclist was hit from behind in a place where another fatal wreck happened about 4 months ago, implying this might be infrastructure related. At least the driver stayed at the scene.

In NYC you really have to watch out for the buses, because the bus drivers will not watch out for you. Mother-Of-Six Fatally Struck By MTA Bus Driver In Brooklyn

CA infrastructure report. San Francisco’s Raised Bikeway Won’t Make Cycling Safe He’s half right, the one raised bikeway won’t make things safe, they need a connected network of bike infrastructure that goes everywhere. It’s just that the headline makes it look like the writer is against bike infrastructure.

Still in CA a really strange bike wreck. Coroner IDs man hit by truck on I-5 while riding bike The cyclist was riding ninja on the freeway at night. As much as I’m always about the basic speed law, I’m about half in the driver’s court on this one.

Another report on a PA driver getting jail time for a drunken killing of a cyclist. Man set for prison in cyclist’s death He’s going to get some serious prison time for this wreck.

A NJ cyclist is killed giving a ride to a friend. Clifton High School student killed in bicycle accident Nothing about the mode, but the narrative suggests that it might have been a cross or hook situation at an intersection.

Wreck in the Great White North. Police investigating after cyclist, 18, struck and killed in Chatham-Kent, Ont. and Cyclist struck and killed by SUV in Chatham Nothing on the mode, but nothing blaming the cyclist for being the author of his own death, so ??

My younger brother was born in this town. Cyclist injured in multi-vehicle collision in St. John’s It sounds like there was a general fluster cluck from the first impact. The bike shows definite signs of getting hit from the side but I can’t tell from which side as the indicators are almost equally biased from either direction. The bike may have been hit more than once.

Update on a wreck out in West Canuckistan. Injured cyclist out of coma Left cross and the cyclist had complications while waiting for surgery.

Those extendable leashes are potentially deadly. Elderly lady in her 70s who tripped up a cyclist while walking a friend’s dog on holiday pays out £65,000 compensation after injured biker spends three years tracking her down At yesterday’s conversion rate that comes to $97704.75 US. The cyclist is still undergoing rehab for the head injuries sustained in the wreck.

Drunk driver charged in Jolly Olde. Man charged with causing death of East Molesey cyclist in Walton whilst under the influence of alcohol and Man charged over cyclist’s death in Walton-on-Thames Despite my strong antipathy towards drunk drivers I’m not going to put anything inflammatory here.

They finally found the person who helped an injured cyclist. Successful appeal to track down Apperley Bridge Good Samaritan The person in question provided transport on her barge to a crossing point where an ambulance could take the injured cyclist and saved valuable time getting the cyclist treated.

Well this shouldn’t take long to crack. Hunt for ‘blue vehicle with pink wheels’ after cyclist injured in hit-and-run Couldn’t be more than a dozen of those in town…

Another infrastructure protest in Jolly Olde. Cyclist die-in: Campaigners stage protest outside TfL headquarters in Southwark This used to happen about twice a week.

Infrastructure protests in Oz. Cyclists seek Vineyard Road solution Bike path on one side of the bridge, bike path on the other side of the bridge, no bike path over the bridge. I wonder whose bright idea that was…

I think we have a sociopath here, or a potential serial killer. Woman who caused the death of Kings Park cyclist may have caused another crash intentionally Let’s hope that there are no cars where they lock her up.

And we have another report that says helmet laws do not have a significant impact on head injury rates for cyclists. DO BIKE HELMETS SAVE LIVES? In short terms the answer would be no, longer terms the answer would be no, and they might make things worse.

And I’m finally out of links. And time, it’s almost 0500.

Billed @€0.02

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Had my toes done again, and the Feed

One thing that enduring the swollen foot debacle uncovered was my toes were getting squished a bit because the nails needed trimming. I can tell this because I got bruising around the nail beds caused by the pressure on the beds from getting pushed against the inside of the shoe. One thing I can’t depend on any more is waiting until it hurts to let me know the nails are getting too long, because my toes were all black and blue but I didn’t feel anything aside from a bit of pressure at the ends. I guess my pain tolerance is getting greater, or I’m just not getting the pain signals through the nerve damage any more. Anywho, I got my toes done and now my shoes are much looser. I tell you, getting old ain’t for wusses.

Up first is a tragic tale of kittens gone bad. Slow down plea after hit and run cyclist kills kitten on London commuter route towpath and Cyclists urged to slow down on canal towpath after beloved kitten killed by bike in east London The cat ran across the path with only the kitten and the cyclist knowing how much reaction time was available, then the cat ran onto the boat. I would have thought the cat was OK myself, and I have been cat-owned most of my life. Still, common decency says at least stop and check to make sure the cat was OK.

Our Daily Ted. 20-year old OC driver faces 10 years for 2014 DUI death of Dana Point cyclist

And another link about the same thing. Man to Be Arraigned in Alleged Drunken Crash that Killed Cyclist on PCH I agree with Ted on this one, as a minor the driver was not allowed to have more then 0.01% BAC (it is possible to reach 0.01% BAC just by consuming a high carb meal for people with some strains of intestinal flora).

More on the CO cyclist killed by a buzz job from a dump truck. Ghost bike ceremony for cyclist killed by truck is Saturday There were two major components to this wreck, bad infrastructure that limited crossings for a man-made obstacle, and an impatient driver who chose to pass at the wrong place and time possibly because he had a certain number of runs he had to make every day to pay for his fixed costs before he started making any money.

AZ bike wreck victims are remembered. Cyclists killed in crash remembered at Mudshark The cyclist was the male rider of a mixed couple that were killed on a tandem bike.

Another case of windshield bias from LEO. Injured cyclist disputes account of BTV crash The fact remains that the truck still turned in front of the cyclist, not giving him time to react. Also not LEO deliberately misquoting the sign in the picture. It does not have the MUTCD BMUFL language or symbols, all it says is that vehicles turning right must yield to bikes. Which BTW the truck that hit the cyclist failed to do.

I’m having a WTF!?! moment with this link from the Great White North. Dog attack not the cause of Hamilton man’s death, autopsy reveals OK so there is a man laying in the middle of the road being attacked by a dog, and the man dies, but the dog didn’t do it? Did the dog bite him after he got hit and run by a car?

Lots of cyclists getting hit in Far West Canuckistan. Three Vernon cyclists hit by vehicles cause for concern One SWSS, one no details aside from someone getting hit, and a third vlind driver who didn’t know if the cyclist he hit was in the bike lane or on the sidewalk, because he didn’t look as he crossed either one.

Not sure how you could deal with this infrastructure meltdown. Young boy injured after cycling onto road surface which had melted in heatwave Something similar happened in the TdF a few years ago when Lance was riding, the lead rider in a breakaway hit a melting patch of road and went down while Lance showed his cyclocross skills.

Another “don’t ride there” article about some of the busiest intersections in the town. 16 cycling blackspots you really should avoid in Lincolnshire The roads head here said “We recognise through providing a separate space on the road, cycling lanes offer protection for cyclists, and measures for cyclists are incorporated in transport strategies.” but they were not going to pry one red cent from the roads budget to pay for them.

CCTV footage of the woman crushed by a delivery truck in London shows her pulling alongside the truck as it was signalling it was going to cross the bike lane. Woman cyclist killed by delivery lorry was ‘on top of the world’ after landing her dream job Apparently under UK law cyclists are not allowed to pass a vehicle in an adjacent lane signalling for a turn.

I think the comment at the end of this article is the best thing I have read all day. ICEguard: the new helmet attachment that logs accident details for cyclists The device is basically a combination black box and Road ID, and would be quite handy in a wreck. The comment: yuhuhbhb 13 hours ago
Car driver caught breaking the law: ‘vigilante cyclists!’. Car driver films cyclist chewing gum: ‘idiot cyclists, they’re their own worst enemy, they should get their house in order, roadtax, hi-viz, insurance, blah blah blah!!!’”

Presented without further comment from Yr Fthfl Srvnt. ‘If there aren’t as many women cycling as men … you need better infrastructure’

And a demonstration of the need for better infrastructure. Justice for an injured London cyclist

To illustrate that it’s only a small percentage of truck drivers that are anal sphincters. POLICE COMMEND TRUCK DRIVER FOR HELPING INJURED CYCLIST

And another article about missing infrastructure causing death and injury in Oz. Lack of funding, technology, leads to massive cyclist toll So who goes to jail for all the dead cyclists caused by a lack of infrastructure?

Since technology was mentioned in the previous paragraph, here’s some that is helping enforce passing laws in test communities. This Invention Could Boost Bicyclist Protection Laws Yep, a device that measures how far from the end of the handlebars a car passed a police cyclist. Perfect for writing tickets and even better for informing drivers about the law. TN has had a 3 foot passing law for years as a state-wide law, and still people don’t know about it

And I’m outta links, and TIRED.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Blue has been found, and the Feed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet