About that K’zoo wreck

The wreck in Kalamazoo has been dominating my social media, so I will make a comment on it myself.

It sucks.

But wait there’s more. The driver should be tried on 5 counts of murder, and 5 more counts of attempted murder for the 4 surviving cyclists and the pedestrian who was grazed just before the cyclists were hit. I’m serious about this. This was just as much a mass murder as the Santa Barbara shooter last year, with the added caveat the “shooter” in this case was only stopped by the failure of his weapon, which he then abandoned in an attempt to escape.

Seriously, this asshole needs to be looking at multiple consecutive life sentences without parole, along with seizure of assets to pay back victims’ medical bills and confiscation of any proceeds he gets from prison industries beyond one bar of soap a month and a new toothbrush every Christmas. I’m serious on this one, the survivors (aside from the one pedestrian who was only grazed) are looking at medical bills that will run into the millions of dollars between them. I speak from experience on this one. My bills from 15 years ago were $250K for the initial stay, with another $45K to $50K for each of the subsequent operations required to fix the things that were either missed in the initial carnage or had to wait for some healing to take place before they could be done, like removing my hardware after it was no longer needed to hold my leg together. Add 15 years of medical inflation on to that…

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Advertisement

Another Grocery Day! and the Feed

Yep, time to buy mass quantities again. This time we have a bit more money in the budget, and more than 10 minutes to shop. Also I need to get some really salty snacks…

While I was there I checked my BP and weight with the health tester in the store. I lost another 2 pounds, and managed to get my BP all the way up to 109/75. Woo!

Up first, Houston has a problem. Transportation officials to revive safety council They had several bicycle death or serious injury wrecks, and now they decide they have to “do something”. And one of the major impediments to “doing something” that might actually work is TX speed limit laws. The CROW manual suggests a 20 km/hr speed limit for streets where bicycles and cars share the lane, that’s 12.5 MPH, while the TX laws are that you need to have a dispensation from the legislature for any street or road to have a speed limit less than 30 MPH, which they will let you reduce to 25 MPH or basically twice as fast as the CROW manual would allow. And the laws only allow a limited number of streets to get the 25 MPH speed limit. And unless you tame cars, people on bikes and foot will continue to get killed.

Out Daily Ted. Morning Links: Effing around on the Orange Line, JSK at the Hammer, and LA cyclist guilty of pimping PEDs At least the guy driving the ³/₄ ton PU was backing away from the cyclist instead of blocking the bike path because “I’m bigger than you”.

Still in CA. Cyclist killed in Carlsbad crash and Cyclist Killed in Carlsbad Crash, Roads Closed When I read this story yesterday I didn’t have any pictures so I pronounced this a SWSS, but now I don’t think that’s true, partially because the wreck was in the lane next to the median between the bike lane and a left turn lane. Now I say that the cyclist misjudged either the speed or the distance away from the intersection for the weapon vehicle. Or maybe both, and either thought the car would pass before she got to the turn lane or that she would get to the turn lane before the car got there.

Also still in CA. Fresno burn center chief William Dominic, seriously hurt on bicycle, seeks help to find hit-run driver I think I might have mentioned once or twice about how much I hate hit-and-run drivers. If the victim lives then I can allow the driver to live and watch their vehicle go through the car shredder from the driver’s seat. This would actually be a very humane method of execution because by the time the pain sensations from the driver’s feet reached his brain, there wouldn’t be a brain there to interpret them as pain. It would be nearly instantaneous, unlike the lingering deaths many hit-and-run victims suffer through waiting for someone to find them.

Continuing with the theme of my least-favorite kind of wreck in MD. Driver spared jail time in hit-and-run with cyclist in Annapolis The cyclist was extremely lucky in this wreck. and so was the driver not to get charged with attempted murder for deliberately hitting a cyclist at a red light. This was not a typical hit-and-run this was a road rage assault. And the driver was very lucky the victim was so forgiving.

Another OH cyclist death. 79-year-old Lancaster man on bicycle killed in crash The cyclist was hit from behind with the sun just barely to his right, not in driver’s eyes at all. This was totally the driver’s fault, there is nothing in the conditions to even remotely excuse the driver for hitting the cyclist from behind.

This MO wreck just has no excuse either after the initial impact. Cyclist injured by semi during hit-and-run in South County WTF!?! You hit a guy with a semi and then leave him laying on the side of the road after you get out and look at him?

Wreck in FL. 71-year-old cyclist dies in Collier crash Things really are changing in FL. Not too long ago they would have blamed the dead cyclist no matter who was really at fault, because cyclists “didn’t belong” on the streets. Now if the driver is at fault they will be blamed just like any other kind of wreck.

Up in NYC there is “no criminality suspected” in a pedestrian getting hit in the crosswalk in spite of a law making hitting a pedestrian in the crosswalk a crime. No ROW Charge for Garbage Hauler Who Killed Woman in UES Crosswalk The driver’s excuse holds up about as well as wet facial tissue for anyone except NYPD, who have a bad cultural case of windshield bias. There’s no excuse really, the driver had to have had a clear view of the crosswalk if he could see out of the vehicle at all.

NYC infrastructure. Citing FDNY Concerns, DOT Removes Two-Block Protected Bike Connection It takes years of public hearings to get one of those put in, but only a few hours to get them removed? TANJ!

MA infrastructure. After Cyclist Death, Brother Pushes For Truck Side Guards Not only do the side guards prevent pedestrian and cyclist injuries and deaths, they also save fuel, so win, win, win, win!

Va. Beach infrastructure to enhance the experience of an arts district. Virginia Beach’s arts district could get $4 million infrastructure makeover Bike lanes and sidewalks to go with improved storm drains.

Infrastructure from West Canuckistan. Bike infrastructure pays off: SFU researcher Induced demand works for bicycles just like it does for cars, only there is also the factor of “latent demand” where people want to ride but won’t or can’t because the infrastructure isn’t safe.

From Jolly Olde, this driver was none too jolly. Woman accused of hitting a Chinese cyclist and a leaving him to die in a ditch overnight ‘hated Asians,’ her family tells inquest I would call this a case of murder, because the cyclist died from exposure caused by being left, and would have recovered had he been treated for his other injuries he got in the wreck. IOW the “run” part of “hit-and-run” is what killed him, not so much the “hit”. And she may have done it on purpose, both the hit and the run.

A little UK infrastructure that I’m not sure I like. Major plans to make Tamworth a ‘no-go zone’ for boy racers to be considered First of all there is the freedom of association aspect, second is the use of the commons aspect. I don’t like the hooning about, but this reeks of the “anti-cruising” ordinances from the late ’70s and early ’80s that were found to be unconstitutional here in the US. I do like the part about getting them to not drive like maniacs.

Still in Jolly Olde, still not very jolly. Four year sentence for driver who killed cyclist while driving at double the speed limit The perp was smiling at the light sentence he got for cold-blooded murder of a random person on the street.

This is just mean, but funny. Exploding saddle prank catches thieves unawares, and more of the best cycling videos I mean how stupid are these guys (and every last one of them was a guy) not to see the explosives duct-taped to the bicycle seat? They were lucky that stupidity only hurt a little and didn’t cause any serious injury, even if a couple of the bike thieves got racked up by the exploding air bag.

Moving north in the UK, are cobbles worth the effort when your streets are mostly used by cars? Edinburgh Aims to Fix Cobblestone Street Repair First of all let me say that when I was a kid I rode my bike on a street that still had the original paving from when the Romans built it around 100 CE, because they never let anything heavier than a light cart drawn by an ox drive over it, making it over 1800 years old and still in good shape. But roads built the same way are destroyed in a decade when motor vehicle traffic pounds them to rubble.

A truck driver in Oz pulled over and administered first aid to a fallen cyclist until paramedics arrived to take over. HANSON TRUCK DRIVER AWARDED FOR HELPING INJURED CYCLIST This was the exact opposite of a hit and run, a help and run. As they say,”Good on ya!”

The guy that helped a driver commit the run part of a hit-and-run in Oz gets charged. Second man in court over cyclist Gordon Ibbs killed in Anakie crash

Last but most definitely not least, a recall on hubs. High-end bicycle wheel hubs recalled for crash risk This was in the Daily Ted, but I thought this was too important to risk you not clicking from Ted’s article.

And I have to get up early again tomorrow.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Nice weather for Grocery Day, and the Feed

I know it’s a little late now, but I should have tagged the Mini Sprint-T in yesterday’s post since so much of the first paragraph was devoted to it and there was a picture of it in the post. Anywho, we are having a nice spring day out, in the middle of February, in Texas. Birds are singing and I have already seen the crane flies (those things that look like huge mosquitoes) on the storm doors. Climate change! Woo!

I know some people are wondering why I spend so much time on the Mini Sprint-T when I’m a bicycle safety blogger and know how dangerous motor vehicles are around vulnerable users like pedestrians and cyclists? Well one reason is I need to build something. I would prefer to build a car or a recumbent bike but I don’t have the space nor resources to build something like that now. If Dad’s house hadn’t sold for $75K under appraisal I would have a lot more $$ for building the full-size car, but that water is way under the dam now. So I’m working with something I can afford with the resources I have now. I’m solving most of the problems I would face with the Sprint-T while working within my budget for the Mini Sprint-T. Also, model cars are very safe around vulnerable users so long as you don’t step on them. The cars, not the vulnerable users, don’t step on the model cars. You might cut your foot stepping on the model car.

Up first, an OH driver claims “blindness” from “sun glare” for driving about 100 feet on the shoulder to hit 5 cyclists head on. You won’t believe what happened in court. Bike Cleveland on Wolf verdict: ‘It is seriously regrettable that justice was not served’ Yep “Not guilty” of vehicular homicide. Once again proving that if you want to commit random murder, buy a car, not a gun.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Killer SD hit-and-run driver has a bad night; next Griffith Park access meeting on Wednesday

Still in CA. Cyclist struck, injured by WES train in Tualatin When I filtered they were still trying to figure out how he got hit, stating the victim “rode directly into the path” of the train. As I have pointed out numerous times in the past avoiding getting hit by a train is laughingly easy, just don’t be on the tracks when the train gets there. Why this rider didn’t do that is under question at the moment.

More infrastructure in Portland. Opinion: If we’re serious about cycling, let’s get serious about cycling infrastructure

Hit-and-run in PA. Two people were in Jeep at fatal hit-and-run in Upper Milford, police say This is an update on the ICE-assist bike hit head-on by a vehicle cutting the left turn. And my speculation from yesterday was apparently correct that the cyclist was legally lighted at the tine of the wreck. The Street View of the scene shows the cyclist had a through road without a stop sign while the weapon vehicle was facing a stop sign before making that left turn. The really despicable part is they both got out and looked at the victim’s body and mangled bike in the road before leaving him there to die.

What other job could you (almost) kill someone and get a paid vacation. Cambridge officer cited for hit-and-run crash that injured bicyclist Seriously, leave someone to die in the street and get a paid vacation? I suspect DUI was involved, the cop knowing that leaving the scene would get him out of the worst of the charges by preventing testing.

In TN it appears we have a SWCC wreck. Bicyclist Injured On East Main Street After Colliding With Pickup On Tuesday The narrative would also fit with a buzz job or punishment pass that went way bad (for the victim).

I think MT stands for the amount of compassion for the victim in their hearts. Man sentenced to 6 months in jail for killing cyclist in 2014 accident Except no, he wasn’t. He got 90 days in jail and 90 days house arrest, not 6 months in jail. The cyclist is taking a dirt nap while the driver gets only 90 days in jail and another 90 days at home sleeping in his own bed and pooping in his own toilet and eating his own food not bought from the lowest bidder.

Up in West Canuckistan LEO add insult to injury for a salmon cyclist. Cyclist struck, then fined

Still in West Canuckistan. Suits filed in cyclist deaths The owner of the weapon vehicle is throwing the driver under the bus, all but claiming the car was stolen. And they are still trying to blame the cyclists for getting hit by a drunk driver on the wrong side of the road?!?

Still in West Canuckistan, a little infrastructure article. Vancouver Bike-Share Gears Up for Summer Launch

Meanwhile in Jolly Olde. Cyclist injured after car accident in Cobham Wreck, not accident. but anyway, from the picture it looks like hit from behind because of a failure to pass safely.

More on #Nohelmet-gate in the UK. Row breaks out on Twitter after police ‘blame’ injured cyclist for #NoHelmet Please comment, should I mention all the wrecks where the drive wasn’t wearing a helmet and firesuit and blame the wreck on lack of either? Or would that be (too) petty?

Another hit-and-run leaves a lucky cyclist injured but alive. Bid to trace car in cyclist hit-and-run Hit from behind protocols to avoid or reduce injury, crush and shred vehicles used to commit hit-and-run to prevent, with the driver inside in cases where the victim dies.

Today’s candidate for the “really crap infrastructure” tag. Potholes are a ‘disgrace’, says cyclist That road looks more like an obstacle course.

Cyclist down, UK. Cyclist killed in collision with Range Rover was ‘loving husband, father and friend’

Cyclist down in Oz. The Beat: Brisbane news, weather and traffic No details about the wreck or if any other vehicles were involved.

Brave women making a difference if they don’t get killed. A group of bicycling women are defying norms in the Middle East

And I’m out of links again.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Another day another $0.70 after Medicare and SS, and the Feed

For the self-employed even when we don’t make enough money to actually pay taxes, we still have to pay taxes on income specifically the Social Security and Medicare taxes, which come to roughly 30%. Interestingly enough if I made enough money I wouldn’t have to pay any SS or Medicare taxes… But my income is so low that I’m almost off the bottom of the scale for paying it. My income from wages is so low that I’m not actually paying all that much in SS or Medicare, I think maybe $2 or $3 a year, and the rest doesn’t count as “wages”. Kinda like those hedge fund guys that pay a fraction of the income tax and none of the SS and Medicare tax on their incomes because they don’t count it as “wages”. I mean really, the amount quoted in the headline is about how much I make in “wages”.

Up first, a TX man gets so drunk he forgets that he has the perfect weapon and uses a gun instead. Texas man went on deadly shooting spree while drunk driving in Oklahoma, killing two motorists I would say he’s a dumbass, but he would have to gain about a dozen IQ points to get that smart.

Meanwhile in Sin City. Car Mows Down Pedestrians On Las Vegas Strip, Killing 1 And Injuring Dozens and Driver who mowed down crowds on Vegas Strip asked valet to call 911, police say More than 50 injured or killed, and people scoff at me when I call motor vehicles WMD.

The driver that ran down a cyclist in S.F. CA is in court on murder charges. Man accused of murder in Tenderloin car theft collision back in court

Since we are in CA anyway, here’s Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Hard-hitting real-life safety PSA, and Big Blue Bus leaves bike-riding boy stranded in the rain

Still in CA. On the Mobility Plan and rush hour bus bunching: equity for bus riders? Good transit helps make streets safer for cyclists, too.

Over in KY. Family of Lexington cyclist killed in accident donates bikes to kids

US infrastructure on the Federal level. U.S. Gov’t. May Get More Serious About Cyclist/Pedestrian Deaths in 2016 They still don’t know if the problem is huge, really huge, or enormous, and when they find out they might actually do something about it. Or they could just buy the CROW manual and follow that and everything would be wonderful.

Low information article about a bike wreck in the Great White North. Cyclist struck, injured at Dufferin and Davenport The headline contains most of the actual news in the article, which is kinda sad, really.

Three years, and they still haven’t reached sentencing yet? Man in 2012 hit-and-run that killed cyclist could face year in jail The really annoying thing is the maximum sentence is still less than half the time the cyclist has already been dead. He died more than 3 years ago, the maximum sentence is 18 months, which he won’t even start serving until next year.

More on the insane suggestion that cyclists should be charged congestion fees when there are too many cars for the roads. ‘Cyclists should be considered for a Cambridge congestion charge’, says highways boss Since you can move 8 people on bicycles in the same space as one in a car, if there is a congestion charge for bicycles it should be ¹/₈ as much as for a motor vehicle, or since bicycles are smaller than motorcycles charge what they would charge the motorcycle, which was nothing. And that right there shows the hypocrisy of charging bicycles for congestion. It has been suggested the “expert” who said bicycles should also pay congestion charges was Keith Peat, noted anti-cycle motorist.

Meanwhile in Oz, they are almost s insane but they carried through. Cyclists in NSW can now be hit with massive fines and have to carry photo ID and NSW cycling laws: metre passing laws a win, but others are bewildering I’m trying to figure out why “raising of the fine for riding without a helmet from $71 to $319 – an increase of 350 per cent” is a good idea while the fine for failure to wear a seat belt remains the same… What is it about the Aussies and their weird compulsions about bicycle helmets?

And that’s all I got today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

The temperature in my office varies between 77 and 78 so why is my butt cold? and the Feed

One of the questions tormenting mankind it is. Either my thermometer is busted, or there is something that has seriously changed in my levels of temperature tolerance. I mean I’m the guy who used to wear shorts year around, now I’m getting cold in a room that is 77°F? That’s a large change of temperature tolerance, or maybe I’m just so heat acclimated that it will take a while to get ready for winter this year. I did notice that I now have a couple of pairs of shorts that fall off if I don’t pooch my tummy out to keep them tight all the time, so maybe I have lost some more body fat or my glutes don’t hang out as far as they used to. Either or both of those could result in my feeling cold because of a lack of internal heat generators or inability to keep the heat I generate contained in my body with insulating body fat.

This popped up again in the Feed. Ex-Episcopal church bishop who killed cyclist pleads guilty to manslaughter, drunken driving and Former Episcopal Church Bishop Who Killed Cyclist While Driving Drunk Pleads Guilty also Ex-Bishop Who Killed Cyclist Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter this too Ex-Bishop Who Fatally Struck Cyclist Pleads Guilty To Manslaughter I could have sworn I did this last month…

It only took two years and the building owners complaining about “squatters”. Police shut down notorious ‘Slabtown’ stolen bike chop shop Why is it they can get a half-dozen cops to run a stop sign sting when some busybody makes a single phone call, but a criminal operation that cops witness in operation goes two years without being able to shut it down?

Same state as WoaB but Kansas is closer than this wreck. Boy struck by vehicle moved to Houston hospital From the damage to the bike I’m going to assume the kid could have made it across the road had the weapon vehicle been doing the 35 MPH speed limit, because I didn’t see anything blaming the victim.

Meanwhile in TN. Bicyclist struck, killed by car in Sumner County and Woman killed while riding bike on Cross Plains highway Hit from behind wreck as the cyclist turned, or is that the next paragraph?

I know for sure this cyclist was hit preparing to make a left turn. Cyclist Struck, Killed In Henderson Co. and Cyclist killed in crash on U.S. 64 in Hendersonville also Henderson Co. Mother Hit, Killed While Riding Bike to Work Notice the cyclist is being blamed for not wearing a helmet or a glow-in-the-dark clown suit, while nothing was said about the drivers not driving according to conditions because they couldn’t stop when they saw her preparing to turn.

In OR two cyclists are hit at the same time by a blind driver. 1 cyclist dead, 1 injured in Newberg crash According to Google the wreck was 30 minutes before sunset and everyone was going west, with an elderly driver behind the wheel of the weapon vehicle. Unfortunately in situations like this cyclists are dependant on drivers doing the right thing and driving according to conditions, because there is nothing a cyclist can do to make herself more visible against the glare of the sun.

If I’m reading this report right the cyclist pulled out right in front of the weapon vehicle without activating the crossing signal. Eleven-year-old boy injured in bike crash The street view shows the switch to activate the crossing lights on a pole on the opposite side of the path from the stop sign, facing away from the path. To put it bluntly this was designed to get cyclists killed.

Some mixed news from IA. UPDATE: Police ID Council Bluffs bicyclist killed, driver arrested Cyclist getting killed = bad, killer getting arrested = good. Another hit-from-behind wreck because the driver failed to drive according to conditions.

I think it’s time for Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: New website seeks to undo Rowena road diet, and more news about kindhearted people

Still in CA. Brentwood: Bicyclist killed by suspected DUI driver ID’d as Brentwood woman Another driver and cyclist headed west, but this time about an hour before sunset.

He owns the championship-winning IndyCar team, he has one driver in the Chase and another who can win his way in, and teams contending for the USSCC in road racing, so he goes for a bike ride to relax. Chip Ganassi injured in bicycling accident I have to say that I didn’t have that much hardware when I broke 4 bones in my wreck.

A wreck in CT leaves a young victim and several people damaged by the wreck from a distance. Classmates remember Waterbury teen killed after being hit by car The only thing about this link that was the same when I filtered it is the URL.

From the really eastern part of the Great White North. Cyclist killed in collision in Sydney Since they aren’t blaming the cyclist on this one and it sounds like it may be an intersection wreck from the side… More Cape Breton Regional Police continue to investigate crash that killed cyclist

Update on another cyclist hit in the Great White North. Injured cyclist is recovering Just a reminder this was a SWSS wreck.

Two links to the same UK wreck at the same paper less than 18 hours apart. Norham Road collision: Man arrested after cyclist injured in North Shields and the later one Norham Road collision: Man due in court after cyclist injured in North Shields The first link makes it sound like a possible attempted murder charge, the second is “causing injury by dangerous driving“.

As more and more cyclists are injured by potholes in the UK, there inevitably comes the backlash against the people who failed to maintain the roads. Injured cyclist plans to sue council over potholes In the UK road users are allowed to sue local agencies in charge of maintaining the roads when they are not maintained.

I have to admit that I clicked on this link mostly to find out what kind of animal a sjambok was. Patrols after sjambok attack on cyclists Silly me, a sjambok is some kind of weapon, but I still don’t know what one looks like so I googled it and found this Sjambok

I think we have a winner for the hyperbolic letter of the year award. Letter: Bicyclists the ‘ISIS of rural roads’ Really, ISIS of rural roads? There must be a huge number of car/bike wrecks where everybody in the car died that I haven’t heard of.

Are you riding with the wrong cranks? Are shorter cranks better?

Rhetorical question: Are you ready to save the world? The World Could Save Trillions With Buses and Bikes

Last link is a different take on the Barnes Dance. Video: Pedestrians Turn Busy Intersection Into Dance Floor

And I feel like hell, again. I need to do something about this, maybe get a better chair?

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Why I’m not making money, and the Feed

I checked out my subscriber list recently and I think I know why I’m not making money on this blog. Too many people are reading my blog posts someplace that is not my blog. If everybody reading my posts was reading here at my blog I would have more than enough clicks to get shared ad revenues, but I’m getting less than 10% subscriber click-through. Now I’m not dependent on blog revenue for anything except things I could live without, so I’m not going to starve or anything if you continue to read my posts where you read my blog posts now. But I could afford things like Starbucks, or a massage, or getting my toes done (that one is on the verge of becoming a necessity since my hips started acting up) if y’all clicked through and read the posts here. Seriously, a 75% click-through rate would get me all of those things, at least once a month. Again, I’m not doing this for the money, but getting paid would be icing on the cake.

Up first because it is close and reminds me of my wreck. One year later: Injured cyclist shares status of recovery Her wreck was in August like mine and she spent about 6 months off the bike like I did. She still has hardware after a year and mine didn’t come out until at least 2 years after my wreck.

The Big Story today is the backlash on the driver hitting 3 cyclists in AL while admittedly driving distracted. Grand jury to review death of prominent businessman killed in cycling crash and Prosecutor: Grand jury to review crash that killed cyclist also ‘William would want us to cycle:’ Memorial ride planned for cyclist killed in crash Convening a grand jury for a wreck usually indicates the driver was seriously in the wrong for the wreck and “i”s are being dotted and “t”s being crossed. Since there is already at least one recording of the driver admitting driving distracted I’m sure there will be some charges filed as a result of the grand jury investigation. Or the driver is not even a ham sandwich (internet meme).

The next biggest story is the cyclist hit from behind crossing a bridge in LA. Bicyclist killed in Tangipahoa Parish crash and Unidentified bicyclist killed on U.S. 190 Tangipahoa River Bridge: State Police also Troopers identify woman killed in bicycle crash OK I agree with blaming the cyclist for not having lights or reflectors, but there is no more a requirement to wear reflective clothing (the glow in the dark clown suit) than there is for the driver to wear a firesuit while driving. Lights and reflectors people, everyone needs them at night.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: New study says bike injuries increasing, but without context; comedian rants riding through LA

A NJ driver admits to killing a cyclist back in 2012. Man Pleads Guilty in Hit-Run Crash That Killed Dad Riding Bike OK he hit a cyclist while driving salmon on the oncoming shoulder, then conspired to hide the weapon vehicle from LEO and the most he can get is 8 years!?!?! While his co-conspirator gets 5 years of probation?!?!? TANJ! Talk about deterrents against others for the same crimes, this murder conspiracy doesn’t have much deterrent at all.

Meanwhile across the river in NYC, a driver driving backwards on a one-way street hits a pedestrian then drives away. Video: Driver Runs Over Pedestrian, Gets Out To Look At Her, Drives Away OK I want the pitchfork concession, let someone else deal with the flammable fluids for the torches.

Someone thinks making bus drivers face punishments for hitting pedestrians crossing with the right of way like everyone else is too harsh. Should Bus Drivers Get A Break From The NYPD When They Hit A Pedestrian? I think the NYPD should give bus drivers the exact same number of breaks the drivers give to pedestrians they hit, and in the same locations: Arms, legs, ribs, skulls… pelvises might be a little hard without using a big hammer or a baseball bat…

Update on the driver who hit-and-run the passenger in his car. Source: Drunk Driver Dragged Dying Passenger From Porsche After Hamptons Crash & Drove Away I really wish that was a link to The Onion, but no it was Gothamist. “Put a bicycle near the victim and claim the victim was riding it. That’s a guarantee of “no criminality suspected””

And crazy people can write letters too. Readers sound off on cyclists, lions and guns

Meanwhile in MI. Police identify man hit, killed while riding bicycle in Davison Township Once again the cyclist is getting blamed for not wearing the glow-in-the-dark clown suit thus “causing” the wreck. If you look through the pictures you can see the headlight on the handlebars but the back is too damaged to tell if there was a light or reflector there before the wreck. I’m going to assume that at least one was present given the headlight, but even then with the LEO adding extra-legal requirements for the cyclist…

More victim blaming in WA. SPU official struck, killed while riding bike in Central Wash. Cyclist was headed east into the rising sun, so of course the driver “couldn’t see” him.

And you think this will result in charges? Bicyclist struck by SUV later dies at hospital in Herndon I didn’t think so either, their still blaming the cyclist for not wearing the glow-in-the-dark clown suit.

Since there are more cyclists, more cyclists are getting hit, but nobody can say for sure what proportion of cyclists are getting hit. As More Adults Pedal, Their Biking Injuries And Deaths Spike, Too

Driving is a public health risk? Driving to work as a public health problem Lots of Meta-data there.

Carrying the charger with you makes for a harder ride on your e-assist. Woman completes solar-powered bike ride across U.S. The panel put out 240 watts, the bike used 250 max and the difference was made up during breaks. The only time outside electricity was used was once or twice after hard rides in cloudy conditions.

Solving the “Where are the next generation of cyclists?” problem in DC. Why D.C. Wants to Teach Every Kid How to Ride a Bike

Still trying to tame the monster trucks in Jolly Olde. Family of tragic Alnwick cyclist Eilidh Cairns vow to keep fighting for safer roads So far they have the ones in London taken care of, but that still leaves something like 90% of the population unprotected.

Last link, Google cars are having problems with human drivers who don’t follow the laws, sound familiar? Google’s Driverless Cars Run Into Problem: Cars With Drivers Sounds like bike riders, and also that bike riders are not the biggest problem for Google Car.

I’m outta links now, so ima go read comics after I proof and tag.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

This was a long day even before I sat down to post today’s blog post, and the Feed

As the headline says, today has already been a long day. I had to go by the bank again and get out money to pay the bills that have to be covered by this weekend, then start paying them. A big part of the problem is I was using DART to get around instead of my bike that I can’t ride yet because I’m spending so much time getting around by DART I don’t have time to finish the extended stem so that I’m sitting up on the padded part of the seat like it was designed for. Let’s face it, Francis/es has the aerodynamics of a mid-’60s COE semi or a brick with the tall, wide side facing forward, and riding in the racing crouch is not going to materially affect the cruise speed of the bike over the “sit up and beg” position. I might as well be comfortable as I ride slow. But because I still don’t have that piece built and installed I can’t ride more than a couple of miles yet. And So It Goes.

The other thing that delayed the beginning of filtering and posting to the blog was tonight’s Full Moon service, which I had to help with. It was a nice service, but a little sparse on participants. That was OK as both I and the lady who was putting this on with me had to be someplace else as soon as the service was done, she to work and me to this blog post.

And tomorrow I’m going to get my neck rubbed some more in the hopes I can get that muscle that had been compressed by “Chris Christy” until it left “Arthur, Arthur Dent” loosened up so I can ride without pain and be able to turn my head all the way to the right. My new provider only charges $25 instead of the $60 (old charge) or $100 (new charge) of my old therapist, because this is a school and they need lab rats for their students to work on. Since I am comfortable in the lab rat role I have no problem paying $25 for the use of the building to keep the school open while some mostly-trained person hones their craft on my neck.

Up first the Big Story was a ex-Navy Seal taken out riding his bike in DC. Bicyclist killed on Massachusetts Avenue identified as Bethesda man And Former Navy SEAL killed in Bethesda bicycle accident Also Cyclist fatally struck by vehicle in Bethesda identified AFAIK the cyclist was hit from behind in or near the bike lane, and was more than legal in regards to lights and reflectors to the rear. More than that hasn’t been released yet.

More on the scum that ran down a cyclist in MI and left the scene. Man surrenders in crash that killed Lake Orion cyclist and Man charged in hit-and-run death of nurse bicycling across Michigan I never will understand why they give people who have already fled once to avoid prosecution bond or bail when they catch them. Especially a guy with failure to appear warrants in his history.

Here’s a break with Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Honked at for riding sharrows, Vision Zero lost in Mobility Plan fallout, and upcoming bike events

In Jolly Olde, OMG potholes are going to kill us all! Cyclists face pothole peril as road repairs are delayed and Potholes blamed for increasing numbers of cyclist deaths If I’m reading this right over 3400 cyclists a year would be dying from potholes except for the level of care provided by the NHS (this being the reason for the KSI stat, the NHS provides the highest level of emergency care in the world, and most people survive wrecks that would have been deadly after a long hospital stay before). Man, is that a lot of pothole wrecks or what?

Back in CA, someone needs instruction on the meaning of a right hook. Cyclist In Critical Condition After Collision At Divisadero & Golden Gate Nevermind, this is the same bunch that blamed a woman for getting hit by a truck making a wide right turn, without a turn signal, across a marked bike lane.

Still in CA, a driver pleaded down from Murder and 20 years to Manslaughter and 4 years. Four-year prison sentence in Foresthill Road bike-death case Maybe this is 4 years more than he would have gotten in a trial, maybe not… But he was under the influence of a dangerous narcotic and he killed a man.

Over in UT, a salmon cyclist is hit by an SUV that apparently rolled a stop sign. 1 hurt in auto-bicycle collision; police urge caution Two wrongs here, but they only issued the ticket to the one that got hurt. Also the cyclist appears to have been riding in the sidewalk, and as I frequently say, sidewalks are not bicycle infrastructure.

NYS, where killing someone with a motor vehicle is “just one of those things, you know?” Too early to know if Hammond driver will be charged in Route 3 bicyclist death Seriously it is easier to charge someone with murder than it is to get a homicide charge on a killing with a motor vehicle.

And this juicy tidbit from NYC. Ask A Native New Yorker: Is It OK To Yell At Cyclists Who Run Red Lights? The comments section…

Another dead cyclist in ABQ. Bicyclist killed in Thursday crash Who saw the cyclist run the red, aside from the driver that killed him? SWCC wreck until proven otherwise.

Deadly hit-and-run in KY Bicyclist killed in hit-and-run on Newtown Pike The narrative makes it sound like the driver was impaired chemically or by lack of sleep.

Here’s hoping the CM tonight in Miami was safe. CRITICAL MASS RIDES TONIGHT IN MEMORY OF FALLEN CYCLIST AND AHEAD OF TROPICAL STORM ERIKA

A wreck in the Great White North. Crash southeast of Stratford leaves cyclist critically injured Prayers and energy for the injured cyclist hit by a goober on the wrong side of the road. Ain’t nothing you can do about that.

More from Jolly Olde as LEO say if you ain’t dying don’t call about your bike wreck. Police chief writes to cyclist to explain why he can’t investigate crash

And last link for this tired blogger, is this the bike that gets fat asses out of cars? Is This The E-Bike That Finally Gets Commuters Out Of Cars? Absent some tax or fee that disincentivises SOV commuting, I’m going to say no.

And tired blogger says “Good night”. Programming note there will be no wrecks in the 8/31 blog post, if I even write it. I may go out and get drunk instead. Or stay home and get drunk. Or have cookies and cupcakes. I have been told there will be cupcakes with dark chocolate bats on them (can’t stop, this is bat country) 😀

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Unkillable Badass Poet

We have humidity again 104 F index, and the Feed

Yep, it’s 1430 as I write the top paragraph of “this is my situation” before getting to the gritty gore and broken bodies, and the heat index is 104°F with an actual temperature of 90 at the reporting station closest to my house. That must be right on the lake that is a few miles to the east from WoaB World HQ, because the Downtown Dallas station is reporting 94° with a 96° index. Either one is warm, but the Dallas temperature makes more sense after checking the other reporting station.

I have been looking at the extended stem for Francis/es and I think I will need to sandblast it after I get done fabricating it. There is some surface rust on the raw stock for the extended part, and old paint on the donor stem that would possibly be hard to paint over, so a nice even sandblasted surface would just make things so much nicer. Now I just need to find someone nearby with a sandblaster who would be willing to let me use it for a few minutes…

The Big Story today is the crowd of people lifting a car off a cyclist hit during a sportif event in the UK. Crowd lifts car off cyclist trapped in Guiting Power during cycle event and Cyclist critically injured after being trapped in crash with car during Cotswolds bike event also More praise for rescuers who lifted Audi off critically injured cyclist in Wiggle Cotswold Sportive this, too ‘Brilliant’ people helped lift Audi off cyclist, 18, critically injured in Wiggle Cotswold Sportive From what I can deduce from the description of the scene, either the bike or the car lost control in the gravel causing the cyclist to end up under the car. Since this is a UK wreck odds are we will never know exactly what happened. Late link Update on critically injured cyclist freed from beneath car on organised bike ride in Cotswolds

Next biggest was the drunk driver with a revoked license hitting a group of cyclists and leaving the scene. Man arrested for seriously injuring cyclist in hit-and-run and Suspect in hit-run crash with cyclist was barred from driving OK, lets total the charges, driving drunk, driving after his license was revoked with cause, and hitting a total of 3 cyclists in separate collisions then leaving the scene(s). And they set bail? TANJ! He’s already shown himself to be a flight risk.

Still working the multiple links, this Canadian driver is up to his neck in hot water. Charges laid in crash that killed 2 cyclists, passenger near Pemberton and Samuel Alec charged in fatal cyclist crash in Pemberton “He has been charged with three counts each of criminal negligence causing death, impaired driving causing death, and driving with a BAC over 0.08. He was also charged with failing to remain at the scene of the accident.” I’m trying to wrap my head around just how bad this wreck was, with 2 dead outside the car and one dead inside it. If the passenger was killed by impact with the cyclists this would be a wreck of immense magnitude. I mean at least a speed of 80 MPH, and probably higher.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Shaming the fat shamers, USA Pro Challenge starts today, and more Mobility Plan fallout

One (1) person in GA gets it. Share roads with cyclists Notice the comments after the letter, then weep for the future of humanity.

Talk about getting lost. Deliveryman Arrested For Biking Wrong Way Through Holland Tunnel You know part of the problem is NY still refuses to follow the Federal regulations that say an e-assist bike that meets certain regulations is a bicycle. Full stop end of argument.

Another NY story, this one from Upstate. Cyclist hit by TZExpress Bus in Valley Cottage Nothing much about how, and very little about what. Comments said it was a left cross.

Another dead cyclist in NY. Woman identified in fatal Hammond truck-bicycle accident SMH, “It’s a county road, and it’s hard to ride on that road,” he said. “We hate to see something like this happen in the town.” Not explicitly blaming the victim, but blaming the victim anyway. It’s not hard to ride on that road, it’s hard to drive on that road without hitting cyclists because you want to drive fast.

Sounds like another left cross in MA. Cyclist Injured in Crash With Van “Dunphy was cited for failure to yield and improper turning.” The cyclist was thrown 30 feet from the impact site by the wreck. That is quite an impact.

Another young cyclist hit in ME. Boy seriously injured when SUV hits his bike in Lewiston AFAIK this was a residential area, not a busy highway. The driver should have been paying more attention.

Update on the Alaskan affluenza case. Sentencing begins for teen who killed cyclist in DUI crash Three years is nowhere near enough for this death, anything less than the maximum sentence would be a travesty.

An IL cyclist is killed. Galesburg teen struck and killed by SUV while riding bike I have lost count of the SWSS wrecks today… This is another one.

A St. Louis cyclist killed by the usual suspects. St. Louis bicyclist killed in car crash Another SWSS wreck leaves another dead cyclist.

A Seattle safety sign showed real cyclists without helmets instead of the magic foam hat brigade. Oops: City safety campaign touted on signs showing helmet-less bicycle riders Lots of “my helmet saved my life” delusions in the comments section.

They have a lot of survivors of bike/car wrecks in Canuckistan. Babin: The survivors — Cyclists hit by cars share their frustration over driver attitudes (updated) The comments section is funny, if you like reading about people wanting to kill cyclists.

I think Russia is playing mind games with Finland again. Cycling safety protesters in Helsinki knocked over by bus during demonstration The cyclists were protesting a deliberate murder by motor vehicle being treated as an “accident”, when the bus driver tried to run them over. And then people wonder why the cyclists got angry and took away the keys from the bus driver, to the point of charging the cyclists with “traffic endangerment” for preventing the bus driver from hitting more cyclists? Since when is preventing an assault with a deadly weapon “traffic endangerment”?

A little infrastructure discussion from Oz. Big decisions needed to make ‘fundamentally unsafe’ road system safe for cyclists: expert

And final link is from Enn Zed. Cyclist injured in Christchurch hit-and-run – police Hook or cross wreck compounded by the hit-and-run.

And there will be a slight delay in getting the post up tomorrow because D&D!

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Unkillable Badass Poet (two more weeks until my Death Day Celebration)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Unkillable Badass Poet