Got my toes done, and the Feed

I think most of you are aware that between the ravages of age and the damages I suffered in the wreck I can’t cut my toenails on the last two toes of my left foot. That means I have to get someone else to do it for me, and the easiest way to do that is to go to my local nail spa and get a pedicure. They have gotten used to me there and sometimes just for giggles I get the whole enchilada and let them paint my toenails. Today I left part of the figurative enchilada on the figurative plate, and came home without any polish on my toes. To give an idea of how ingrained in my psyche not spending money until there is no alternative is, my shoes fit sorta loose now…

There is a new conspiracy theory out there. Did Bono Really Crash A Bike In Central Park? The crux of the argument is CP on a Sunday is a pretty crowded place, and just about everybody in NYC has a phone with a camera on it, yet there is zilch about the wreck from witnesses on any of the social media, or even “Is this Bono?” pictures on Twitter or FB. Given the number of pictures and video posted of Michael Brown getting killed, someone who wasn’t even on the radar until after he was killed, the fact that a celebrity like Bono can get that kind of damages without any pictures of someone trying to help, or even of the ambulance taking him away seems rather odd. I just did an image search and there is nothing of Bono in Central Park in the last 6 months. The only images I could find were of the free concert U2 did in CP a while back, and the tree that killed Sonny Bono while he was skiing many years ago. To quote Alice, “Curiouser and curiouser.” I left a post in a Facebook group devoted to bicycles and bike commuting asking if anyone had any pictures or knew where any pictures of the scene were posted, so I’ll keep y’all posted if I hear anything.

The war of the lumens continues. Try these bright ideas for biking at night. I still think the best thing for making cyclists visible to drivers would be a law requiring all motor vehicles used in a wreck with a pedestrian or cyclist to be crushed and shredded in front of the driver or on national TV if the victim dies, or in other words, hit a pedestrian or cyclist, lose your car. You still have to pay for it, but it will no longer physically exist to be repossessed. That would mean that you would have to pay off the balance immediately… de facto huge fine for hitting a vulnerable road user, payable to the finance company.

More about a friend of the blog who was killed (and even though I know his name and had several conversations about bicycle safety with him I still don’t want to post his name in a link description. Don’t ask why, I can’t put it into words.) Cedar Mill bicyclist killed in crash was known for his graciousness and bike safety advocacy There would be little that could be done further to increase a cyclist’s visibility that the victim had not already done, including lights and dozens of square feet of HiViz fabric covering the bike and rider. Best comment:k7
According to same logic as posted here, the stripes on the road are too low to be effective so they need to be elevated immediately so they can be seen. More Kirke Johnson’s BikePortland comments are chilling and inspiring

Former Congresscritter and current poster child for the gun control movement Gabriel Giffords rides a recumbent trike in public. Gabby Giffords completes 11-mile bike ride That is about the same distance I rode on my first public ride after my wreck…

A FL cyclist died and fell over or the other way around, but wasn’t hit by any vehicle. Medical event killed bicyclist, not traffic crash Yes, it does happen, rarely.

AZ cyclists are trying to find an infrastructure solution to an infrastructure problem. Cyclists unite after death on Pecos Road

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: San Diego cyclists get blamed for collisions, and accused Eagleson killer enters not guilty plea

That San Diego link showed in my Feed as well. Cyclists faulted most in bike-car crashes

A rider searches for the good Samaritan who helped him after a wreck. Injured rider finally tracks down helper

A bit of common sense from Oz. Time to stop the war on the roads, says injured cyclist In the War on Cars, cars are winning by a huge body count.

A modern take on Frogger with more realistic scenarios. CrossyRoad

A little assist on your way? Electric Bikes, On A Roll In Europe, Start To Climb In U.S.

And those were all the links I could find today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the unkillable badass Poet

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Someone I know has died, and the Feed

A person I have had conversations with over the Internet has been killed by a right hook while riding in the bike lane in PDX. Kirke Johnson was one of the more if not the most prolific senders of links to this blog, and the body sock on his LWB ‘bent was ANSI Safety Lime in the latest picture I saw of him and his bike. Links: Collision involving FedEx truck kills man riding on Cornell Road in Cedar Mill also Bicyclist killed in crash with semi truck in Cedar Mill and Longtime PCC employee, bike enthusiast killed when hit by FedEx truck and finally Friends remember Kirke Johnson, identified as man killed in Cedar Mill collision

A graphic that shows why large trucks should not be allowed in urban areas (not what the poster was trying to show). What Cyclists Need To Know About Trucks The original purpose of posting the graphic was to show cyclists how to ride safely around large trucks, but the effect is a demonstration of why large trucks should not be allowed in places where there will be large numbers of pedestrians or cyclists.

More on Bono’s wreck. Bono Undergoes Surgery After N.Y.C. Bike Accident Seriously now, what did he hit to cause that kind of damage? How fast was he going? If he ran into something just off the bike path, what kind of diversion or other mitigation was available to reduce the impact of a cyclist getting forced off the road in this location. Notice that I am framing this as an infrastructure problem, not blaming Bono for the wreck, as all the reports are that he went off the path to avoid another cyclist.

Still in NYC, a cop tackles a cyclist off his bike to give him a ticket for “running” a red light. Photo: Cop Tackles Cyclist In Canal Street GOTCHA! Bike Trap and Precinct Where Drivers Killed Seniors in Crosswalks Ramps Up Bike Tickets and the source Ticket Tackling, or How the NYPD Pulls Over Cyclists on Canal Street As one person in the comments section pointed out this would be like doing the PICT maneuver and wrecking someone’s car for running a red light without ever showing lights or using the siren.

Still in NYC, bike lanes will continue to be built at the same rate as before. De Blasio’s DOT Will Build Bike Lanes At Bloomberg-Era Rate As pointed out in the picture at the top of the article, cops need a place to park when they are making donut runs.

Update on the gun-toting VA driver that buzzed 5 cyclists earlier this month. Driver arrested in Richmond for threatening cyclists with gun

A little lesson on riding in a peloton from Oz. Cyclists code of conduct aimed at educating bunch riders

I can’t help it, I just went “D’aaawww” when I read the headline… Cyclist on world tour pedals 200 miles across Turkey with injured stray dog in a specially-made basket to find it a new home

And those were all the links I could find that didn’t make me crazy(er).

Billed @€0.02, Opus the unkillable badass Poet