Not hitting on all cylinders, and the Feed

well, I tried. I set the alarm and tried to get up to go to the bank before the bad weather hit. I even dreamed that I did get up and made myself a nice hot breakfast, but what really happened was I hit silence on the alarm without ever fully awakening, and slept another 2 hours. How I did that is another mystery because I use my cell phone as my alarm clock, because I have trained myself to sleep through the alarm from the alarm clock after working 2nd and 3rd shifts while Mrs. the Poet got up at 0400 to go take the flavor out of children’s lunches. The thing is there is no button to turn off the alarm on the cell phone, just a red area on the screen that moves around depending on how you hold the phone so you have to look at the phone to figure out where the red button is before tapping that area of the screen. Somehow I managed to do that without ever coming fully awake from the dream I was having and just incorporated all of that into the dream. Anyhow, long story short I didn’t get to the bank to get money to buy coffee, so now I have to make do with other caffeine sources until tomorrow.

Up first is Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: The bi-coastal bikelash goes on, and good news on the medical and track racing fronts

Still in CA. Woman Riding Bicycle Struck, Killed by Car in Santee The narrative on this one screams SWSS. I mean “ she suddenly veered left across both northbound lanes,” is kinda the stereotypical “Suicidal Swerve”. Now assuming the narrative is correct and the cyclist did suddenly go from the curb to the inside lane in the blink of an eye, don’t do that, Seriously start making your lane change way early just so you don’t get caught out like this person.

Moving a little closer to home (but closer to Ted than to WoaB in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell). Boy riding bike injured in crash The narrative is believable on this one, the kid went through the intersection without looking for cross traffic.

Remembering a MS cyclist. Kevser Ermin Tragedy Serves as Humble Reminder to Area Cyclists All that about how the victim was riding exactly as required by the law and the driver was 100% at fault, and the first hint about bike safety they give is to ride with traffic. SMH.

Our first link from WI for the day. Police: Man riding bike struck, killed in Milwaukee This is why you shouldn’t weave in and out of parked cars and should ride to the left of them instead, avoiding the door zone.

Another link about the infrastructure in WI. Traffic deaths in 2016 are up about 32% compared with last year Yay! more people getting killed with cars.

Update on a NM bike wreck victim’s recovery. Teen cyclist hit in South Valley says he doesn’t remember crash I remember everything up to the impact, them waking up after coming back to life and asking to be moved gently because I had broken the upper end of my femur. About the only thing I don’t remember was getting hit and then flying through the air and landing. This kid was spared even the little I went through.

More on the AZ wreck that killed NM cyclists. Ken’s Monday Ride honors two cyclist killed on Northwest side and Steller: Tucson’s obligation — to protect visiting cyclists

Looking very hard at the infrastructure in AZ. UA grad student seeks public opinion on cycling, pedestrian safety So, what changes would you make in your local infrastructure? For the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell I would like about a 15 MPH blanket reduction in the speed limits.

Another SWSS wreck in FL. Coral Springs bicyclist struck, killed in Parkland accident There are conflicting reports that put the wreck in the bike lane, or in the adjacent travel lane. Unfortunately the people relating the other reports did not provide links.

I get this as a straight male, I can’t even imagine how bad it would be for a woman. A Biker’s Guide to Dealing With Street Harassment

Infrastructure in Chicago. Curb-protected bike lanes rolled out in Chicago Still way shy of CROW Manual standards, but pushing the AASHTO Manual right against the wall and squeezing as hard as it can.

Another wounded veteran ride with a twist. Ft. Hood shooting survivor joins injured vets on biking journey The twist is that the guy who is the focus of the article was injured just about a day’s ride south of WoaB World HQ.

An example of how cyclists are considered in Oz. Woman falsely confessed to hitting cyclist to scare a man

And what that low regard can cause. Laws a win for cyclists everywhere That’s right, he actually thinks $400 fines for rolling a stop sign or red light on a bicycle and $300 for not wearing a helmet are a Good Thing. Stockholm syndrome cyclist.

And I was sent several variations of this, but since they all say the same thing I’m just including the first link in my inbox. Ostrich Goes Full ‘Road Runner’ To Chase Down Cyclists Seeing as almost the entire video showed the backside of the ostrich in front of the camera bike, yeah I’m not buying the “chase” scenario.

And I’m all outta links, Maybe I can get to bed at a reasonable hour. Nahhh.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Advertisement

Still batching it, and the Feed

I’m still alive and feeding myself (and using up some leftovers). I’m building the other engines I got from VCG Resins (the LS7 and the Ford Coyote) so that I don’t spend much time thinking about not being with Mrs. the Poet and doing my own cooking. Something I noticed is the LS7 engine is almost identical to the SBC, while the Coyote is slightly shorter but much wider than the SBC. I can foresee much wailing and gnashing of teeth trying to get that in the same chassis and especially under the same hood as the SBC. I mean the hood barely fits over the SBC when everything is above the bottom of the lower frame rail and the body sits on top of that 1.5″ square lower frame rail. And I just measured the thickness of the transmission pan and the thickness of the temp floor in the bucket and if I use the temp adhesive to glue the transmission to the inside of the floor without the pan it raises the engine to exactly the height it would be if the bottom of the body was sitting on top of a scale 1.5″ square rod. This makes mocking up much easier, and I will be able to take a picture showing almost exactly what I would see from the driver’s seat of the 1:1 Sprint-T.

Up first is Our Daily Ted for no particular reason (except I want to avoid the Big Story for a few more minutes). Morning Links: LACBC & SaMo Spoke up for national honors, CHP looks for driver in East LA bike hit-and-run

Still in CA. 2 Suspects Sought in Shooting Death of Man Riding Bicycle in San Bernardino Talk about stupid, if they had run the guy over and stayed at the scene and cried a bit how they never saw the guy until they hit him, there would have been no big deal over the dead guy and LEO probably wouldn’t have even put any points on the driver’s license. But because they shot the cyclist now there is a big manhunt going on and probably both are going to get charged with murder and conspiracy to commit.

OK, now that Big Story, more on the drunk driver that hit a group of 10 cyclists waiting in a bike lane for a red light in AZ. 2 bicyclists killed, 2 injured on Tucson’s NW side and Santa Fe bicyclist killed in Arizona; truck driver arrested also 2 bike riders dead as pickup hits New Mexico group in Tucson this too Santa Fe cyclists among those killed, injured by impaired driver in Arizona Again, there were 10 bikes in the group, 4 cyclists were injured enough to not be able to walk from the wreck site, one was pronounced dead at the scene, one died after reaching the hospital, one remains in critical condition, and one may already be out by the time I hit the “publish” button on the composing page. There was some speculation that the driver may have been distracted in addition to being drunk, which would make his loss of driving skills drunk². Actually I don’t know that is true, I’m extrapolating from the MythBusters episode where they compared driving with a cell phone (hand-held and hands-free) to driving with a BAC of 0.08% and found cell phone driving to be slightly worse than drunk driving, so combining the two would be either 2drunk or drunk². It all depends on if it is a linear or exponential relationship. And I just went full nerd on you, sorry.

It took FL LEO long enough to charge this guy. Driver charged in death of Weston bicyclist I mean he only killed the guy back in July, the victim died at the scene so they were not waiting on tox screens or anything.

Bad news about infrastructure from OR. Negligent driving bill won’t pass this session This comment encapsulates things perfectly.
“Anne Hawley March 3, 2016 at 1:57 pm
“In their mind,” Rhoades continued, “this bill just criminalizes distracted driving.”
That was the whole damn point.”

More infrastructure news from America’s Copenhagen. Mayoral candidates make cycling part of green policies at environmental debate Everybody put bicycles as a major component of their environmental policies.

And what will be good news to some in the Power Assist Yahoo Group, and bad news to other members. Shop Visit: Pedego Electric Bikes now open in downtown Portland The guy that owns the Pedego company used to be quite active on Power Assist, but not so much any more, maybe because his little empire is expanding.

A distinctly NYC hazard. SUV Driver Shot In The Head, Crashes Into Utility Pole In Astoria Don’t know that any cyclists were involved, it might have been an Uber or Lyft that someone attempted to hijack and everything went to crap.

How do you hit-and-run a building? Knucklehead Cops Allegedly Fled After One Plowed A Car Into A Hair Salon Oh, you get shitfaced celebrating your cop promotion.

An important part of WI infrastructure. Teaching Safe Bicycling Couse Misspelled word is a cut-and-paste from the headline, I know where to put the “r” in “course”. It does slightly worry me that such a major typo got through.

Ranking cities by bicycle safety and Dallas doesn’t even crack the top 20. D.C., Boston Tie for Cycling, Pedestrian Commuting Rates and Safety But, a city I used to live in when LBJ was president did well in the medium city category.

Want to know how much walking and cycling really mean to your city? Snow and the Walkable, Bikeable, Accessible City Look what happens when it snows.

Scary video from Jolly Olde. Glasgow cyclist shows why you shouldn’t always ride in a bike lane Yep another door-zone bike lane.

Another link to the man convicted of careless driving for killing a cyclist while driving drunk. Seven years behind bars for West Molesey man who killed a cyclist Once again I say this was a case of serious under-charging when they called driving drunk “careless”. Seriously, drinking and driving is a deliberate act, not “careless”.

This is one thing about UK jurisprudence I really like. Cyclist won payout from TfL after hitting gaping manhole on cycle superhighway ‘that hadn’t been fixed’ Here in TX government has “Sovereign Immunity” from being sued over sub-par infrastructure even when it was deliberately done that way.

More infrastructure news from Jolly Olde. Commuters want better cycling infrastructure – even if it creates delays I guess people weighed 5 minutes from their day against permanent injury or death for someone else, and decided their 5 minutes were not worth someone else’s life.

Last link looks at the connection between bicycles and early feminism. First The Bicycle, Next The Vote: The Story Of Bicycles And Feminism

Now it’s time to put this to bed in time for Gigi to review it.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Things are a bit somber here, and the Feed

Even the cats are a bit subdued as we here at Casa de El Poeta were informed that Mrs. the Poet’s youngest sister died this morning from respiratory arrest. This was totally unexpected to everyone except the deceased sister who had been telling people she wasn’t going to be alive to see any of the festivities this summer ever since last summer. She leaves behind a bereaved partner of more than 2 decades whom she never married. Mrs. the Poet will be leaving for the memorial service Wednesday, and the cats and I will hold down the fort here.

Up first is a driver left crossing 8 (eight!) cyclists down in Austin. Bicyclist team hit by van in Lakeway Three cyclists were injured while many bikes were damaged. Driver given ticket… Lawsuits to follow.

On the other side of the state from that wreck a cyclist is hit by a train while waiting for another train to clear the tracks. Bicyclist struck, killed by train in Canyon Wrecks like this are why I state in the protocols to NOT BE ON THE TRACKS when there is a train in the area, you can’t hear the other one coming if your attention is absorbed in the one crossing first.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: New women’s hour record, Ed Begley Jr. bikes the Oscars, and no more $10k tech bikes

Daily Ted Part 2. Bike rider killed in early morning Victorville collision; SB County deaths already exceed total for all of last year

Still in CA. Montclair police search for hit-and-run driver that struck, killed bicyclist and Candlelight vigil held for Montclair bicyclist killed in hit-and-run My opinions on hit-and-run drivers are well-documanted on this blog. The driver deserves no mercy when caught, as he showed no mercy on the deceased.

Also in CA. Fontana bicyclist’s death serves as reminder of how drunk driving can cause tragedies There are tags for this blog that explicitly convey my opinions of drunk drivers. That would include the tags for this post.

Hit-from-behind wreck in WI, multiple links. Lena bicyclist killed after struck by truck and UPDATE: Bicyclist struck and killed by SUV in northeast Wisconsin is ID’d also UPDATE: Man identified in bicycle crash this too Cyclist’s death warns drivers & riders to share the road At this point there has been nothing released on the mode of the wreck other than both vehicles were going the same direction. So it might have been a buzz job or punishment pass or the driver could have just failed to process the existence of the cyclist in the road.

Serious injury wreck in MO. Carthage cyclist sustains serious injuries in accident The wreck is being blamed on a ninja cyclist.

From CO comes a plea for drivers to pay attention to cyclists on the roads. Letter: Cyclists have right to be on Fort Collins’ roads Comments typically blame the cyclist for being on the road where he was killed.

A UT hit-and-run driver is seriously undercharged. Collision injures cyclist, driver cited for leaving scene The driver removed the weapon vehicle from the scene and then tried to hide it from LEO, why wasn’t she charged with interfering with an investigation?

Memorial service in WA. Memorial ride honors Yakima bicyclist killed in crash This wreck was caused by a driver believed to be impaired and charged with vehicular manslaughter.

We have a bunch of links to a very busy NYC wreck factory this weekend. 3 Killed and 2 Injured in Hit-and-Run Crashes Across New York City and Three People Killed In Separate Hit-And-Run Incidents also NYPD Releases Video Of Hit-And-Run Driver Who Killed Cyclist In Park Slope this too UPDATED/CORRECTION: Pedestrian Killed On 5th Avenue This Morning In Apparent Hit-And-Run, Cops Say not done yet Man Killed By Driver Who “Felt A Large Bump” You will have to just read the articles in the links. There are way too many wrecks with no actual cyclists involved.

Memorialization of a cyclist killed by another drunk driver. Family, friends dedicate ‘ghost bike’ to cyclist struck on Richmond Road See the tabs, again, for what I think of drunk drivers.

Last NYC link is infrastructure. Councilman Admits Mischaracterizing Prospect Park West Bike Lane During Battle Over It This remains ridiculous.

Infrastructure from West Canuckistan. Stanley Park Causeway improvements complete three years after tragic death of cyclist This wreck was caused by a pedestrian pushing a cyclist in front of moving traffic.

Legal infrastructure in Oz. New cycling laws come into play today including increased fines Highly questionable legal infrastructure changes making cycling infractions more expensive than driving infractions. I mean when you think about how many people get head injuries in cars, why don’t they have helmet laws for drivers and passengers in motor vehicles? And have $300 fines for not wearing them?

And final link is a repeat that needs repeating. How to Pass a Bicyclist

And I’m all out of links, now I have to console Mrs. the Poet about her sister’s sudden demise.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Wedding anniversary, Grocery Day, and the Feed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bye.

Not feeling well today, and the Feed

Yep, I’m in actual pain right now from a gum problem, there is exposed bone on the inside of my right lower jaw where my wisdom teeth were extracted about 30 years ago. I don’t know what could have caused this, and I don’t care because it is very uncomfortable. I mean we are not up to “broken fibula bouncing around in my leg” levels of pain, but above “post removed hardware holding bones together with a slide hammer” pain. I am only having issues with this because proximity is making my right eye water sometimes and that makes it hard to see what I’m doing. Mrs. the Poet looked at it and her interpretation is it looks more like a series of infected areas along a cut, which makes a little sense considering all the chips I have been eating the last 2 weeks.

Now what makes this really fun is I’m writing a service that I’m going to put on this Sunday on the subject of “Love”. It is really hard to get enthusiastic about love when one eye is watering from discomfort. But I will muddle through somehow.

Up first is this notice from Bike Friendly Garland about a local event. Bridge Dedication, Ribbon Cutting Set for Feb. 13 Unfortunately I will not be able to attend this event, as I will still be unconscious after completing the post around 0300.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Planning Comm preserves Mobility Plan, PV bike lanes threatened, and register for River Ride

Still in CA. Police Update: Cyclist Killed This Morning By Hit-and-Run Driver on Winchester Blvd. I loathe, hate, despise and find drivers who hit-and-run appalling. Especially the one who just abandon their vehicles. If you drive home you could just claim blindness and stupidity (“I didn’t know I had hit anything”), but if you ditch the car you know damn good and well you hit someone and left them to live or die as their fate dictates. A suitable punishment would be hitting them in the abdomen with a 16 pound sledgehammer and then leaving them unconscious for 48 hours. If they die, that’s their karma, if they live then they get minimal medical care to keep them alive but nothing for repairing any non-life threatening injuries like torn muscles or spinal injuries. If you had been killed by a hit-and-run driver I’m sure you would feel similar to me. Not identical, but similar.

Also still in CA. A Problem We Can Solve: Commercial Vehicles Blocking Our Lanes My take can be summed up thusly:

Meanwhile in NYC… Bicyclist clings to life after being struck by crane truck in Tribeca and Cyclist Clings To Life After Being Hit By Truck Driver In Tribeca The driver of the wepon vehicle claimed the cyclist ran a red, but would you trust a driver to give an accurate accounting of a wreck? The back of the bike from the picture in the first link looked too smashed up for a cyclist who was crossing in front of the truck, but the TwitPic was less definitive about direction of impact with the bike still under the truck. So we have a classic SWCC wreck, unless someone has video of the wreck that shows the cyclist actually running the red.

Still in NYC. Driver Arrested For Killing Midtown Pedestrian, But Will Vance Follow Through? This was the same DA who let a truck driver off because the victim was 5’5″ and the driver couldn’t possibly see someone that short.

Speaking of that… Manhattan DA Drops Charges Against Coca-Cola Truck Driver Who Killed Pedestrian In UES Crosswalk

More hit-and-run in MA this time. 15-year-old cyclist severely injured in hit-and-run crash in Lowell See above for my feeling on hit-and-run (ugh!).

Legal infrastructure in America’s Copenhagen. Police write 15 citations for illegal driving during Clinton enforcement action 15 tickets/arrests for cars, 2 for bicycles (no lights after dark).

And more physical infrastructure changes in Portland. Update: City extends new bike lane on SE 34th Avenue The bike lane was advisory so that trucks could access the noodle shop (gotta have supplies to make the noodles from), but truck access was diverted to another street that still would get to the shop so now everything is just peachy.

Infrastructure news from the city my brother lives and works in. Ashley River exit ramp work beginning This is the first stage of installing the bike lane, but I’m doubtful of the second stage where they block off the right lane but don’t allow bicycle access and then see how the traffic moves. One of the benefits of bike lanes is they allow people to use a bike instead of a car and still have a modicum of safety.

Good news everybody [/Professor Farnsworth] The Truth About Cycling and Brain Injuries tl;dr if you don’t get brain damage in the wreck you are not likely to develop brain damage later as long as you have recovery time after the concussion.

This was in the feed and I’m not sure if I posted this particular link when it came out, so here you go. ‘Dooring’ charge laid in death of e-bike rider So glad to know that if someone kills me with the door of his car in Ontario he will face up to $365 (CDN) in fines and 3 points against his license.

Not-so-Jolly Olde. Learner driver’s guilt as cyclist hit by car “In a letter to the court Cooper stated that both she and her passenger had thought the cyclist was on the pavement and that he would stop.” This is a typical “roads are for cars” attitude. The cyclist is permanently maimed but will only have to come up with £702 and 5 points on her license. TANJ!

Crap infrastructure in the UK (do they ever do anything else?) “Failure of ambition” on London Quietways

Someone did something stupid with this company’s logo all over the vehicle so they are suing the… guy who took the picture? JM Clark Ltd threaten legal action over helmet cam footage after driver is filmed using phone at the wheel Yeah, that’s not gonna pass muster, at all.

And I’m outta links again, so time to proof, tag, and post. Gigi is gonna be mad at me because she won’t have time to finish reading before her internet goes off at 0300 my time. I’m trying to figure out where she is from that but I keep coming up with odd shutdown times or somewhere in AK or HI. If she’s in HI then I’m jealous…

Billed @€0.02, Opus

I finally made it to get my hair cut on Grocery Day, and the Feed

My wavy locks have once again been forced into behavior and disguising my spherical noggin as something a little more human-shaped and less like something that escaped from a billiard table. While my spherical skull and super-dense bones helped me survive getting hit @ 60 MPH, I really would like to look less spherical. I’m self-conscious about it, OK? And we just topped off the foodstuffs this week because that was all we needed. Yay! having enough food!

Up first is a story from AL about a 2 car 1 bicycle wreck. Robertsdale bicycle rider dies in Baldwin County 3-vehicle accident and Robertsdale man killed on a bicycle in Baldwin County traffic accident this, too Cyclist killed, 2 drivers injured in crash in Spanish Fort and also Cyclist killed in south Alabama crash One thing that leaps out at me about this story: The driver swerved after he hit the cyclist. That right there combined with the total lack of blaming the cyclist for not being “visible” tells me the driver of the weapon vehicle was not watching the road in front of him. Simply put, from the evidence we have now the cyclist was there to be seen (and avoided) by the Honda driver.

LEO have tracked down the weapon vehicle used in a attempted murder hit-and-run in WA. Car found in hit-and-run that seriously injured cyclist Unfortunately the vehicle was reported stolen days before the wreck, so unless they can get a positive DNA match from the steering wheel or find a good fingerprint the assailant will most likely get away with it. I do have some questions that should be answered: How far from the wreck scene was the car found? How far from both the wreck scene and where the car was found does the registered owner live? The reason I ask is I’m a little gimpy and I make regular walks to a grocery store a mile away (actually 1.01 miles) so it’s possible that the owner or a friend participated in this assault and then just walked away to another car.

Another cyclist hit in the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike. Port St. Lucie police: Girl, 11, injured when bike, car crash They can’t even get which street the driver was on at the time of the wreck right, stating the cyclist was westbound on one street in an intersection and the driver was northbound on the same street, not the crossing one…

I think this one is from CO. SUIT ALLEGES WRONGFUL DEATH OF CYCLIST Most of the article is behind a paywall, but I think this was a cyclist who was right-hooked by the trailer pulled by the truck.

Scary wreck in S.F. CA, Apparent Road Rage Incident On Russian Hill Leaves Cyclist Injured I’m moderately pleased to report that the bicycle did significant damage to the weapon vehicle causing it to leave bits that can be linked to the weapon vehicle and identify the owner. I use that instead of “happy” because there is nothing “happy” about someone getting dragged underneath a car or truck.

A little legal infrastructure news from America’s Copenhagen. Police and transportation bureaus team up for enforcement on SE Clinton tomorrow (2/10) I wonder how many drivers trying to go around the diverter they arrested? I noticed from the comments there were two ninja cyclists cited on the PM shift.

Still in OR they are working on filling a major gap in the legal infrastructure. ‘Negligence gap’ bill passes committee 4-1, now heads for Senate vote “If you find yourself being angry about this possibly becoming law, worried about about how easily you could end up in jail for just a “tiny accident”….
YOU ARE THE PROBLEM.” q`Tzal February 11, 2016 Hear, hear!

Physical infrastructure changes proposed for America’s Copenhagen. Here are six locations where Portland could create protected intersections

And want to get some data for a protected bike lane? Make a temporary one. A closer look at the ‘Better Broadway’ pop-up protected bikeway Voila!

NYC shows why they are a hellhole, again. Truck Driver Fatally Runs Over Grandmother In Washington Heights Crosswalk

And still in NYC. Hit-And-Run Driver Kills 16-Year-Old Girl In Queens They seem to have it in for people crossing in the marked crosswalk.

Infrastructure in GA. Atlanta Envisions a More Pedestrian-Friendly Future Infrastructure that’s less deadly to pedestrians tends to be likewise for cyclists unless they do something stupid like exclude bicycles but not motor vehicles.

Another wounded veteran ride. Intense Cycling Adventure for a Group of Wounded Veterans

Cyclist down in Jamaica, mon. Two Killed In Separate Road Crashes I can’t say what happened from the narrative since there was so little information given.

I would say the author of this piece was not in a generally cheerful state of mind. Why do drivers get away with attempted murder? The incident pictured with the article was an apparent deliberate wreck from behind and then leaving the scene. Remember that one? They couldn’t determine who was driving since nobody showed up to testify which of the two was driving so they let them both off for the assault. TANJ! “In the meantime, the release of the Litvinenko Report reminds me of joke that did the rounds when Russian involvement was first suspected in the spy’s death. Why, people asked, did the FSB go to the trouble of poisoning Litvinenko with polonium? If they’d just run him over in an SUV, they’d have got a £100 quid fine and three points if they were unlucky”

UK infrastructure work. London Considers a More Bike-Friendly Truck Design Yep, a window in the bottom half of the door so the driver can see what’s next to him. Or her.

More on the legal action being taken in Jolly Olde over a crappy investigation. Family of killed cyclist demand driver blood test results Either they never did the test, or someone lost the results.

There is starting to be some pushback on who lives in cities and who can’t, with emphasis on what they use for mobility. Pissed-off anti-gentrification activists smash and burn rich people’s cars This was the incident reported originally as a “gang of masked cyclists” burning the cars by working in pairs, or larger teams with some smashing windows while others followed with incendiary devices to set the interiors ablaze so that an entire block of cars can be immolated in a few seconds.

They’re dropping like flies in Oz. Two cyclists injured in separate Brisbane crashes

Enn Zed is still talking. Christchurch cyclist killed after being struck by train was ‘a really good musician’ And interestingly enough, still not blaming the cyclist ofr getting hit by the train. Something is up here.

I don’t know why you would want to, but you can recharge your phone when you ride. Bicycle USB Output I guess if you are using your GPS and mapping programs to navigate unfamiliar territory you wouldn’t want to lose that unexpectedly, or even expected but at a bad time.

And last link is an e-assist bike show. WELCOME TO THE ELECTRIC BIKE EXPO!

And it’s 0417 and I’m having problems keeping my eyes pointed in the direction I want to look, so night-night.

Billed@€0.02, Opus

That was a waste of time, and the Feed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And I’m outta links, go ride a bike!

Billed @€0.02, Opus

I cooked dinner tonight, and the Feed

Well most of it anyway. We splurged and bought ³/₄ of a pound of chicken livers because I haven’t had chicken livers in years. Part of the reasons for that is Mrs. the Poet refuses to go through the mess and bother of cooking them, primarily because she can barely eat them. I wrapped about half a pound of bacon around the livers and fried them up, a preparation method that leaves the livers so that I love them, and Mrs. the Poet will at least have a couple of ounces total uncooked weight so she gets some protein in her meal. Anyway that takes a while to cut the bacon strips in half, wrap them around the livers, and fry them up. So I ended up losing about an hour from the filtering process preparing the blog post, but as this was Friday and I have to wait until after midnight to finish filtering I could afford to take the time out for cooking. And they were goooooood…

Up first is Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Bike beats car in race to beach, Calbike wants your take on bike politics, and BMX legend dies

Still in CA. Bicyclist Suffers Major Injuries in Head-On Crash Near Jalama A person claiming to be the driver in the comment section said she was to the right of the centerline and the cyclist was on the wrong side of the road.

And speaking of that BMX legend, here’s a link off of my Twitter feed. Dave Mirra, BMX Legend, Dead At 41

Down in Houston a 3YO cyclist is run over by a driver that did not know he was there when the SUV started moving. Former UGA star Danny Ware fighting for body of son killed in Texas Again this is more of an issue with the blind spots of the SUV around kids.

In WI a kid-authored bill would make cycling the official state exercise. Kids Advocate for Biking to be State Exercise With two bike manufacturers in-state (Trek and Volae), this is really a no-brainer choice to make.

A bill presented to the FL legislature would strengthen the state 3-foot passing law and extend it to other road users. SPEAK UP FOR SAFETY OF PEOPLE ON BICYCLES, PEOPLE ON FOOT One of the major changes proposed is to put teeth in the law when a driver hits a cyclist from behind (or a pedestrian or any of the other classes of “vulnerable users”) substantial fines are levied against the driver.

More infrastructure news from FL. Recent accidents raises concerns for local cyclists It’s worth noting that of the recent wrecks listed none were the cyclist’s fault and would have resulted in the enhanced penalties in the proposed bill mentioned in the previous paragraph.

Update on an injured CO cyclist. Fort Collins cyclist hit by car remains hospitalized I do wish they would stop saying drivers don’t get hurt when they hit cyclists with their cars.

Death-defying report from NY. Police log: Dogs chase man on bike

Another link to the saga of the unlicensed driver in an HGV running over a cyclist wearing HiViz and blinky lights waiting at a red light. Lorry driver who killed cyclist jail appeal rejected Did he seriously expect to get a reduction in his sentence after having multiple driving convictions and driving without a license or insurance when he killed the cyclist? He’s lucky they didn’t find a way to increase the sentence.

Infrastructure-related wreck in Oz. Cyclist falls on deteriorating Bellarine Rail Trail amid calls for repairs It seems they can’t decide if the cyclist wrecked because the surface was bad, or because the surface collapsed underneath her.

New gadgets for the tool geeks out there. The 6 coolest accessories we’ve spotted this week That suction-cup bike carrier looks interesting.

And I think I don’t have any more links (checks) Nope, no more links.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Another day spent pounding pavements, and the Feed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My nation thanks me, and the Feed

I’m in the process of being released from the SPRINT study that recently announced that if you can stand the side effects it’s better to have your systolic pressure under 120 mmHg than 140 mmHg. I was in the <120 mmHg group as were most of the survivors. As I understand it now I'm going back into testing for side effects in new meds or combinations of meds. The sad thing is now I won't get that free autopsy 😉 but the good thing is I didn't need it.

Up first is a hit-and-run in IN. Cyclist killed in hit-and-run crash in Lawrence and Police say suspect in deadly hit-and-run of biker attacked girlfriend before causing two crashes also Driver in stolen car hits, kills cyclist in Lawrence, both identified The driver was at the controls of a stolen vehicle (but this may have been a vehicle he bought not knowing it had been stolen) had just beat his GF, and had two other wrecks during the incident. I thought I read that he was drunk at the time but I couldn’t find that reference after I finished filtering. No way for a human cyclist to avoid this wreck.

An unrepentant drunk driver and crazy guy gets a long prison sentence (but not long enough) for killing a cyclist several years ago (they had to wait for him to be sane enough to aid with his defense before they could try him). Lyons driver sentenced to 8 years in prison for Boulder cyclist’s death and Driver gets 8 years for Boulder cyclist’s death I say the driver should have gotten more for repeat DUI causing death, like taking one last ride in the vehicle on the way to a car shredder, but I have a slight bias after getting hit (and killed) by a drunk driver back in 2001.

MD infrastructure story that goes back to a recent wreck. Friends call for safety after 19-year-old cyclist killed The more I read about this wreck the more I think the person who signed off on this design needs to be in prison. The warning signals for the intersection were not even located at the intersection but rather were located up the hills on either side. And they risked people’s lives with this? Seriously this was just a wreck waiting to happen, the only wonder is how it didn’t kill sooner.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Dockweiler Beach bike path still closed, fund for homeless man who saved bike rider’s life

Also in CA. Cyclist, vehicle collide at Oxnard intersection I don’t think they could have said less with more words unless they really tried, other than the fact that there was a wreck. We don’t even know if there was a driver in the “vehicle” much less anything about the geometry of the collision.

This is why infrastructure should be left to engineers, not politics. EILEEN RODGERS: NORTH AVENUE LANE CHANGE DESERVES VOTE BY ALL She wants to put a road diet up to a vote? Is she crazy, stupid, or a Republican?

The GOP-led WI legislature refuses to raise taxes and fix the roads, but cities and counties are allowed. The Pothole Repair Act So the GOP dominated lege won’t fix things, but the mostly Democratic local bodies have to raise taxes to do things the state should have been doing like fix the roads, and when the time comes the GOP will point at the Dems and call them “Tax And Spend” because of it… I try to not be political but…

Ugh, this was just a Republican infrastructure barf-fest. Vision Zero a bust with the law (commentary) I hope I don’t need to tell you not to read the comments? Good.

GA infrastructure news. Atlanta’s First Chief Bicycle Officer Is Going to Have a Busy Year

Bikeface explains n+1 in woman terms. New Shoes

Justice finally in the Great White North. Jail sentence for hit-and-run driver in cyclist’s death Wait, this is “justice”? Fifteen weekends in jail and having to drive really carefully for 2 years so he doesn’t get caught driving without a license? For killing a person and leaving them to die alone. TANJ!

From Jolly Olde, more on the driver going more than twice the speed limit when he hit and killed a cyclist. 70mph driver who killed cyclist on Commercial Road ‘should be jailed for life’

This is why you should always ride around puddles. Cyclist killed after being thrown into road ‘by a pothole that was filled in days later’ There could be a Canadian Trap Door Alligator in that puddle, or just a square-edged pothole that will break a wheel and cause you to wreck.

Still in Jolly Olde, where is your bike most likely to be stolen? Where are Britain’s railway cycle theft hotspots? We crunch the data

Infrastructure woes as parents turn the school run into a gantlet. Safety fears outside Cambridge school after 12-year-old breaks her leg in collision She’ll be perfectly safe once Mummy puts her in a light armored vehicle instead of letting her walk to school.

I still don’t know what happened, did the guy get hit by a car while working on his bike, or get run over by his own car? Hopes for first cyclist memorial to be put in Cambridge inspired by World Naked Bike Ride organiser

Inattentive cyclist hits car stopped at crosswalk. Cyclist runs into back of car on Tamaki Drive What more can I say except watch where you’re riding?

Last link also from Enn Zed. Car versus cyclist on Hutt Rd Another driverless car hits a cyclist?

And I’m dine and way too tired to do any tagging.

Billed @$0.02, Opus