Happy Beltain, and it’s National Bicycle Month

Today is the official start of National Bicycle Month. If there was ever an excuse to get out and ride your bike, this is about the best one you can get. Here in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell we had temps in the low 70s F and light breezes, which would have been perfect for a ride if I could see where I was riding. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel, almost a year after having “Chris Christie” removed from my neck (that’s the name I gave the lipoma (literally “fat tumor”) that was removed from my neck the day before the Ride of Silence) I can tilt my head far enough back to be able to see forward when I sit on a bike, again. I still can’t do it long enough to go around the block without collapsing from pain and exhaustion, but I got a lot further around the block this time.

Also yesterday was Beltain, the celebration of Spring or as it is known in the Druidic calendar the first day of Summer. They weren’t real big on lots of seasons, all they had was Food (Summer) and Hunger (Winter). There’s a bit of bawdy verse that goes with the day. “Hurray, hurray the first of May! Outdoor (sexual intercourse) begins today!” Well if you don’t mind getting a little chilly (and probably wet) you probably could engage in that activity around this time in England, but we have been having weather warm enough for that activity for well over a month now, here in TX.

Go ride a bike to someplace where you can indulge in outdoor loving if that’s your inclination.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

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Going silent tomorrow, and the Feed

Because of the medical procedure I have scheduled for tomorrow I will not be doing a blog post for Tuesday, definitely, and maybe until Friday at the earliest. I know the last time I went under the knife I did not feel capable of writing for several days. And this operation is not as involved as my last operation as far as complexity, just taking off a lump from my neck as opposed to taking the Gamma Nail out of my hip for the last operation, but that operation I was on my back compared to this one where I will be getting anaesthesia through a hole in the table while I lie face down on the table. At least this operation there won’t be any power tools or slide hammers involved.

Up first are a bunch of links to Rides of Silence across the US and other countries. Ride of Silence for cyclists to be held in Medford and Special ride remembers injured and killed cyclists also Ride of Silence to commemorate fallen cyclists more Ride of Silence hopes to draw raise awareness of cyclists another Ride of Silence in Ypsilanti to promote bicycle road safety still more Ride of Silence to be held in Delray Beach, West Palm Beach, Miami still more Silent riders to mourn cyclists killed on roads not done yet Ride of Silence returns to Bend I will not be making the RoS Mother Ride this year because I will still be recuperating from the surgery and I don’t have a bike I can ride. I have lots of bikes now, I just can’t ride any of them.

After that link blast, Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Ramsay endorsement, a way to measure 3-foot violations, and Sagan takes the AToC by 3 seconds

From NYC, my jaw hit the floor when I read this headline. Taxi Driver Charged After Critically Injuring Woman In Midtown That’s right, a taxi driver was charged with a crime for running over a pedestrian in a crosswalk and the victim didn’t even have to die. Maybe pulling the medallion off a cab that hits a pedestrian will cause owners to be a bit more picky in who they hire to drive? Or maybe requiring the owner of the medallion drive 51% of the time or miles the taxi is on the road so that medallions get more reasonable in costs. Nope, both.

Just a reminder that this is still Bike to Work Month, not day. Your guide to this week’s Bike to Work events

Should there be a mandatory 12 step program for non-professional drivers? Can a Classic Counseling Technique Get People Out of Cars?

And WTF? Another cyclist shot? Man riding bike shot and killed in Salinas Don’t people realize that running over a cyclist with the car you’re doing the drive-by from is less likely to get you in trouble even if there was a beef between you and the cyclist?

A different kind of cyclist memorial in AZ. Memorial for killed Gilbert cyclist on Sunday That’s the way for cyclists to remember someone, free food!

Really? It took three people to try to kill a cyclist and then to cover it up (badly). Three charged after hit-and-run crash that seriously injures cyclist in Clay Nope, it took FOUR people to cover it up. 4th person charged in cover-up of hit-and-run in Clay that critically injured bicyclist And if the cyclist dies, there is a possible murder charge pending partially because of the cover up.

I wonder who thought cyclists were not intimately familiar with the state of the roads? VIDEO: CYCLISTS TOUR HUDSON TO EXPERIENCE ROADS FIRST HAND Apparently this is Hudson OH, not NY.

More on a cyclist killed in Jolly Olde as they release the victim’s survivors’ statements. Widow of cyclist killed by rogue driver’s tipper truck: ‘My life used to be in colour…now it’s black and white’ All this, and they still only gave the stupid driver 3½ years in prison?

Another victim’s statement is published from another cyclist’s death. Family of cyclist Mark Robinson killed in collision with car say he was “number one son and mate”

From Oz, where human life actually means something, kinda. Man charged over hit and run Nice to see some jailable offenses were charged for leaving an injured person on the side of the road to live or die.

Infrastructure news from CA. How We Ran Off the Road It all can be traced back to the late ’30s when GM, Firestone, and Standard Oil conspired to buy up and dismantle public transportation in CA…

infrastructure from the Great White North. Cyclists on the sidewalk Sidewalk cyclists are an indicator group. They indicate you need bicycle infrastructure, and that you are not providing it. The only thing worse than sidewalk cyclists is no cyclists, that’s when you really have a problem.

I wonder where TX fits in on that survey? Where does N.J. rank among the best states to bike?

A little LEO lifestyle. Police Week: ICE cyclists honor officers killed in line of duty

Another Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot. moment from China. Electric Bicycle is a Viper SRT 10 in China For those not up on cars, the Viper SRT10 in the US is a race-ready street car, especially in the ACA version made for a spec series (the Viper Cup) that ran a few years ago. It had performance levels that were just below the limits for a street vehicle at the time. A 250 W e-assist bike is the antithesis of a Viper SRT10…

And I think I have run out of links… Thank [$DEITY]

Billed @€0.02, Opus the unkillable badass Poet

I think there was a song about this back in the ’70s, and the Feed

Yes there was a song about this back in the early ’80s. I have to wait until the surgeon gets the MRI to look at then talks to me and some time after the 14^th I will go to the hospital and get the lump cut out. I’m going to try to get pictures taken of the procedure or at the very least of the GOP presidential candidate useless lump of fat after it has been removed from my neck.

Up first, are you up to the challenge of National Bike Month? Welcome to the challenge | The National Bike Challenge If someone wants to name a team “Witch on a Bicycle” or “Witches on Bicycles” let me know and I’ll post your standings and progress in the blog every day.

A more local Bike Month celebration. MAY IS BIKE MONTH IN DENTON! Not exactly local, but a lot more “local” than the paragraph before.

Bike Month in NC. Bike Month offers variety of options for cyclists here in May Looks like they are having fun.

Some good news from MD. Episcopal Bishop Accused in Drunken-Driving Death Resigns I don’t know if she’s trying to use the Freddy Gray disturbances to fly this under the radar or what, but she can’t hide from the Witch on a Bicycle.

If this cyclist had been any more conspicuous she would have been mistaken for a UFO. Wrongful death suit filed in bicyclist’s death

A UK cyclist will probably still be in hospital by the end of National Bike Month. Cyclist remains in coma two weeks after his fall in Ingatestone

Infrastructure in Philly. ‘Spring Garden Greenway’ seen for cyclists, walkers Not so sure about the bike lanes replacing the median. That’s not in the CROW manual AFAIK, but we will see how that works.

Infrastructure in the Great White North. Group wants changes after cyclist hit by car near superhospital Really? a 6 second time for pedestrians and cyclists to go through the intersection with cars getting many times that just ain’t anything like fair.

A little non-bike infrastructure as they try to reduce car usage in car-sick South FL. Tampa Mayor Wants to Fix the Streetcar He Once Voted Against “I’m about to go to a meeting and I’m probably not going to take it … if I ride my bike, I’ll get there faster.” But it still gets people out of their cars, so that’s good.

The headline pretty much speaks for itself. In Portland, crime has plummeted in every major category except one Three guesses about which category didn’t go down, and the first two don’t count.

The Windy City wants to be something else. Why Chicago Is Claiming Bike-Share Bragging Rights

Another dubious “bicycle safety” article included for your amusement. SMART CYCLING: Kessler Institute Offers 10 Tips for Safe Riding Another article using that disgraced “85% reduction in head injury” helmet lie.

Speaking of helmet follies, this shattered helmet supposedly saved a cyclist’s life. SEE IT: British cyclist shows bloody helmet that saved his life after getting hit by van Looking at the second picture I see very little evidence of the crushing that is the ONLY way a bicycle helmet can absorb the energy applied to the cyclist’s skull in a wreck. What I do see is a shattered helmet that did not do much to protect the cyclist.

And another breathless panic piece terrifies pedestrians. Pedestrians need protection from illegal cyclists Really bicycles are scary because we conflate them with motor vehicles, because they are both fast-moving vehicles. This results in irrational fear.

And as this posts after the last submission to the Feed folder at midnight, I’m going to hope you had a happy Beltain.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Why do we have a for-profit health care system, and the Feed

Contact has been made with my PCP concerning the GOP presidential candidate sitting on the back of my neck (“ugly lump of useless fat” for the people not among my Facebook friends). There was a 3 working day delay caused by my HMO having to approve of the surgery and the surgeon I was getting sent to. Remind me again why we don’t have a single-payer system like the UK, where stuff like this only takes a day? I mean obviously, this thing has been on the back of my neck for almost a decade now so it probably isn’t going to kill me (again), but still the MRI came back as “atypical” so this also isn’t something that can be ignored until it goes away. I will hear back from the surgeon on scheduling later today or early tomorrow.

The Bug Story today is from Oz as a Fox Sports announcer is found guilty of hitting a cyclist. Bosnich pleads guilty to reckless driving which injured cyclist and Mark Bosnich pleads guilty to charge of reckless driving after road rage incident also Bosnich knocked cyclist down: court And of course they got a plea bargain that never mentioned assault with a deadly weapon when the driver turned his vehicle at the cyclist and hit him with it, knocking him to the ground with numerous injuries.

Our Daily Ted, round 1. Morning Links: LAPD ordered to turn over video of bike rider beating, and Redlands riders do the right thing Surprise, surprise, LAPD beat a cyclist half to death and he was not white.

Our Daily Ted, part the second. Guest post: BAC Vice Chair Glenn Bailey reports on efforts to undo the Chase Street road diet and bike lanes This was the meeting that may have had an illegal agenda item added at the last minute. In TX the item would have been illegal to discuss since the agenda had already been published.

In today’s NYC news, the DA actually grew a pair and indicted a killer driver. Driver Charged With Manslaughter For Killing LES Pedestrian The driver was doing 55 in a 25 zone and attempted to flee but hit a fire hydrant on a crowded sidewalk and could not continue driving. The hydrant probably saved having several more victims.

Usually “Take your kid to work day” does not include teaching bicycle theft. Stroller-Pushing Bike Thief Has Allegedly Stolen $16K In Bikes

And a bit Upstate from The City, drunk asshole in a Camaro takes out his and two other vehicles when he’s prevented from excessively speeding. Video: Sociopathic Camaro Driver Causes Terrifying Highway Crash The Camaro driver was tested at more than twice the legal limit for BAC%.

Apparently driving while blind is not a crime in NE. Prosecutor will not charge woman in crash that killed cyclist The cyclist was riding a recumbent tricycle with an 8 foot tall flag on the back. If you can’t see a normal-sized adult human with an 8 foot tall flag in the road, please stop driving immediately and seek medical attention.

Not your average wreck in South Africa. Cyclist trampled to death by giraffe in South Africa Usually the traffic I have to wrangle is more 4-wheel than 4-foot.

More on the Scottish clamor for presumptive liability in civil cases where a cyclist is hit by a motor vehicle. Cyclists call for ‘presumption of liability’ against motorists in civil cases Yeah, we cyclists are just throwing ourselves against light armored vehicles in the hopes of getting a huge lawsuit payout… And I have a bridge in AZ I want to get off my hands. Used to be owned by a nice English lady named Elizabeth…

After the second cyclist is killed by a truck turning across the bike lane at a badly-designed intersection in NOLA legislation to restrict truck traffic is considered. Cyclist’s death spurs bill to ban hazardous material trucks on St. Claude, North Claiborne Note that there was nothing done to change the bad intersection, just to restrict hazardous cargo from using it.

More infrastructure news from Portland. East Portlanders want one mode of transportation prioritized above all others, survey finds They just want to be able to cross the street without having to play “Frogger”.

There has been a paradigm shift in city planning while nobody was looking. End of the car age: how cities are outgrowing the automobile

It’s about that time again. National Bike Month: Hupy and Abraham celebrates safety and awareness and Community encouraged to participate in Bicycle Month Notional Bike Month, or as I see it National This Blog Is Important Month. I’m hoping I can get Blue up and running and be healed up from neck surgery by the Ride of Silence. Last year was terrible for me as I couldn’t see where I was going because my helmet was hitting the lump on the back of my neck.

Speaking of that lump, the surgeon did not call today, but I at least know his last name: Ritter. And thanks to the powers of the Internet I know something about him.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

I seem to have another lipoma that needs removing, and the Feed

Just got back from a more than 6 hour trip (with 2.5 miles of walking) to get to my PCP and get set up for an MRI to determine exactly what is on my neck and how it should be removed. At this point they are “pretty sure” it is a lipoma because it’s too big to be a sebaceous cyst and also too hard, sebaceous cysts are usually squishy and painful when prodded like I was getting prodded today. One thing is for sure, we are going to have to change PCP after this because there is no way Mrs. the Poet could survive that trek if there was anything seriously wrong with her. I had to have a lie down after I got back because of the pain from doing all that walking and standing around waiting.

Up first is a report on a cyclist injured a long but not too hard day’s ride south of WoaB. Cyclist fights her way back from critical crash, arduous recovery Her head injury was initially much worse than mine, but her treatment was as much better as you would expect from 14 years of medical progress. You go girl!

A little further on south from that wreck, we have people remembering those killed in the SXSW wreck a year ago. SXSW crash memorial dedicated and Cyclist group remembers those lives lost at last year’s South by Southwest crash The crappy weather we have been going through this past weekend contributed to a bad turnout, and the really bad news I read was there has been no move to prosecute the driver since the original charges were filed shortly after the wreck.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Another successful CicLAvia, Seleta and Sadik-Khan chat, and 15-to-life in fatal DUI hit-and-run

This one just screams “Stop the setup, people are looking!” SF Attorney Withdraws His Plea In Death Of Cyclist Just before sentencing, the judge recuses himself because people he knows were on the letter-writing campaign for leniency? it sounds like Smith and Murphy were trying to pull a fast one and make the consequences “go away” for the accused lawyer, and they got caught.

In better news the cyclist whose wallet was stolen while he was being cared for by the driver that hit him is slowly coming out of the coma he has been in since the wreck. Cyclist who had wallet stolen while injured awakes from coma and Cyclist Hit By Truck, Robbed As He Lay Hurt In Oakland, Speaks First Words Since Awakening From Coma Having his wallet stolen was just adding insult to literal injury in this case. His medical bills are so high that he will never see the end of the debt he has been buried under.

Another link to the CT driver who killed a cyclist after drinking for several hours and left the scene with the cyclist dying in the road and tried to cover up the evidence. Driver To Serve 8 Years In Prison In Hit-And-Run Death Of Weston Cyclist The thing that bugs me most about this is he is getting more time for the coverup than for killing the cyclist, and that ain’t right.

Another killer driver who is getting punished more for leaving the scene and covering up the wreck by disposing of the weapon vehicle than for killing a human being. Guilty sentence 3 years on for driver who hit and killed cyclist before disappearing to Australia And for hooning off to Oz too, I guess.

And there’s another idiot bragging about committing hit-and-run against a cyclist on Twitter. Anyone knocked off their bike sometime before 10.00 today (22nd March)? Someone claiming it on Twitter Idiot, bragging about breaking a law, and then trying to hide it by deleting the account? Don’t you know the Internet never forgets?

Run them off the roads, then attack them for being on the sidewalk? Police hunt man who attacked cyclist for riding on St Kilda footpath

It begins, we must crush this before it is allowed to spread, crush it without mercy. Hyogo Pref. to require bicycle riders to buy insurance Can you imagine having to buy bicycle insurance for your children? I would imagine that most people would just say why bother and never buy the kids a bike.

Our first Bike Month link is from LA. Get cycling during Bike Month

Included because we still have to deal with people who think like this. Tips for Drivers and Cyclists to Keep Everyone Safe

Riding an e-assist bike is just like this except most people can’t charge their batteries in 10 minutes. It’s like riding a bike, only it’s electric When that assist kicks in it’s like you just got a brand new pair of legs, at least on the bikes I built. But I built my assist bikes to maintain speed on hills, not to go blazing down a flat road without pedalling.

And I’m blessedly out of links, the Stoopid, it buuuurrrrnssss us!

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Struggling with some discomfort, and the Feed

My butt hurts again (still). The pulled or torn Gluteus Medius is still pulled or torn, and still hurts like the dickens when I move wrong. I have no idea when it will get better as it has been hurting since December. I have been using gel ice packs to help with the pain and ibuprofen to help keep my leg more mobile as the injury is interfering with my range of motion. What I have also had to do is change my normal habit of showering right before I have to go someplace to showering the last thing before bed the day before I have to go someplace, so that I have enough range of motion to get dressed. It’s embarrassing to have to go someplace and ask for someone to get your right sock on because you can’t fold up enough to touch your toe, so by showering the night before I can actually get dressed the next morning.

The really big story today is not a wreck, but a celebration, as 64 kids that participated in a bike parade to school during National Bike Month are suspended, then un-suspended. Students Punished for Riding Bikes to School in Michigan and High school seniors suspended for biking to school also Biking Kenowa Hills seniors punished last link High School Bike Riders Won’t Be Suspended There has been some rumors that the principal in this case has been fired or suspended without pay over her reaction in this case. I hope so but I haven’t been able to confirm or deny any of the rumors.

The next biggest story is more on the kid killed riding on the sidewalk in a pinball wreck caused by a stoned driver. Family mourns child killed by car crash and Prosecutors: Driver had pot in system when Skokie boy hit, killed more Prosecutors: Woman admitted smoking pot before crash that killed 8-year-old in Skokie another one SECOND UPDATE: Felony DUI charge filed in Skokie crash that killed boy, 8 An interesting note is that locals to the area say that the speed limit of 30 MPH is normally ignored and traffic moves much faster than the 30 MPH limit. There have been requests that the limit be enforced, but to date nothing had been done as far as a sting or other enforcement action.

From the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike for 6 years running, a drunk driver that was almost twice the legal limit when he killed a cyclist is caught driving drunk again. Flagler man on probation in fatal DUI jailed after alcohol check OK this is too much, this guy needs to lose his license and be permanently banned from driving, with a charge of illegal possession of a deadly weapon if he gets caught driving. I mean he as .155% when he killed the cyclist but got off because the LEO investigating the case went to great lengths to find the cyclist at fault in the wreck. Now he got caught at a DUI checkpoint driving over the .08% limit again. For the safety of every road user, not just the ones riding bicycles, he needs to be removed from the controls of motor vehicles permanently.

A driver in LA is excused from driving too fast for conditions because he “only” hit a cyclist. Bicyclist critically injured in crash in Bossier City Now if the driver had hit a slow-moving car or other vehicle, he would have gotten charged or a ticket, but a cyclist is different. Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

A cyclist is hit in PA near the MD border. Cyclist killed after being hit by car in Spotsylvania and Spotsylvania Bicyclist Dies In Crash The LEO in this case blamed the cyclist for not wearing reflective clothing instead of blaming the driver for driving too fast. Arrgh! Anyway, hit-from-behind wreck, use hit-from-behind protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right so bikes and cars moving at high speeds don’t mix or even get very close to each other.

Nothing in the article about how this PA cyclist managed to hit the car in the intersection. Boy critical, but stable after bike accident Intersection wreck, so intersection protocols would apply, but I don’t know if this was a hook or cross wreck or if one or the other vehicle ran some kind of traffic control. Checking Google Street View shows an offset intersection with a 4-way stop, but without knowing which vehicle was on which street I still can’t say what happened with any degree of certainty. Intersection protocols to avoid, and education with really slow speed limits to prevent as that area would be a shared space under the Dutch model of bike infrastructure.

A cyclist dies in MA. Bicyclist Harry Delmolino dies from Saturday collision in Northampton and Harry Delmolino of Hadley, who died from injuries in Northampton bicycle accident, was college graduate, Eagle Scout, adventurer This was in intersection wreck that I think I got earlier in the week when the cyclist was still alive, but now the cyclist has died from the injuries.

It took too long but the death of a political candidate during a campaign is finally going to trial. The fact that the candidate was riding a bicycle at the time might have had something to do with the delay in the case as getting charges filed took for-freaking-ever… Trial begins in hit-and-run death of bicyclist, Senate candidate The driver left a trail of sparks as she dragged the victim’s bicycle over 3 miles (5 km) from the wreck site to her garage but still claimed she thought she hit a deer? And just how many deer leave a trail of sparks on the road after you hit them?

Update on the cyclist hit from behind im WI. UPDATE: Cyclist Hit by Car in Mosinee Dies Hit from behind wreck on a straight stretch of road about 3/4 mile long, I don’t know if the cyclist was at the beginning of that 3/4 mile stretch or the end of it when she was hit. Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid, get the infrastructure right to prevent. More Updated: Bicyclist killed in crash with vehicle near Mosinee

More on that cyclist in Canuckistan I had a link to yesterday with nothing more than the news that she had died and a picture of her body in the street plainly showing her pink and black helmet with the statement that they didn’t know if she had a helmet. Cyclist killed Wednesday identified and Cyclist killed in collision on Higgins identified Can I say first, condolences to the deceased’s family and friends, for living in a city with such obtuse LEO, and from the comments there were more than a few obtuse drivers also.

From Far West Canuckistan, a drunk driver runs over a cyclist, flips her vehicle and catches fire and they don’t even know she hit him for an hour after the wreck. Cyclist struck and killed in Maple Ridge, drunk driving suspected and Cyclist killed in fiery crash in Maple Ridge Another wreck where the cyclist had no chance of avoiding the impact. If the LEO on scene didn’t find the cyclist until after the fire had been put out and the driver extracted I’m sure there was not much a cyclist could do to avoid that kind of impact. Getting drunk drivers off the roads would make major strides in preventing a wreck like this even without changes to the infrastructure, but getting cyclists on separated infrastructure outside the built up urban area would also make major strides in preventing drunk drivers from killing cyclists.

From the UK, a rather Important Cyclist is hit from behind by a driver following the imperative issued by the head of the cab company. Cycling MP ‘bumped from behind by minicab at red light’ And 2 guesses as the name of the cab company that was involved in the wreck? and the head of that company? That’s right she was hit by an Addison Lee minicab, the head of which made an editorial about cyclists deserving to get hit on the roads in the company magazine… can I just say I’m very glad I’m not in the UK and not the driver nor the head of the minicab company?

Infrastructure! news from NJ. When a sign means nothing – discussion of bicycle routes in Kinnelon Yep there’s pretty much nothing as useless for bike infrastructure as the “Bike Route” sign. It means nothing in legal terms and serves no purpose except as a sort of wayfinding if there is some destination sign under the Bike Route part of the sign like a bus headsign.

infrastructure news from PA as a road diet is stress-tested by a freeway closure. Carlisle puts traffic plan into effect after I81 crash Wednesday I don’t think they actually used the bike lanes for motor vehicle traffic, unless they made all the parked cars leave, too.

I mention how WoaB World HQ is in the suburbs of Hell, I’m not the only person that thinks so. Dallas: Worst Cycling City in America I’m sure Garland isn’t any better, just smaller so it got left off the survey.

And similar news about the Twin Cities in MN, but much better for them. What’s in a ranking? Minneapolis slips and climbs

LifeStyle news from Milwaukie, as the drivers from IndyCar go along with MPD bike patrol officers. IndyCar Drivers Ride With Milwaukee Police Well I thought it was cool, anyway.

A MA woman finds the bike she lost in a creek, more than 4 decades later. Weird News: Mass. woman finds bike she lost 42 years ago

And to close out, some bike porn from Campagnolo. Campagnolo presents the Triathlon/Time Trial Project Isn’t that the sexiest crankset you have ever seen?

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

Billed @$0.02, Opus