Sleep deprivation is a &(%$&, and the Feed

I signed off last night about 0500 after finishing the writing part shortly after 0430. Yes it takes me about 25-30 minutes to proof spelling and links and tag after I finish the creative part. And then it usually takes a minimum of an hour to shut the brain down so I can sleep, usually closer to two hours. I was wakened slightly after noon by a loud vehicle (I’m assuming it was a garbage truck) and Mrs. the Poet yelling at “bad cats” and quit fighting to get back to sleep about 1400 and checked the mail. I’m still bleary-eyed as I type this at 1700.

And I’m watching the Sprint Cup practice when this commercial for Marathon gas comes on with the jingle about a “full tank of Freedom”. “Freedumb” indeed. 😛

Speaking of Sprint Cup, some of the drivers are some of us. NASCAR drivers pedal from St. Augustine for bike safety Four hour ride, so about 100km away from the track. I’m betting that lap around the track lasted a lot longer than the 45-47 seconds it took during final practice today…

Ted was a bit busy today with all the news coming at him. Morning Links: Temple City shoots down safe streets on Las Tunas; ridiculous and sublime new bike offerings

Part 2 of Daily Ted. Formerly homeless man dies five weeks after Yorba Linda collision

And an incredible Part 3. Fontana bike rider killed in early morning collision; no details available Poor Ted, this is what happens when you have lots of subscriptions to local media sites, you get to report the bad news quicker.

Still in CA. BART Struggles to Balance Current Needs with Vision for Future BART gets people off the streets in S.F. making a huge impact on bike and pedestrian safety. So this might not seem to be a bike link, but it’s totally a bike link.

Up in America’s Copenhagen, DIY DOT to the rescue! Bike lane in danger? Cone power to the rescue! Riders replace the cones when they get knocked over, unlike plastic bollards that require equipment and chemicals most cyclists don’t carry on their bikes.

Also from Portland, someone said something Really Stoopid. GOP candidate promises to end gridlock forever by adding a lane to each freeway There are no words for how Stoopid this is. This guy has literally never heard of Induced Demand until this article posted and someone emailed him a link on the subject.

And crap infrastructure is never so bad that it can’t be made worse, even in Portland. City proposes shifting future downtown bikeway from Alder to Taylor/Salmon Changing a direct, mostly flat route to one that adds about a mile to the total trip and completely routes the cyclist away from retail and other commercial destinations.

FloriDUH! strikes again. Bicyclist injured in Charlotte hit-and-run crash I’m sorry, but what do you call it when a driver swerves into an occupied bike lane, hits a cyclist, and then leaves the scene without stopping? Aside from attempted murder or assault with a deadly weapon that is.

Continuing on the “Stoopid driver” theme for the moment. NYPD: Cyclist fatally struck by car, driver arrested Driver impaired by drugs, not mentioned if they were medication or recreational drugs. But still “Stoopid” either way. More Allegedly Stoned Driver Charged With Manslaughter After Fatally Striking Staten Island Cyclist The later link says the driver was on pot at the time of the wreck.

And infrastructure news from NYC that will flat-out floor you. It did me. Astoria Will Get Three Protected Bike Lanes Despite Local Drivers’ Objections Yep, bike lanes in spite of driver’s complaints, because too many people were getting killed or injured. and to the idiot that said “at some point traffic calming becomes traffic impeding.” boo, hoo, hoo. You were extremely lucky your death machines were not banned outright, because that was on the table.

Good infrastructure news from IA. Bicycle safe passing bill clears Iowa Senate committee This is the most radical concept in bicycle safety that I have seen in a long time. “Change lanes to pass”, like you would a car or tractor or combine. Radical, I tell you.

A mandatory helmet bill in VA is killed in committee. Why bicycling advocates are happy legislators killed a helmet bill Combined with the studies that show that mandatory helmets don’t actually decrease the rate of head injury, just move it to a different part of the head that isn’t covered by the helmet or by impacts that exceed the survival envelope of the helmet.

Crap infrastructure in VT. A VICIOUS CIRCLE? STATE WANTS SAFER ROTARY IN BRATTLEBORO Note the comment that all the problems are caused by bicycles. SMH.

From Jolly Olde, really they are calling this a hit-and-run and not assault with a deadly weapon or attempted murder? Cyclist left seriously injured after hit-and-run following row with driver Motor vehicles are the only weapon that an obvious assault would be called an “accident”

And this cyclist has a case for police negligence as they refused to take a report for his wreck that smashed his bike. Cyclist feels he’s had a rough ride despite lucky escape in road smash The bike was rendered unridable, that makes this a reportable wreck under UK laws. Both vehicles were not able to leave the scene under their own power, that raises the wreck to reportable status.

And I am finishing up too late for Gigi to even read it before she loses her internet at 0300 my time. I mean it’s almost 0300 right now and I haven’t even proofed, much less tagged.

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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

I’m out nearly $300 getting my taxes done, and the Feed

I had to fork over almost $300 getting my taxes done (because I don’t know how to handle the long form needed to report my part of the income from the trust my parent’s left after they died). And getting back from the preparer’s office was a major pain, because the bus was delayed over 20 minutes in rush hour traffic. Mrs. the Poet and I were standing on the side of the road for over 30 minutes waiting for the bus after we got done doing our taxes. The good news is we are getting over $1k back this year.

Tomorrow I will be making another trip to the bank to get my money out for the bike parts I need to repair Blue, which will be another all-day affair. Fortunately Tuesdays are slow days for links, so I should be getting the post out before midnight tomorrow.

Up first is some good news on an old wreck from Portland. Serious injury crash near Ladds Circle (photos) – Updated You might need to do a search for it but there is a comment from the victim in this wreck, which considering the extent of his injuries back in 2010 is nothing short of a miracle.

Another stab at the 3-feet to pass law that Gov. Goodhair vetoed in 2009. New road rules in Texas? Watch out for bicyclists Perry vetoed the law because he did not want to create a new class of protected road user. I wonder who paid for that veto? And I wonder if Greg Abbott will get a similar payment to similarly veto this bill.

The bike share program in SA is not doing well. San Antonio Bike-Share Threatens to Close Without Major Sponsor Apparently like a bus company in the US, you can’t run a bike share without outside funding, either selling advertising or getting Gov’t money.

Our Daily Ted has a disturbing opening link today. Morning Links: Cyclist hit by two cars in Beverly Hills, cobbles of Paris-Roubaix, and Orlando Bloom’s bike shorts

More mis-information promulgated from the GHSA “report”. Disturbing Statistics Regarding Bicycle Fatalities Again they go with the “65% not wearing helmets!!1!!11!one!” breathless meme, disregarding the fact that even the cyclists who died from head trauma would also have died had there been some kind of magic hat that prevented all head trauma. In other words people who get hit riding with a helmet will still die when hit by a motor vehicle, and most will still die from head trauma, but even if they didn’t there would have been other fatal injuries in the wreck. I swear, this is almost as hard to kill as “Benghazi!!!” is from the wingnut right.

The probably drunk driver doing over 70 MPH in a 35 zone when he hit and killed a young couple and their unborn baby in a cab will spend a significant portion of the remainder of his life behind bars. Hit-And-Run Driver Who Killed Williamsburg Family Gets 25 to Life Now if there was only a way to do the same thing for drivers that kill cyclists, or pedestrians walking on the sidewalks…

We are never going to get reasonable sentences for killer drivers as long as people keep doing this: Family asks for leniency in cyclist’s death

After that I needed something lighter to clear my head, so here is a guy riding a skateboard in a taco costume into traffic. Video: Drunk, Skateboarding Taco Careens Into Car In Williamsburg This is funny because the guy was stupid and did not get hurt. Acceptably funny at any rate because the guy didn’t get hurt.

There are good, decent people in the world. Off-duty anaesthetist ‘helps save life of cyclist’ after crash with Land Rover in Barnes Good idea to do basic life support when someone gets hit by an SUV. Even better idea when that’s your day job.

Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with all the cyclists getting killed in Jolly Olde. Cyclist killed in London was royal designer Apparently this person’s employer was germane to the story?

More on the suggestion that when an HGV runs over someone on a bicycle they are liable unless they can prove the cyclist was breaking the law in the UK. When lorries hit cyclists the driver should have to prove they are not liable says Green Party leader This is the law in many Northern European countries, why not the UK? Or the US?

Why is it so hard to keep bike lanes in street plans after the professionals put them in? Cyclists fight for dedicated lanes while Darebin Council back-pedals on proposed junction master plan This happens all over the Anglophone world, traffic professionals put bike lanes into street plans because they are needed to keep cyclists safe and traffic flowing, and politicians pull them out because cars damnit!

Are you a Big Guy (or Gal)? Are you having problems keeping your bike running because things keep breaking like wheels, forks, and frames? The Heavyweight Guide to Bike-Buying I had that problem back in 2001, but I found out that was because the fork was made for a 100-150 pound kid who would ride maybe 500 miles on the bike and throw it away after 3 years, and I was riding at a 5000 mile/an pace before the bike was hit with a truck. Seriously, don’t trust the suspension forks on a BSO to last past the end of the block.

And I’m finally out of links.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

In recovery mode, and the Feed

After 2 days in a row of working well into the night before finishing a post, today I’m in recovery mode, trying to “chillax” and scrub some of the things I read yesterday out of my mind. That is unfortunately still part of the process even when I’m not doing wrecks and wreck analysis in the blog, I still get links that include graphic images or reports on bike wrecks that I don’t know about until I actually open and read them. So every so often I’m going to switch to another window and do Kittenwars! and let the cute relax me and calm me down. Thank [$DEITY] the Intarwebz was mainly invented to distribute porn and cat pictures. If I can’t get calmness one way there’s always another.

Up first because there is an autoplay ad with audio that is driving me crazy, a cyclist gets buzzed in the UK and it’s dismissed as an “accident”. Cyclist knocked off bike appeals to motorists for more caution when passing All I can say about the ad is to read quickly, because I never did locate the source to shut it down. As to the “judgement” of the LEO involved… There is a rule in the Highway Code that bicycles are to be passed at the same distance as another car or truck which this driver clearly ignored.

Why FL kills more cyclists and pedestrians than any other state in the US, part OMGWGAFAM. No fine for Lee deputy in teen cyclist’s death

And while we are on LEO getting away with vehicular homicide… DMV: No Punishment For Cop Who Fatally Struck Japanese Student

And in the same building… Truck Driver Who Fatally Struck Bushwick Cyclist Gets License Suspended For Six Months That’s right, he killed a cyclist and left the scene (hit-and-run) and the most they could do is a six month license suspension. [facepalm]Why bother?[/facepalm]

I can’t believe this was not already allowed by case law. Oregon bill would make stolen bike location info probable cause for search warrant I mean you have a tracker that is accurate anywhere from a few feet to a few inches and you can enter that data into Google Maps to see what building it is located in and possibly even which apartment in that building, but you can’t use that to issue a search warrant?

Another legal infrastructure case in MI. Law must do more to protect bicycle riders

And what can I say except that while most Canadians are really nice people, they still have jails and prisons in Canada for a reason. Calgary Cyclist Threatened With Sexual Assault After Being Hit

I keep harping on the fact that a cyclist is as likely to get hurt in a bike/ped wreck as the pedestrian, as demonstrated in this link. Two injured in Shrewsbury collision The cyclist and pedestrian were about equally damaged in this wreck, with no word on what happened because this is a UK media outlet, and their media laws prohibit anything that could become part of a criminal case from being published until it becomes public record in the trial.

And the judge in this case is an absolute ass. Cyclist killed trying to beat lorry across junction The cyclist was riding in the required position to the left of the truck and tried to go straight through where the truck was turning left, this is the UK equivalent of a right hook. The cyclist was not trying to beat the truck, she was JRA when the truck turned through the space she already occupied.

And more on the Oz passing law. Victorian Greens push for one-metre buffer when overtaking cyclists Not much to say at this point except Gigi is going to love the comments section.

And wrapping up is two more links to the UK’s worst mother. Hit-and-run mum refused to help teenager knocked off bike and Mother who knocked over teenage cyclist REFUSED to help him because ‘her children were late for school and they would be upset by the blood’ I wonder how many links I’m going to get in total before this dies out?

And praise [$DEITY] I am out of links.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

I’m back in shorts and a T-shirt, and the Feed

Well the headline pretty much says it all concerning life here at Casa de El Poeta, the outside temperature has risen to what the heating system was designed to cope with (low 40s-high 30s at night) so I’m back to wearing shorts and a T-shirt in the office, and Mrs. the Poet is still wearing her sweatshirt over a T-shirt and long pants. I am comfortable in a very wide range of temperatures wearing the shorts and T-shirt, and do much better than Mrs. the Poet when things get really cold, mostly because I have real cold-weather gear because I hung on to my issue cold-weather gear when I left the Army, and bought more of it when it hit the surplus market. Mrs. the Poet hates mil-surplus clothing because of the way it looks, but I’m the warm one in winter. And I have a selection of gear that I can wear riding a bicycle as well, so I stay warm on my bike. Or I would be warm if I could actually ride my bike.

Up first is some good news from Brownsville, as they discover that they can stuff a lot of bicycles into the space that used to house just one car. Brownsville installs downtown bike corral They replaced one car spot with 14 bike spots, greatly increasing the revenue potential for that parking spot. Sure shoppers that arrive by bike don’t spend as much money per trip, but they make 2-3 times as many trips and now they have the potential to serve 14 times as many customers.

Pedestrians are still getting killed same as they always were with Texas right out there in a battle for the “lead”. Pedestrians killed at about the same rate last year as they were in 2013 This mirrors UK statistics showing cars are getting more forgiving about bad driving, what with air bags and crumple zones and being required to have doors that open after running into a concrete wall at 35 MPH, but drivers are just as crappy as they always were if not worse now that the consequences for them are so much lower.

More on the Houston bike cops going undercover to get drivers who drive poorly around cyclists. Undercover Houston Cops On Bikes Are Nabbing Drivers Dangerous To Cyclists Houston passed a law against buzzing cyclists in 2013 when they discovered how many cyclists were getting knocked down by cars passing too close, then instructed bike cops to run stings against the drivers breaking the law. Nobody is getting ticketed for passing between 2 and 3 feet away (just warned), the (big) tickets are going to the ones passing less than a foot (300 mm) from the cop. So far no word on how many cops have been hit doing these stings, but you know it is just a matter of time before some Bubba decides to “teach a lesson” to one of the undercover cops and misjudges how wide his F-150 really is, like the guy who broke his mirror off on my elbow a few years ago.

Why is this news in NYC? Cops Are Giving Out Speeding Tickets To Drivers Who Are Speeding Really now, cops giving tickets is “Man bites dog” rare in NYC?

If you have a young-looking bike-riding friend in SF please check on his whereabouts and if you can’t find him call SFPD. Young cyclist unconscious, and police don’t know his name The wreck was early Monday morning to give your young man a time frame to be missing, if you saw him after 0800 or so on Monday it is pretty much guaranteed that this is not the same guy.

They have some bad infrastructure over in NOLA, so bad it kills people. Cyclist death shines light on dangerous intersection And cue the H8ers complaining about cyclists taking the lane for visibility when this was a crossing wreck at an intersection and LEO admit they have no way of knowing who ran the light. Check out the comments section.

When the state refuses to act in AZ municipalities take charge. San Luis to enforce ban on cellphone use for drivers It seems there are certain people in the AZ legislature blocking driving while using cell phone bills from getting to the floor, not naming names because I don’t know who is doing it, just that the bills never seem to get a vote.

It seems that providing even barely usable bicycle infrastructure has a positive effect on car ownership (if you are trying to reduce traffic congestion). Multnomah County car registration is down 8% since 2007, and isn’t rebounding They had a steep drop during the recession but people discovered they didn’t need to have a car for everyone so the number of people replacing cars sold during the recession has been very low. Also there is the possibility that they are just not registering their deadly weapons like they are supposed to.

Along the same lines just up the coast a bit. The Remarkable Drop in Car Commuting to Downtown Seattle They expect to see even further reductions when their bike infrastructure gets built all the way into the Downtown area.

Another link to that SD bill that would require drivers to not hit cyclists they are trying to pass. Bill Aiming To Keep Cyclists Safe On The Road 3 feet at 35 MPH and under, 6 feet on faster roads. And the bill has passed the Senate and goes on to the governor to be signed into law.

Cyclists in the Emerald Isle are discovering that protecting the head just seems to move the injury to some other part of the body. Soaring popularity of pedal power leads to 200% rise in spinal injuries That energy has to go somewhere, and when you protect the skull the next thing in line is the neck, which this report seems to indicate is the part taking the abuse.

And whadda you know, crap infrastructure is crap. Are Southend’s roads safe for cyclists? If you have to ask, then the answer is probably “NO!”.

I think I’m done taking Boris Johnson seriously. Cyclists should wave like Simon Rattle to avoid being hit, says London mayor Really, get out in front of a heavy truck and wave your hands around in the vague hope that the driver will see you and not run you over? And how is that begging for your life at the base of the guillotine working out for you, Boris? 😉

Speaking of stupid things in the UK. Cyclists vs motorists – 3 STUPID acts committed by the frustrated car driver

Dealing with the rather arcane legal infrastructure in Oz. TAC admits cyclist claim rules are confusing after host of anomalies in rules exposed If I had to deal with a mess like this with my wreck I would be pushing a walker or a wheelchair still.

This is stupid, bike 4 months, skate 4 months, and 4 months transition when you can’t safely do either. Canadian ‘freezeway’ could let residents skate to work And what about people who can’t skate, like yr fthfl srvnt blogger? Aside from the fact that I’m 2027 miles from Edmonton by bike that is.

The kind of lifestyle article I like to link to, because nobody had to die first. For injured veterans, bike ride helps heal body

Our Daily Ted was a little late posting, but I got it. Morning Links: Endorsing Ramsay and O’Grady in CD4; and a blind bike rider needs your help to regain his sight

Some infrastructure news out of Dallas as they debate adding a bypass Interstate (I 345) or enhancing the existing grid. Why the Grid Has More Latent Capacity Than a Highway The thing about I 345 that I object to is they are putting it through existing neighborhoods, unlike its northern counterpart I 635 which was built on what was mostly semi-rural farmland (there is still an active Future Farmers of America at Garland HS in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell, which is located outside the 635 loop).

And a Texan I would be proud to share the designation with. 76-Year-Old Man Bikes 300 Miles To Raise Money For Planned Parenthood

I’m outta here.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

In recovery mode, and the Feed

I’m in recovery mode today after spending pretty much the entire day running around Dallas and Collin Counties yesterday. I left before 1000 to go to the bank, then went to the chiropractor, then to Plano Cycling to pick up some bike parts, then to the drugstore to pick up a prescription for one of my tenants, then back to the house at roughly 1945. That works out to 10 hours +/- a few minutes on the road for the day, with most of that actually being “on the road” riding a bus or train, or waiting to catch a bus or train. Very little of that time was actually used for doing things at a destination.

Up first a cyclist rides for good. Binghamton-area officers plan bike ride to Washington to honor fallen comrade and different newspaper Bike ride to Washington planned for fallen officer

More reaction to that sensationalistic report about cyclist deaths in the US. Why Cyclist Groups Lashed Out on the Latest Bike Safety Report The thing is while the numbers in the report were accurate, they were contextless. For example, giving the percentage of cyclists killed wearing bicycle helmets is interesting, but lacks the information about the percentage of cyclists riding wearing helmets. If there is not a significant difference between the two then it can be assumed that helmet-wearing is not a reliable indicator of survival in a wreck.

IN NC, a semi-reasonable reaction to a fatal bike wreck. After cyclists’ deaths, Durham police emphasize traffic laws The only question I have is are they concentrating on things that cause cyclists to get hit by cars, or on things that annoy drivers about cyclists?

Fun in MS. Through the Viewfinder: Natchez cyclists trek through area during annual Halloween ride

A FL cyclist makes a memorial ride to Lincoln NE from the Lincoln Memorial to raise money for veterans. ‘Lincoln to Lincoln’ cyclist crosses Bellevue Bridge as sister waits

A feel-almost-good story out of CA. $10,000 raised at fundraiser for cyclist hurt in hit-and-run The “almost” part is the hit-and-run with the perp still at large, the rest of the report is fine.

From the UK, when you go from 2 wrecks in 6 years to 18 in 3 and 3 deaths, you have seriously screwed the pooch. CYCLE TRAGEDY: Junction where Maxx died has been scene of 18 accidents I can’t say what went wrong here, but something was done wrong and seriously so.

Chris Boardman goes on the offensive against victim-blaming. Chris Boardman hits back at critics after riding without helmet Riding in regular clothes without a helmet, does he have some kind of death wish? Nope, a Dutch wish.

Sad news. Road ride remembers Salisbury cyclist killed in collision with lorry

No more legal “buzz jobs” in Oz? Motorists who drive too close to cyclists to be fined under proposal to cut deaths on SA roads Now if they just make hitting a cyclist from behind an automatic conviction under the law.

Still in Oz, is your cycling insurance up-to-date? Cyclists need insurance, too

And that’s all I got tonight.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the unkillable badass Poet

More on the rough weather yesterday, and the Feed

After all the phone calls from in-laws and distant (in time and space, not genetics) relatives last night, I thought it necessary to give a short rundown of what happened to the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell yesterday. Personally aside from a few scratches from trying to keep cats in the safe room that didn’t want to be 1) in the safe room and 2) in the same small room with the other cat, I’m 100% OK. We had some minor roof damage from the wind, rain, and small hail, but the house is also undamaged. There was a funnel that went west of us that I saw while I was trying to get the cats back into the safe room, but it was not on the ground at that time and did no damage while I was watching it.

Now other people did not get off so easily. While I was watching the weather news I saw several neighborhoods that were destroyed or severely damaged by one of the 5 tornadoes that were spotted on radar, although there were other funnels spotted that did not show on radar and some destruction from a couple of those funnels. I’m sure everyone has seen the YouTube video of the tractor trailers being tossed around like children’s toys when the Lancaster funnel went into South Dallas. Well along with that there were 2 daycare centers hit, one that exterior walls were peeled away with the roof but the safe area inside remained intact where all the children were unharmed. There was at least one school that was heavily damaged that has been closed until an assessment can be made of the safety of the building. The really amazing thing is as of right now I do not know of any fatalities that could be blamed on the storm.

Up first because it was in the same state as WoaB World HQ in the beautiful suburbs of Hell, an apparent salmon cyclist is hit by an 18 wheeler in the southernmost city in TX. Bicyclist dies after being struck by 18-wheeler I was looking at the location of this wreck, and I attribute part of the cause to the built environment. There was a crossing point for the cyclist to ride in the correct direction less than 1/4 mile away, but in the wrong direction. The closest crossing point riding in the correct direction was over 3/4 of a mile away, which would have added over a mile to the cyclist’s journey. Assuming the cyclist’s destination was on the corner of the crossing point, the difference would have been 1/2 mile riding salmon for the first leg and with traffic the return, vs 2 miles for riding the entire way with the flow of traffic. Now I know 2 miles is not a long trip by bike, it’s about 10 minutes at a sweat-free pace this time of year. But still, there is that human thing that rebels against going a mile out of the way to get to a destination 1/4 mile in the other direction, resulting in a round trip that is 4 times as far.

From the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike 6 years running, an unusual hazard. 26-year-old male shot and killed while riding his bicycle in West Palm Beach This appears to be some kind of criminal dispute rather than something that started on the road, but still is something that cyclists have to be ready for. Bullets shot at other people will still kill you just as dead as if they were meant to hit you.

Still in the land of blood and gore, and hanging chads. Bicyclist killed on S.R. 70 The semi-truck went from the left lane to the left shoulder and then to the right shoulder where he hit the cyclist. Kreskin could not have avoided this wreck because there would have to have been someone with a mind driving the truck for Kreskin to read their mind. SBR would only have prevented this wreck if there was enough room to stop the truck before it went into the SBR. And I can’t believe the driver of the semi would try to pass a vehicle signalling to make a left turn on the left…

What is believed to be the first case where a passing law ticket was issued in PA. Bethlehem bicyclist injured in hit-and-run crash on Fahy Bridge gives account of crash, aftermath I think a big reason why there was a ticket issued in this wreck was the city police commissioner watched the wreck from his office, and defenestrated rather than go to the front door of the building in order to assist the downed rider. The Commish saw the first 2 cars make legal passes and the third car plow right in to the cyclist. Now to avoid with the built environment, the cyclist has to be able to depend on the driver to do the right thing because the bridge leaves no escape route. SBR would prevent but would require constructing a new bridge no matter how they did it.

A story that just makes me giggle. Judge rules Clay Co. woman guilty of simple assault in bicyclist’s injuries and Woman’s Effort to Clear Name Backfires For those of you who lost track, this was the women that hit a cyclist from behind then parked her SUV on top of the cyclist while trying to escape. She objected to the miniscule fine she was assessed at first so she appealed and was not only still forced to pay the first fine but found guilty of the greater included charge of assault for the second impact that left her vehicle parked on top of the cyclist. It isn’t in any way commensurate with the crime, but you still have to love someone getting slapped down hard for being stupid after getting a wrist slap. It’s still only a wrist slap though.

A CA cyclist is hit by a pickup truck in a parking lot, assumed guilty of riding a bicycle. Cyclist injured from hitting pickup truck The cyclist ran into the pickup truck and was transported from the scene for medical treatment while the driver claimed blindness and the crazy cyclist deliberately hit him was released by authorities.

An ID cyclist is hit-and-run in what may be a deliberate act. Boise police looking for SUV driver who hit bicyclist on Warm Springs Avenue The weapon vehicle in this case was reversed in direction and fled back the way it came, so even if the wreck was not intentional, fleeing the scene was. Usual hit-from-behind protocols apply.

And more on celebrity Tracy Morgan dooring a cyclist in NYC. Tracy Morgan Hits Cyclist With His Car Door and Tracy Morgan Opens Car Door Into Cyclist In New York What Mr. Morgan did was a crime, covered by NYC and NYS statute. I don’t understand why he wasn’t ticketed.

Still in NYC a cab kills another cyclist. Cyclist Struck & Killed By Livery Cab In LIC and Bicyclist Struck and Killed by Livery Cab in Queens I don’t care what NYPD says the driver was speeding. And naturally the first statement from NYPD is the driver was suspected of no criminality in the wreck.

In DC a driver is actually charged with something after killing a cyclist. Woman indicted in fatal hit-and-run crash of cyclist I don’t think I caught the initial report on the wreck or arrest, but why was the woman allowed out of jail after demonstrating flight risk by leaving the scene of the initial wreck?

From the Great White North, cyclists are suing to prevent removal of a bike lane without an environmental impact statement on the increased motor vehicle traffic. Jarvis bike lanes can’t be removed without environmental assessment, cyclists union says Installing the lanes does not require an impact statement because the move will reduce car traffic, and thereby pollution, but removing the lane might increase car traffic (actually guaranteed to increase traffic) and requires an impact statement… Brilliant!! Putting in bike lanes is a “free” action, taking them out requires years of studies that take thousands if not millions of $$ to do. And we already know that taking the lanes out would cost 10 times as much as installing them did before the environmental impact statement… For an administration that is already pleading poverty, removing the bike lanes seems like a “no brainer”. If they do they have no brains, if they don’t they can say “fiscally conservative, but we still don’t like them”.

And last link, a pretty picture with a bicycle in it. Twin Cities Bike Picture of the Day: 4.4.12

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

Billed @$0.02, Opus