I need a new writer for this story, and the Feed

The claim has been made that what we think of as the “real world” is merely the setting for a series of overlapping stories written by authors in another universe. Well I want a new writer because mine has jumped the shark. I mean seriously things have been goofy and barely believable since about 2 years after my wreck. I mean I don’t believe half of the stuff going down and it is happening to me. And if I’m having problems with the plot, why should anyone else believe it? Some of this stuff would not even make it in a bad sit-com because the pacing is so slow. I half expect to hear a laugh track at any second.

Up first, someone has more than 2 brain cells to rub together in the UK. London to ban HGVs without cyclist safety equipment as Safer Lorry Scheme comes into force this September When a very small segment of the traffic flow has a very large portion of the fatal wrecks, one has to start having a good long look at the wrecks. Both segments are allowed by law to be there, one as a right and the other as a privilege but that privilege is pretty well entrenched to the point that it is a “right” because of the essential nature of the service it performs. So since the victim can’t be banned, and the other can’t be banned, the only recourse is to make the one that kills less deadly than before in hopes that fewer people will get killed. More Lorries without cyclist safety equipment to be banned from London’s roads

Should America’s Amsterdam emulate crap UK infrastructure? Portland should be inspired by London’s ‘cycle superhighway’ Inspired, maybe. Do the same thing? Not on your or my life.

Our Daily Ted is a detailed look at a critical infrastructure question. Making the case for desperately needed bike lanes on embattled Westwood Blvd

More on the cyclist killed in Scotland by an unconscious elderly driver. Cycling wife’s death ‘not preventable’ after couple hit by OAP’s car Unless you are going to require annual medical certification for drivers over 60 there is nothing that LEO could do. More Judge rules out need for stricter medical checks on elderly drivers after Leicestershire woman’s death

This is a lot of money for getting run over by a horse. €50k for cyclist knocked off bike by horses The cyclist had some pretty nasty injuries, but nothing like he would have had if hit by, say a truck…

Followup on that man turning into a cyclist after getting a heart from one in a transplant. DJ Chris Evans considers joining Organ Donor Register – after reading about Bristol heart transplant patient How about that, a morning radio DJ thinks he still has a heart 😛 (j/k)

Lots of UK links for some reason or another, this one shows that good people will come to the aid of those in need, even when “need” is just a trip to the graveyard after getting killed. Londoners raise £6,000 funeral costs for Greek cyclist killed in Homerton This was the kind of wreck the cycle safety guards listed in the first links are supposed to mitigate.

Language is important. HOW SMART LANGUAGE HELPED END SEATTLE’S PARALYZING BIKELASH Non-confrontational language gets more bike lanes than otherwise.

A little bit of legal infrastructure in CA. Cycling Accidents in the San Fernando Valley

Last link, you have to be real careful around one of these, they are very quiet. So When Do We Get the Electric Victory Charger Cruiser? I like the e-motorcycles, but I am also leery because of how quiet they are, just like other EV without noisemaker add-ons.

And that’s all I got for today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Ramen on Bean Day, and the Feed

I have someplace to go this evening (as I’m writing this) and I will probably have to finish the post after I get back from my gig. I’m going to do data entry for a political phone bank this evening, since I’m crap as an operator since the wreck. I have zero improv skills since the wreck and I knew my public speaking skills were gone the first spoken word gig I had after the wreck. I was speaking like I had never been on stage in my life and had never had any training in how to use my voice. I had some slight improvement for a few years then things have been steadily deteriorating ever since. So I take my laptop and transcribe phone sheets into a database. This saves the callers considerable time and also allows people without laptops to call as quickly as they are able.

The ramen bit is I needed something that could be whipped up in a few minutes for Mrs. the Poet before I left and also be done when I needed to go, so I’m using ramen in the traditional Japanese way rather than the American way of “noodles in pot and 3 minutes later in stomach”. I’m adding leftover veggies and a couple of whipped eggs to the noodles to make the pack of ramen into a meal for two. It’s quick, it’s easy and it uses up leftovers. That makes it perfect for tonight.

It looks like a hit-and-run in South Texas is today’s leadoff story. Driver kills cyclist then flees the scene in Harlingen Scene pictures show this as a hit-from-behind on the right side of the bike lane (making assumptions from what appears to be a puddle of blood next to the curb) which means the driver of the weapon vehicle left his lane and went almost to the curb to hit a brightly lighted cyclist. This means the cyclist was riding extra legal as in as legal as possible and also means that protocols are moot for this case, the driver would have just killed the cyclist further from the road had he bailed any further to the side than he already was. Dutch infrastructure standards would be to put the person that approved this design in jail because of the inevitability of exactly this occurrence. This was a highway with speed limits much too high for a simple bike lane to be safe. Without a barrier this wreck was inevitable, the infrastructure here is simple appeasement. Ask Neville Chamberlain how well appeasement works. Dutch quality infrastructure to prevent.

A little to the north of that a cyclist discovers that when you’re carrying drugs you need to not ride salmon. SAPD: Several drugs found on cyclist riding on Broadway St. Or at least just obey LEO when instructed to ride with traffic instead of dropping the bike and running away on foot.

Sometimes it seems like everything is out to get us, even the trees. Cyclist struck by falling tree, critically injured in Winnetka and this later link Chicago actress Molly Glynn dies after being struck by falling tree The duo was riding in the forest when a strong pop-up T-storm broke nearby and the outflow from the storm on the ground toppled trees. This is in the Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot, Interrogative category or an act of [$DEITY] depending on your religious self-identification.

Still in the Chicagoland area we get a SWCC fatality. Bicyclist killed at Bridgeport intersection Note the narrative, the cyclist was unconscious a the scene and died after being transported and the driver of the weapon vehicle was operating without a license, but they still believed him when he claimed the cyclist was the one running a red light. Get the infrastructure “up to Dutch” and the driver of the weapon vehicle may have found cycling so convenient that he would not have been driving, saving two lives.

A bike-on-bike wreck in MA. Somerville Bicyclist Killed In Medford Collision With Motorcycle As of this posting with neither participant able to talk to LEO and very little evidence was left at the scene so I have no idea what to do with the built environment to avoid this wreck but since 90% of the wrecks I cover would be eliminated by Dutch quality infrastructure I’m going to go with that to prevent.

I’m not sure if this wreck was in MA or VT, but a kid paying more attention to his cell phone than where his Weapon of mass destruction was going managed to hit a cyclist from behind riding 3 feet away from the actual road. Cycling: Recent incidents a reminder of perils of riding Also a MTB cyclist pranged it a good one the same week. This is another one of “those wrecks” that human cyclists can’t evade because they are already at the limits of their escape route, and only a barrier or massive amounts of distance will prevent a similar wreck, or developing technology that causes a car to come to a complete stop if a cell phone is used in the car. Something that makes the phone catch fire if the car is in motion and the phone is in use? That might be a little safer than stopping the car while trying to call police because someone is trying to carjack you, then you can throw the flaming phone at the carjacker.

“Final” word on a CA wreck. No charges filed from Irvine cyclist killed in Newport Beach If the narrative is correct this wreck appears to be a cyclist that left-crossed himself, which is tragic but not the fault of the driver.

A SWSS wreck in CA results in a deceased cyclist. COLLISION KILLS 60-YEAR-OLD CYCLIST IN CHULA VISTA Hit from behind protocols to avoid or reduce damages, and infrastructure will prevent a similar wreck by removing the ability of the motor vehicle to get within striking distance of any cyclists.

Another CA wreck as reported by Ted Rogers. 61-year old bike rider killed in Huntington Beach; second cycling death in the city in just five days The wreck is known to have been in an intersection, and that’s about all they know as of this posting.

The initial criminal charges for a hit-from-behind wreck in ND. Man who struck deaf, blind Norwegian cyclist cited There were two people on that bike, the blind cyclist was just the stoker. And I’m thinking he wasn’t the only blind man on the road that day, knowhutimean?

LEO are hunting the weapon vehicle in this hit-and-run in AK. Troopers looking for driver in hit-run collision; 1 cyclist seriously injured The narrative reads that the weapon vehicle went off the road to hit 2 cyclists riding on the shoulder. This speaks of pre-meditation to me, or just general Dumbassery. Neither scenario leaves cyclists with much if any options to avoid the wreck considering they were already off the road on the shoulder so that leaves Dutch quality segregated infrastructure and presumed liability legal infrastructure to protect cyclists from drivers like this.

Tragedy in the Great White North as a rider on a charity ride gets hit. Ride the Rideau cyclist hit, killed by truck and Mother of two killed in Ride the Rideau cycling event Nothing about the mode, just the cyclist was hit by/with a dump or garbage truck while on the course raising money to fight cancer. I assume they do charity rides in the Netherlands, too, so get the infrastructure “up to Dutch” to prevent.

Cyclists in Scotland are in danger. Cyclist dies after Aberdeen crash and North Anderson Drive closed northbound after cyclist seriously injured in smash What I could see in the pictures was a hit-from-behind wreck, which means the pictures will probably be taken down shortly to comply with UK media laws. So, protocols to avoid or reduce damages, and get the infrastructure “up to Dutch” to prevent.

Another low-information wreck from Oz. Crash cyclist seriously injured The scant description of the wreck as a “two car crash” makes me think that this might not have been a wreck that a human cyclist could avoid.

Infrastructure! argument from about 80 miles east of WoaB World HQ in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell. Readers take sides on bicycles on public roadways

Infrastructure argument in far West Canuckistan. Cyclists, pedestrians collide on Vancouver’s mean streets You know when infrastructure is properly designed for everybody there are no “mean streets”. Just sayin’, yannow?

Lifestyle in Seattle. Maj. Margaret Witt reflects on fallen cyclist’s legal legacy and Hundreds gather in Seattle to honor cyclist killed by truck No, no, no. The cyclist was killed by a dumbass politician, the truck was just the murder weapon. Remember, this project would have been completed a year ago if some dumbass hadn’t delayed it to score political points. That person should be in jail now.

Lifestyle in NV. Cyclists memorialize rider with ‘3 Feet for Pete’ ride

Lifestyle in NC. Friend talks about Greensboro man killed while riding bicycle

And what does the future hold for the lowly bicycle? FUTURE BIKE: TECHNOLOGY

And those were all the links that didn’t make me want to kill someone with my bare hands gave me fits or giggles.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the unkillable badass Poet

Running freaking late after seeing the doctor, and the Feed

I went to the chiropractor today. I left the house at 1200 and returned home by 2030. I could have left later except Mrs. the Poet and I see the same Dr. at the same time so I have to go to where Mrs. the Poet works to pick her up and then go to the Dr. And since it was after 1800 when the first bus of many we needed to take to get home got to the bus stop we decided to stop for dinner on the way home. Otherwise we could have gotten home earlier but then had to make dinner, which would have been a pain and taken longer than stopping for dinner. As it was we got home a little later, but fed as opposed to getting fed much later at home. It’s about a 2 hour trip from the school Mrs. the Poet works to the chiropractor, and mid-day about the same from Casa de El Poeta to Mrs. the Poet’s school. #Public transit is a time sink.

Up first is a story from the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike for so long that I have lost track of how many years in a row FL has held this “honor”. Investigators searching for a driver who hit a 12-year-old girl while she was riding her bike Intersection wreck but it appears that since the child cyclist is not getting blamed for this wreck the driver of the weapon vehicle disregarded a traffic control so protocols are moot, get the infrastructure right to prevent.

A wreck in GA. Macon attorney killed in Monroe County bike accident The cyclist apparently left-crossed himself. Intersection protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent. Situational awareness always.

A fatal wreck in IN. Evansville teen killed while riding bike and Evansville teen killed after hit by vehicle while riding his bicycle Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent, including making hitting another vehicle moving in the same direction the fault of the rear vehicle for going too fast for conditions. The weapon vehicle had headlights so the driver should have been able to see the cyclist if the driver was paying attention to what was in the road in front of them. “Dark clothing” does not give the driver a pass for driving too fast.

A hit-and-run in IL. West Point woman arrested for leaving scene of crash with cyclist Assuming hit-from-behind because no intersection was mentioned and he cyclist was not mentioned to have been salmon. Protocols to avoid or to mitigate damages, and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

Hit-and-run (maybe) in MO. Cyclist’s body found along I-70 The thought had occurred to me that the person might have been murdered and the body and bike gear dumped on the side of the Interstate for passing traffic to destroy. No mode possible to discern due to the damage to the body and gear. And one thing I find odd is aside from identifying the victim as a cyclist there was no mention of finding a bicycle at the scene. (Gigi found that odd, too)

A wreck in KS. Cyclist Hit And Killed Near Emporia Not a whole lot of useful information in this report. About the only thing that can be safely assumed beyond vehicle types and time is the cyclist probably had decent lights and/or reflectors on the bike, because any lack of them would be mentioned.

A CA cyclist on a charity ride was whacked by a goon in road rage mode. Cyclist severely injured in SR-67 crash and Passing Bicyclist Injured in Road Rage Dispute Hit-from-behind wreck, but from the narrative there was no way for the cyclist to avoid the impact and the built infrastructure would have been adequate had the drivers had the sense [*Deity] gave a grasshopper’s behind. Prosecute both drivers to the fullest extent of the law. Don’t stop at the book, throw the entire library at both of them.

A cyclist is blamed for being the victim of a right hook in OR. Cyclist Dies after Colliding with Car Right hook so intersection protocols might have been able to save this cyclist’s life, get the infrastructure right to prevent.

Major wreck in Oz. Cyclist killed in crash with bus and Cyclist hit and killed by tour bus on NT highway also Cyclist killed in crash with bus Driver exceeding the visibility of his headlights hits a ninja cyclist, and I’m seriously blaming the driver for this one because it could have been anything out there, large wildlife, disabled car, Fake Jesus pulling a cross on a wheel, you just never know what you’re going to run into at night… The cyclist could have used some lights and/or reflectors though.

A wreck report that could have used just one more piece of information to make it (more) usable to this blog. Bibra Lake cyclist killed in collision with car Did you figure out what was missing? It was the direction of the bike when hit. Looking at the Street View and seeing a divided highway that tells me the cyclist was making a right (backwards left) turn and that somebody ran a red light. Since they are not immediately blaming the cyclist I have to assume it is highly likely the driver of the weapon vehicle was running the red light. Anyway intersection protocols would have not helped in this wreck and if the built infrastructure had been used as designed the wreck would not have happened.

Infrastructure! news from Scotland. Scottish Parliament to debate ‘strict liability’ civil law protections for cyclists

Lifestyle in the Great White North. Ghost bike left on Spadina for cyclist killed by truck

And final link, just plain stupid from CA. Only 11 percent of children are wearing helmets during bike accidents, study finds Nothing on how many wear helmets vs have wrecks, making drawing a conclusion impossible, especially with a helmet law in place.

And those were all the links that gave me fits about bicycles today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Still alive, doing better than Rush, and the Feed

I survived another idiot in the street last night, who was almost enough to ruin my ride. Not entirely, because riding in mid-60° temperatures with mild breezes was just too nice to let an idiot behind the wheel ruin it for me. This is one of those brief periods during the year when the winds die down for a bit without temperatures going into the deep freeze or the oven in the suburbs of Hell. Actually I can’t remember the winds quitting while the temperatures were in the deep freeze, so no breeze with no 110°F temperatures then. Anyway, it was a really nice ride last night in spite of the idiot that almost hit me.

Perhaps the guy that almost hit me was trying to get away from this wreck. Piedmont Pastor Seriously Injured In Bicycle Wreck If he couldn’t see 2 bikes in the street in front of him in broad daylight, I wonder how he didn’t get a ticket for failure to yield. TANJ! To avoid use the hit-from-behind protocols, to prevent use SBR.

In the same state as WoaB is a report on a man that was apparently deliberately struck from behind while riding on the shoulder of a road. Bicycle rider struck, killed “Our news partners at the Beaumont Enterprise report the car swerved out of its lane and struck Gumberger.” That sounds like a description of a deliberate act to me. Lawyer’s take Bicyclist George Gumberger Killed Riding Along Shoulder of Texas 105 in Beaumont, Texas And in none of the reports I read on this wreck do they even mention the driver’s name, mush less any action against him.

Getting closer to home as more links come in, a wreck in Austin. Blotter: Police identify cyclist killed on North Lamar I really don’t understand how this wreck happened. Why was the cyclist kneeling beside his bike? Why was he hit in the turning lane? The interesting thing is this is being investigated as a homicide rather than as a traffic “accident”. More Man hit by car, killed on North Lamar on Thursday night and Man ID’d in auto-ped crash The only thing I can come up with that makes any sense is that this was the second wreck of the night for the victim, he was hit by another vehicle and knocked off his bike into the center turn lane, and as he was collecting his wits and the bits off his bike he was hit a second time by the vehicle that killed him.

More news on the hit-and-run driver that killed a cyclist in the bike lane in the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike 6 years running. Driver in Fatal Rickenbacker Causeway Crash to Remain Behind Bars The driver is going to be held without bail because he violated his parole after a drug bust. While it is good that he is being held where he can’t hurt any more cyclists, drivers that aren’t on parole from drug busts are just as dangerous and still get released on ridiculously small bonds.

Another article on that report on how much danger HGV represent to cyclists. HGVs pose increased risk of death and serious injury to cyclists Again the news that uncontrolled bleeding is the major single factor leading to death is really surprising to me.

More infrastructure news from Scotland. Safety call after second cyclist death

Serious problems with blind drivers in Oz. Off yer bike: Brimbank’s sorry tale Three out of 4 wrecks happen during broad daylight by drivers that claim to have never seen the cyclist until after they hit him or her. That says nothing good about the state of driver’s licensing in Oz.

And more infrastructure in Enn Zed. Campaign over hazardous cycle spots Another Anglophone country that has ceded its roads to the motor vehicle and discovered that making those roads safe again costs a whole lot more than they gained by giving the roads to cars…

And those are all the links that give me fits today (correcting my grammar from previous posts).

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Dry roads, and the Feed

As I rode back from my meeting last night there were patches of dry pavement showing, and I woke to completely dry roads in front of my house in the suburbs of Hell. I was wrong about the grass being dormant, as it appears there are some areas that need mowing as soon as the ground dries out enough for me to be able to walk on it. Muddy ground is especially hazardous with my injury as I can turn an ankle in a blink of an eye, due to the combination of having poor kinesthetic senses because of the nerve damage, weak muscles due to the scar tissue, and the longer lever arm due to having to wear a lifted shoe on that foot. And I need to show Blue some lubricant love after 2 rides in the wet.

Up first is a drug bust that went very bad for surrounding civilians, including a cyclist that just happened to be riding by. Six Hurt, Cruisers Struck as Truck Flees St. Louis Police The guy was hit twice as the suspect fled, once as the suspect was backing away from LEO, and a second time as he turned around to drive in the normal direction. The best way to avoid this is for police to get more time at the range to SHOOT THE DRIVER instead of everyone else in the car, or issue “car stopper” weapons when going on drug busts that will prevent a car from leaving. There used to be a 12ga slug round that would break a car frame or shatter the engine block. It was basically a Grade 8 bolt blank machined with a pointy end instead of with threads and a hex head, and a plastic sabot shell to prevent it from damaging the barrel of the weapon. Oh, there was nothing the cyclist could have done to prevent this wreck. Another link Six injured as truck flees St. Louis police

Another reason why lawyers are hated, as a cop that was 0.001 below the legal definition of drunk 4 hours after a wreck that killed a cyclist was somehow “not drunk” at the time of the wreck. Cop wasn’t drunk when he killed bicyclist, 13, attorney says Apparently this attorney has never heard of blood alcohol regression where the BAC% can be determined from using the rate at which alcohol is metabolized and a known concentration from after the fact. But common sense alone will tell you that 0.079% 4 hours after the wreck was in excess of 0.08% at the time of the wreck. Using the formula given in the link the cop was @0.10%, drunk by the 1975 standard. Fry this cop. Also, find out who prevented the test until 4 hours had passed and charge them with accessory after the fact to murder.

From CA a wreck report that is almost as informative as allowed under UK media laws. San Bernardino man killed in bike crash Three sentences was apparently all this man rated for his violent death by motor vehicle.

A drunk cyclist was also under the influence of drugs at the time of his death by motor vehicle. Drugs found in LaPorte County teen’s body OK, drunk and drugged and riding a bike backwards, how could we possibly prevent this wreck? (Where’s that sarcasm tag in HTML?) The BAC% alone would have made this almost inevitable, but add MJ and prescription drugs to the party and you get a cyclist that has no idea what he’s doing.

From the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike 6 years running, a cyclist is hit “crossing a road” well between intersections. Plant City cyclist, 29, killed in collision with Jeep in Dover I find this improbable because of the location, and also because of the locale. Without being able to see the physical evidence I can’t say for sure that it was not a crossing cyclist, but until I can get outside verification I’m going to call this one a SWCC.

Prosecution begins against the man that drove off the road to hit a cyclist on Old US66 in NM. Man to be arraigned in cyclist’s 2010 death in NM I’m still not convinced from the reports I have read the driver didn’t do it on purpose The descriptions in the driver’s words are that he spent about 15 seconds looking away from the road at 60 MPH after he saw the cyclists ahead on the shoulder, that’s roughly a quarter of a mile. (Actually fifteen seconds at sixty miles an hour is exactly a quarter mile, it’s the time that is a rough estimate).

A different kind of wreck from the Great White North. Cyclist collides with dog in Uxbridge, Ont. and Cyclist in critical condition after collision with dog in Uxbridge I’m sure the dog lovers are going, “Oh the poor puppy!” while the cyclists are plotting turning both dogs into Chinese take-out, but it is an illustration of how vulnerable cyclists are, and why wearing a helmet is a good idea at least in North America.

More on the Kanata 5 trial and the sentencing of the man who assaulted them. ‘Kanata 5’ hit-and-run victims struggle to forgive I’m sorry Canadians, but 2 years for almost killing 5 people then leaving them to die or not, is not an appropriate sentence. For a single cyclist, yes I could see that kind of sentence. But this guy was found guilty of 10 counts in this trial and he was only sentenced for 2! More MorningFile: Farazli infection rates normal, sentence in cyclist hit-and-run, Waverley Street fire

Assault with a deadly weapon in Oz. Swerved to hit cyclist You would think they were from TX instead of Oz, the way they drive. And the primary concern for the condition of the vehicle instead of the victim…

A bike wreck in Oz. Teen on bike injured in car collision Not enough for me to say how to avoid except “Intersection protocols” since the cyclist was in an intersection when he was hit. I have to say that wasn’t a residential street that kid was crossing, it looked like a minor highway with a wide median. Do you think they have “stale green” issues in Oz like we do in the US?

Cyclist woes in Enn Zed. Martine Rolls: Focus on safe cycling

More Infrastructure! news from the UK. Is this the start of cyclist pressure on Westminster? and Cyclists protest over London road safety Family of Edinburgh cyclist killed last week launch safety campaign

And that’s all the links I have today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Before I filter and do my “normal” post, some chitchat

I’m slowly recovering from yesterday’s rides, the easiest of which was the RoS. All told I had 39 miles (63km) and change in less than 8 hours running around Garland, Grand Prairie, Arlington, and White Rock Lake. And I don’t care what the name says Grand Prairie is about as flat as an alp. Anytime I can coast to over 35 MPH with only 5 MPH at the top of the hill, without pedalling, that’s a long steep hill, not a “prairie”. The other issue I had yesterday was calories. Between the wind and the hills I burned way more than my usual 37 Calories per mile, and by the time I got home I was definitely feeling it. I only brought a few snacks; chips, cookies, and a 3 Musketeers bar, and I had to skip lunch because I was literally on the road during that time. So when I got home I had sore knees, and a huge appetite, and woke up famished this morning. Oh, and I still have sore knees. As this is grocery day I’m lucky there are no hills between here and the grocery store. It’s just one mile of dead flat both ways.

There were so many links that I was only able to filter half of the Feed before my computer started having fits and slowing to a crawl, and I didn’t even open the RoS links. So this will be a “scattered” post, as I will have to insert links between the paragraphs about other links, which disrupts the flow of the post, but because of the number of links today, that’s unavoidable. I apologize in advance.

Death and injury in CA, courtesy of hit-and-run drivers. Bicyclist tragically killed in accident over weekend Technically he didn’t lie to LEO, he did witness the wreck, just as a participant. Anyway, hit-from-behind protocols assuming there was someplace the cyclist could have used as an escape route, but seriously I don’t think there was time for the cyclist to do anything to avoid this wreck. Or in any of the other wrecks mentioned in the article, which also mentioned the Hummer driver from India that hit or nearly hit 5 vehicles in 3 wrecks injuring 2 cyclists and 3 motor vehicle occupants and killing a third cyclist last week.

A cyclist killed by a hit-and-run driver during Bike to Work Week is remembered as the public is requested to provide information about the wreck. Family: Hit-and-run victim was devoted to cycling and his faith The guy sounds like a real nice guy, but even if he was a jerk and rode like one that doesn’t excuse hit-and-run. Again, hit-from-behind protocol but the wreck site doesn’t give many escape options as shown in the pictures that went with the link.

A KY cyclist with full legal reflectors gets hit from behind. Bicyclist killed in accident on Leestown Road near Midway The cyclist had “standard reflectors” which means that a driver with “standard headlights” should have been able to see him from 300 feet out and avoid hitting him, but he didn’t. So, who was at fault again? That’s right not the person in control of a deadly weapon, but the victim.

Cyclist vs insurance company in OR. Cyclist vs. New Seasons Someone tried to make this out to be the fault of company that operated the truck, but it’s really their insurance that was acting like the back and of a male donkey.

A SWCC in Canuckistan. Teen cyclist killed in north Edmonton Cyclist wearing clothes gets hit mid-block while riding next to parked cars during daylight hours, nothing the driver did wrong, right? Except we know better that this was an unsafe pass by a driver not paying attention to the road and other road users. I will grant that it is possible that the kid rode out from between parked cars, but unless there was something for him to have been riding from I don’t buy the “suddenly pulled from between parked cars” excuse. And unless the victim died of head injury with no other life-threatening injury, the helmet wearing was not an issue, either.

There are apparently no shortage of idiots in Scotland. Police appeals after Etape event This would have been a terrorist attack had the victims been other than cyclists.

Fewer cyclinst in London are dying, but more are getting injured. London cycling deaths down but casualties up So, cyclists are getting better at dodging cars, but still not good enough?

A hit-and-run in Oz. Hit and run furore The rider is indeed fortunate to only have a broken arm and road rash, a fraction of an inch closer and this would have been fatal.

Several links to a cyclist getting hit from behind in Enn Zed. A cyclist has been killed on State Highway 1, north of Blenheim. and Cyclist killed near Blenheim named also Police name cyclist killed OK riding after midnight without lights, even with a full moon, not real smart, and I couldn’t see any reflectors on the back of the bike in the pictures., so double not “bright”.

E-assist bikes are becoming a hot topic as gas prices continue to climb even as crude prices drop. E-bike or scooter? Which is the safer bet? In Canada, and in NY state Should Electronic-Assisted Bikes Be Treated Like Cars? Just a note, in the US Federal regulations apply unless state laws or regulations are more permissive. Federal rules are “working” pedals, 750 Watts (~1 HP) maximum, and 20 MPH without pedalling on level ground. Here in TX there is no max power limit, 100 pounds ready to run (which local LEO have interpreted to mean “if the bike runs without it, it isn’t part of the ‘ready to run’ weight), and 20 MPH max without pedalling or posted limit with pedalling, if you can’t ride with power without pedalling then you can ride as fast as you want up to the posted limit. My crank-assisted e-bike fell under that permission, even though I geared it to only do about 20 MPH in top gear.

Infrastructure! in Northern California. Discovering the Bay Area’s biking heaven Good roads with low traffic that attract cyclists, in TX those would be slated for a chip seal with 1 1/2″ aggregate, ASAP!

A cyclist that was mentioned in previous links to the Ride of Silence speaks about infrastructure and the need to share it with cyclists. Share The Roads: A Cyclist’s Plea It just takes a few seconds patience to not hit a cyclist and save a lifetime of tragedy.

ND cyclists say it’s a matter of attitude. Bicyclists say attitude changes needed to share the road Like I wrote earlier, a few seconds’ patience saves a lifetime of tragedy.

More on cycling and attitude in this link on National Bike Month in the US. National Bike Month is Here

Cyclists in Oz are saying pretty much the same thing. Take care with cyclists: advocacy group There is something in Anglophone culture that hates cyclists, because I see the same thing in every English-speaking country. Cyclists are not respected in any country where English is the native tongue.

Fun on a bike in NJ. Washington slept, but you should bicycle

Lastly, some more RoS links. Bike ride honors injured, killed cyclists worldwide and Bikers take memorial ride in silence also Cyclists Ride to Remember Riders Killed by Vehicles and again Bicyclists ride to send message, pay respects still more ‘Ride of Silence’ sends message not done yet Ride of Silence remembers cyclists killed on the roads not done yet Cyclists let silence speak for injured, dead still more Mourning the loss of cyclists in silence and Cyclists to take to Gatineau streets in silent ride more Ride of silence for dead cyclists and Bicycle “Ride of Silence” in Woodinville and Redmond Wednesday Night another link from the paper of record for the Mother Ride, posted 3 days ago Solemn ride of silence unites cyclists worldwide That’s right, the hometown paper for an international movement didn’t even send a single reporter to the local version of the event. The one person that mentioned the event wasn’t even a news reporter but a sports reporter. TANJ!

And that’s all I have today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Grocery shopping day, and an ugly Feed

Yes this is the day that I do “mule duty” as the designated beast of burden to bring home the comestibles, since I consume the majority of them. Everyone here is trying to lose weight, but I seem to be the only person using the “exercise more” side of the equation to increase Caloric consumption so I can continue to eat like I want so I end up eating most of the food that comes in the house. Since we try to consume food as lightly processed as possible that means we bring home lots of produce and ingredients to prepare, I get all the heavy stuff, and then as much of the rest as I can stuff into my 1980s era Army ruck, and my wife has to carry the overflow which usually isn’t much, often just 2 loaves of bread is all she has to carry home from the store. Door-to-door getting groceries is a 2 mile round trip for me, a little over a mile for my wife who just takes the bus from her work to the stop in front of the store and usually walks home because it is quicker than waiting for the bus, which only takes about a quarter mile off the walk anyway.

Up first is a hit-and-run on a cyclist in a designated bike route. Hit-and-run on Shore Drive injures cyclist This was obviously a hit-from-behind wreck that the cyclist never saw coming. Rear-view mirrors and hit-from-behind protocols as linked at the top of my blog would have helped. It might not have prevented the wreck but it could reduce the severity of the injuries sustained. BTW the comments are growing at an alarming rate most blaming the cyclist for being there to get hit. Don’t read the comments.

A SWCC wreck in CA. Bicyclist taken to Lodi Memorial after collision with car on South Hutchins The damage on the weapon vehicle is consistent with a hit from behind wreck by a distracted driver, but without seeing the damage to the bike I can’t state for sure exactly what happened. I do know that the driver’s statement should be taken with about a 2-kilo grain of salt. But, assuming the driver’s story is accurate then the cyclist also could not have seen the car until it was too late to avoid, which means this intersection should have a reduced speed limit and a 4-way stop so that people can cross the road without having to dodge cars they can’t see until the last second, moving @45 MPH.

Another report on the court case against the man that hit a cyclist that was lighted like a Christmas tree from behind and then left the scene. Man pleads not guilty in bicyclist’s death The evidence in this case is so overwhelmingly against the defendant I don’t understand why he doesn’t just fall on his knees and beg for mercy from the court. If he does that he might get off with a minor slap on the wrist and still get to drive when he gets out. Of course Swarzman will never get “out” of being dead after he was hit and left to die by the defendant.

Even though this is a UK wreck I’ll post it anyway as the severity was enough that what happened is easy to figure out. Cyclist left severely injured after crash The cyclist was in the passenger side of the front seat after having come though the windshield, which indicates an impact at a high rate of speed on the part of the car. The front windshield of a car is much stronger than the back one. Even when hit at 27 MPH the rear window of Dr. Thompson’s car was only broken, the cyclist was not actually inside the car, but this cyclist was actually inside a car after going through the front windshield, indicating an impact speed in excess of 40 MPH relative to the windshield. The comments indicate that the cyclist was riding downhill at or near the speed limit when the car turned in front of him and he hit the car very early in the turn. This would be the UK equivalent of the left cross.

Outrage in the UK over a cyclist’s killer getting a minor slap on the wrist. Tragic cyclist’s partner hits out at driver’s ban Kill a cyclist get…”She just walked away with 180 hours’ community service. That will be over in no time and just one year off the roads.” At 15 hours per week-end the killer’s community service will be done by the end of July if she gets started now, and she never loses a minute from her regular job, which was driving a bus but she won’t be doing that for a year. If she decides to do the community service in larger chunks then she could be done by the end of June, assuming she works only 40 hours a week and doesn’t get started for 2 weeks.

Moving to Infrastructure! down the road from WoaB HQ in the suburbs of Hell, Austin is discussing what can be done in the wake of a hit-and-run against a cyclist that was lighted well in excess of the legal minimums. Cyclist death prompts closer look at bike lanes The cyclist was in exactly the same place he would have been with lines painted on the street, just outside of the door zone on the right side of the lane, would a line painted on the street have prevented the vehicle from hitting him from behind? Well no, but hitting a cyclist in a bike lane makes fault easier to prove than just hitting a cyclist from behind because of the lane change involved.

In Delaware, cyclists’ lives are valued more than the few seconds it takes to pass one safely. Delaware Senate passes bill to give cyclists space Don’t read the comments section…

Another Ghost Bike in CA. Ghost Bike Memorial Reminds Cyclists Of Dangers In both wrecks mentioned it was somehow the fault of the cyclist for not following some unwritten law about wearing a helmet or reflective clothing rather then the driver for hitting a slower vehicle in front of them on the road. How about reminding drivers that it is against the law to hit people with cars even when those people are not driving a car.

Final link is to a report on how to fit a bike so that riding it is not a pain in the … ‘It should not hurt to ride a bike’ Getting a bike that fits you is the first thing you should do when you start riding a bike. That means buying a bike that isn’t too big or too small. For wedgie bikes more than 4″ of exposed seat post means your bike is too small, less than an inch means it is too big. The majority of BSO sold through big-box discounters are too small to way too small, basically kids’ bikes sold to adults as adult bikes.

And that’s all the bike news I have for today. Happy Cinco de Mayo for my Hispanic readers, or “Get drunk and pretend you’re a Mexican” day for my readers in the US.

Billed @$0.02, Opus