OK I’m taking a step back because really stupid people pushed me into it

I’m posting this in response to something on Twitter yesterday that I read after posting yesterday’s post. The post was to the effect that because cyclists choose to ride in the roads we are responsible for what happens to us.

First is the false “choice” of riding in the street. If you want to get someplace you have no bicycle infrastructure for 99+% of all trips so it’s not a “choice” to ride in the street. It is a necessity.

Second we are not the ones using WMD as transportation that kills ~40K people/annum directly by impact and another million or so by pollution, and that’s just in the US. So it’s drivers killing cyclists, not cyclists forcing drivers to kill us. Drivers are not paying proper attention to traffic (and bicycles are traffic) and cyclists are suffering for their inattention. Or for their choice to drive on short trips. And for their demands for free storage for their property when not in use has literally destroyed city centers.

And for you not reading my recent posts I have a soft spot in my heart for cars, when used in an appropriate manner like motorsports in a controlled environment, or making long trips between places not served by any form of public transit like rural areas. Cars are a good fit for rural areas, but then we try to force them into urban areas where they are a crappy fit or worse. Unfortunately I’m not smart enough to figure out how to bridge between areas where cars are a good fit and cars are bad-to-deadly-on-a-daily-basis fit. I mean I’m no dummy, people in rural areas need cars and light to heavy trucks for their daily lives or they will be forced into poverty. On the other side of the coin those same cars and trucks are killing people in cities. And they are not so good for rural people either.

The real problem is we have baked automobilism into our economies so much that trying to prevent the harm it causes will cause as much harm as the harm we prevent, just of a different kind. To put this in a different perspective it’s like you have a cancer that will kill you painfully in a few weeks, and the operation to cure the cancer will kill you in a year, but it won’t hurt much. Either way you still die ahead of schedule. And there are times when it would be so much easier to be an absolutist instead of looking on both sides of the argument.

Happy Pi Day, and the Feed

For the non-geek non math nerds in my readership, today is Pi Day (3/14) where because the greek letter π is pronounced the same as the English name for a pastry crust baked in a pan with a filling we celebrate by eating pie. This year I’m having apple. Pi Day is like my fifth or sixth favorite holiday in the year, because I like pie! So go to your favorite gastro pub and have some pie! I hear the “Eat what I give you or I’ll go back in time and kill your grandparents as babies” pie is delicious.

Up first because OMG at the links. 1 Cyclist Dead, 7 Injured in Spain, Octogenarian Driver Held and Police say a 52-year-old cyclist has died and seven others have been injured, three of them seriously, after being slammed into by an SUV near the northwestern town of A Guarda also 1 Cyclist Dead, 7 Injured in Spain, Octogenarian Driver Held this too Police say a 52-year-old cyclist has died and seven others have been injured, three of them seriously, after being slammed into by an SUV near the northwestern town of A Guarda not done yet 1 cyclist dead, 7 injured in Spain, octogenarian driver held I would have really liked to know the nationality of the driver, or something besides “octogenerian”. I hope part of his new identity is “non-driver”.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Entrada Drive to get a little narrower, a call for safer driving, and your next bike may not need you

Still in CA, crap infrastructure. VIDEO: Magnolia Off Ramp – The Danger of Bad Design

Also in CA. Light Up the Night community ride teaches bike safety Nice bit of victim-blaming going on there, about the helmets and reflective clothing.

Still not out of CA. 2 Women Arrested For Hit-And-Run After Cyclist Struck In Sausalito One for driving under the influence and hit-and-run, the other for DUI and obstructing justice accessory to a felony. Guess which one is facing the greater amount of jail time?

This guy didn’t get very far on his trek across the US and Central America. Cyclist on B.C. to Panama ride injured in crash in Forks Another driverless car involved in a serious wreck? I though the only wreck like that was a bus hit at 2 MPH. Next-to-last paragraph of the article mentions the SUV had a driver… Anywho, hit-from-behind wreck, use the protocols to avoid. Crush and shred the SUV to prevent another wreck.

Wreck in AZ. Tolleson hit-and-run involving cyclist closes road There are no pictures, so I can’t determine the mode from evidence, and LEO aren’t saying. Hopefully the weapon vehicle shed some identifying parts so LEO can find it.

AZ infrastructure news. Tucson bicyclist using data to thwart fatal crashes Before the tumor took me off my bike I was getting a scary pass every time I rode, and a near-death experience about once a week. That might have something to do with the slow pace of my recovery.

Under age DUI killer sentenced in CO. Man Gets 10 Years For DUI Crash That Killed Bicyclist and 20-year-old drunk driver gets 10 years in death of cyclist I’m sorry but there is a terrible mistake in the first link, 0.204 is not more than twice the legal limit, it’s more than twice the legal limit for people old enough to drink. For a 20 YO it’s infinity times over the limit.

Another hit-and-run in OH this time. Teen bicyclist dies after struck by 3 vehicles on Harrisburg Pike The hit-and-run (or hit-skip as the call it in OH) was the first weapon vehicle involved, the one that hit the cyclist from behind with the left side of the vehicle. I know it was the driver’s side because the cyclist was launched into oncoming traffic. There are only two ways for that to happen, hit with the left side of the car or be sharply aimed to the left at the time of impact. Both require the cyclist to be riding primary as our UK brothers call it. Well I suppose the driver could go completely off the road and come back on right where the cyclist was riding at the edge, but how likely is that?

Hit-and-run in PA this time. Police: Suspect in custody in Harveys Lake hit-and-run At least the victim survived the wreck this time, and they have a suspect in custody.

Another hit-and-run, MA. Cyclist Injured In Hit & Run In Wellesley and Wellesley Man Charged With OUI After Hit And Run Seldom do I get the pleasing combination of posting a link to a hit-and-run wreck with injury, and the driver’s arrest on multiple charges in the same post.

Wreck in CT caused by AFRAP laws. Cyclist injured in Morris fall flown to hospital by Life Star What do I mean by this wreck was “caused” by As Far Right As Practicble laws? the cyclist was hugging the right side of the road and went over the edge and fell, which would not have happened if the cyclist was allowed to take the lane at all times.

Hit-from-behind in MS. Bicyclist killed on Highway 98 Most of the article is behind a paywall so what little I know says the cyclist was in no way at fault in this wreck: Daylight, hit from behind and not at an intersection (yet).

Ugh! FloriDUH! Tampa police search for driver in hit-and-run that injured bicyclist and Tampa Man Charged in Hit and Run of Bicyclist Two hit-and-runs with links to the arrests of the drivers in one day!

Still in FL, a SWCC wreck. Pompano Beach bicyclist, 57, killed in collision with car The geometry for this wreck is right for a stale green wreck.

Infrastructure from MD. Bicyclists and motorists sharing the roads

I thought I heard all the stupid excuses for hitting a cyclist. Jail sentence for driver who killed cyclist when he was ‘running late’ Well I heard that one before. Trying to get there just a fraction of a second faster so he cut the corner on a blind turn and hit a cyclist head on. And just what would have happened had there been a semi truck around the corner instead of a man on a bicycle?

Nothing about the wreck, but they got their man. Man charged over death of cyclist by ‘careless driving while under influence’ and ‘How I tried to save cyclist’s life in Outland Road tragedy’ – by photographer at the scene I’m still trying to wrap my head around any death caused by a DUI being “careless” instead of “dangerous” by definition.

So they weren’t hurt in the wreck but fell down after? Cyclists injured after incident Cut off by the driver pulling out in front of the group and wrecking trying to avoid hitting the car.

Almost no information about this wreck in Oz. Victoria’s road toll climbs as motorbike rider, cyclist and 88-year-old woman die in separate accidents “Went off the road” is not a very specific wreck narrative…

National US infrastructure! It’s Time for U.S. Cities to Ban Right Turns on Red
Actually I would like to see a nationwide ban at the state level (kind of how they got seatbelt laws passed).

Last link is preventing gentrification with bicycles. How I Stopped Gentrification in My Neighborhood

And I have to get up early to go to the Lab Rat Keeper tomorrow, so off to bed.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

I had real COFFEE today, and the Feed

Finally I had a cup of coffee that tasted like COFFEE instead of vaguely brown water. Pro tip, the reusable K-cup filters are only good for a small cup of coffee, there is just not room for enough grounds to make a 16 oz (473.176 ml) cup of coffee. Seriously, even going to 10 oz is seriously over what the little things can do without using an espresso ground coffee. If you have a coffee grinder that can go to espresso then you can get 10 oz easily, but drip grind won’t give you enough surface area to extract all the good flavors because of the limited amount of time the water stays in contact with the grounds. The Keurig is halfway between a drip brewer and an espresso machine as far as extraction is concerned. Higher temperature and more pressure than a drip brewer, lower than an espresso machine. If you have the reusable filters go with espresso grind. Now I need to find a good coffee grinder.

Up first is Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Memorial ride for RPV cyclist, 11-year old advocate writes for Times & Mt. Hollywood stays car free

Still in CA. Meet the Ovarian Psycos: women of color building a movement on bikes These are the people who do the Clitoral Mass ride once a year, a Critical Mass just for kick-ass women (womyn?).

Lots of Portland infrastructure links today. State begins project on Broadway near Rose Quarter Monday If they get this right it will be an improvement for all modes, not just the modes with engines or motors.

Good transit and good cycling go together like hotdogs and mustard. Bus riders’ union launches new campaign: Discount fares for low-income people Sure they are great separately, but put them together and you have a killer app that gets you across town letting the bus protect you from the cagers, while extending your reach far beyond the bus deep into unserved territories. The technical term is “first mile, last mile”

And when you integrate infrastructure it synergizes your investments. New Portland Plan Addresses Walksheds and Watersheds Together When you install paved streets and drains and cover those drains with sidewalks all at the same time it works better and costs less money to do. Whodathunkit?

Update on the cyclist critically injured in a MN hit-and-run. Update: Cyclist Injured In Hit-And-Run Still In Critical Condition and $1,000 reward offered in hit-and-run crash that critically injured bicyclist in Dakota County Yeah, he’s not going to be riding again any time soon after that latest surgery. I hope something equally gruesome happens to the driver, or they could just recycle the vehicle with him still in it.

Something fishy in this OH wreck. Cyclist hurt in collision with highway-patrol cruiser Notice that they aren’t blaming the cyclist for this wreck even though there were intoxicants involved on the cyclist’s part. The wreck mode was hit-from-behind, so they probably have dash cam recordings of the cyclist’s lane position and track. My guess is this was a SWSS initially until someone took a look at the video, then backtracked.

A MA hit-and-run. Cyclist injured in Wellesley hit-and-run So all my Boston readers BOLO for a Toyota P/U with front end damage and report it to LEO.

This is slightly disturbing as WoaB heavily promoted these guys. Wounded Warrior fires execs over spending accusations If I’m reading the article correctly these clowns took money donated for rehabbing injured veterans and spent it on luxuries for themselves. Shame on them.

A Whiskey Tango Foxtrot moment from Jolly Olde. Serial drink-driver who killed cyclist in crash jailed for just seven years This idiot had EIGHT!(8) DUIs, and never passed a test to get a license, and somehow he was still free to drive. “Taylor, of West Molesey, was also banned from driving for nine years.” He never had a license, and you think a court order will stop him from driving in the future? I have this bridge…

Well if they survive they won’t Wiggins on London Bike Boom – cyclists aren’t going to go away I get what he’s saying, gas is cheap now, but it won’t stay that way and people will still have to get around. Riding a bike is way faster than the bus in London (and for short trips even I could get around faster than DART, especially if there was a detour to the transit center and a transfer to a different bus involved. Point to point a bike is faster than a bus unless both points are on the same bus route. Then it all comes to how many times the bus has to stop for passengers.

Woman accidentally locks herself in a van, cyclists hear her pounding on the door/side of the van and let her out. Charity cyclists free woman trapped in van for 4 hours

Cyclist is buried after a wreck in the Emerald Isle. TEENAGE CYCLIST KILLED IN ROAD TRAGEDY LAID TO REST

A UT grad is hit and killed in Singapore. Woman dies in bus accident; arrested driver suspended pending inquiry Ordinarily I don’t report Singapore wrecks because their laws are so, so different from ours, but the victim in this one made me link this one.

And this from Oz. Sydney cyclists reportedly fined £225 – for trackstanding Apparently the sight of cyclists maintaining balance without putting a foot down for an extended period of time just blew the LEO’s mind, they had never heard of such sorcery.

And this. Sydney cyclists say new laws don’t make them feel safer – MPs set to debate scrapping them The abuse cyclists have been receiving since the change in the laws has been skyrocketing, and drivers have been interpreting the passing law exactly backwards of the intention, instead of moving over the meter they are claiming cyclists have to get a meter off the roads when a car passes. I wonder if they are all idiots.

And I’m all outta links now.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Not hitting on all cylinders, and the Feed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus

I took care of some bills, now the Feed

I spent the afternoon taking care of bills that went overdue because my paycheck from one of the gigs I was working was delayed a couple of weeks then took several days to clear because it was drawn on a brokerage account. Don’t ask, I get some strange gigs to say the least, and they pay strangely to boot. That’s just part of the territory when you’re undead.

More on that fatal wreck in LA where they charged the driver with homicide before the victim’s body was even cold. Dutchtown High student killed in Ascension Parish bicycle accident; 26-year-old arrested I noticed two things from the article: The evidence is such that they don’t think the driver could have avoided the wreck even if the cyclist was lighted and wearing that GITDCS because of his speed, and the driver was Black. I’m not sure how much the latter fact weighed in determining the previous fact, I would hope it weighed nothing and the evidence spoke for itself.

Another article showing that cars are getting safer, drivers not so much. More American Pedestrians and Cyclists Are Getting Killed on the Roads I really don’t have any better explanation for the phenomena. Cars are safe, drivers are killers.

This totally looks like a good place to put Our Daily Ted . Morning Links: A Vietnamese bike flute, up on the rooftop with St. MacAskill & a self-pumping bike tube

Meanwhile elsewhere in CA. Poor street design makes California city liable for damages in cyclist’s death Yep, in CA you can sue for bad street designs. Here in TX we can’t because of “sovereign immunity”.

Still in CA, a fatal wreck in Buck Owens’ home town. Bakersfield cyclist hit by truck, killed The cyclist was apparently crossing legally when hit by the drunk driver. If you get the time to react intersection protocols might help in a wreck like this.

It took a while but they finally charged a driver in a fatal MA wreck. Turners woman charged in cyclist’s death The driver was observed wandering in and out of her lane before hitting the cyclist from behind on the shoulder of the road.

Another wreck in FloriDUH! from a driver not paying attention to where the vehicle is going. UPDATE: Laurel Hill driver strikes bicyclist near Shoal River east of Crestview LEO in this case are placing ALL the blame on the driver for failing to move over to pass or slow down until a safe pass could be made.

Over in OH someone killed a cyclist Bicyclist struck, killed in Dayton and Bicyclist hit, killed in Dayton ID’d The cyclist is being blamed for not wearing the GITDCS required by Imaginary Laws when he was hit violently from behind. Some LEO need a refresher on the Basic Speed Law. AKA as the Don’t Hit Things law.

Another cyclist fatally hit in OH. Bicyclist Struck & Killed In Newark Another SWSS wreck where the cyclist “darted” through traffic in the right-hand lane of travel.

I wonder how they decided the driver was the one running the red on this one. Utah man charged with running red light, killing cyclist Ah, I see. There were two cyclists and one wasn’t badly hurt and testified the driver ran the red after they waited for the light to change…

Update on a wreck in ND. Driver who killed Fargo cyclist, victim’s widow, daughter featured in ESPN special on distracted driving If something good can come from this…

A MN cyclist tried to beat the train and failed. Bicyclist dies after being hit by Blue Line train at 46th St. Station [facepalm] The gates were down and the lights were flashing and there was a bell ringing, multiple visual and audio cues that there was a train coming. When presented with this just stay off the tracks. That’s how hard it is to not get hit by a train.[/facepalm]

Canadian cyclists have an infrastructure goal. A Billion for Bikes – That’s What We’re Asking For While a billion dollars will buy a lot of bicycle infrastructure, it’s peanuts for motor vehicle infrastructure, like 1¹/₃ freeway interchanges between two freeways, or ¼ a CRC project. (You might want to Wiki that one)

Over in Jolly Olde, don’t hit the pedestrians! Dog walker injured after being hit by cyclist I don’t know where the wreck happened so I can’t say if it was a shared path (which usually are very poorly marked) or a pedestrian-only area. Still DON’T HIT THE PEDESTRIANS! even if they are on a shared path and blocking the way.

Another link to the driver getting away with murder in the death of a cyclist in Jolly Olde. Lorry driver who killed cyclist spared jail over crash at City black spot No signal, just cut over and go for it and if someone doesn’t get out of your blind spot well it’s on them for being there.

This report from Oz just floored me. Coroner pushes for improved safety for cyclists after inquest into Danish cyclist Rebekka Meyer’s death Did you see it? “In handing down her findings, Ms Clements recommended heavy vehicles be banned from roads unless they were fitted with appropriate technologies that would warn the driver of road users within the truck’s blind spot.” Or, do something to eliminate the blind spot in future vehicles especially when there is an area 7 meters long (23 feet) in front of the vehicle and almost as wide as the vehicle where the driver can’t see what is there to get hit. And I don’t know if that’s at cyclist head height or down to the pavement, but I sincerely hope it’s the latter… because the former is terrifying to contemplate.

More on the lady cyclist hit walking her bike through a confusing intersection in Enn Zed. Cyclist in serious condition after hit-and-run and Cyclist still serious after hit-and-run Nobody has come forward to identify the SUV or driver thereof…

And I’m outta links again.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Moar cat pictures, and the Feed

We had a call from the Daughter In Scotland this afternoon and when she was informed we had kittens she requested I post pictures where she could find them. So without further adieu, when the cats stopped bouncing around the house like guided fuzzball missiles I snapped a shot of each.


Enjoy your cat pictures.

Up first are links from opposite sides of the country about the same subject. UPDATED: Driver Who Struck, Killed Bicyclist in Bethesda Won’t Face Criminal Charges and Why Jolene Friedow only got a traffic ticket in the collision that killed Mark Angeles Same problem in two different states, dangerous driving that breaks traffic laws and gets people killed is not an actual crime that can get steep fines and/or prison time. So the “cure” is to make a death as a result of a traffic violation a misdemeanor that carries mandatory loss of license for a period of time with loss of vehicle if caught driving during that time. I leave the amount of time as an exercise for the student.

After that we need something less upsetting, like our Daily Ted. Morning Links: LA’s Mobility Plan up for review today, and a call for to join or renew membership in LACBC

Still in CA. Cyclist injured in Oxnard accident Can I just say this narrative makes no sense? The cyclist was riding north on one street while the driver was driving east on the other, but the cyclist was hit “after entering the roadway.” At what point did the cyclist leave the roadway? The street view shows a quiet residential neighborhood with on-street parking and long straight streets.

Cycling in NYC can get a little hairy. Losing Your Fear Of Biking In NYC: Are Stop Lights Optional? Most of the article is basically saying “Pay attention to your surroundings!” when you ride and noted she only runs reds in places where she would feel safe jaywalking.

Still in NYC sometimes it ain’t safe to walk on the sidewalk. Pedestrian Killed, 3 Injured When Driver Jumps Brooklyn Sidewalk “No criminality suspected” in spite of the fact the weapon vehicle was upside down and flying when it hit the victim. And the fact the driver was driving on a suspended license…

Still in NYC and yet another pedestrian is killed with a car. Cab Driver Had Been Working 16 Hours When He Killed UWS Great-Grandmother Run down in the crosswalk by a driver at work 4 hours longer than legally allowed. And if you’re wondering why I’m including all these pedestrian fatalities, well they would have been just as fatal if a cyclist had been there because every one went through the bicycle area of the road (bike lane or no) before killing the pedestrians.

Another SWCC wreck in IL. Bicyclist killed in crash near Oakbrook Center and Lombard man on bicycle killed in Oak Brook crash The only surviving witness claimed the cyclist ran a red light. Since there is nothing to corroborate maybe he did, maybe he didn’t but either way cyclists have to be ready for drivers on intercept courses in intersections.

I think this was one of those scooter things and not a bicycle in spite of the name. 2 hurt as taxi and e-bike collide in Guelph Since there were two on the bike I’m pretty positive that’s the case, but the speed range is the same for those scooters in the Great White North as it is for e-assist bikes in the US, so everything in this blog applies except the not riding two up on one bike (except for tandems). Looks like a hit-from-behind wreck.

Example of UK clickbait article. I want to be nice to cyclists – but I’m sick of the kamikazes Oohh, surrounded by soft squishy people while in a light armored (excuse me, armoured) vehicle. The horrors. Teh bike cooties might get on you, or something. Seriously woman, get a grip. BTW don’t read the comments section if you like your brains to stay between your ears.

Speaking of crazies, someone needs to slap some sense into this plod. How I was threatened with arrest as a terrorist for trying to take a photo of a police car parked in a bike lane Sounds like this idjit got his training at the NYPD academy…

Nutter kills cyclist with knife several times over, gets long term vacation in the funny farm. Jason Voong guilty of ‘motiveless’ manslaughter and assault Seriously, the man was deranged.

I thought this link was connected to the previous paragraph until I took a good look at the URL and discovered they were not even in the same hemisphere. Man charged with attempted murder over cyclist stabbing Another less than sane person attacks a cyclist for nonsensical reasons. I blame Rupert Murdoch.

Also from Oz. Cycling stars ride to raise safety awareness Maybe they can do something about Murdoch…

More on the Enn Zed cyclist who was walking his bike because it was too dark to ride. Pedestrian killed near Nelson named

Really? ‘Beyoncé On A Bike’ Opens Sexualized Can Of Worms Sex symbol rides a bike, a sensible bike with fenders and a front basket, and everyone goes ape over the picture? Because sex symbol, therefore sexualized. Another example of people just “not getting it”.

I have been making the point for years that while helmets might be useful for individual cyclists, helmet laws just make things more dangerous for cyclists as a whole, and now there has been a study that proves me right. The Latest Evidence That Helmet Laws Don’t Help Bike Safety

And last link another front on the lumen wars. The Case Against Bright-as-the-Sun Flashing Bike Lights I can’t say as I have ever had to deal with one of those bright blinkies, every time I have encountered another bike at night they had reasonable lights or none at all. Most had none at all, nor did they have reflectors. My bike resembles Tokyo at night with all the lights.

And I’m all outta links again. Go do something useful.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Another huge Monday Feed

I took a look at the Feed Folder today and at a quick glance it looks huge (or YUUuuge). Now how many of those links are duplicates is an open question, there are some duplicates without a question. If I’m lucky most of the links will be dupes, otherwise I may be sitting at this computer for a long time tonight.

Up first because of proximity a cyclist is hit from behind by a driver making an illegal pass on the shoulder. Cyclist killed in Highway 12 crash The driver got impatient and tried to pass a car by driving on the shoulder, which is semi-legal in TX if the car being passed is stopped and there isn’t anyone to hit on the shoulder. There is nothing a cyclist can do in a situation like this.

Still in TX we get a six vehicle pileup that sends a cyclist to hospital without a single motor vehicle involved so far as we know. Six bicyclists involved in crash in Fulshear

Ted had Too Much Fun at CicLAvia in the first half of Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Images from Sunday’s CicLAvia, and a NY cyclist is bumped by an SUV, then threatened with arrest

Daily Ted part 2. Huntington Beach bike rider has died following last week’s bike lane collision

The most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike takes another victim. Man on bicycle dies after being hit by car SWCC wreck, except there were two people inside the weapon vehicle.

People who have never been chased by a dog are blaming the cyclist for shooting a dog outside of a fence in rural Wyoming. Decorated combat dog killed after allegedly attacking cyclist and Army Vet Mourns the Loss of Service Dog and Retired Military K-9 After He Was Fatally Shot by Cyclist From the various stories I have read that I can’t link to the cyclist carried a .41 Magnum revolver in a holster on the top tube of the bike loaded with .410 shotgun shells to be a mostly non-lethal means of dealing with feral animals and snakes while riding and does not understand how the bird shot in the shotgun shell could have killed the animal.

Back in CA a cyclist is injured “running” a red. Cyclist fighting for his life after Miramar crash That intersection is huge! There were “only” 6 traffic lanes, a left turn lane, and a right turn lane but I measured the width the cyclist had to cross at between 105 and 110 feet. Even going with the smaller of the two measurements that’s still an average lane width of more than 13 feet. If the cyclist was watching the oncoming traffic for a left cross more than the traffic signal he could have entered a second or two after the amber and been caught in the middle or outer through lanes when the light changed.

More on the CO cyclist critically injured in a hit-and-run. State Patrol Releases Name Of Cyclist Seriously Injured In Hit & Run Why in so many of these wrecks is the weapon vehicle a ratty pickup truck?

Not sure exactly how this wreck happened, just that it did. Cyclist killed by tractor-trailer in Botetourt County The driver left the scene but came back. So there is at least a hit-and-run charge involved, right?

A couple of states over from that wreck we get another serious wreck in DE. Delaware troopers investigating fatal crash in Long Neck that killed a cyclist Another fatal SWCC wreck. I would like to see the bike wreckage. The nose of the car was messed up by whatever else it ran into after hitting the cyclist, so the only possible reliable evidence in this wreck is the bicycle.

What is the best way to prevent winning the door prize? Not having anyone trying to give you one! Oregon Attorney Releases Bicycle Dooring Video PSA “Look For Cyclists” I think making dooring a cyclist a crime commensurate with the possible consequences would also help a lot. “If I open this door without looking I could possibly kill a cyclist and go to prison for a long time. I better take two looks just to make sure.”

Back in CA for a non-wreck story with two links. Injured Veterans Cycle Through Central Coast to Los Angeles and Palo Alto: 200 cycling vets take off on recovery ride As always WoaB suggests getting out and supporting these veterans.

A little MI infrastructure changes going on as Northern cities start to downsize after all their jobs were shipped overseas. A Plan in Progress for a Bike-Friendly Detroit Metro Area There seems to be an abundance of space even on the “Boulevard of Dreams” now that so many cars just flat aren’t there any more.

And in OH they are having the same situation, an excess of road capacity. A 40-Block Bike Path Could Be Coming to Cleveland “Back when Lorain Avenue was built, we had a million people in the city of Cleveland,” Tom McNair, director of the west side development group, Ohio City Incorporated, told WCRN. “We now have 400,000.” So with less than ½ the population you need less than ½ the street capacity that already exists, time for some quick road diets.

A Ghost bike goes up in SD. Local cyclists honor crash victim with ghost bike The driver of the weapon vehicle crossed a sidewalk fast enough to kill a cyclist…

Cyclist right-hooked in the Great White North. Cyclist injured in collision with vehicle Sunday

Aftermath of a hit-and-run in Jolly Olde. Cyclist narrowly avoided death after hit-and-run in Sunderland It’s a good thing the cyclist was able to crawl out of the road after getting hit and breaking his spine. It’s a bad thing that he had to.

Whee! The weapon vehicle burst into flames after hitting the cyclist. Cyclist critically injured, car in flames after collision This is the first time I remember a car going up in flames after hitting a cyclist. Did the broken bike tear loose a fuel line underneath the vehicle?

Last link is from Oz, as a cyclist and a van have a “meeting of the minds”. Cyclist, van in serious city crash near Victoria Park racecourse Any time a cyclist is hit it’s “serious”. Well almost any time, there’s “horrific” and “deadly” at one end of the scale, and “minor injuries” at the other, but how often do you see “minor injuries” in report about a motor vehicle and a bike wrecking. This report seems to be about the second half of the wreck as …”Early investigations indicate the man lost control negotiating a high kerb and veered into the path of the van, which was travelling east on Wakefield Rd.” Why would the cyclist have been trying to negotiate a high curb (American spelling) unless he was run off the road or trying to avoid getting hit?

And that’s all I got today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Cold pizza for breakfast, and the Feed

I got to have one of my favorite breakfasts this morning, cold pizza. I had leftover frozen pizza last night, so Breakfast! Yum. Usually when Mrs. the Poet is home we wipe one of the cheap pizzas completely out between the two of us and I don’t get my favorite breakfast, but today I did. I’m looking for every upside on this I can find.

Up first because nothing really struck me as super important today is Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Map of closed Orange Line bike path, dangerous Rowena, and Stephany too high to be responsible There’s no such thing as being “too high” to be responsible, being high is what made you legally responsible for the wreck in the first place.

Still in L.A. Lowrider bikes as activist tools: General Dogon’s rolling art works are part of Skid Row history Not the first time bicycles have been used as adjuncts to political action, see the Suffragette Movement.

Still in CA. Bicyclist hit by vehicle in Huntington Beach “Suddenly veered into the bike lane” should be investigated as attempted murder first, then as a traffic wreck. But as the narrative is posted now it sounds like someone decided to murder a random cyclist.

Note done with CA yet. Murder by DUI Trial to Begin in Death of Bicyclist Unfortunately, that’s what it takes to get murder charges brought in the death of a cyclist, second DUI with the death.

Still not finished with CA yet. Bicyclist killed in collision with vehicle identified I hate when the only narrative was the wreck was at an intersection and the driver remained at the scene.

Closer to WoaB World HQ in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell. Bicycles should top Austin transit priority list, group says Yes for less than the cost of 2 miles of urban freeway you can get a completely built-out urban bike network.

Near one of the places I used to live in UT a cyclist apparently runs a red light. Cyclist in critical condition after early morning crash There was a comment that the cyclist was hit in the crosswalk, which meant he was probably riding in the sidewalk before the intersection, and as I frequently say, sidewalks are not bicycle infrastructure.

Cyclist down in MA. Hudson man killed in hit-and-run Black Ford F-150 does a hit-and-run, why does that not surprise me? I think the only thing that would make me less surprised would be that it had dark tinted windows.

Another dead cyclist in DE. Bicyclist killed on Hazlettville Road This is about the wildest example of a SWSS I have ever had the displeasure of reading, a cyclist suddenly leaving a bike lane directly in front of a motor vehicle. The fact that the driver was facing the setting sun I’m sure had nothing to do with hitting the cyclist from behind./sarcasm I left the angle brackets off because WordPress still has not implemented the sarcasm HTML tags.

Moving on up to NYC we get another wreck with “no criminality suspected” by the NYPD. [UPDATE] Cyclist Killed By Truck Driver At Queens Intersection Check that, the updated report is the driver was arrested at the scene for violating the victim’s right of way. Color me flabbergasted, I never thought NYPD would actually apply that law when there was a cyclist as the victim. Look at the picture with the victim’s bike under the front bumper of the truck. The cyclist more than likely never knew the truck was turning until it hit her, because it was behind her until impact.

Cops who tasered a man riding a bicycle go to trial on federal charges. Federal trial lined up for police who Tasered Hillsboro man after bike infraction IMHO there’s no excuse for tasing a man on a bike.

A little physical infrastructure news from Portland. Why the new traffic signal at N Cook and Vancouver is such a big deal I think the really big deal from this is the signal was equipped from the outset with a sensor that can detect a bicycle without a bunch of crazy maneuvers to find the 1″ wide “sweet spot” that a bike will trigger the light.

More infrastructure news from the ATL. Streets Have Changed Before, and They Can Change Again People have such short memories. Things have not always been this way, and they will not stay this way in the future.

Unlike NYC right hooking a cyclist is not a crime in Canada, and may not even be an infraction. No charges to be laid after fatal cyclist/truck collision TANJ!

A wreck up in West Canuckistan injures a cyclist. Cyclist injured in crash Driver hit a cyclist and then hit a power pole, then ran away from the vehicle? No that’s not suspicious at all.

Cyclist down in far West Canuckistan. Injured cyclist in James Bay aided by passersby, emergency crews One minute you’re riding your bike, and a fraction of a second later you’re on the deck with your bell rung, missing one or more teeth and your helmet busted.

Cyclist in West Canuckistan gets doored on camera. Video of cyclist getting doored sparks debate Fortunately the cyclist was not seriously injured in this wreck, nothing beyond getting shaken by the suddenness of the situation. One second there is a clear way to the right of the vehicle to get to the beg button, the next it’s full of passenger side door.

More on a wreck in Enn Zed. Police name cyclist killed in crash Well now we know who was killed, but not if he was hit.

It’s a wreck, not an accident. Stop Calling My Daughter’s Death a Car Accident I remember this wreck, the little girl was holding her grandmother’s hand when the grandmother was brushed back and the little girl run over while crossing in the crosswalk with the light.

Getting there any way possible sometimes means taking a bike. Avoiding Risky Seas, Migrants Reach Europe With an Arctic Bike Ride Any way you can.

And I’m outta links today. Program note, I have a D&D game tomorrow so there may not be a post.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Things are weird again, and the Feed

Things are back to what passes for “normal” here at WoaB World HQ in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell. In anyone else’s this would be slightly out of kilter, but for us it’s “just life”. Except for being out of coffee. I haven’t been this low on caffeine since the Great Coffeepot Meltdown of 2013, when we had 2 coffeemakers expire 2 days out of warranty each and I had to go without coffee for almost a week after the second one died. Now that was truly horrible…

Up first on an uncharacteristically light Monday Feed is this hit-and-run outside Houston. Pasadena PD investigating after cyclist found dead in front of bank I’m still trying to grasp what makes a broken bike, dead cyclist, and no driver remaining at the scene an “alleged” hit-and-run.

More on the left cross wreck of a driver turning through a paceline of 8 cyclists hitting 5 and now the death toll has risen to 2. 2nd cyclist dies 7 days after crash in northeastern Ohio I keep reading the cyclists were all well past the intersection and that the driver had crossed over into the oncoming lane of travel, but so far I have only seen one crime scene picture that corroborated that. I linked to that picture last week.

First of a long series of links from CA. Woman identified in crash involving bike, car People keep saying the teen driver in this case was not “distracted” and that he was a “good driver”. If that is in fact the case, this “good driver” deliberately ran into the back of a plainly visible cyclist in bright sunshine.

Cyclist hit during a time trial. Bay Area cyclist struck, killed near Esparto during event Nothing from this article on how the wreck happened.

I don’t know what to say about this wreck. Bicyclist Killed on the Milpitas-San Jose Border Cyclist was riding salmon at night, with no lights or reflectors. What was he thinking?

Our Daily Ted has Ted taking a Mental Health Day. Let’s call it a sick day Since I have done these a time or two (and eventually decided to take Saturday completely off and Sunday as a no-bicycle-links day) I can’t say as I disagree with the sentiment.

And of course you can’t make the dog quit hunting… Sidewalk cyclist killed in Cathedral City

Daily Ted, part 3. San Diego bike rider killed in foggy, early morning Mira Mesa crash after allegedly running red light

And just to show how poorly that Mental Health Day is working, part 4. Unidentified woman killed in Orange collision while riding in crosswalk

They’re still killing cyclists in FL. Ghost bike replaced to mark fatal date How bad are drivers in FL when a bike chained to the side of the road gets hit?

Drivers in KY miss the days when driver’s licenses were found in the bottoms of cereal boxes. Bicyclist Dead In Hit-And-Run Crash I’m sorry, those days are still here…

Another reported wreck where the cyclist was not paying full attention to the roads? Cyclist dies 4 days after being hit by bus That sounds an awful lot like a SWSS. I wonder if anyone reviewed the forward-facing camera footage? Because this sounds an awful lot like that wreck where the bus ran over the cyclists in CA, and the driver said she pulled over to pass and the cyclists “swerved in front of her”.

Serious wrecks outside of NYC. Bicyclist killed in Yonkers; arrest in Garrison crash Apparently Yonkers PD is no more competent than NYPD to their south. But at least in the second part of the story they arrested another driver for hit-and-run on a cyclist.

More from CA of a not-so-bad nature. Bike ride honors EMS personnel, stops in Vallejo

You know what would make this cool for the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell? Having enough bike lanes to make having a closure policy. Trail closure policy for construction and special events We have trails, but all they do is loop around whatever park they are placed.

A CT infrastructure demonstration. New bicycle tour of New Britain attracts 250 According to the guy who sent me this link they managed to hit almost every foot of bike infrastructure in the city with this tour.

A near-tragedy in far West Canuckistan. SUV crumples bike Sidewalk cyclist narrowly avoided getting hit by a driver not looking where the car was going.

Another ghost bike means another dead cyclist. Ghost bike left in memory of Montreal cyclist I hate Ghost Bikes. Not because I hate the sentiment behind them, the sense of loss, the casual waste of human life they represent. I hate the fact that every one that goes up means another cyclist has died by motor vehicle…

And we get another cyclist hit by a train on the same crossing as one was killed earlier this year. Edmonton police investigate collision between bicyclist and LRT train I have posted many, many times about how to not get hit by a train, but the simplest and still the most effective is the “don’t be there” method.

And now I’m out of links, thank [$DEITY].

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

The temperature in my office varies between 77 and 78 so why is my butt cold? and the Feed

One of the questions tormenting mankind it is. Either my thermometer is busted, or there is something that has seriously changed in my levels of temperature tolerance. I mean I’m the guy who used to wear shorts year around, now I’m getting cold in a room that is 77°F? That’s a large change of temperature tolerance, or maybe I’m just so heat acclimated that it will take a while to get ready for winter this year. I did notice that I now have a couple of pairs of shorts that fall off if I don’t pooch my tummy out to keep them tight all the time, so maybe I have lost some more body fat or my glutes don’t hang out as far as they used to. Either or both of those could result in my feeling cold because of a lack of internal heat generators or inability to keep the heat I generate contained in my body with insulating body fat.

This popped up again in the Feed. Ex-Episcopal church bishop who killed cyclist pleads guilty to manslaughter, drunken driving and Former Episcopal Church Bishop Who Killed Cyclist While Driving Drunk Pleads Guilty also Ex-Bishop Who Killed Cyclist Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter this too Ex-Bishop Who Fatally Struck Cyclist Pleads Guilty To Manslaughter I could have sworn I did this last month…

It only took two years and the building owners complaining about “squatters”. Police shut down notorious ‘Slabtown’ stolen bike chop shop Why is it they can get a half-dozen cops to run a stop sign sting when some busybody makes a single phone call, but a criminal operation that cops witness in operation goes two years without being able to shut it down?

Same state as WoaB but Kansas is closer than this wreck. Boy struck by vehicle moved to Houston hospital From the damage to the bike I’m going to assume the kid could have made it across the road had the weapon vehicle been doing the 35 MPH speed limit, because I didn’t see anything blaming the victim.

Meanwhile in TN. Bicyclist struck, killed by car in Sumner County and Woman killed while riding bike on Cross Plains highway Hit from behind wreck as the cyclist turned, or is that the next paragraph?

I know for sure this cyclist was hit preparing to make a left turn. Cyclist Struck, Killed In Henderson Co. and Cyclist killed in crash on U.S. 64 in Hendersonville also Henderson Co. Mother Hit, Killed While Riding Bike to Work Notice the cyclist is being blamed for not wearing a helmet or a glow-in-the-dark clown suit, while nothing was said about the drivers not driving according to conditions because they couldn’t stop when they saw her preparing to turn.

In OR two cyclists are hit at the same time by a blind driver. 1 cyclist dead, 1 injured in Newberg crash According to Google the wreck was 30 minutes before sunset and everyone was going west, with an elderly driver behind the wheel of the weapon vehicle. Unfortunately in situations like this cyclists are dependant on drivers doing the right thing and driving according to conditions, because there is nothing a cyclist can do to make herself more visible against the glare of the sun.

If I’m reading this report right the cyclist pulled out right in front of the weapon vehicle without activating the crossing signal. Eleven-year-old boy injured in bike crash The street view shows the switch to activate the crossing lights on a pole on the opposite side of the path from the stop sign, facing away from the path. To put it bluntly this was designed to get cyclists killed.

Some mixed news from IA. UPDATE: Police ID Council Bluffs bicyclist killed, driver arrested Cyclist getting killed = bad, killer getting arrested = good. Another hit-from-behind wreck because the driver failed to drive according to conditions.

I think it’s time for Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: New website seeks to undo Rowena road diet, and more news about kindhearted people

Still in CA. Brentwood: Bicyclist killed by suspected DUI driver ID’d as Brentwood woman Another driver and cyclist headed west, but this time about an hour before sunset.

He owns the championship-winning IndyCar team, he has one driver in the Chase and another who can win his way in, and teams contending for the USSCC in road racing, so he goes for a bike ride to relax. Chip Ganassi injured in bicycling accident I have to say that I didn’t have that much hardware when I broke 4 bones in my wreck.

A wreck in CT leaves a young victim and several people damaged by the wreck from a distance. Classmates remember Waterbury teen killed after being hit by car The only thing about this link that was the same when I filtered it is the URL.

From the really eastern part of the Great White North. Cyclist killed in collision in Sydney Since they aren’t blaming the cyclist on this one and it sounds like it may be an intersection wreck from the side… More Cape Breton Regional Police continue to investigate crash that killed cyclist

Update on another cyclist hit in the Great White North. Injured cyclist is recovering Just a reminder this was a SWSS wreck.

Two links to the same UK wreck at the same paper less than 18 hours apart. Norham Road collision: Man arrested after cyclist injured in North Shields and the later one Norham Road collision: Man due in court after cyclist injured in North Shields The first link makes it sound like a possible attempted murder charge, the second is “causing injury by dangerous driving“.

As more and more cyclists are injured by potholes in the UK, there inevitably comes the backlash against the people who failed to maintain the roads. Injured cyclist plans to sue council over potholes In the UK road users are allowed to sue local agencies in charge of maintaining the roads when they are not maintained.

I have to admit that I clicked on this link mostly to find out what kind of animal a sjambok was. Patrols after sjambok attack on cyclists Silly me, a sjambok is some kind of weapon, but I still don’t know what one looks like so I googled it and found this Sjambok

I think we have a winner for the hyperbolic letter of the year award. Letter: Bicyclists the ‘ISIS of rural roads’ Really, ISIS of rural roads? There must be a huge number of car/bike wrecks where everybody in the car died that I haven’t heard of.

Are you riding with the wrong cranks? Are shorter cranks better?

Rhetorical question: Are you ready to save the world? The World Could Save Trillions With Buses and Bikes

Last link is a different take on the Barnes Dance. Video: Pedestrians Turn Busy Intersection Into Dance Floor

And I feel like hell, again. I need to do something about this, maybe get a better chair?

Billed @€0.02, Opus