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

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Tomorrow will be wreck-free We had an OG grocery day, and the Feed

Let’s start with the program note first. I will be posting tomorrow, but I will not be posting anything from the Feed that has anything to do with a wreck. Nothing but good news and sunshine tomorrow. Consider it my gift to me that I share with you.

Second, that “OG” Grocery Day. That means that since our son was working the second worst day of the year for a grocery store and was not going to get off until late at night we had to walk to and from the store and only bring home what we could carry on our backs my back. I have a cargo bike that I still can’t ride because my neck is still not recovered from the ravages of “Chris Christy”.

Up first is another hit-and-run against a cyclist in the most deadliest state in the US to ride a bike. Woman on bicycle critically hurt in Vero Beach hit-and-run crash and Woman on bike injured in Vero hit-and-run crash That bike looks like it was hit from the right side at about 30 MPH. If the cyclist was northbound on the road was there a driveway she was passing when she was hit? I see one in the background but I don’t think the bike could have ended up where it did if that was the driveway in question. If you look at the left side of the picture there appears to be a bicycle headlight on the road, still lighted.

And I have NORAD Tracks Santa going in background while I compose this and I heard the strangest mashup I have ever heard. Vocal: Little Drummer Boy. Orchestra: Ravel’s Bolero. I commend their music person.

A wreck in CT. Ansonia Cyclist Badly Injured In Shelton A witness claims there was a silver Chevy involved, LEO are “said in a prepared statement there is no evidence to suggest a vehicle was involved.” So who are you going to believe, the cops or your lying eyes?

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Cyclist injured in apparent non-hit-and-run, and LA bicyclists appear to be fair game

Infrastructure from the Great White North. Cycling Infrastructure One of the Smartest Investments a City Can Make The cost per daily trip chart is staggering, at how little cycling infrastructure costs per trip compared to highways and transit.

A reason to be jolly in Jolly Olde. Robbery victim has no memory of harrowing attack – now crowdfunders raise enough to replace cycle

Another link to the pathetic sentence handed down for a drunken hit-and-run in the UK. Hit-and-run driver who left cyclist for dead banned from driving

This one’s from Oz. Hit and run drunk driver who killed cyclist in 2012 freed on parole The fact that the driver even spent any time in jail tells me this was taken as seriously as any bike wreck ever is.

And in Enn Zed, another hit-and-run. Driver flees after injuring a cyclist and Driver flees after injuring a cyclist

And I seem to have run out of links again, thank [$DEITY].

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Doing the Sunday post early because, reasons

OK, these are dangerous times. I mean really dangerous times, I have been THINKING!!!

I have been contemplating 2 seemingly unrelated problems that could be solved by combining them.

The first problem one that this blog mentions way too often, is drivers killing without repercussion, literally getting away with murder after running over a cyclist or pedestrian, sometimes leaving the scene and sometimes staying and claiming blindness as an excuse for killing.

The second problem is LEO shooting people in the streets for imaginary assaults.

What I’m proposing is that we use the second problem to solve the first problem. We have people in light armored vehicles literally using them as weapons against cyclists and pedestrians with no way of fighting back. Well we have a bunch of trigger-happy cops out there too, that could really use something they could usefully shoot at. My proposal is to give the cops semi-auto carbines chambered in .50 cal AP, sit them in sniper nests at intersections, and tell them they can shoot cars or trucks that endanger pedestrians or cut off cyclists. All they need to do is use a video recorder to prove the perp had it coming before they start shooting. I mean there doesn’t seem to be any way to keep these guys from shooting up the towns, why not have it put to good use? Have them shoot something that is an actual danger to real people out in the streets.

Of course you will still get the occasional nutcase shooting people for no good reason, but knowing that they will get stuck up away from people with nothing except a big gun and a camera that has to be turned on and recording all the time they have any ammo in their station will put a damper on the more bloody-minded of the bunch. And they will have the satisfaction of knowing they will be doing actual good protecting unarmed civilians against light armored vehicles. That’s why I specified the .50 AP ammunition for the carbines, that’s simultaneously the largest man-portable round that could be fired and the lightest single-shot kill against a motor vehicle.

While I’m making this proposal in somewhat of a jesting mode. I’m thinking that it might do some good if really enacted. Instant karma against dangerous drivers, and an outlet for shoot first and question the corpse LEO. The problem is there is never a cop around when you need one even when they are stationed over intersections, because you know that would be the one intersection in the city where drivers drive like they had sense.

On other fronts, Mrs. the Poet is trying to get Clint and Clyde to behave by being logical with them. Might I remind you that C&C are 11 weeks old at this point, and have no logic to appeal to? And besides, they are tiny kittens. Anywho it’s amusing to listen to her berate the kittens for getting into things and calling them “bad children” for not listening to her. And also for fighting, she’s yelling about them fighting each other especially the “chewing on heads” part of kitten-fighting. She’s either having fun, or losing it. I don’t have enough evidence for either conclusion.

Well, I have to get my stuff together for the Patron Pageant tomorrow evening so this breathless prose has to end.

Early PSA, Opus

My car is shipping east, and the Feed

According to the Amazon Package Tracker my model kit left Anaheim headed east in a slow semi trailer at 0508 PST, but my take is it went into said trailer at 0508 and probably is leaving as I type this. Now it is possible that they loaded the trailers yesterday and it left this morning but as I am always prepared for the worst while hoping for the best I’m gonna stick with “tossed into the trailer at 0508” scenario. That and the fact that I worked in such a facility many moons ago back when I was a strapping young poet with few marketable skills besides the ability to run a MS-DOS computer and muscles to here. And for those not old enough to remember MS-DOS was a text-based OS with a command line interface, and you had to remember the commands to use to get the computer to do things. And also which floppy disk was program and which one was data for that program. I’m going to let you Google what a floppy disk is. It was a dark time when the internet was still controlled by DARPA and BBS ruled the cyberscape… Again they are not supposed to have the package with my car here any sooner than Wednesday, and no later than next Monday, so there is still lots of time yet.

And 74 years ago today because of a paperwork error that caused Japan’s Declaration of War to be delivered late, Pearl Harbor was attacked without warning. When you read the links today you’ll know why I made “paperwork error” a thing in that paragraph.

Up first because FloriDUH! Driver ‘killed cyclist while receiving sex act from female passenger at the wheel’ There was a news outlet local to the wreck with another article about the wreck but oddly enough the web page was “not responding” when I tried to load the article… Now this definitely falls under the heading of “things cyclists have no control over”.

Closer to home, a convicted underage drunk driver is caught on video at a drunken party violating his parole. ‘Affluenza’ teen who killed four in drunk driving case seen partying it up in new video My loathing of this particular walking canker-on-the-ass-of-society is exceeded only by my loathing of the judge who accepted the “affluenza” defense and basically let him go.

Our Daily Ted expounds on crap bicycle parking amongst other things. Weekend Links: Deplorable Gold Line bike locker, distracted beach biking, and a 17-mile non-CicLAvia ciclovía

Meanwhile in NYC. SUV Driver Kills 30-Year-Old Woman On Fort Greene Sidewalk None of the charges reflect that he was driving on the sidewalk and hit 3 people, killing one.

Now in America’s Paradise they aren’t fooling around. Driver high on meth gets stiff sentence in cyclist’s death What I was heartened by were all the comments saying that the sentence was weak, not “stiff”. It makes me think that maybe killing a cyclist while sober will get treated the same way at some time in the future.

Now since this guy hit two people and killed one, maybe they put him away for a long time, too? Bicyclist Killed, Pedestrian Injured In Lawndale Crash Or maybe they just give the guy a stern talking-to and send him on his way?

What better way to honor a fallen cyclist than by replacing him or her with dozens more cyclists? Event honoring cyclist killed in Hanover donates 60 bikes to kids We are like they heads of the hydra… Only worse.

Over in KS another gorram hit-and-run. Cyclist injured in hit-and-run on Topeka Boulevard If the location given on the map embedded in the article is accurate, all I can say is “why?” That location was shown as the frontage road for the major road, and the cyclist was hit from behind, then left to fend for himself. Standard diatribes against hit-and-run “drivers” apply.

Infrastructure in MD. Montgomery County pushing forward with Bicycle Master Plan A plan with no budget is nothing.

And this article is why I don’t see anything from the preceding paragraph ever actually getting built. Davidsonville man spared jail time for assault on cyclist after crash Only a $142.50 and 15 hours in community service for assault with a deadly weapon, assault, and leaving the scene of a wreck? And the second assault was after he broke the man’s arm with the deadly weapon, meaning he had no way to defend himself. Has everyone in the damned court gone absolutely bonkers?

Meanwhile in Canuckistan. Friends of cyclist killed on rural Alberta road raising money to benefit widow and young daughters If you’re local to this WoaB strongly encourages contributing to the event.

In the same city, 2 links of infrastructure news. Cycle track complaints have significantly decreased, 3-1-1 data shows The only ones left complaining are the severely entitled drivers.

And whaddya know, build it and they will come. Women cyclists already surpassing cycle track targets They seriously understate the increase in women cycling going from 23% to 32% as an increase of 9%, my calculations are that’s a 39% increase in women.

First link from outside North America is a bit strange. Taxi driver and passenger assaulted by cyclist in Govanhill OK the cyclist beat up two people. Two questions” 1) How could he beat up people inside a light armored vehicle? I’m assuming the doors were locked while the vehicle was in motion. 2) There were 2 of them and only the one “of slim build” cyclist how did the cyclist manage to beat up two against one? And again they were inside a light armored vehicle while he was out in the weather. Methinks there is much more to the story than is presented in the press. The delay in reporting the incident also raises red flags.

In the meanwhile, this wreck is being treated as attempted murder. Police treating cyclist being knocked down as attempted murder and Cyclist in critical condition after collision which police are treating as attempted murder The driver attempted to run over a LEO while escaping the initial wreck, which led LEO to decide the wreck may have been deliberate and no “accident”.

And more on the idiot doing more than 50 MPH on a curve posted as safe for 30 MPH and hitting a cyclist on the opposite side of the road. Dangerous driver who killed Ormskirk cyclist jailed for two years The “I was being tailgated” excuse is as flimsy as a wet Kleenex.

But they let this guy slide almost completely. Driving ban and curfew for driver who killed cyclist Again I would put the “ban” in quotes because it’s only a ban if someone is checking on him. Otherwise it’s a minor inconvenience at worst because he has to driver exactly within the laws to avoid getting pulled over.

But in this case where the driver was a danger to other drivers… Dash cam footage of dangerous overtaking lands driver in jail in UK first No one was killed, or even injured in this incident, but the driver got 8 months behind bars and a 4 month longer driving ban than the killer in the previous paragraph. TANJ!

Meanwhile in Oz… Cyclist killed in collision with car at Bennett Springs and Male cyclist dies after being hit by car in eastern Perth suburb of Bennet Springs

And as insane as it sounds I have run out of links.

Billed @€0.02, Opus (I may switch that back to US$ if the exchange rate keeps changing).

No D&D today, and the Feed

I was supposed to go to a D&D game this afternoon, but once again the logistics didn’t work out and I’m stuck at home. There is a Friday the 13th Classic Monster Movie party at church tonight, I might go to that just to get out of the house. I have been trying to teach the fur kids that my legs are not to climb on with some success (after all they are just babies). I’m also playing that mobile phone game that hands out money as hard as I can. I’m almost a third of the way to my next $10 gift card, and ²/₃ of the way to my next $1 gift card (those are separate quests that are somewhat intertwined but require different things to accomplish). At this rate I shall reach my goals by Christmas.

Up first how about our Daily Ted? Morning Links: Bad news isn’t the problem, a Breeze-y day in SaMo, and bikes aren’t a priority in Beverly Hills

Aaand Daily Ted part two. BOLO ALERT: Driver of blue car fled the scene after dooring woman near Fairfax and San Vicente Thursday night

Still in CA we get Infrastructure. Safety at a crossroads The person who sent me this link pointed out the SUV using a bike lane to make an illegal left turn in the lead picture.

And more infrastructure from the same city (and newspaper). City officials grapple with who – and what – belongs on the beach bike path Here’s what I think belongs on the bike path: bicycles, tandem bicycles, e-assist bicycles, tricycles, tandem tricycles, e-assist tricycles, and velomobiles. And maybe skateboards and pedicabs. Definitely NOT Segways and hoverboards.

Over in Frisco, a bus takes out most of a block, including a cyclist. San Francisco tour bus crashes in Union Squre, multiple injuries This has to be the ultimate pinball wreck.

The legal infrastructure has been failing cyclists down in NOLA. Cyclists injured in hit-and-run accidents find minimal aid from police, state law TBH this is about what I expect from LEO in the deep south.

The AL restaurant where a cyclist bought breakfast regularly collects for her funeral. Bojangles employees raising money for funeral of customer killed while riding bicycle in Cullman

IL cyclist is killed JRA. Man Killed While Riding Bicycle in Joliet The narrative doesn’t say nor allow for deduction of the mode of the wreck. It does say there were multiple injuries that could have been the fatal injury so the plastic foam hat brigade is foiled in this one. Even if he had been wearing the perfect helmet that prevents every head injury he still would have been dead.

NYPD isn’t the only government agency blocking the bike lanes. Sleepy DOT Workers Block 2nd Ave Bike Lane To Take A Nap But you would think the guys that built the bike lanes would know better.

More infrastructure news from NYC. Plan For Amsterdam Avenue Bike Lane Met With Little Pushback From Residents Only one “I can’t stay in business without free parking in front of my store!!1!!”

Who died from motor vehicle violence in Staten Island? Heartbreaking profiles of 8 pedestrians, cyclist killed on Staten Island in 2015

Another link to the study that showed the best indicator of not getting killed is a pair of ovaries. Joint UBC, U of T study finds that women are less likely to be injured than men on their bikes No I’m not going through surgery to reduce my risk of getting hit.

Taking the lead from the insurance company lawyers the BC driver who ran into a cyclist head-on driving in the wrong lane. Driver accused in cyclist’s death denies responsibility for crash The comment section was wisely deleted from this article.

The Mounties got their man, or at least his car. Police seize vehicle in connection with Lorraine hit and run

Over in the UK they decide that a cyclist who was lighted and reflectored about 250% more than legal requirements was invisible. Cyclist, 42, died in accident on the A40 despite being warned not to ride on busy roads and Coroner: Lorry driver “would not have expected” to encounter cyclist he killed Yeah, I know.

Another cyclist hit in Enn Zed. Cyclist injured in Willis St crash Which just goes to show cyclists are more morally developed than drivers. How many times have I read comments along the line of “Given a choice of hitting a cyclist or hitting a car I’m hitting the cyclist”, and this guy picks a car over hitting a pedestrian.

And I’m out of links for the night.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Mrs. the Poet is out of town again, and the Feed

Mrs. the Poet decided she missed seeing the leaves turn colors as the seasons changed, so she’s taking a week to do some leaf-peeping on her relatives’ dime. So I’m batching it again for the next 8 days. Fortunately we have frozen pizza and ramen and plenty of dry beans and brown rice in the pantry, and since I’m the only one going to eat them I can make beans and rice as spicy hot as I want. So I will tomorrow. I had to make sure Mrs. the Poet had some spending money for her trip so I had to spend about 90 minutes going 7 miles round trip to the bank. But I got her the money and everything is hunky dory financially for her.

The Big Story today was the cyclist hit from behind by a bus in SF. Berkeley Cyclist Killed in Market Street Collision With S.F. Muni Bus and Cyclist Dies In Market Street Collision With Muni Bus also Muni Bus Hits & Kills Cyclist On Market Street [Updated] At this point I still don’t know what really happened except the cyclist fell and the bus ran him over from behind. We will all know more when the video from the bus is released, if it ever gets released.

Still in CA and still in SF. Cyclist Injured In Collision At Haight & Steiner The cyclist was observed by several witnesses to run a red light and hit an SUV waiting to make a left turn.

And still in CA our Daily Ted. Guest Post: A detailed look at commuting mode share in Los Angeles, and how bikes lanes fit in Gee I wish I could get guest posts instead of just leaving dead air when I can’t post.

Experiments in how to prevent bus wrecks ongoing in CA. Driverless Bus Testing Coming to Bay Area I don’t know how it would handle a bicycle falling over in front of it. The wreck from earlier this week would have been an interesting test for the AI.

Not out of CA yet. Cyclist Injured in Coast Highway Collision Survivable right hook situation, but only just barely.

Yep, more news out of CA. Murrieta Cyclist Killed by Suspected Drunken Driver in Lake Elsinore Another drunk runs another cyclist from behind 😛

Closer to home a cyclist rides up on a murder in progress on a bike path in Dallas. Cyclist witnesses man hacking at a jogger on a popular Dallas biking, jogging trail I have ridden this trail many times day and night and can vouch for how scary it is at night where the homeless people have broken the few trail lights. That underpass is especially dark and scary at night, and not all that nice during the day.

On the subject of cyclists and edged weapons, they grow some seriously hardy cyclists in KS. Lawrence man seriously injured in apparent stabbing, rides bike to hospital Yeah, that is like comic book tough there.

More on the OH cyclist killed in a hit-and-run. 70-year-old cyclist killed in hit-and-run and Lorain County fatal hit-skip witness: ‘The driver absolutely knew that he had hit this gentleman’ I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict that this driver has stated that instead of passing cyclists safely by slowing down and waiting for oncoming traffic to clear he would just run over the cyclist. I have seen too many people put that in public under their real names to not think it could happen IRL.

One of the good guys in the religious debates was hit by a car while riding his bike. Richard Dawkins debate organizer Larry Taunton injured in bike wreck The narrative sounds like a left cross wreck.

Over in MO we get a hit-from-behind wreck. Southwest Missouri bicyclist killed in collision with car Not much more information than that in the link.

Moving over to LA we get more information about that cyclist run over from behind on the shoulder of the road. Police identify cyclist killed in crash and Update: Baton Rouge police identify bicyclist struck, killed Sunday while riding on Plank Road; pickup truck driver accused of DWI Not much new information here.

Over in GA a cyclist is killed with a busload of school kids. Atlanta cyclist, 21, killed in collision with school bus and Bicyclist struck, killed on Ga. 400 Report is that this was a salmon cyclist going the wrong way on a freeway exit ramp for some reason. I just wish he hadn’t done it in front of a bus full of kids.

Moving up to MA. Cyclist seriously injured after pickup, bike collide on Bernardston Road Monday afternoon The wreck almost didn’t happen. Notice the lack of damage to the bike, the one good picture of the bike it looks like the chain is still in place. The driver in this wreck just barely tapped the cyclist. Kudos to the driver in this wreck on making it much less worse than it could have been.

This VT wreck was caused by a guy bombing a MTB trail and not knowing where the road crossings were. Cyclist injured after being hit by car in East Burke I know it’s fun, but you have to do a reconnoiter of the trail so you don’t go blasting through a road crossing in front of a car or worse.

When I filtered this NYC wreck they still didn’t know what happened. [UPDATE] Woman Killed By Tractor-Trailer Driver While Crossing Bushwick Street Now we know the victim was crossing with the light in the crosswalk when hit by a truck making a left turn.

Still in NYC, a person waiting at a bus stop is killed in a pinball wreck. Pedestrian Killed By Truck Driver “Didn’t Have Time To Run” SUV hit the truck, truck jumps the curb, the lady waiting on the bus is sitting on the bench where the truck went after it jumped the curb.

Hit-from-behind wreck in IL. ‘Incredibly energetic’: Belleville teenager riding his bicycle killed after car struck him I’m still trying to figure out how hitting a cyclist from behind is not a violation on the part of the driver.

Injury wreck in NV. Cyclist Injured in Accident With Car They say he ran the stop sign, but the geometry of the wreck says the cyclist misjudged the speed of the weapon vehicle. The bike was almost all the way across the intersection when the cyclist was hit.

Infrastructure changes at an intersection where a through cyclist on the main road was hit by a truck turning right. Improvements coming to intersection where bicyclist died Note that they don’t put a cop there to write ticket after ticket until the truck drivers stop running the stop sign at speed, they put in a bigger stop sign like the truckers couldn’t see the other one. And this one just floors me,”Carroll County asked the state to reconsider the bike route designation for Route 75.” Don’t make it safer for people who are using it, try to keep the bicycles away.

And final link is a bit of uncommon sense from Oz. More people will cycle when everyone accepts cyclists’ right to be on the road

And I’m done for today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Large hunks of links are from Twitter, and the rest of the Feed

It takes longer to filter, but I’m finding more and better links on Twitter than I do in my Feed Folder in my e-mail. I think that may be due to having humans directly sending me the links from the articles as they post. Whatever the reason, I’m glad I can give you better links than I used to.

Up first, LEO have found the driver who killed a cyclist earlier this week. PD: Police identify woman who struck, killed bicyclist in Pasadena They haven’t arrested her, just “talked” to her.

More on the cyclist killed in MN by a driver who crossed the entire road to hit him. UMD mourns staff member killed while bicycling in Hermantown and SUV fatally hits bicyclist in Hermantown heading other way on shoulder I’m still trying to figure out why the driver is not in jail for this.

Since we are in “old wreck” mode at the moment, more on the cyclist killed in CA during a time trial event. In the News: Cyclist killed by car in California TT race and CHP Finds a New Way to Blame the Bicycle Rider Yep, getting blamed for the driver that hit you in your lane is pretty low, even for the CHP. Seriously, what would Jon and Ponch say? More Cyclist killed in Esparto was experienced Foster City rider

Still in CA, a hit-and-run driver attempts murder when the victim catches back up to him. Driver charges at cyclist, carries him on hood and Caught On Camera: San Francisco Cyclist Ends Up On Windshield In Apparent Hit-And-Run So two hit-and-run incidents, one that might have only cost the driver a ticket for violating the 3-feet-to-pass law, and a second that might end up with assault charges.

Another AZ cyclist hit from behind in the bike lane. Bicyclist killed in northwest Tucson collision I have lost count of the number of cyclists hit from behind in the bike lanes of AZ this year, but it seems to be too common even if there were only two. The danger zone in this wreck was the mixing zone before the turn lane. The driver failed to yield to the vehicle in front (the cyclist) and killed the cyclist as a result. I know what will stop wrecks like this, but I don’t know how well it would fly in the current legislative climate. When you hit a cyclist you lose your car, 90 days if there was no or non-serious levels of injury, a year for transport to hospital wrecks, and forever if the cyclist dies from injuries or in case of hit-and-run.

Not a bicycle wreck, but indicative of what you could expect as a cyclist if you get hit. NYPD: “No Criminality” as Cab Driver Runs Over Kids on Bronx Sidewalk and TLC: Driver Who Hit Children on Bronx Sidewalk Works for Uber [Updated] The car went completely across the sidewalk and bounced off the building that a commenter stated was 20-25 feet away from the curb, and in the video I thought I saw the left front wheel pointed towards the camera which means the suspension was broken when it hit the curb. I estimate the vehicle speed at 40-50 MPH. But the NYPD doesn’t suspect any criminality for driving 40-50 MPH on the sidewalk full of kids… TANJ!

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Cedillo condemns calls for safer streets, Coronado madness round 3, and more bighearted people Cedillo needs to be charged as an accessory for all the people killed and maimed since he stopped the North Figueroa project literally days before it was to begin for no apparent reason. I still say follow the money.

A restaurant named after the great Eddy Merckx. The Cannibal, a restaurant and butcher shop coming to Culver City, with bike valet Free beer when you wear your bike kit into the establishment.

A CT cyclist gets injured and he’s the guy responsible for getting other people to live more healthy. Norwalk Director of Public Health injured in bicycle accident over weekend This sounds like a buzz job to me. Or maybe a “punishment pass” for daring to ride in the street.

There are good people in this world. Woman injured riding bike wants to thank stranger who helped her Fortunately they filled the pothole but unfortunately not until after her wreck.

Another buzz job in NC kills another NC cyclist. Cyclist dies in road accident Another driver driving too fast to stop in the distance he could see clearly blames the victim for not wearing a glow-in-the-dark clown suit with body armor.

If you are going to carry cocaine on your person, know that you don’t have to submit to a search until after you get arrested, and put some lights on your bike. Bicycle stop leads to cocaine arrest “The pill bottle contained 0.2 grams of powder cocaine” or not enough to get a chihuahua high, much less an adult human being.

Another Wounded Warrior ride north of WoaB. Injured Service Members Ride toward Recovery in Oklahoma’s Capital City If you’re in the area give these guys a cheer when they ride by.

A wreck in Oz involving two cyclists and a car and they can’t figure out who was where and which way they were going. Cyclists injured in Monaro Highway crash How crazy is that?

Also in Oz they have another wreck they are trying to decipher. Police appeal for witnesses after cyclist injured – Dora Creek

Last link, I’m sure you are the kind of person who always makes sure the quick releases on your bike are done up tight, but you brother-in-law hasn’t checked his since Clinton was in office so he might want to check this out. Thirteen bike companies recall models over disc brake/QR concern This is the same QR as the Trek recall only on other manufacturer’s bikes.

And I’m out of links again for the day. Grocery day tomorrow.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Another Grocery day, now with less money! and the Feed

Don’t panic, it’s not an emergency, the people who pay Mrs. the Poet’s retirement just changed the day they put the check in her account so we are a bit short of cash this month because some automatic drafts went through before the deposit. Everything will be cleared up by the end of the month, but we are running a bit on the short side right now. I’m just peeved because we weren’t warned about this ahead of time and now we have a bunch of bounced check fees to cover. Had we been warned we could have stopped the autopay transactions and avoided those bounced check fees, now we have to eat them, instead of the groceries we would have bought.

Up first, this has been a bad day for Ted. Daily Ted, part 1 It Seemed So Normal Morning Links: Fix the City sues to keep it broken, Seleta Reynolds talks Vision Zero, and still more kind people

Daily Ted, part 2 The Uglifying. Update: Arleta bike rider killed by suspected wrong-way DUI hit-and-run driver

Daily Ted, part 3 The Rear End. Early morning crash kills cyclist on PCH in Huntington Beach

Still in CA. Alcohol believed to be factor in bicycle crash While I’m no fan of Bicycling Under the Influence (BUI), notice how many people in this wreck were injured but not drinking… Gee it doesn’t look like any of the injured were not drinking, all of the injured were drinking or drunk. That’s why if there is a choice between drunk pedaling or drunk driving, leave the car behind for the bike.

And here you get two classes of criminal behavior in one act. Bicycling While Black Triggers Call to Police in Marblehead, MA Black people bicycling in our neighborhood!!1!!1!! [faints]

More on that rear-end wreck in OR. Newberg woman, 44, killed in car vs. bicycle crash; husband critically injured and Bicyclist Killed, Another Injured in Newberg Crash Still hit-from-behind, and crazy people blaming cyclists for being there to get hit..

Still in OR a wreck at an intersection. Cyclist injured in crash with pickup Either the bike or the truck ran the red, someone said it was the cyclist. This is why you always ride with a video camera recording front and rear at all times. Sometimes you miss the light changing.

Bouncing over to the other side of the country they actually charged a driver in VA for killing a cyclist. Hanover deputies arrest man for killing cyclist “He was charged with involuntary manslaughter, failing to yield to a bicyclist and possession of a concealed weapon.” Any bets that the only charge that matters was the last one?

Coming back half way, they finally charged the MI hit-and-run driver that killed a cyclist less than 10 miles into a 150 mile charity bike ride. Man charged in hit-and-run that killed cyclist

Jogging a bit west from that LEO can’t figure out why a cyclist was hit riding on the shoulder. Cyclist killed while riding on shoulder of Minnesota highway and Cyclist killed as riding on shoulder Even LEO in this one say the cyclist was completely in the right and still got hit.

Sliding over to CO they finally charged the driver that failed to pass a cyclist with his dump truck. Driver who killed Fort Collins cyclist appears in court And look at the charges on this one, just a few years after a similar wreck resulted in nothing against the driver for running right over a cyclist from behind. He didn’t even try to change lanes or slow down until impact. This is a huge improvement.

More on the TN wreck that killed a cyclist on 31W. Woman on bicycle killed in crash and Loved ones remember Cross Plains cyclist killed in crash Situational awareness people, that is what would have prevented this wreck.

A CT wreck leaves an injured cyclist. Planfield accident leaves bike rider injured At this point they don’t know what happened besides the cyclist was hit and hurt.

This NYC rider was apparently in the wrong place at the wrong time when some foo’ decided a crowded street was his shooting gallery. Dad shot dead while riding bike in Brooklyn: police

The person who turned himself in for a hit-and-run in West Canuckistan doesn’t resemble the witness report on the driver? Witnesses say Kelowna driver who critically injured cyclist was drinking, distracted and lied to police The guy in jail is 23, the guy witnesses saw was: “When the old man got out of the truck to see if Trevor was okay he smelled like alcohol.”

Our first infrastructure link is from MD. Baltimore Officials Continue “Master Plan” To Make Roads Safer For Cyclists Watch out they have a plan.

Which leads us to our second link. Will Third Time Be the Charm for Baltimore Bike-Share?

The people who blamed a cyclist for getting hit by a drunk driver wonder why cyclists get hit? Police, advocates combate rising cyclist crashes

And I’m outta links again, and it hurts again like everywhere. I have to get another chair, one with a little more back support. I know I’m alive, because every time I move it hurts. 😀

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

I was shanghaied Monday and the Feed is Huge

I was only supposed to be gone a couple of hours yesterday to create new characters for one of the D&D groups I play with that is starting a new campaign, over and done with by 1700 and home in time for dinner, but instead we got into debates about getting the best possible party and balancing the characters out against each other. This continued with point buy calculators going nonstop until everybody’s phones died and we had to quit about 2230. Anyway my Warlock died again last session as we had another TPK by cultists with mind control spells, except the one character who has so many ranks in hide and the hide-in-plain-sight feat that he is essentially invisible at will and who only joined the party for that session so not actually part of the party, just there when the rest of the party showed up. This time I created a Warblade character with huge hit points and incredible Dex, leading to a touch AC of 16 or regular AC of 20 and impossible to catch flat-footed unless unconscious so flat-footed AC is equal to regular AC. Part of my equipment includes +2 gloves of Dex that added to my already high Dex results in the Dex mod of 6. I also have a feat that adds another 2 to Dex for days when I’m going to not wear armor, like on diplomatic missions or other activities when armor is a faux pas, making my AC on those missions 17 touch 18 regular. My current status is part of the Town Guard near the site of the TPK, but on a provisional basis as a reservist when I’m not adventuring. I’m about to go off my reserve status as a monster has invaded the town…

Up first is a breaking story off my Twitter Feed. Ex-Bishop Who Killed Cyclist Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter Ten years for killing a person… And that is one of the harshest sentences I have seen for killing a cyclist in the US. I don’t know if I should be happy she’s getting one of the harshest sentences, or dismayed that 10 years for killing a cyclist is “harsh” when there are people serving life without parole for pot possession.

They are all stupid wrecks, but some moreso than others. Glen Allen woman killed in Hanover bike crash and Cyclist killed in Hanover called “a force for good” The cyclist was hit from behind on a straight road in the middle of the day. I can’t describe this in any other way than “stupid”.

This story is semi-local to me. Sorry, DWI Barbie car girl, drunken driving isn’t cute I hadn’t heard about this one before today, but there was a girl who lost her driving privileges after a DUI, not because a judge took them but because her daddy took the keys to the car back. Princess Spoiled Brat “protested” by driving a pink Barbie™ Jeep™ around campus because she didn’t want to ride a bicycle. I have nothing good to say about convicted DUI “drivers” who think they are “too good” to ride a bike on trips that a Barbie™ Jeep™ can do with ease. Take away the kid’s toy AND the bicycle and let her walk or die of starvation.

This one is a little closer and just as annoying but for different reasons. Mother speaks out on son killed in car/bicycle crash Same old story, LEO with windshield bias ignore evidence that cyclists are riding within the law because of imaginary laws that they think say cyclists shouldn’t be there to get hit.

Here’s a little Daily Ted because I need to cool off a bit before getting into the “other” parts of the feed. Morning Links: NY Times fumbles LA’s Mobility Plan, anti-Rowena road diet petition, and a CicLAvia sneak peek

A WI cyclist is killed but nobody is talking about the wreck. Cudahy man dies after he was struck by vehicle while riding a bicycle in Franklin and Cudahy man, 51, killed while bicycling in Franklin also Cudahy father killed riding his bike hat last link says it was a hit-from-behind wreck and the cyclist was lighted and reflectored far beyond legal minimums. And they can’t decide if the driver did anything wrong. TANJ! If the cyclist was hit from behind like that, the driver always did something wrong, especially in states with minimum passing clearance. This is lazy police work, pure and simple.

From the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike, a survivor. Boy,12, riding bike struck by vehicle in Lake Worth Oh, that explains it, he was hit riding in the parking lot of a C-Store. Getting hit at 10 MPH and below is only about 2% fatal.

Also in FL. Bicyclist critically injured after being hit by ambulance If the ambulance hit the cyclist on his right side he was more than halfway through the intersection, why do they think he ran the stop sign?

Another hit-from-behind, this one in VA. Family friend: Carrie Wortham, woman killed riding bike, made huge difference and Community mourns death of cyclist killed in Hanover crash This was a person who gave from the heart and was one of us. I am saddened to see her go,

Another DUI wreck in CA (this is why I’m so pissed at the DUI Princess in that article above). Cyclist killed by man who was arrested for drunk driving

Why? She was on a group ride, it’s not like she was invisible. Des Plaines woman riding bike struck by car, killed in Aurora If I’m reading this right she was crossing the road from a bike path or MUP and the traffic controls were either set improperly, or the sightlines were such that the rider was unable to complete her crossing.

LEO in NC are leaving no stone unturned in trying to blame this cyclist. Bicyclist dies in traffic accident on Highway 194 The picture of the weapon vehicle in impound with driver’s side front damage raises 2 questions: Which way was the cyclist hit, head on or from behind, and 2) since both vehicles were in their correct lanes how was the driver not at fault in this wreck? Blaming the rain is just another way of excusing the driver for not driving to conditions.

More than 500 riders in two different locations turn out for memorial rides. At least 500 cyclists honor Birminghamian who was killed last week while cycling and 500 rally in memory of bicyclist killed on the road When I filtered that first link there were several comments about all the cyclists on the road on the tail end of rush hour bolluxing the traffic. I just think they probably would not get 50 people to show up, much less 500. Anywho all the comments were removed.

A wreck just down the road from my in-laws. Update: Police ID LaGrange cyclist injured on Union Vale road Notice the quickness to blame the cyclist for being there… Then again this is NY State, where the cyclist is always wrong unless there is video.

Another link to a wreck from last month. Friend says Hammond cyclist killed in August was safety-minded

Another SWCC wreck with two injured, one fatally. Man killed, woman hospitalized after pickup hits bicycle

I can NOT relate how angry this link leaves me. Granville veterinarian dies in car-bicycle crash The cyclist was hit head-on by a sleeping driver around 1500. Was the driver a third-shift worker out too late?

IA is regarded as a decent but not exceptional state to ride a bike, but lately those with dogs on the fight have noticed there are more wrecks than there should be. Why does Iowa have so many bike-car crashes? Because you have a state full of Faux Nooz watchers? No? How about you have a bunch of spoiled brats who never learned to share and now are incensed that there is someone else using the roads?

Up in the Great White North another cyclist is splatted. Cyclist suffers life-threatening injuries after being struck by car in St. Catharines and St. Catharines cyclist seriously hurt in collision I call this a SWSS wreck, because there’s only the driver’s word on what the cyclist did and we all know how well drivers process the existence of a cyclist in front of the vehicle.

And if you’re falling-down drunk, you might want to wait a while before riding your bike home. Intoxicated cyclist struck, injured in Newmarket

You know when you pass a cyclist too close they get a little hyper? Driver hit in the face with rider’s helmet in road rage outburst I mean look at the evidence: “I got out and he swore at me and said people like me get cyclists killed. He then took his helmet off and smacked me in the face.” There were three other vehicles that passed before the one with the assaulted driver, and then the driver had to slam on the brakes to keep from hitting the cyclist. That is not how to do a safe pass. But don’t hit the driver with your helmet even when he gets out of the car to have an argument with you after almost killing you.

And dude, no, just no. Bicycles Don’t Belong on Busy City Streets The wrongness just oozes and drips from every word in this article. Seriously, I have been cycling since LBJ got sworn in and I’m wondering about all the taxes that I wasn’t supposed to pay. Where can I apply for the refund? That’s almost 50 years of refunds due…

And I’m outta links and patience and my back is killing me, I’m going to tag but not proof this because I have been staring at this computer for like 14 hours and I want to have a lie-down.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Full Moon, and the Feed

I’m going to go to the Full Moon service at church tonight between filtering and posting, because it’s the Blue moon and because that is just something we do, celebrate the Full Moon. And before I do that I was invited to a D&D session, so this will probably go up very late. Back from the Moon, not a good service as the group that had been doing the services for the church removed the event from the Google calendar for the church but didn’t tell anyone about it, and nobody has been replying to texts or phone calls. The people who showed up did a quick and dirty blessing of the moon and went home. At least we had a good time at the D&D game.

Up first is Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: The Feds look at road diets, including three LA area case studies, though LADOT’s stats falls flat This link shows the importance of gathering good before and after data when doing a bike project. This kind of data is readily available going back decades for motor vehicles, almost nonexistent for bicycles.

The Big Story for today is the charity cyclist killed by a drunk texting driver across the state line from WoaB World HQ. Man Bicycling Across America Killed In Oklahoma Wreck and Distracted Driving To Blame For Fatal Crash In Washita County also Cross-Country Cyclist Killed, Another Injured After Being Hit By Distracted Driver this, too Cyclist Killed After Helping Tulsa Habitat For Humanity last link Cell phone distraction to blame in death of charity cyclist Basically it boils down to this: driver not paying attention to the road and only enough right-of-way to pave two lanes, one in each direction, plus a few rolling hills and BANG! two cyclists are hit from behind on the only route through that area. They were on what was reported to be a low-traffic route but it only takes one distracted driver to make a low-traffic road a death trap.

This is why hit-and-run needs to be treated like attempted murder. Second teen cyclist hospitalized after Metairie crash involving cabdriver And this is why any wrecks not reported need to be treated as a hit-and-run. The driver did not render aid, he threw money at the kids and left the scene. One of the kids had a broken hip. That is not something you get up and walk away from a wreck with. Second kid had a brain injury that kept him from thinking clearly at the wreck and went untreated until his mother took him to the ER. The driver needs to be taken into an alley and whacked with a frame pump a few dozen times about the head and shoulders.

In CA what had been reported as a salmon cyclist earlier has been changed. Cyclist hit by car suffers serious head injury The updated link now says only that the wreck is being investigated. I was thinking that the damages to the car and bike did not look like the results of riding salmon. Apparently the witness report has been discounted as unreliable now.

Good news as the GA cyclist who almost died when a road-raging cager made multiple passes in order to finally hit him returns to work over a year later. Injured cyclist Greg Germani returns to the airwaves Yay!

Aftermath of a FL car wreck with a bicycle. One Lee County bike crash changes many lives forever This was the wreck that I posted should have been charged as attempted murder after the driver said “I should have hit them harder”. Amazingly it wasn’t even charged as assault with a deadly weapon.

Another deadly wreck in IA leaves us with few answers. Riceville woman on bicycle struck, killed by car and Female bicyclist killed in Mitchell County IA has a minimum clearance passing law, but it is seldom invoked when a cyclist is struck from behind.

Today’s winner of the “crap infrastructure” tag. Injured bicyclist files $13.5M claim against Pima County The speed limit on that stretch was way too high to use a right turn mixing lane, by about 10 MPH. That design is intended for mixing low-speed motor vehicle traffic up to about 30 or 35 MPH. In addition there is supposed to be a sign instructing drivers to yield to cyclists when crossing the bike lane. That particular intersection was designed so that motor vehicles making a right turn did not have to slow below 20 MPH when making a protected right turn.

The PGH works to become more bike-friendly. More bike lanes coming to Oakland streets I just hope those bike lanes don’t turn into sharrows. Sharrows are the abstinence-only sex ed of bicycle infrastructure, you’re spending money and seem to be making the effort, but in reality you are not doing anything.

A Ghost Bike in MS. Ghost Bike Memorial Honors Pascagoula Cyclist

Another reminder that MI cyclists have to follow the same rules as motor vehicles, except when they don’t and have to pull off the road. Rules of the road

More on a wreck in the Great White North. Driver Charged After Cyclist Seriously Injured In Huron County Crash and Charges laid after cyclist injured If those are not the same wreck then it is an incredible coincidence that two women on triathlon bikes were hit by drivers failing to move over to pass.

And a little infrastructure news from the Great White North. Market St. Bicycle Corridor to provide an east-west trail linkl This is supposed to connect two bike paths/lanes that had hitherto been marooned amid hostile automobile-centric infrastructure.

Should bicycle infrastructure make cyclists less likely to get hit? Cycling fatality suggests safety be re-examined I say not just yes, but “Hell, yes!”

Also from the Great White North comes this review of a documentary. Bikes vs Cars: Documentary cycles through the motions without a theme When you try to be “too fair” to cars, you end up with a film that doesn’t really say anything about the problem of too many cars.

There isn’t any bias against cyclists in the UK legal system /s. Cyclist fined for leaving toddler with cuts and bruises after he hit her and rode off Compare this wreck where a cyclist hits a child and causes minor abrasions (admittedly painful but not life-threatening) to the cyclist killed by a driver failing to see him as he drove into the bike lane and hit the cyclist from behind. Cyclist hit the child in May and the trial was completed by the end of July, less than 3 months after the wreck. Driver hit the cyclist in 2013 and brought to trial in 2015, almost two years after the wreck. Cyclist was fined £829. Driver got 100 hours of community service for killing a cyclist, and 3 points on his license.

So, basically they will be ignored completely then? Tessa Jowell promises police ‘will enforce London’s 20mph zones like 30mph ones’

Yep that helmet really protected him… NOT. Injured cyclist: ‘My arm landed about 20ft away from me’ OK helmet in two pieces means the helmet failed to function in the job of protecting the rider’s head, and the severed arm? Yeah, it did about the same job there. And yes I’m being extra snarky tonight because my butt hurts from this chair, and I’m tired.

Some people get the message. Minister backs campaign to protect cyclists on Manx roads

And If I understand this article, the Bafang factory team won a 24 hour e-assist bike race. TEAM BAFANG WINS AT THE 24 HOUR E-BIKE RACE AT THE NURBURGRING IN GERMANY There is some stuff in this that screams “machine translated”. Like every paragraph.

And that’s it, I’m all done.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet