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

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

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

Grocery Day again, and the Feed (now with more raisins)

Yeah, I have no idea what that means except I’m still loopy from posting after 0300 this morning. But today is the day I restock my comestibles. Which reminds me I need to check on my special card deals before I leave for grocery shopping. I had some very strange dreams after finishing the blog post last night… Let’s just say that if this was a prophetic dream like I sometimes have I have some relatives I didn’t know about. Which can be a good thing.

Up first is part 1 of Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Killer OC hit-and-run driver jailed, Westwood Blvd bike lanes threatened, and Beverly Hills lanes fail

And Part 2 of Our Daily Ted. San Diego-area bike rider killed when minivan driver drifts into bike lane [facepalm] Another one hit from behind in the bike lane.[/facepalm]

More Ghost Bikes in AZ. ‘Ghost Bikes’ placed on State Route 95 after deadly accident There was one comment that really needed the writer slapped because of that comment, the one about cyclists having to swerve around the Ghost Bike and into traffic when the bike was chained to a guardrail at least a foot off the shoulder of the road.

“Nice guys” can get you killed on the roads. Injured cyclist sues well-intentioned driver who waved, allowing truck’s driver to turn and hit her The “nice guy” in this case directed oncoming turning traffic directly into the cyclist going straight through the intersection with the right of way. Other “nice guys” direct cyclists to cross when they don’t have the right of way getting the cyclist hit by a car going through the intersection with the right of way. Fortunately the driver who directs traffic that causes a wreck is partially at fault in any wreck from that directed movement in the state of OR.

While we are in OR, here’s something from BikePortland. Talk of a disastrous earthquake got you down? Just keep on biking As was pointed out elsewhere, when the earthquake hit Fukushima for weeks and some places months after the quake the only ground vehicles moving were bicycles because those were the only things that did not depend on a perfect road or railbed, and also not dependent on fossil fuels which had to be shipped in from outside the country.

A witness to cop car/bike wreck says there were 2 cop cars. Motorist describes accident involving bicyclist, police cruiser All I know for sure on this one is the cyclist died.

Another reason to not ride on the shoulder of the road. Bicyclist killed in collision with garbage truck in Exeter identified I suspect the reason the cyclist “fell over” had to do with the construction project leaving dirt and trash in the shoulder. The subsequent secondary collision with the garbage hauler was just topping on the cake.

Moral of this link is even when you get right hooked by a truck violating your right of way, if you are over the limit on BAC%, it is your fault. Vacationing Woman Was Intoxicated When Killed In Bike-Truck Collision: Police

Earning to day’s “crap infrastructure” tag is this bike lane. Mayor says it’s time to scrap Central Parkway bike lane The biggest problem is they tried to do it on the cheap and also not reduce parking, which resulted in what would be double-parking in the traffic lane and people hitting parked cars. Simple solution for this is remove the parking from the areas where people are running into the parked cars. And cite all the drivers who hit the parked cars with violating the basic speed law that requires drivers to be able to stop in the distance they can see clearly.

A driver in West Canuckistan finally pleads guilty to killing a man back in 2012. Woman pleads guilty in impaired driving death of Maple Ridge cyclist Wow only 3 years after killing the guy, what’s the rush? 😛

Since when has a traffic death ever made any sense? Family calls cyclist’s death ‘senseless’ Seriously, stuff like this with children instead of adults is why the Dutch got their bike infrastructure. See “stop the Kindermoord” on Google.

This is just a nightmare. Cyclist died in hospital five years after lorry overtaking him knocked him off his bike He never left a hospital except to be transferred to another hospital for treatment for five freaKING YEARS!!!

Last link is from Oz again. Accused hopes hurt cyclist recovers Yeah, because if he doesn’t recover that will cause the charges to be upgraded severely and make the punishment that much worse considering she was drunk and left the scene of the wreck.

And now I’m “all done” until tomorrow.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

I’m including a funny link today that had nothing to do with bicycles, and the Feed

OK I was sent this link from the source, and I thought it was freaking hilarious, especially the funny looks the marchers gave the guy playing the Sousaphone… and the other comments from people walking with them… See? I DO have a life outside of bikes and D&D. Kinda sorta. I mean it’s a “life” like ramen is “food” right?

Up first is Our Daily Ted because Why Not? Morning Links: Suit filed in death of Granada Hills teenager; Biking Black Hole considers SaMo Blvd bike lanes

I’m “sceptible” of this article about the PROK. Un-icyclists rejoice: North Korea installs bike paths throughout Pyongyang as pedal power grows in popularity among citizens Let’s just say that some (most?) of the pictures look like Photoshop or the people in them do not look even remotely Asian, so probably fake.

Remember that guy that basically scraped a cyclist across a brick wall and spun the tires off the rims of the weapon vehicle? Well the media outlet that blamed his drug cocktail on pot has another article about the story. $250,000 bond for driver in fatal bike crash Reefer Madness was disproven years decades ago dudes, you lost, let it go.

Another driver three sheets in the wind when they hit a cyclist makes a stupid claim about the cyclist. Driver pleads not guilty to DUI in crash that killed cyclist And LEO insist that a 0.12BAC% and prescription drugs had nothing to do with the driver hitting the cyclist from behind, that it was the cyclist’s fault for “pulling in front” of the drunken spouse of a LEO.

Update on that cyclist injured by a hit-and-run driver on a charity ride in OH. Family of VeloSano cyclist injured in hit-and-run issues statement and Bicyclist injured in hit-skip during VeloSano ‘Bike To Cure’ event recovering I’m still trying to figure out how the cyclist failed to yield when there were no witnesses and the driver left the scene, it could just as easy been a driver turning onto the road where the cyclist was hit from either direction of the road he was riding on, left cross or right hook.

OH just was not the place to be on a bicycle this past weekend. Cyclist Injured In Hit And Run Not much on the second wreck but plenty on the hit-and-run that sounds like a buzz job gone very south.

This sounds like someone got beaten up and robbed. Police trying to identify woman found in Milwaukee park No cars in the area and the woman was missing her wallet and phone when she was found with facial wounds and bruises.

CO has a dangerous infrastructure and attitude problem that has gotten several cyclists killed. Kechter I-25 overpass dangerous stretch for cyclists You can see the infrastructure in the pictures with the article, and read about the attitude problem in both the article and the comments to the article.

They caught the GA driver doing doughnuts in the middle of the street and jumping the curb to hit a sidewalk cyclist in Hotlanta. Alleged Hit-and-Run Driver Kills Atlanta Cyclist and Suspect charged in fatal hit-and-run crash with Atlanta cyclist The driver appears to be caucasian and was injured in the wreck. There is a possibility the driver may have been under the influence of some intoxicating substance at the time but there are no reports verifying the truth of that statement from early on in the story.

From the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike, these kids survived. Girl, 7, boy, 11, injured when pickup strikes bike in Zephyrhills Other than blaming the kids for not stopping at a stop sign there isn’t much to report in this wreck.

A little NY state legal infrastructure under construction. These Four Bills Do Deserve a Vote in the Assembly I don’t see what the holdup is on some of these bills, especially the one on making NY e-assist laws comply with federal regulations defining an e-assist bike. That was passed early in the BushII administration, shortly after 9/11 and we are approaching 14 years since that. And I still don’t see what the problem is for raising the sentencing for killing while driving without a license, that just seems like a no-brainer.

Some good news from the Great White North. Critically Injured Days Apart, London Cyclist, Skateboarder Both Out of Hospital I’m glad they are both on the mend and doing as best as can be expected.

I know I’m getting tired of refuting these lame memes, how about the rest of you? 5 Anti-Bike Arguments That Should Be Retired

Last link, two new battery chemistries for EV and e-assist bikes. Challenging Lithium-Ion Batteries With New Chemistry The Lithium/Sulfur is more energy-dense, but the sodium ion has the advantage of being able to run all the way to flat without damaging the cells and being cheaper. Which one will win? Who knows, certainly not me.

And today wasn’t too bad, I only felt like gouging my eyes out over one link.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet @opusthepoet

Glad I dodged that bullet, and the Feed

Remember that camping trip I was going to go on and couldn’t? They are under a severe weather watch/warning for the second day in a row, and I’m reading reports that some camps have already been inundated once by flash floods with more wild weather forecast for tonight. I’m kinda glad I’m not in that weather tonight. I don’t mind getting wet in the rain but I prefer to enjoy communing with Nature while I’m warm (not hot) and dry. So anyway, it’s nasty out there and I’m not there to experience it.

Up first, I have been feeling a bit stressed because I haven’t been able to ride, so I can really relate to this video. SHED THE MONSTER I can vouch that a good bike ride is good for dealing with stress. Feeling angry? Go for a bike ride.

Followup to that article about the appeal of the weak sentence for killing a cyclist. Novi man’s jail term in fatal cyclist crash challenged Like I wrote yesterday, one year in county jail for killing a human being is ridiculous.

The drunk driver that ran head-on into a cyclist had drunk friends in the car. Passenger in fatal bicycle-car crash facing charge I am unsurprised that a chronic alcoholic has alcoholic friends.

The UK is starting to administer more severe sentences to killer drivers. Jailed: Man who killed cyclist, 26, in hit-and-run crash in Clapham and Careless BMW driver, who evaded police for five months, jailed for killing cyclist in Clapham crash Three years and four months I suspect is mostly for trying to hide the evidence. Consider the MI case posted above with the one year in county compared to the 3¹/₃ years in this case…

So what do you do when the infrastructure runs into you? Cyclist injured in collision with Bixi truck near La Fontaine Park The truck is part of the Bixi system in Montreal, that takes bikes from where people leave them to where people need them.

More on the failure to change deadly infrastructure before it killed again. Cyclist death: Why did Westminster Council put the brakes on safety scheme?

The politics of cycling in the UK. Election: What the political parties are saying about cycling Not going to make any suggestions here, but the Greens seem to have a better grasp of the situation with the UKIP seeing conspiracies on every bike path. There are many issues in every election, bike infrastructure is just one of them.

Looking at the lead picture it is indeed a wonder that nobody has been killed there. ‘Coldharbour needs to slow its cyclists’ says husband of hospitalised pub landlady See that doorstep only inches from the street? She stepped off that and got hit. I’m sorry injured pedestrian, but where you got hit you are screened from view until you step on the street. But, I will reiterate DON’T HIT THE PEDESTRIANS!

This wreck was made to sound a lot worse in the headline than what actually happened. Two-year-old puppy dragged along pavement by cyclist As was pointed out in the comments a 2YO dog is not a puppy, and the wreck happened when the bike got tangled up in the extended lead which was invisible in the dark.

And a little UK lifestyle. Tiverton cyclist takes on the Big Battlefield Bike Ride to give Help for Heroes

Nothing like victim blaming/shaming to get more people riding bikes. /s Getting back on the bike? Responsible riders recognize the rules of the road Another “safety” article that most prominently mentions helmets…

With all the years FL LEO have been doing this ride you would think they would have more empathy towards cyclists. Florida Tour de Force bike ride helps fallen officers’ families

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Are we having fun yet? and the Feed

Today is Grocery Day again, and we saved a whole lot of money on “stuff” because I’m on a diet until I get enough money to rebuild Blue. I was nearly 220 at the doctor’s office on Monday and all the extra weight is causing other issues with my legs and feet. So I’m deleting all the soda and salty snacks from my diet as well as other things I used to nibble on from time to time. Since I can’t get more exercise until I can see where I’m going I have to go the other route and restrict caloric intake, or to use the vernacular, “Stop stuffing my pie hole!”

On the “See where I’m going” front, I have an appointment Tuesday for an MRI to see how big and/or invasive the thing on the back of my neck has become. This office is even further away than the PCP, I have to walk by that office about a quarter-mile to get to the imaging center. That means about 2 miles round trip on foot with no sidewalks from the closest bus stop to the imaging center. I’m hoping for good weather but late March in Texas is a crapshoot on weather.

Up first today is a double update on the “reflective clothing” bill in OR. Reflective clothing mandate, other bike bills up for hearing in Oregon house – UPDATED and the update to the update Oregon House Rep gives up on mandatory reflective clothing bill This bill was completely gutted with all the original language removed. “HB3255 bill will not be moving forward in its original form, and will have nothing to do with reflective clothing. The bill will be amended to fully delete its original language, and only require a red light to be visible from the rear of the bicycle at night. This is an amendment to the existing law for bicycle equipment requirements, ORS 815.280 (http://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/815.280). Current law already requires a rear reflector at night.” There is a link in the article to the full text of the bill.

Are you a bike hacker? BICYCLE CONTEST Make something awesome, take step-by-step pictures that someone else could use to figure out how to do it themselves, write instructions that fill in the gaps not covered by the pictures, submit, and with a little luck “Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!”

Another follower of WoaB is probably a better writer than I am. Barging in TriBeCa, a Top Gear boor – and why I’m proud to be a Roundhead worrywart See I’m mostly a stream of consciousness writer when I’m not writing fiction, or translating Geek to English, but this guy can actually write with historical references and everything.

Our Daily Ted touches on a few sensitive topics today. Morning Links: Justice for San Diego thrill kill victim, Griffith Park feeder ride, and CD4’s Ryu finally responds Seriously, that guy that killed the cyclist in SD was a real stupid git, all he needed to do was hit the cyclist from behind and either claim he “swerved outta nowhere” or that the cyclist was invisible (I didn’t see him) before the wreck, et voila random murder without consequences beyond a little sheetmetal work and a new paint job paid for by insurance. But no, he had to pass the cyclist, stop and get out and shoot the cyclist with a shotgun, the idiot.

Something I have been advocating for a while and wish had been available when I was hit in 2001. Cyclists mounting cameras on bikes for their protection Seriously a rear-facing camera would have gotten at least the basics of what happened possibly even a license plate number as well as the make and color of vehicle that hit me and documentation of the damage sustained by the weapon vehicle. Instead I get months of flack from the LEO assigned to my case and nothing in the way of justice.

More on the cyclist killed by a dump truck driver while she was on a charity ride. No charges in Ride the Rideau crash that killed cyclist, police say I’m not sure I remember this wreck correctly out of the thousands I have covered but I think the cyclist was either left-crossed or right hooked in the wreck, both violations of the Highway Act, but apparently not applicable if the victim was riding a bike.

After another call for bicycle licenses for riders by candidates for alderman in the Windy City, someone dredges up actual facts about the subject. Why Bicycle Licensing (Almost) Never Works The only way it works requires changing the laws on retail sales statewide and somehow closing borders to bringing in bikes from out of state. So, nope, not gonna work in Chi-Town. For all those thinking that bicycle registration or rider licensing is such a good idea, why not require a Chicago -specific driver’s license? After all there are special Chicago laws for driving that drivers need to know about, so why not make sure people know about them by charging a couple of thousand dollars to take a test before entering the city limits?

And this tasty tid-bit from OR. Bike theft ‘kingpin’ admits crime to local TV reporter The problem is fueled by people buying the stolen parts cheap, because, duh, they are stolen. Stop the trade in stolen goods and you cut the problem off at the knees.

Some Portland infrastructure that does not pass the CROW manual test. Another use for green? City adds bike refuges at SE Ankeny/Sandy/11th I know, something had to be done, and there was (next to) no budget to do it. But I’m getting disgusted with the whole process that doesn’t actually get more butts in bike seats and only marginally improves safety for people already riding bicycles.

Another link to the driver that got out of his car to commit attempted murder in Jolly Olde. Police hunt driver who punched cyclist who was then hit by oncoming car Seriously, this guy could have gotten someone killed or permanently injured. He needs to be found and then held without bail as a danger to himself and others.

Why are they installing bollards in the middle of a car-free space? Cyclist’s fury at ‘unnecessary’ new posts which knocked him off his bike in Redhill Not just bollards but black bollards that are almost invisible in low or flat light. I would be incensed as well even if I didn’t get hurt in the incident.

One of the Good Guys. Hero cyclist foils mugging gang by chasing them on his bike… while filming them flee

The survivors of a deceased cyclist go for a “sue ’em all, one will crack and testify against the rest” strategy. Family of cyclist killed in Stanley Park files suit This was an unnecessary wreck, there is plenty of room for a bike lane in each direction in the street, that sidewalk is way too narrow to use as a MUP, and the speed limit is too high. Also there were pedestrians that may have caused (pushed) the cyclist to leave the sidewalk. That has been my theory from the get-go.

Justice or Just Us? Hong Kong court rules murdered cyclist deserved what he got The cyclist was hit head-on by a driver attempting to pass a vehicle going the other direction and who had a driving record that to put it bluntly stunk to high heaven.

Eulogy for a cyclist. ‘Everything about him spelled New Orleans,’ says family of cyclist killed in Terrytown

And I think I have run out of links or sanity, one or the other.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

In recovery mode, and the Feed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Lots of infrastructure news today, and the Feed

First off let me say that I went and did two personal PM errands today. First thing I did was to stop at my local nail spa and get my toes done. I have mentioned this before but I can’t get all the toenails trimmed on my left foot because the nerve damage makes the toes do weird things when I bend over and try to cut the nails. Basically I just can’t get the toes to unclench so I can get the clippers to the nails on the last 2 or 3 toes. Sometimes I can get that 3rd nail, sometimes not.

While I was at church tonight we had a man with a bullhorn show up across the street yelling at the Pagan Fellowship group about how we were lost and our journey could end if we would just accept Jesus. I took a picture but so far it has failed to show in my inbox to share.

Up first is a dumbass who failed the firearms handling course about as bad as you can fail it. Florida Cyclist Dies After Gun in Pocket Goes Off Accidentally I don’t know why he was packing heat (I have a suspicion that he was going to see if SYG applied to cyclists threatened with death or injury by motor vehicle, but that is just speculation on my part based on personal experience), but the reports all seem to say the gun discharged “by accident” while in his shirt or jersey. More Police: Florida man riding bicycle is killed when handgun in jacket pocket accidentally fires OK that one changed between filtering and composing, they now say it was in a jacket instead of his jersey.

More on the victim of a hit-and-run in Chuck SC. Bicyclist who was killed in North Charleston was doing everything right, family says Apparently a hit from behind on a guy lighted like the proverbial Christmas tree with 3 rear-facing blinkies. Seriously, this has all the hallmarks of a murder by motor vehicle. I’m betting that when they catch the guy he “didn’t see” the cyclist and “didn’t know” he hit anyone.

We get a two-fer on Our Daily Ted. 51-year old San Diego police detective died from solo fall earlier this month after being taken off life support and Weekend Links: Marathon Crash non-Race is back on for Sunday, along with a long list of upcoming bike events The Marathon Crash event is actually doing the LA Marathon organizers a huge favor by sweeping the course prior to the running race.

A little bit of cycling lifestyle from Beantown. Friends mourn for Cambridge songwriter, activist I had to click the link to find out which country’s “Cambridge” had this wreck. So many dead cyclists, so little safe bicycle infrastructure.

I stopped doing wreck reports, but this one is unusual. For one thing there are no cars involved. Cyclist did wheelie on road and hit pair on tandem That’s right, this is a bike-on-bike wreck caused by someone doing something stupid.

The timing on this wreck is too perfect to be on purpose. Spectator causes cyclist to crash hard by grabbing her handlebars and The horrific moment a SPECTATOR flicked his arm out from the crowd and knocked cyclist off her bike as she sprinted for the finish line You can’t see the spectator’s head until the cyclist hitting his arm pulls him around, but he is plainly facing away from the fence just prior to the impact when his arm comes up from the top of the fence and has a “WTF?” look in the fraction of a second he’s facing the camera. Although why he would be on the fence at the finish line of a stage expected to produce a bunch sprint and is not paying attention to the cyclists in the sprint is a mystery. My guess is he was looking for another cyclist in the pack instead of the group in the sprint. Still super stupid thing to be doing however.

And another UK driver uses the Universal Get Out Of Jail Free card when he hits a cyclist. HGV driver who killed cyclist found not guilty of dangerous driving You remember that one, right? “I didn’t see him” when I ran over him with tons of deadly force.

Another article I can’t link to right now suggests the spectacle of private prosecution in this death shamed prosecutors into taking this case for the government. Dead cyclist’s family win review over driver who killed dad on Regent Street The reason I can’t link to the other article is shortly after I read it the first time the site went down for maintenance and put a big 404 page where the article was before. Anyway this was another case of a driver exercising the Universal Get Out Of Jail Free card to “excuse” hitting a cyclist that was plainly in front of her for 200 meters before the wreck.

One thing the UK has that we don’t here in the US as a result of them having Universal Health Care is this little life-saver. Injured cyclist saved by new London Air Ambulance procedure There is something about the nature of calling for air ambulance in the UK that they take getting the victim there with less damage more seriously than their US counterparts so they have better equipment on board the chopper than our crews have. The only thing I can think of is there is absolutely no costs reduction or “moar profits” motive for the UK service, the only thing they are judged on is survival rate and secondarily on saving other body parts.

You know back in the day one of the criteria you used to judge a city by was the condition of their streets, mostly on the smoothness of the pavement. Streets Department: Digging its Way out of a Pothole Still a thing, but not as big a thing as before apparently. Maybe less money on tanks for crazy cops and more on pothole maintenance?

Other towns also face infrastructure issues. SUPPORT BIKING IN TYSONS ON MONDAY As this town repaves they have the golden opportunity to install semi-decent bicycle infrastructure at a far lower cost than at a later date.

A cycling blog reposts (I hope with permission) a news article on why a reporter no longer rides a bike to commute. News-Press Sunday 3/8/15: biking safety feature:
Why I stopped riding my bike on the road Spoiler: It’s cars.

What is causing most of the wrecks between cars and bikes, and cars and pedestrians, in SF? It ain’t a lack of helmets. PRIVATE AUTO RESTRICTIONS CLOSER TO COMING TO MARKET STREET Yep turning vehicles factor in to more than half of the injury collisions with motor vehicles.

Is an open pit mine sending more than 6 semi-trailer loads of sand an hour over a grade crossing really a compatible industry for a bike trail? Vote on Open Pit Mine by Elroy Sparta March 16th I didn’t think so either, because every truck load they send out requires an empty truck to cross the other direction first, so that is a truck crossing every 5 minutes or less unless they hold trucks so that the do both crossing movements at the same time.

Someone has been delaying completion of this bike trail for almost a decade. Stop the delay: Build the Burke-Gilman Trail Seriously, this thing has been “studied” one way or another since 2002, just build the damn thing already! For the accountants in the bureaucracy, think of it this way: The medical costs of the 45 people injured due to this languishing the last 5 years is more than the costs of construction for the 1.5 miles of the connector.

And last link is a little humor: 20 problems only modern roadies have

And I am finally devoid of any more links to include.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet