My BP meds are getting cut in half because reasons, and the Feed

What a day! First the cat tries to apologize for clawing huge gashes in my hand and arm by waking me up after only 1 hour of sleep and crawling into the bed to purr loudly at me, then I spent all day getting to and from the Lab Rat Keeper, then I find out my meds are getting cut because my BP is a bit on the low side, like 100/60. For a guy whose pressures topped out at 200/145 10 years ago this could lead to dizziness, confusion, and loss of consciousness. None of that is especially good. The good news is if my pressures come back up with lower dosages I get to participate in another side-effect study before the end of this year.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Reminder to expect the unexpected on bike trails; Feds decide bike/ped safety matters, too

Still in CA. Bicyclist killed in Santa Ana hit-and-run identified

From my neck of the woods. How tracking police data by race can make unfair laws look like the cops’ fault Among other things this article identifies one of the main problems of the Metroplex: People don’t work where they live nor live where they work in the main. When only 5% of drivers stopped in a town are residents of that town, you have a problem with sprawl, and auto-centrism because everyone drives even if they don’t want to. So much of this area is a transit desert where if you don’t have a car you are trapped.

Remember that girl driving drunk and backwards when she ran over a cyclist in AK? Anchorage woman will finish college semester before going to jail for cyclist’s death Really? Let her finish school before a summer (maybe) in jail?!? Oh the ignominy. Have to finish college before prison…

Do you feel like you are not welcome among other bike riders? Project highlights stories of people who feel like outsiders in bike scene

Infrastructure in America’s Copenhagen. Active Transportation Summit dispatch: Vision Zero and the myth of freight Except for a tiny few places that are import centers like Long Beach or Houston or Corpus Christie truck traffic just is not that vital to the economy. And even Houston is trying to make more of its street network bike friendly.

If you don’t know where you’re coming from how can you know where you’re going? Unearthed: 1975 City of Portland “From here to there by bicycle” map

More infrastructure news from NYC. Prospect Park West Bike Lane War Continues: “New York City Is Not Amsterdam” and IT’S ALIVE: Judge Revives 5-Year-Old Prospect Park Bike Lane Lawsuit They LOVE bike lanes, just not the one in front of their building, which has raised the value of the units in said building substantially. Maybe that’s the problem, their taxes went up with the rise in property values…

Another dead pedestrian in NYC. Woman Fatally Struck By Sanitation Truck Driver On Upper East Side And for all those wondering why I have so many links from Gothamist and Bike Portland,it’s because I visit those web sites pretty much daily. Anywho, this was another blind driver just proceeding into space that was already occupied, and killing said occupant. And the Universal Get Out of Jail Free card shall be used, “I didn’t see her” and all will be forgiven.

More on the MA hit-and-run killing of a cyclist. Man charged with DUI in hit-and-run that injured cyclist

PA infrastructure story. Holly residents drill council for answers over roundabouts Seriously, you can’t figure out how to use a roundabout?

Another link to the guy looking to ride from BC to Panama getting taken out ²/₃ of the way through WA. Cyclist on B.C. to Panama ride injured in crash Interesting picture they used for the “touring bike”.

More on the CO man getting prison for killing a cyclist. Man gets 10 years for DUI crash that killed bicyclist And I hope he has to do every day of it.

It’s just better reporting on the wrecks, honest! Alan Solot: Tucson bike vs. car crashes aren’t increasing

It’s not really good news, it is a symptom of austerity. Fall in road offences due to reduction in traffic police says Transport Committee

And while we are on the site. Barbed wire booby trap found on Kent cycle trail Either some farmer is missing a section of fence, or all they need to do is ask who bought barbed wire recently at nearby farm supply stores.

And I got this video sent to me by several people from many different sources. Video: How to teach bus drivers to give cyclists space I thought the ones where the “riders” clothes wer actually ruffled by contact with the bus were good, unless the driver was not actually trying to get that close in which case they were fucking terrifying.

Speaking of close passing, this was also terrifying over on the Emerald Isle. Cyclist was thrown over the bonnet of car Cold they have gotten any closer without actually killing the cyclist? I think not.

Another link to the guy who killed a well-liked cyclist going to jail. JAILED: Driver who mowed down Oxford graduate cyclist in head-on-crash

[Facepalm]Cyclists maimed and killed by blind driver, but it’s OK because a cyclist ran a stop sign once.[/Facepalm] Pontevedra cycling tragedy raises concerns over elderly drivers

More on the Ozzie drunk driver killing a cyclist. Cyclist killed by allegedly drunk driver and Qld cyclist killed by intoxicated driver

A really ugly wreck in Oz, more than one link. Port Pirie cyclist killed when truck and riders collide near city and Truck crashes into three cyclists on Germein Rd at Solomontown near Port Pirie You can see the impact site on the passenger side of the truck bumper where the bumper was bent.

And this was just wrong. Holiday blues after woman arrives home from overseas trip to find a parking ticket because her street was rezoned while she was away There were no permits available before leaving, and tickets papering the car when she got back. I mean they hadn’t even decided on the date it was to be implemented when she left…

And have you heard the latest scandal in the pro peloton? Professional cycling’s latest scandal: unshaved legs I used to shave my legs back before I rode a bike with fenders.

And it’s 0430, I have been up 19 hours now on 1 hour of sleep. I’m going to bed, and the cat is staying in the bathroom with his food and litterbox until I get up.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

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OK that happened, now what? And the Feed

I was watching the caucuses last night on Twitter and was Not Impressed to say the least. The Clown Car Party tossed out a few more clowns, but seriously, there are a lot more to go and some of the biggest clowns are at the head of the polls. As for the other side, seriously did you decide who would get that precinct’s delegates based on a coin toss? And not once but six times?

BTW if any of my readers are DFW locals who would like to recommend a plumber we are having lots of plumbing issues here at Casa de El Poeta that have been just waiting for $$ to get fixed and now we have $$ to get them fixed. Deferred maintenance is about to be deferred no longer. And as an aside the TX groundhog had to wear shades and sunscreen, so we get 10 more weeks of “winter”. If “winter” stays like this with daytime highs in the low 70s F and nighttime lows in the high 40s, I could deal with another 10 weeks of this.

Let’s start with Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Pendleton registration begins, Monrovia talks bike plan, and more doping news, motor & otherwise If the Marines insist on blocking bike access that means major construction for bike access on civilian non-military property. At this time the only other access is I5 which is sub-optimal because of the adjacent high-speed traffic and trash and debris pushed from the road by tires and air blasts from vehicles. The next closest road is dozens of miles to the east over a small mountain range.

Still in CA. Bicycle Enforcement Mind your Ps and Qs if you wind up in this area during this operation.

VT is working to reduce the dangers of repeat DUI. BILL WOULD REQUIRE INTERLOCK DEVICES FOR ALL DUI OFFENDERS

Addressing repeat DUI in WI. Getting Tough On Drunk Driving I can’t believe that a person can have more than 4 DUI and not be in prison, but under current WI law you have to have 4 DUI in a 5 year period and still not go to prison.

A strange case of karma working faster than the legal system in FL. Cape Coral man accused of killing cyclist dies in slip-and-fall If I’m reading this right he drowned in a puddle after slipping on a crosswalk. Or something similar to that. There was also a video with the article about a cyclist pulling driver and passenger from an overturned pickup truck. Karma restored.

Hit-and-run in KS. Cyclist injured in hit-and-run near Maple and Meridian Not much information aside from the wreck has happened and someone got seriously injured. They’re not even saying if the silver SUV was damaged by the wreck.

Infrastructure news from America’s Copenhagen. City responds to Steel Bridge homeless camp, Condo owners re-open Greenway path and Condo association releases ‘Call for Community Safety Plan and Dialogue’ This political hostage-taking of infrastructure over the homeless situation in Portland is low, but understandable for people directly faced with it.

Still more Portland infrastructure. Here’s what’s going on at North Williams and Killingsworth This looks like what’s called a “bulb-out” that’s used to reduce crossing times for pedestrians, but why put it on a quiet residential street?

An OH TV station gets on the “Wreck, not accident” bandwagon. COLUMN: There was nothing ‘accidental’ about deadly cyclist crash At least that’s what I think it’s about, since I’m not a subscriber to their service.

Another wounded veteran ride, this one off-road. Ride 2 Recovery launches fifth annual Las Vegas Mountain Bike Ride While there is a certain sense of accomplishment with a point-to-point road ride, for some with PTSD riding in traffic is too much like being back in a war zone (don’t ask me how I know).

You think riding in the US is risky, think about places where the rules of the road are merely a “suggestion”. The daily trials and tribulations of a cyclist (and his tribe) in Lima

You’re just sitting there waiting at a red light to make a legal turn, and some idiot passes you on the wrong side of the road… Video: Driver “swerves to avoid cyclist” – what do you think? …and you get blamed for “forcing” the driver to swerve. TANJ!

This stupid driver had better thank his lucky stars that he didn’t get an even longer sentence for killing a cyclist. Lorry driver loses appeal against jail sentence for killing cyclist Alan Neve in Holborn I hope he has to serve every last second of that 3½ years. He was driving without the specialized license required for the vehicle he was driving, and because he lacked the training and follow-on testing he ended up killing a man he should have been able to avoid.

“I saw a cyclist do something dangerous once”. Driver warns of cyclist ‘stupidity’ This is nothing more than anti-cyclist propaganda.

Reaction to someone putting an electric motor in the seat tube of a bike during a cyclocross competition. Mechanical doping: The social media response

This is causing my creative juices to flow. Now THAT’S a spin cycle! Exercise bike washes your dirty laundry as you pedal Put a recumbent type seat above the drum, use a 1:2 ratio for the drum during wash then switch to a really high ratio to spin the drum during the wring portion of the cycle (that would still be a heavy sprint) and I could see this as a way to put some base and interval training in. The wash/rinse cycles would be the easy part, a warm-up/recovery for the power unit. The bad thing is washing generally ends with the spin cycle.

And I’m outta links again, and I have to get up early tomorrow to go pay more bills.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

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

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

Getting a horrendously late start, and the Feed

I did not even begin filtering today until 2300 because I have been busy all day. First I had to mow the lawn again, in 90+°F heat, which required frequent breaks to cool off and rehydrate, then a shower and laundry because I was down to one pair of underwear and the “emergency” pair of house shorts, the one with the small split up the back from when they were baggy bike shorts I wore for the pockets. Then it was time for the second-biggest NASCAR race of the year, the Mud Summer Classic at the Eldora dirt track in Rossberg OH. This is a big deal because this is the only dirt race on any of the NASCAR national touring series. NASCAR started this race in 2013 after their last dirt race in 1972 (won by Richard Petty, of course) and people come from all over the world to see the Camping World Truck Series race in the dirt. And the reason this is the second-biggest race of the season is not because of speed, or violent wrecks. This is the second-biggest race of the year because it has the best racing, and because people you never heard of could win the race by out-racing the competition. The tires they use for this race don’t have much grip, being built more for durability than traction, and nobody can use all the power from the engines because the back tires will lose traction and cause the truck to spin out so the teams that spend the big bucks for more horsepower have no advantage here. Everyone has the same suspension components, shocks, and springs, and the crew chief that makes the best adjustments to those combined with the best driver will win the race. Tonight it was a former USAC Midget champ making his fourth start in the CWTS, but he almost got beat by an 18 YO dirt modified driver making his first CWTS start. I’m sure if the rear deck lid hadn’t gotten knocked loose so that it covered his rear spoiler the 18 YO would have won.

Up first some infrastructure news from the next town over from WoaB World HQ in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell. League of American Bicyclists Presents Richardson With Our Bronze BFC Certification

If this doesn’t make you angry, you should check for a pulse. Cop’s Drunk-Driving Wife Won’t be Charged for Killing Cyclist I covered this earlier but I didn’t realize that the driver is going to get away from killing a cyclist while DUI with no charges whatsoever. You know how I say that a cyclist should never hit a pedestrian? There is an exception to every rule.

Cyclists and advocates in AZ are outraged. Friends of killed cyclist react to driver’s 9 year sentence That is actually pretty harsh for any driver killing anybody with a motor vehicle.

I wonder what those cyclists and advocates from the previous paragraph would think about this sentence? Man Sentenced in Hit-and-Run Crash That Killed Mother of Eight Three years, and nothing for obstruction of justice for repairing the truck to destroy the evidence. Why nothing for destroying the evidence?

Another SWSS wreck in NY, not far from whee my wife is visiting her relatives. Police: Cyclist hit, killed after swerving into oncoming traffic in Lake Ronkonkoma Standard response to reports of “swerving” cyclists getting hit, who saw it other than the driver of the weapon vehicle.

UK infrastructure news from a US source, StreetsblogUSA. After Another Cyclist Dies, David Cameron Considers Truck Ban in UK Cities This story is mainly notable for introducing me to a new troll, Keith Peat. Now I’m following his dog on Twitter.

Another door prize “winner”, but why show a track bike on a velodrome for an article about a road wreck? Cyclist allegedly injured by opening car door sues driver A similar effect would be dicussing a pedestrian injured by a truck running over the curb at a corner while showing a picture of an F1 racer.

Speaking of door prizes, lots of links to this one on Wext Canuckistan. Patricia Keenan, Kelowna Cyclist, Dies After Crashing Into Car Door and Patricia Keenan, Kelowna cyclist, mourned after fatal crash into car door also Event Will Honour Kelowna Cyclist Killed When “Doored” finally Bike riders to mourn cyclist Some of those links have very toxic comments sections with many people blaming the cyclist for getting hit…

And also speaking of mourning a dead cyclist. Funeral held for Army veteran, 26, killed when truck hit his bicycle in Mount Pleasant “The bicyclist was wearing dark clothing, and inclement weather appears to have been a factor, police said.” Edited to remove “truthiness”.

Back to the Great White North for an exercise in the absurd. Montreal police remind cyclists to follow the safety code Apparently the “safety code” has a heavy emphasis on helmets and HiViz.

A cyclist in the UK couldn’t get even a ticket issued when he was run over. Cyclist left permanently injured after crash hits out at Met for failing to prosecute driver who ‘admitted liability’ How do we force LEO to live up to the first two letters of the designation?

Is the government in Oz schizophrenic? Riding into a storm: Sydney cyclists face politics on two fronts

Last link. How Bicycles Gave us Freedom

And I’m tired so I’m sending this one out unproofed.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Pooped Poet

Getting ready for game night, and the Feed

I had enough food for myself, except for stuff that goes bad when you let it set, so all I got today on the grocery run was some salty snacks and soft drinks for the gamers, and a gallon of milk because I consume nearly that much in a week between all the coffee and cereal I consume when Mrs. the Poet is not cooking breakfast for me. And whew! run-on sentence. I also had to go pay the utility bill because they will be closed tomorrow so I can’t pay it then. And sometime I need to get this unruly mop on my head trimmed down and shaped up so I look like a respectable human being, not some troll living under a bridge.

OK up first because this is just too freaky, the county judge and prosecutor both had bike wrecks on the same day in OH Franklin County judge, prosecutor crash bikes on same day and Ohio prosecutor, judge injured in bike crashes in separate incidents on same day The prosecutor was riding the judge’s old bike that his staff bought for him in 2013…

Still dealing with LEO and “coincidence” two bike cops had brakes fail at the exact same time after doing crowd control at a crime scene. Police Officer on Bicycle Injured in Sherman Oaks CollisionThe brakes on BOTH bikes failed? As a bike mechanic that seems… highly unlikely. Also was it both brakes on both bikes or just the front brakes or different brakes? This strikes me as a case of sabotage.

Still on strange “coincidences” involving LEO, this time in NYC. NYPD Officer Has Raging Hard-On For Upper West Side Cyclists This is reminiscent of the Dallas report where one downtown officer issued 53% of the helmet citations… Or the time NYPD issued tickets for leaving the bike lane while they parked their cruiser in the bike lane.

But don’t worry, the judicial branch will prevent you from getting ripped off by the cops. Judge: Cyclists Charged An Extra $88 By The DMV Are SOL Umm, maybe not…

More on the driver charged with homicide in the death of a cyclist in Seattle. Seattle man charged with vehicular homicide in cyclist’s death Something is wrong here. The security tape at the restaurant he was at showed a pretty non-drunk individual who left half his beer behind (and ate a ton of food), but the police report from a half hour later said the driver told them he had 4 beers and his ADD meds and appeared very drunk. I’m adding 2 and 2 and getting pi. Not that I have any sympathy for a bicyclist’s killer, it’s just half a beer with a big dinner and he left looking sober to staggering drunk less than a half-hour later? What happened in less than 30 minutes to get from what left the restaurant to what killed the cyclist?

More on a cyclist getting shot in L.A. Update: Man On Bike Shot, Killed In Commerce At this point motive is unknown, no suspects…

And more on the cyclist shot in Detroit. Bicyclist, 55, shot dead in Detroit Black SUV with one suspect dressed all black, the other dressed in a white T-shirt and a black hat… And they got out to make sure they shot the dude. And don’t read the comments section, your skin will fall off…

Another link to the attempted murder of a group of cyclists in CA, by the driver of a stolen car. Bicyclists seriously injured in hit-and-run collision in Yolo County I mean seriously, WTF?!? Was someone testing the theory that you can get away with murder if you hit someone on a bicycle with a car?

More on the drunken assault and killing of a cyclist on a street that would have made the wreck either impossible, or much less damaging to the victim had the planned changes been made. Man charged in hit-and-run that killed Highland Park cyclist There would have been no way for the driver to reach 80 MPH had the speed pads and road diet that had been planned and budgeted for 3 years ago been installed…

And was this an assault, or just a very stupid driver? 1 dead, 1 injured after car hits bicyclists; riders were owners of Havasu bike store

And seriously, how much more can you find against this driver, because that impact site on the weapon vehicle was directly in front of the driver. Cyclist’s death still under investigation If he was drunk it’s DUI manslaughter, if he was sober it’s murder. That’s the only thing I can take away from this wreck. There was no way the driver “didn’t see” the cyclist, and no way for the cyclist to “swerve” into that side of the truck from the shoulder that looks to be maybe a foot wide or not wide enough to use as a bike lane.

Someone else thinks the tacks and pins in the roads are terrorist attacks on cyclists. Sabotage and hatred: what have people got against cyclists? A very thoughtful article.

And I’m out of links and patience. Time for a snack and a lie-down. Arthur Dent is being a pain in the neck 😉

Billed @€0.02