I’ve been letting my mind wander, but it always comes back

Of late lacking the ability to do anything constructive on the Sprint-T I have been setting my mind loose to create other things, like a recumbent cargo bike, for doing what cargo bikes do, but faster and more comfortably, and a special for the A Mod class in SCCA Solo racing using a lawnmower engine , or a motor out of an electric forklift. I like A Mod because the rules are so open, minimum wheel diameter 10″, minimum wheelbase 72″, minimum wheel track 42″, and minimum weight 900 pounds with driver and no fuel, no maximum engine size, no restriction on undercar aerodynamics, no restriction on overcar aerodynamics aside from a maximum of 20 ft² total for all wings.

And I have been following the reports from Nashville, Toronto, and Grand Prairie with equal amounts of revulsion. Props to Canadian LEO for not shooting the driver in the sidewalk terror attack, likewise to MetroPD for managing to take a known armed crazy without further bloodshed. Unfortunately the one semi-local to me at this point appears to be suicide by cop. At least that’s the first report, which is wrong about half the time. But missing from all these reports is motive, why did they do what they did? The Canadian perp was described as “angry middle eastern man”, but what he’s angry about, nobody is saying. And I just read on Twitter the Nashville shooter belonged to a right-wing hate group, big surprise.

And Clint and Clyde have been acting like crazy cats because, well they’re cats and… Clint in particular has been howling at the windows and then changing his mind about going out about 3 times so far before finally walking out the door. That’s 3 times walking the length of the house and back plus standing waiting for Clint to make up his mind while looking out the door.

I have another trip to the Lab Rat Keeper tomorrow, so no post Tuesday.

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Someone used a motor vehicle as a murder weapon in VA

I have seen the video and I’m in shock. Something fell from between the weapon vehicle and the one it crashed into, something that looked like cloth over flesh but I couldn’t get a good look at it to make sure. I’m getting most of my coverage from Twitter as I missed the TV news shows. I’m going to have to quit now because typing is causing my back to spasm like I’m dying. I’m going to publish this and lie down

Well it is pretty outside now, and the Feed

It is about the same temperature today as it was Monday, but with the sun out it’s much more pleasant than then or especially yesterday with the rain. I’m still working on mocking up the Mini Sprint-T by installing the headers from the engine kit to the engine and reinstalling the engine to the body with the temp glue that will peel off from the plastic when it comes time to build the permanent parts and install them. The “weed burner” exhaust from the engine kit looks like it was made to use on the T Bucket body, which it might have. They are both from the same model kit company and there was lots of customization potential in the kit I got the bucket from.

Up first is a hit-from-behind wreck outside Houston. CYCLIST FATALLY STRUCK BY CAR IN NORTHEAST HARRIS COUNTY I couldn’t see if the bike had lights or reflectors, and the article and video did not mention them either which usually means the bike was legally lighted. What is far more likely is that the driver was not paying attention, and/or driving too fast for conditions. My take after looking at the weapon vehicle is too fast for conditions.

Now, Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Cyclist nearly rammed by Laguna Cyn driver; man buys bike with bad traveler’s checks in OC

Update on a KC MO wreck. Man charged with hit-and-run accident that left Shawnee cyclist in critical condition My take is the driver’s priors are not pertinent to if he hit and ran. They are pertinent to if he’s a nice person or not.

Successful advocacy in America’s Copenhagen. Wonk Nights work! 30 months later, city kicks off bike parking reform It only took 2½ years to get that far. That doesn’t bode well for doing this in locations that are less hospitable politically to cycling.

Even in Portland you find some anti-cyclist Trotskyites. Bikes should rank beneath mass transit in city hierarchy, says Commissioner Fritz “Not everyone can drive. So let’s stop prioritizing driving.” Adam H. Indeed looking at the chart in the article the bike budget is about 1% that of the motor vehicle budget, less if you count transit spending as “public motor vehicles”.

What can only be called a minor annoyance for Portland cyclists. Why does Multnomah County allow auto parking on the Morrison Bridge bike path? The bridge operator parks his car there because it was constantly getting broken into when he parked off the bridge..

Meanwhile in NYC, they get street equipment left in the lane(s) for weeks completely blocking the lane(s) in both directions. NYPD Light Tower Has Been Blocking Brooklyn Bike Lane For Weeks Because Where Else Could It Possibly Go? I have been seeing the picture of the fire engine blocking the street and the light tower in the bike lane for weeks now, but the fire engine is long gone and so should the light tower.

More infrastructure news from WI. Bublr Bikes Network Proposed to Grow in 2016

And legal infrastructure news from IA. Proposed bicycle safety law much needed, North Iowa cyclists say I would be pushing my state rep for something like this except this is the election year for reps, and the lege meets on the other year. So here in TX you find out who’s going to represent you about 4 months before the legislative session, they meet with almost no public votes taken, and then you decide to keep them or not based on what they decide to tell you about what they did… Damned hard to get a bill like this through the session when you have no chance of voting the people who vote against your interests out.

Last US story is an update on a CO hit-and-run. Cyclist struck in hit-and-run north of Boulder remains in critical condition I kept saying there was more damage to the weapon vehicle than just a missing mirror, and now the LEO report backs me up on that.

First link from Jolly Olde, a driver lies after killing a cyclist. Woman hit and killed cyclist – then told police her car had been stolen I’m shocked that the driver would try to pretend she didn’t kill a cyclist.

And this guy. ‘Sorry’ driver who knocked down OAP left him in the road with another driver as he was running late Here in TX we have another definition for someone who is “sorry”. The alternative definition is someone deficient in character. I think this applies to someone who would leave a person to die in the street to avoid being late to pick up his wife from work.

American perspective on the legal changes in Oz. Australian Bicycling Advocates Worried About Tough New Laws

This was a different kind of bike, but this $&*^ is going on all over Oz. Boy injured after riding bike into wire stretched across road I keep saying this is an act of domestic terrorism when it happens to pedalcyclists, it is just as much so when the victim is riding a motorcycle.

Another kid on a bike hit in Oz. Teen cyclist seriously injured after being hit outside Melbourne school The kid didn’t even get off the block before he got hit by with a car.

And I’m out of links again. See you later.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Still just plugging along and nothing much happening, and the Feed

I’m still prowling the web for raw stock to build the Mini Sprint-T after failing to find local sources for single-project size lots of sheet, rod/tube, and strip polystyrene. None of the local hobby stores carry anything in plastic raw stock, and the local plastics distributors won’t sell anything resembling hobby lots of supplies. Deja vu all over again, this was the same thing that happened a few years ago when I was buying raw stock for making custom bicycles that I couldn’t get by cannibalizing bikes left on the side of the street.

Up first, NYPD decides hit-and-run is legal. Cyclist killed in Brooklyn hit-and-run and Brooklyn Cyclist Killed By Hit-And-Run Rental Truck Driver also NYPD: Still Defending Hit-and-Run Drivers to the Press [Updated] Why is it that when a crime is committed with a car NYPD falls all over itself to absolve the driver of criminal charges? This wreck was a hit-from-behind wreck after the cyclist crossed the intersection with no escape route. the way to the left was blocked by the truck, the way to the right was blocked by a high curb.

Still in NYC is this counting of accumulated death and injury for last month. DOT: 1,445 Pedestrians and Cyclists Injured, 16 Killed in December [Updated] Vision Zero only works when LEO is signed on to enforce laws, but as we saw in the previous paragraph NYPD actively works to not enforce traffic laws that protect vulnerable users.

Our Daily Ted part one. Morning Links: Possible murder on Irvine bike path; public meeting tonight to discuss traffic in Griffith Park

That murder Ted was talking about. Police: Irvine man’s death on bike path is investigated as a homicide

Daily Ted part two. 69-year old bike rider killed in Calexico; first bicycling fatality in Imperial County since 2012

Still in CA. Caltrans seeks 5,000 volunteer motorists for mileage fee pilot program The proposed program will extract user fees from vehicles proportional to the damages done by the vehicle without depending on a gas tax since electric vehicles don’t use gas.

Also still in CA, red light running cyclists are a menace, drivers doing the same thing… [Update] State Senator Seeks To Reduce Fine For Red-Light Violation So the year after raising the red light fine on cyclists they reduce it for drivers who actually killed dozens of people in CA from failing to stop before making a right on red. RIiiiGHT

Seeing the MO flag on a 15 foot pole bill as the victim blaming it really is. WHY THE MISSOURI BICYCLE FLAG BILL IS NOT AS FUNNY AS YOU THINK

Up in the Great White North. Quebec coroner issues 3 recommendations after 2014 cyclist death

From Jolly Olde what appears to be a punishment pass. Maidstone cyclist captures near miss in Dean Street

Still in Jolly Olde, today’s our day for murder/attempted murder on the roads. Man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after woman found injured in the road Don’t you just hate when the news outlet feels compelled to tell people that the person inside the light armored vehicle used to seriously injure someone was unharmed during the commission of the mayhem?

And burying the Big Story way down in the post, deliberate assault in Oz. Female cyclist injured in road rage attack on Beach Rd, Beaumaris and Coke bottles thrown at cyclists in shocking Beach Road attack also Woman hospitalised after shocking road rage incident Chuck a full bottle of cola soft drink at someone’s head should be classified as an assault, if not a terroristic act.

Are you worried that you are not as green as you could be on your bike? Is there such a thing as eco-friendly bike lube? As pointed out in the article, riding a bike is already seriously green even using the “worst” bike lubes, there is only a tiny bit to be gained by going to another kind of bike lube.

One thing heavily touted about driverless cars is eliminating drunk driving, but now you’re telling me that won’t happen? Are self-driving cars legal? And if so, can I drive home drunk in one?

More stupid infrastructure tricks. 12 of America’s Biggest Highway Boondoggles There are an uncomfortably large number of TXDoT projects on that list.

High hopes for e-assist bikes’ future. 1 in 3 bicycles will be an e-bike by 2023: Study Possibly too high hopes, the projections seem unrealistic.

Last link is something that is on every parent’s mind when their kid(s) is(are) out on two wheels. What to Do When Your Kid Crashes a Bike

And that’s all I got today. Apparently I missed Penguin Awareness Day, not that I need any more awareness of penguins with my name. More tomorrow.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

I managed to get done pretty quick, and the Feed

The deposit-the-check-and-pay-the-bills trip went uneventfully and quickly. I hit the bank and all the places I needed to pay off without exceeding my mid-day pass restrictions, which meant I only spent $1.75 getting around Garland today instead of the usual $5. That’s a pretty substantial savings. I’ll have to pony up $5 tomorrow, but I have it to pony up now.

Up first is a demonstration of why having a camera recording your ride is important. Video: Driver accused of intentionally hitting motorcycle north of Granbury The driver has been arrested on charges of assault with a deadly weapon. Granbury driver who hit motorcycle on viral video indicted He was indicted on two charges because there were two people on the motorcycle he hit. As the rider on the second bike warned him, he now “cares” about the wreck he “didn’t care” about at the scene.

Also sorta local to the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell, a disturbing infrastructure report. Why Are We Even Talking About a New East-West Highway Through Dallas? They are still using traffic models that are a decade out-of-date and now about 30% too high. Sure there has been some increase since the price of gas went below $1.80 locally, but still not as much as the model suggests.

Houston tries to not kill any more people with their infrastructure Vision Zero for Houston report release: January 14 The interesting thing is the cover has been leaked and there is a cycletrack prominent on it.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Bike lanes on WeHo’s Fairfax, news from the ‘cross Nats, and bike riding kung fu Buddhist nuns

Also in CA. Huntington Beach cyclist killed in solo crash I.D.’d I still say this guy was buzzed by another vehicle to cause that wreck.

In NYC it is still FU, because cars. SUV Driver Who Killed Woman On Fort Greene Sidewalk Gets To Keep His License Waitaminit, I thought this clown was driving on a suspended license at the time of the deadly wreck, how can he keep what he doesn’t have? Then again he already was driving on a suspended license, so it’s not like he would pay any attention if it was suspended again.

More on Portland finally getting bike share. Portland Teams Up With Nike to Launch Bike-Share Yay! Biketown.

Still in America’s Copenhagen. Checking in on the newly installed diverters on SE Clinton Drivers are reportedly “confused” about the diverters. What’s to be confused about? There is a large concrete planter across most of the lane with a “Do Not Enter” sign on it.

How do you fix traffic fines so that drivers have enough incentive to drive properly when your entire transportation system is built around private motor vehicles? ADVOCATES SAY TRAFFIC FINE REFORMS WOULD REDUCE ECONOMIC BARRIERS My personal take is make the fines sliding scale based on gross income, and make them hurt. Maybe not as bad as getting hit while walking or riding a bike hurts, but high enough that when the inevitable happens there is a fund to pay for the victims’ medical care.

Filing charges is a start in reining in motor vehicle violence. London cabbie “was using car as weapon” against cyclist Actually convincing a jury that motor vehicles are deadly weapons is the next step. See that first link at the top of the post. and revisiting a link from last week that is a follow-on to this link. London cabbie accused of ‘using car as weapon’ cleared

Because drivers are all perfect. Cast iron bollards smashed by buses in Cambridge will cost £10,000 to replace Yep, perfect drivers wouldn’t need bollards to protect an ancient wall against getting hit, much less replacing bollards that had been destroyed.

Terrorist attacks continue against cyclists in Oz. Cyclists are looking for the culprit dropping tacks on their path Notice who isn’t looking for the person spreading bike booby traps? LEO who don’t ride bikes. I have a suggestion, ask office supply stores to record names and ID when someone buys more than one box of tacks, since the tacks have been put down in numbers too large to be a single box. But them I’m just a witch in TX that is way too logical…

Good news from Enn Zed for a change. Cyclist numbers up, death and injuries down They’re starting to see some evidence of the “safety in numbers” hypothesis.

And some infrastructure news from the PI. Cyclist’s death spurs bike lanes movement Philipines infrastructure overall is pretty basic, along with their driver licensing, so they need widespread segregation networks even more than UK and US cyclists.

And I’m outta links again.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

I’m a millionaire until the Powerball drawing, and the feed

Yep, I bought a ticket to that half-billion $ Powerball jackpot. I mean invest $2 for a potential payout of $500,000,000? With my luck I would be crazy not to. I mean how many people do you know who survived getting hit with a truck going 60 MPH? The odds are slightly better than winning the Powerball, but not by much.

Up first is our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Too much bike tech, cyclocross nationals, and riding your bike pony through an LA El Niño

Still in CA, an update on that Loma Linda wreck from earlier in the week. LOMA LINDA: Cyclist fatally hurt when elderly motorist turned left Left cross, one of the scenarios I had guessed at when this was last reported on.

Another cyclist is hit in the most deadliest state in the US to ride a bike (or walk). Cyclist injured in hit-and-run crash in Sarasota The narrative sounds like a left cross or right hook, or just posssibly a swoop and squat. If the latter, then this was an assault with a deadly weapon rather than a hit-and-run.

This driver in NYC was trying to go out with a bang. Suicidal Driver After Christmas Eve Hit-And-Run Rampage: “I Wanted To Go Out In A Glorious Way” The current condition of the cyclist hit during the rampage is undisclosed.

The depravity of this wreck is beyond comprehension. Drunk Developer Allegedly Tossed Dead Passenger & His Stuff From Porsche After Hamptons Crash The only thing I have to say is all the dead and injured in this wreck were inside the weapon vehicle. Oh, and the deceased had terrible taste in “friends”.

Who gets sued when the inevitable cyclist injury or wreck happens? City gives in to state demand to remove bike lanes from SE 26th Avenue Do they sue Dimwitty, or the head of PBOT, the entire city government, or ODOT?

Also in America’s Copenhagen. Hit by Uber driver? Portlander watches as car that hit him drives off The victim in this case was a pedestrian who did not suffer serious injury, but still… the driver of the weapon vehicle left the scene.

A little infrastructure news from WI. Unplowed Snow Reveals Overbuilt Streets The “sneckdown” will show where even rush hour traffic fails to tread leading to significant reductions in street space allocated to motor vehicles. Of course this method only works for places where it snows regularly, which leaves out the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell.

Infrastructure news from the coffee capital of the US (home for Starbucks and other coffee companies, but not Seattle’s Best, which is located in Texas). Dangerous, unnecessary Seattle bike lane project moving forward There are two things that make me think this might not be an unbiased article: the credit is given to a Jason Rantz from a radio station and this line from the article: “The only people who like this idea are the small group of loud bike activists and “urbanists-at-all-costs” who bully anyone who stands in their way.”

A legal saga from Canuckistan. Alberta driver who crashed into teen cyclist to be sentenced in February “The Crown is asking for a sentence of 12 to 15 months while the defence is seeking three to six months.” Of course they are, they’re not the one stuck in the living hell of a shattered mind.

A cyclist escapes death by a terrorist act only because he and his bike put his neck significantly higher than a normal rider. Cyclist is almost GARROTTED after yobs strung a piece of electric flex across a bike path The picture showed what could have been a serious boobly trap. This was no “prank”, this was an attempt to kill.

And some people will just kill with a car or truck instead of going to all the trouble to rig a bike path. Hailsham cyclist captures near-miss incidents on camera I couldn’t watch the videos because they failed to load when I clicked on them. The stills were less than spectacular.

More videos from the tiny island nation of Malta. Watch: Cyclists’ near misses in Malta

I’m out of links and ready to get some more work done on the Mini Sprint-T. I have just about finished the dam that will support the body filler that will make the kit bucket like the Speedway bucket only 1/25 the the size. There will need to be a lot of work done to the cowl especially in the firewall area to get the vacuformed body as narrow as the Speedway body, but I think I have the skills to do it. I’m still trying to figure out the best way to do it, but I know I can do it. One way or another I will have the T-Bucket of my dreams even if it’s only 1/25 scale.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

Feline interference with blogging, and the Feed

Clint and Clyde have been interfering with blogging this morning, mostly by attacking my feet, and my hands when I try to remove them from my feet. The rest of the time they spend chasing each other around the office and demanding head rubs. I would take a picture, but that would require at least one of them slow down long enough to point a camera at them, frame the shot, and push the button. I can manage the first two steps but by the time I get to the third the cat is out of the shot headed for parts unknown. So instead of pursuing a career as a cat photographer I shall fall back on something I sorta do well and write stuff.

On another front I managed to match 3 of 6 in yesterday’s Texas Lotto, scoring me a massive $3 payoff on odds of 148,824:1 against. It has been said that the lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math. I think it is a tax on the desperate and the dreamers and especially the desperate dreamers. As you can see, I can do math. I’m just a member of the third group. BTW I’m keeping $2.70 of this because I’m still following my agreement to give 10% of my lottery winnings to my church.

Up first from a fee that was mainly overseas today is a cyclist hit by a loose trailer in the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike. UPDATE: Stuart man in critical condition after bike wreck The cyclist was riding in the sidewalk when he was hit by a trailer that also took out a fence and 3 boats. This is not something anyone can avoid except to not be there.

Still in FL, they have an epidemic of blind drivers. UPDATE: Bicyclist dies in crash on 231; officer nearly struck securing scene How the hell do you “not see” a cop car with all the lights flashing? If they let that one slide, there’s no hope for anything as “small” as an adult human being with blinky lights.

KS cyclist hit by a car riding on the sidewalk, cyclist gets ticket. Injuries reported after woman’s bike hits car downtown Driver gets pat on shoulder for driving on sidewalk to hit cyclist, nothing for “failure to yield” to traffic on the sidewalk.

Another link to that awful story about the driver killing a cyclist and getting away with nothing more than a $260 ticket, or barely more than a cyclist gets for not putting a foot down at a stop sign. No criminal charges for driver in crash that killed Reed College grad on bicycle Running a stop sign on a bicycle gets a $220 ticket. Killing a cyclist should result in a much higher fine by at least an order of magnitude, not $40.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Savvy cycling in OC, keeping bike theft petty, and riding with the Ovarian Psychos

Still in CA, a memorial ride. Memorial ride honors Redding bicyclist

Wounded Warrior ride in NV. Ride 2 Recovery hits the Strip

Drivers having a hard time dealing with a parking-protected bike lane in IN. “Protected bike lane” causes confusion What they need is to run some parking stoppers between the bike lane and the parking lane.

Memorial ride for the couple killed by a drunk driver while riding a tandem bike. Ceremony held to honor husband and wife killed on tandem bike

Another cyclist hit in the Great White North. Cyclist seriously injured after being struck by vehicle in North York I really can’t tell what happened from the bike wreckage picture because both wheels have a small amount of damage, but the frame is buckled and the fork is broken.

How do cyclists die in Jolly Olde? How are cyclists most likely to die? I find it interesting that cyclists killed 4 pedestrians in the UK were killed in collisions with cyclists, from the ranting and raving in the comments section of the Daily Mail you would think it was a daily happening.

A negative review of the Volvo LifePaint reflective coating. Volvo’s hi-vis paint for cyclists is not such a bright idea To be honest I expected this result when the spray finally made it to the “wild” away from photo effects and digital editing.

From Oz an expensive but ultimately futile campaign to stop dooring. TAC issues ‘Rider Reminder’ rubber tabs for door handles to stop ‘doorings’ Why do I call this “ultimately futile”? Because in a few weeks or days drivers will no longer notice the textured applique on the door handle.

Cyclists in Oz are threatened by a persistent road terrorist attack that LEO refuse to take seriously. Cyclists protest lack of CCTV amid Yarra Blvd tack attacks These terrorist attacks have been going on nearly daily since January 2014. That represents a serious investment in the means used. Good police work would say, look for someone buying large amounts of tacks on a regular basis.

Still in Oz, a cyclist is hit from behind on a straight road with excellent sight lines. Cyclist killed I see LEO are trying to blame the fact the cyclist was riding a ‘bent for the fact that the driver ran him over from behind. Face it, if a driver can’t see an adult human being in the road they have no business driving.

Over in Enn Zed, a cyclist pushing his bike is hit. Young cyclist killed after getting off bike and A pedestrian killed by a motorist near Mapua may have been a cyclist reported by concerned motorists earlier. Cyclist discovers he isn’t as visible as he thought and gets off to walk, then gets hit because he’s still not visible?

A sad story about a dead cyclist. Dead Hamilton cyclist hoped to mend marriage The cyclist was using cycling to get his head back together, and a motor vehicle destroyed that effort. The real kick in the head was that had they managed to get him out from under the truck sooner he might have recovered with no lasting effects beyond the orthopedic injuries. He died from the hypoxia caused by the chest compression.

And I’m finally out of links before I ran out of patience.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Still dealing with pedal extremity edema, and the Feed

Well the swelling went down in my good foot, the one on the end of the leg that didn’t get mangled. The bad news is the one on the other leg the swelling did not go down. It’s uncomfortable to walk with it and I still can’t get a shoe on it. 😛 And now I have these tiny divots under the scars where my shoe got ripped off my foot in the wreck. They look very strange…

Up first is Our Daily Ted, Part One. Morning Links: LA advocates sue over Glendale-Hyperion redesign; bike lanes and bikeshare dominate the news The number of unanimous votes from the council is not out of the usual for here in TX as most issues are pretty cut-and-dried before they ever get to a council meeting, but the unanimous votes for a general plan then voting against specific parts of that plan when it comes time to implement them is kinda dodgy.

Daily Ted, Part Two. Guest Post: Provoking, Scaring and Piercing the (Driver’s) Reptile Brain Part 1

It was a wreck like this that caused me to stop doing wreck analysis in this blog. Family and friends mourn bicyclist killed in hit-and-run on Elysian Fields Avenue Sounds like a genuinely nice guy. I’m sorry to hear of his passing, the world needs more artists to show us what is beautiful in this world. More Police search for driver who killed bicyclist and fled

And 3 days ride from WoaB LEO blame a cyclist for crossing an exit ramp on a highway built more like a freeway and the only way through for the cyclist. BCSO: Fatally struck cyclist may have been at fault I can’t get an accurate location, just “Hwy. 90 west of San Antonio” so I can’t say if there was a route that kept the cyclist off the highway. But to blame a cyclist for not seeing a turn signal on a vehicle behind him by more than a quarter of a mile is absurd. At that speed (60 MPH) a vehicle would travel almost a half mile in the time it takes to cross an offramp.

One got away in the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike. Bicycle may have saved boy in van crash Apparently the bike made the kid a little more mobile than he would have been afoot and prevented the stolen van from running him over.

And in another neighborhood, a child cyclist’s death is met with “You want infrastructure, you have to pay for it.” Rubonia faces cost of sidewalks after child’s death Now where are they going to get that kind of money, and why aren’t tax dollars being spent on the commons? (Aside from the fact that this is a non-white neighborhood?)

Remembering a cyclist killed in the Great White North. Oakville cyclist killed in Milton remembered for his passion and devotion to his family and teaching

Road.cc weighs in on the laughable sentence for the driver who killed a cyclist while texting non-stop behind he wheel. Driver who killed cyclist had been checking WhatsApp messages leading up to collision

Why the UK needs better bicycle infrastructure. Cyclist deaths: Why you are 17 TIMES likelier to be killed on a bike than in a car And that picture of the remains of deceased cyclist Ying Tao was just horrifying.

They came desperately close to killing another cyclist in London. Cyclist injured in west London crash as bike snaps in two under wheels of lorry Did you see where the cyclist was hit? In the “bicycle box” at the front of the intersection, exactly where he was supposed to be, and on the driver’s side of the truck.

Really now! Injured cyclist has bike stolen while being treated on ground

After reading the contents of the last three links I certainly can believe this headline. Law firm calls for protection for cyclists after nearly 500 injured on roads in Bath, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire And with 3 out of 4 cyclists not at fault for their wrecks something needs to be done.

An act of terrorism against cyclists in Oz. Wire strung across road could have seriously injured This could have been fatal if the rider had been a few inches shorter or the wire a few inches higher. I hope they charge the miscreants with acts of terrorism meant to kill.

And I’m all outta links again. I’m going to go elevate my foot.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the swollen Poet

Happy New Year 2014, and the Feed

Well, most of us lived through 2013. Here’s hoping things will be a little less deadly in 2014 and that I will have less wrecks to write about and more and better infrastructure to write about. Especially since the Dutch have been so generous about sharing their bicycle infrastructure with those of us who are Anglophones.

Up first is my only US wreck, a head-on crash where it appears the cyclist crossed the centerline on a corner. Marin County: Bicyclist injured in head-on collision on Panoramic Highway Since I can’t get to any pictures of the bike or the weapon vehicle, or most importantly the crime scene I’ll have to accept the narrative as posited by LEO, that the cyclist had excessive speed for conditions and crossed the centerline on a turn. To avoid modulate your speed going downhill to remain on the correct side of the road. To prevent get the infrastructure right. There are very few wrecks that could not be prevented by getting the infrastructure right.

NM is not the only place where people set booby traps to injure or kill cyclists as is shown by this UK link. Police appeal after Hull cyclist injured by trap This wreck illustrates the hazards of leaving trash in the bike path as it can be used to disguise a booby trap as well as being a hazard in and of itself.

International Infrastructure! news. Can Radar and RFID Stop Drivers From Killing Cyclists? The RFID idea is dead in the water as it requires the victims to spend money to not get killed, which comes perilously close to being an extortion racket with no guarantee that the people driving the deadly weapons will face similar requirements to update their vehicles. Since we have seen how well trying to get side guards installed that actually pay for themselves in reduced fuel consumption in under a year has worked, how will requiring installing gear that identifies and alerts drivers to the presence of cyclists and pedestrians with no other benefits like reduced fuel costs go over? I have a suggestion for that, allow installation of alert systems that warn drivers about cyclists and pedestrians to be optional, but make all wrecks between vehicles not equipped with the alert systems and a cyclist or pedestrian automatically the fault of the truck driver because the systems failed to warn the driver because they were not there? IOW allow trucking companies to bet on not hitting any cyclists or pedestrians without installing the systems, but make losing that bet as financially painful as possible, with pain and suffering, medical bills, loss of income, and loss of enjoyment all being paid 100% by the trucking company (or their insurance, who would probably require installing the alert systems as part of getting insurance).

Last link is to one of the premier e-assist bike companies making a better but less-expensive version of their flagship bike. The All New SIMBB 29C Bike – “ The Electric Bike SIMBBlified” Through-the-gears means the power gets transferred to the wheel at the most efficient motor speed for the bike speed or IOW more to the ground and less to waste heat.

And those are all the links that gave me fits or otherwise on this first day of the new year.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Still a mess, and the Feed

Winter finally dipped a toe into the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell this morning with a sub-freezing low temperature. I’m sure that for many a morning low temperature of 28°F on 11/13 would be a balmy break from the cold, but we just had a daytime high near 80 on Monday and 28 on Wednesday just doesn’t allow time to acclimate to the change in temperature. My fingers (and toes) are still hurting from the temperature change and I’m wearing a sweatshirt to go with my wool socks. Hell, we just shut down the AC less than 2 weeks ago because it finally stayed under 78 in the house without it. In the [Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth]”Good News Everybody”[/Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth] category, the cargo bike is scheduled to be complete about 1/15/2014. Baby name suggestions still being accepted, so far the front-runners are “Woody” and “Thistle”. Other nominations include “Box”, “Bike”, and “Hey You”. And one lone suggestion of “Cat” because like a cat it will be very unlikely for this one to come when its name is called. The donor bike is a BSO from the 80s that has zero personality, none, zilch, nada, so no help there.

Up first why is there a controversy about not killing cyclists? When a cyclist is killed, why does the driver get the benefit of the doubt? and Death Of Paul Lin, Orange County Bicyclist, Latest Rider Killed By Driver Who Faces No Charges also No criminal charges for driver who killed Everett cyclist but $10,287 ticket Cyclists get killed, but aside from the occasional ticket (OK sometimes HUGE ticket) nothing seems to happen to the killers. I have been complaining about this in this blog pretty much from day one, certainly since I started on WordPress. Just FYI Day One was late 2006 and I have been here on WP since November 23 2008. So I have been doing this for a long time, and complaining for a long time, and now someone else seems to have noticed the same things I have been complaining about.

Someone is trying to do something about the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bicycle. Bicycle safety takes center stage in St. Johns County meeting Unfortunately the comments show why infrastructure is needed, badly.

More on an OH hit-and-run. Prosecutor To Present Charges To Family Of DeSales Teacher Killed Something is seriously screwy with this case. More Suspect In Deadly Hit And Run Struck Cyclist Two Years Ago

Still in OH. Cyclist Seriously Injured in Chillicothe Hit-Skip This is like the 4th OH hit-and-run in a month, is there something in the water or something?

Speaking of OH hit-and-run… Former Intell reporter hurt in serious hit-run accident Good to hear the cyclist is in rehab for his injuries. My rehab was delayed because of all the road rash I had and the skin graft that had to completely heal before I could start any intensive rehab.

A NJ cyclist gets arrested on outstanding warrants after getting scraped off the road. Report: Injured man charged with escape after trying to leave hospital Nothing on the actual wreck or on what the warrant was for. Generally just bad journalism all the way around. More, but still nothing about the wreck or the nature of the warrants. New Brunswick man charged with trying to escape hospital

A cyclist is injured in Canuckistan. Injured cyclist recovering This is another wreck that does not pass the “smell test”. I guess if the bicycle went into shimmy then the narrative makes sense, but that’s not something the cyclist has much control over. And shimmy can cause parts to fall off of a bike, I had a bike go into shimmy and shake off the kickstand that was welded to the frame. If similar happened to this cyclist he could have lost control very easily. But how to prevent? I dunno.

Another cyclist hit in Canuckistan. Man riding bike hit by car near Casino Regina the cyclist left-crossed oncoming traffic, not much room for blaming drivers there. To avoid yield right-of-way when turning, to prevent see previous statement on avoiding.

More on that anti-cyclist terrorism in the UK. Cyclist hurt after hitting rope tied across Edinburgh path “I am completely horrified at how it was premeditated and so well designed.” Yes, acts of terrorism usually are premeditated.

Links to a bad wreck in Oz. Cyclist killed after being hit by truck in Sydney and Cyclist killed in Sydney truck collision Intersection wreck, use the protocols to avoid and get the infrastructure right to prevent. And leading from this wreck into the next paragraph Cyclist killed in Sydney as 40% rise in death toll prompts call for action

Sort of infrastructure-ish. Number of cyclists killed on NSW roads doubles in two years So this year was a 40% increase over last year and a 100% increase over 2011? Or last year was 40% more than 2011 and 100% increase over 2010? Either way is going the wrong direction.

Lifestyle in CO. ‘Ghost Bike’ memorial planned Sunday for cyclist killed in Fort Collins

Infrastructure! news from SC. The City should pick a Charleston company to run bike sharing program Pay the national company to do what it does best, then let the local company take over the day-to-day stuff.

Last link is humor. 11 Signs You’re Definitely a Cyclist Hmm, I guess I’m not a “cyclist”, just a guy that rides a bicycle.

And those are all the links to bicycle articles that gave me fits.

Billed @€0.02, Opus