Things are weird again, and the Feed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

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Hoping I don’t lose this post, and the Feed

I really hope the auto-save function of this composing page doesn’t crap out on me, because my computer has been crashing all day trying to filter the Feed. I have had several links crash fortunately they could be reloaded. If this page crashes, on the other hand, I have to retype anything that doesn’t get saved. Given there are at least 24 links waiting to be collated commented and posted to the blog, losing this page could be a major pain in the grommet, to use an expression popular with my father. So here’s hoping the computer doesn’t trash the composing page.

Up first was a hard decision today as there were lots of stories with multiple links. I think this NYC hit-and-run “wins” the right to go first. 27-Year-Old Woman on Bike Killed in Hit-Run Crash and Officials ID woman killed in hit-and-run also YOUNG WOMAN KILLED BY CAR WHILE RIDING BIKE HOME FROM WORK; POLICE SEARCHING FOR DRIVER this too Cyclist on City Island killed by hit-and-run driver Part of the problem is either there were three different 27 YO victims killed by white cars on the City Island bridge who all worked in the same restaurant, or whoever gave out the reports to media changed the make of the weapon vehicle… But yeah, nothing the cyclist could have done to avoid this wreck besides live and work in the same building so she didn’t need to cross that bridge.

Also with lots of links is this wreck from the Great White North. Cyclist seriously injured in Oshawa and Cyclist seriously injured in Oshawa Well there were a lot of links that somehow disappeared from the links window, at least one as I was trying to copy the URL to post here. Funny thing is what wasn’t mentioned, the driver wasn’t charged with hit-and-run in spite of having left the scene, which is heavily implied by the driver “returning”. Can’t return if you never left.

This FL cyclist was killed off of the road waiting, in the median, to get a second break in traffic to complete crossing the street. FHP: 1 dead, 1 charged with DUI manslaughter and Driver charged with DUI manslaughter after cyclist struck, killed in Winter Park LEO are still trying to figure out what caused the driver to veer off the road to hit the cyclist. Well, DUH! he was drunk and probably angry at seeing a cyclist in “his” road.

Still in FL, the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike. Bicyclist dies after being hit by minivan in Pompano Beach “Authorities said the bicyclist did not have any proper working lights.” Of course not, they were smashed to bits in the wreck, that’s why the didn’t work after the wreck.

Moving one state over from FL we get this fatal wreck in AL. Alabama cyclist killed in collision is sixth such death this year For those of us who have to depend on the media to get accurate reports of wrecks reports like this are a nightmare. “The crash is being investigation.” Really? was this written by the same people as ‘All your base are belong to us’? At this point it looks very possible that this was a right hook by a driver who never saw the cyclist.

Still in AL we get a kid hit head on in a residential area. McCalla 9-year-old hit by car, injured while riding bicycle outside grandfather’s house The remains show a hard, but survivable impact, and also really bad welds in the fork. I’m being serious here, look at that wheel and you tell me if something really hit hard enough to break the steer tube on that fork. This is the bicycle builder coming out in me, which explains why it takes me so long when I build a bike. The steer tube broke between the crown race and the fork crown, which could only happen 2 ways, not enough heat to actually join the steer tube to the fork, or way too much heat welding in the crown race destroying the base metal in the steer tube without actually joining it to the fork… I know, TMI.

Our Daily Ted provides a breath of fresh air today. Morning Links: How the economy and bike lanes affect bike wrecks, and fight the bikelash over Rowena road diet

Still in CA. Long Beach woman killed in bicycle collision on PCH in Huntington Beach identified The wreck is still somehow a hit from behind wreck in an intersection they were both crossing.

Two reports on the same wreck in CA. Emmy winning sound editor one of two killed in Moorpark crash involving car, bicycle and motorcycle and Distracted driving may have been factor in fatal Moorpark crash That might be the only explanation of why a driver went from one shoulder to the other to kill two people on two-wheeled conveyances, absent some evidence the driver hated cyclists.

Maybe crap infrastructure contributes to bike wrecks? A Young Cyclist’s Death Spurs Changes, Lawsuit in Cupertino

NC cyclist killed in pinball wreck. Cyclist killed Sunday morning in east Charlotte collision He cleared the intersection, but not the killing zone when a left-turning vehicle sent another vehicle spinning through the shoulder area.

It just occurred to me today that the same group that was getting injured/killed the most at the beginning of the study period are the ones getting injured/killed at the end of the study. Cycling deaths, injuries rise as pastime grows in popularity The people getting killed the most at the start would be in the same age group as the ones getting killed the most at the end of the study, they just aged into the biggest group of cyclists as they got older.

I’m still trying to figure out how the truck got on the race course to hit the cyclist. Surely they closed the streets to traffic while the state championship race was running? Cyclist injured after hitting truck at Fort Smith race Comments say the course was closed and the driver of the weapon vehicle had been told twice to scram but went on the course anyway.

I strongly suspect this was a kid being a kid. Boy rides bike off embankment, suffers serious head injuries, police say I can’t say for sure, but this sounds like something I would have done at his age.

PA cyclists remember those taken too soon. Cyclists Pay Tribute To Slain Bike Riders, Hope To Raise Awareness

Making cyclists less “other”. Letters: Humanizing ‘cyclists,’ pope and refugees

Making drivers more aware that cyclists have a right to the roads and are going to be there. Signs of Our Times: Sharing the Streets I would prefer a sign that told drivers hitting a cyclist or pedestrian would cost them the car they hit said cyclist or pedestrian with, but hey, can’t have everything.

The cyclist who tried to get LEO to enforce the bike/bus lane restrictions gets hit by a car in the lane he was trying to get enforced. Cyclist who complained about Clifton Boulevard lane violators injured in bike-car clash We all know how loud a car horn can be when you are outside the car, especially a few feet in front of the car when the horn goes off. It can make you jump out of your skin if you are not expecting it. And there were a couple hundred comments when I filtered the links, but none as I posted the link here.

Signs of another kind. You Won’t Soon Forget These Photos of Ghost Bikes. That’s Exactly the Point.

A wreck in Canuckistan. Cyclist critically injured in collision south of Edmonton Ouch, cyclist hit head-on by a salmon driver. Nothing you can do about that. I hope the victim recovers.

Road.cc has the same opinion of a left hook wreck as I did. Accidental death verdict in case of Guernsey cyclist crushed by lorry Seriously, how hard is it to blame a driver for hitting someone on a parallel road when crossing that road?

A cycling hazard that is mostly confined to Oz, thank the lady Ghisallo for small favors. Where magpies swoop in Canberra: Cyclists fall prey to swooping birds I mean it sucks for the Aussies, but there are only a couple million cyclists there, compared to the billion or so in the rest of the world.

Programming note my friends have decided I need to get out of the house more and are taking me to do something not involving computers or cell phones. I think I’m going shopping or something.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Already working on Halloween costumes, and the Feed

Some of the people in my RPG group are real big on Halloween, like REAL big. Start planning your costume and buying for it in August big. So I was out pricing and comparing body paint with one of them this afternoon. Body paint is sold in sizes from 4 oz. to multiple gallons in a bucket (not sure if that was a 3 or 5 gallon bucket, but that was a lot of body paint). The person I was shopping with would not need any of the large sizes, but depending on coverage she might need a gallon for the base color. Or she may decide to just go to a pro and get the job done right. I know I’m going to be busy that night because my church has decided to do a full ritual on that night. I’m not on the ad hoc for that ritual, but it will be a barn-burner (probably not literally as don’t have a barn to burn).

The Big Story tonight is a continuation of one from last night as the links and news on the drunk salmon driver who killed a cyclist in CO. Cyclist Killed On Lookout Mountain By Suspected Drunk Driver Leaves Behind Wife, Son and Cyclist killed after being struck by suspected drunk driver on Lookout Mountain Still the same story even with more links, it won’t get any better unless the perp hangs himself with a trash bag in jail.

The “new” Big Story is from the Most Deadliest State to walk or ride a bike in the US. Bicyclist dead in hit-and-run crash on U.S. 192 in Kissimmee and Search continues for driver in Kissimmee fatal hit-and-run on U.S. 192 The problem with drunk drivers who run is it is almost impossible to tell the difference between a drunk driver driving like a drunk, and deliberate murder. This case illustrates that difficulty, the cyclist was riding in the bike lane when the driver swerved off the road through the cyclist and hit a pole and another vehicle, then the driver got out of the car and ran, leaving the cyclist’s broken body in the grass in front of the weapon vehicle where it fell after the weapon vehicle hit the pole.

Still in FL, a SWCC wreck. St. Augustine bicyclist dies in U.S. 1 crash Not much in this one, just a cyclist hit while “crossing” a busy highway. Since the cyclist was dead at the scene when LEO got there there was no account from the victim of the wreck.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: More on Monday’s Vision Zero event, and a rider’s eye view of the Manhattan Beach Grand Prix

Still in CA, why is breaking a car window a crime but running a bike over after knocking the rider off of it and dragging the bike several blocks not a crime? Especially when the car window was broken trying to get the attention of the driver after the knocking down and dragging? Driver, bicyclists tussle in Normal Heights Hit-and-run against the injured cyclist with the damaged bike, and they are going to charge the cyclists? TANJ!

Also in CA a cyclist is knocked 176 feet by a hit-and-run driver. Hit-and-run leaves Hanford bicyclists injured This idiot driver came within inches of killing 3 people, they should throw the book at him, pick it up, throw it again, then pick it up and throw it one more time. When they catch him that is. If you see the black Caddy pickup truck the driver is probably a poseur with “compensation issues”, treat him as armed and dangerous. And Stupid, a bad combination.

Not done with CA yet, we have a left cross wreck. Cyclist injured in Alpine Road collision There are a lot of people who don’t know the how to drive in CA as evidenced by the comments section.

Moving closer to home, another LA cyclist is hit. Teen riding bike to school injured by hit-and-run driver Since they never mentioned lights and reflectors in the story in spite of the early hour before sunrise, the cyclist was at least legally conspicuous. And I am so tired of hit-and-run drivers.

Another wreck in MI. Sheriff: Cyclist injured in Charlevoix County hit-and-run crash I still want to run hit-and-run drivers through a car shredder with the car they hit-and-ran in. I might be benevolent and allow the driver as much to drink as they wanted before the trip through the car shredder, or I might be an asshole and make them drink Red Bull and Monster so they are really wired and alert, and have to pee. Can you tell I’m really angry at all the hit-and-runs this week, and it’s only Wednesday.

And now we get to that great cyclist and pedestrian killing field, NYC. Woman On Mobility Scooter Killed By Driver In Sheepshead Bay The victim was crossing with the light in the crosswalk when she was left-crossed from behind.

This just makes me angry too. Police Seek Riverside Park Hit-And-Run Cyclist Who Hospitalized 2-Year-Old Asshole, you hit a little kid, you stick around and exchange information with the parents. Oh, wait a minute she tried, but the parents left with the kid to go to the hospital… See what I get from reading too fast?

A little NYC infrastructure change. These Scary Atlantic Avenue Intersections Are Now A Little Less Dangerous

Another “safety” article that begins and ends at “helmets”. NYS Fair bike helmet giveaway; Upstate Medical’s free lids not just for kids anymore I think every one knows how I feel about helmets, even though a major reason why I quit riding was I couldn’t get the helmet over the tumor on the back of my neck.

Lovely infrastructure article from West Canuckistan. More than 200 people killed or seriously injured on Whyte Avenue in 10 years The area is a 3 km long stretch that has an average of almost 2 wrecks with injury or death every month. That’s about 2 miles in “old money”, to use a Britishism. That is too many for too long a time. Something needs to be fixed there…

This is an insane assault on a cyclist in Jolly Olde. Man who pushed cyclist into path of traffic turns himself in to police I still don’t see how this isn’t attempted murder to push someone into traffic, bicycle or not.

Last link, instead of just adopting the CROW manual, they have to do things the hard way. New junction opens to save bike riders

As an aside, I composed this post while listening to the 6 hour complete soundtrack music to Cowboy Bebop on YouTube and my phone. You’re welcome. Seriously this is just a long silky ride on a cloud of jazz, blues, a little rock, some heavy metal, a little Western Swing, some pure J-Pop, all written by an enormously talented Japanese woman who could have made a small fortune composing new classical pieces and directing orchestras, Yoko Kanno. I hope she got boatloads of yen for all the anime she has scored over the years. She also wrote all the music to the Ghost In The Shell series, Brain Powerd, and a couple dozen others that are not coming to mind right now. Good stuff, and lots of it, even if it is an anime soundtrack, if you didn’t know it was you couldn’t recognize it from the music. Unless you watched the show, of course. Oh, Gawwds they just got to “The Real Folk Blues”… about 2:50 or so into the 6 hours, but not the version in the end credits, the one used in the final battle between Spike and the Mob Guy…

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Unkillable Badass Poet.

It’s hot in Texas and water is wet, and the Feed

Looking at my phone the temp just went to 103°F with the heat index “only” 102 because there is almost no humidity. Seriously the air in Phoenix is more humid than the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell, 22% in TX to 26% in AZ. And I actually go out and ride a bike in weather like this, wearing a full-face helmet. Well nobody has accused me of being “normal” lately. Speaking of that there are only 20 more shopping days to get me a Death Day present. I’m looking for RPG dice this year, especially d6 and d8. And I’m a vain geek, I want pretty dice that kinda match. And seriously about this, I’m playing a game now where I sometimes need as many as 10 d6 for damage rolls because my Warlock is heavily buffed with stacking magic items that both increase his “to hit” as well as his damage. I mean my to hit is now +13 against the touch AC of my opponent meaning against most non-monsters I hit every time, and I have better than even odds against pretty much all of the monsters. Currently it takes me longer to roll damage than most people take to play a turn because of my lack of d6. 😦

Right now it appears the Big Story is the woman hit by a semi in Boston on Friday morning. Cyclist Killed by Tractor Trailer Identified and Cyclist’s death spotlights Mass. Ave. peril also Recent fatal bike encounters with trucks, buses this too Police search for flatbed truck after bicyclist hit and killed at Boston more like this Bicycle rider killed in Back Bay crash in the previous link you can see the cyclist just before she was hit under the passenger side mirror of the picture of the weapon vehicle. Police Identify Bicyclist Killed In Back Bay Accident I’m going to make a 100% absolutely serious recommendation here: Ban large trucks like this from urban areas unless accompanied by bicyclist outriders front and rear to make sure that no pedestrians or cyclists get run over because drivers can’t see out of the right side or directly in front of the vehicle. The outriders’ responsibility would be to ensure that there was nothing and nobody in the way of the truck before allowing it to make a turning movement and hold the truck until the way had been cleared with the front outrider keeping people from turning across the truck and the back outrider making sure nobody comes from behind, and both making sure that the people who got there first have time to get out of the way, then the truck can make a turn. Obviously this is much more important when making a right turn because such large vehicles have to fade far to the left to clear such things as light poles and sidewalks, but there is still some issues with the left turns from a one-way street that require fading right for clearance. Using bicyclists as outriders means the forward speed is more or less limited to a safe speed. Late addition Surgeon Remembered After Being Struck and Killed on Bike

From a few hours ride east of WoaB World HQ in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell. Calls for road safety after Longview cyclist crashes “It’s not if I’m going to get hit, it’s when,” which sounds pretty pessimistic, but this is TX, the state where the 2 biggest-selling vehicles are pickup trucks in spite of most of the population living in one of 6 urban areas.

A memorial ride south of WoaB about a day and a half ride. Memorial to honor teen killed in auto vs. bike crash “(H)e swerved and hit the side of a vehicle” tells me that he got buzzed and hit. Remember this victim of motor violence.

Ted had a good day. We interrupt this website for a view from Sunday’s successful CicLAvia

Well it was good for a little while, anyway. Bicyclist killed riding on I-15 in North San Diego County hit-and-run; victim may have been struck multiple times

Same area, slightly earlier. Mission Beach Cyclist Severely Injured in Hit-and-Run Area readers are encouraged to BOLO for the weapon vehicle, have SDPD non-emergency number on speed dial. And PD need to have the ability to get texts and attachments from cell phones so that vital information can be sent from people on the scene instead of trying to describe the situation verbally. Pictures are worth a thousand words.

From the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike catches a killer. FHP: Hit-and-run driver distracted by e-cig before killing teen cyclist and Arrest made in hit-and-run crash that killed 17-year-old He dropped his vaper on the floor and instead of pulling over and stopping while he searched for it, he just ducked down and drove blind.

NYC, you suck. 18-Year-Old Queens Cyclist Who Was Struck By Driver In Bike Lane Has Died The drunk driver has not yet been charged with anything, including not charged with drunk driving.

Upstate NY is only slightly better. Bike accident during Great Race sends two cyclists to Upstate University Hospital No motor vehicles involved, but it was a race/ride. Some people were just out to have a nice ride somewhat protected from motor vehicles.

More upstate NY hassles. No easy answers for rider-driver friction in Piermont Part of the problem is NY culture leads to confrontations (remember Pacino’s “Hey! I’m WALKING here!”?), and part of the problem is we cyclists get a trifle excited when some putz comes within inches of terminating our lives which does little to reduce tensions.

Meanwhile in Joisey. Charges filed in Mine Hill crash that left cyclist injured The driver has been charged with driving like a putz and failing to yield.

A bill in PA that deserves to get thrown under the bus. Pa. bill to demand cyclists wear reflective vests at night getting thrown under bus Seriously, instead of demanding that cyclists do all the work here, how about just enforcing the Basic Speed Law?

Are you Too Old To Drive? Mother of bicyclist killed in car accident helps educate elderly drivers I remember covering this wreck back then, the cyclist was hit with the front of the right front fender. The driver just did not even consider that there was a lane of traffic to the right of the vehicle before starting the turn.

Someone in MN has a serious hate on for cyclists. Answers Tough To Find After Cyclist Hit By Chunk Of Concrete and People are ruthlessly attacking Minneapolis cyclists, for some reason Seriously, this was a planned attack, as the driver was riding in some cyclist-heavy parts of the city and wearing PPE so as to not get hurt by the objects he was throwing at cyclists. If you see the weapon vehicle deploy spike strips and shoot to kill. The car that is, kill the car. We want the driver to be publicly humiliated for at least a decade or so and corpses don’t get humiliated easily.

Still in MN a left cross wreck injures a young girl. Minnesota Girl Injured On Bicycle After Car Struck Her This story is just so bizarre. The driver was the victim of random mob violence a few years ago that left him brain damaged and was just now starting to get something resembling a normal life back when he turned left into the cyclist. As a member of both groups, brain damaged and cyclist, I don’t know which I should feel more sorry for. But as a member of both groups I also need to say they should test the driver for his degree of perception to his left, as well as can he physically turn his head to see that direction. He may have undiscovered defects on that side of his body, that he may not even know about.

Another hit-from-behind wreck in WI. Bicyclist hurt in Sunday crash named Other than the fact the driver stayed at the scene and rendered aid to the cyclist until medical help arrived it was a common hit-from-behind wreck.

Another cyclist is killed in another hit-and-run, this time in MI. Bicyclist on trek across Michigan dies in hit-and-run crash and Woman cycling across Michigan killed in hit-and-run The driver of the pickup truck hit the last rider in a group and sped away because he was a person of low moral content. When they find the truck it should be crushed as soon as they finish processing it, possibly with the driver still in it.

A little girl is hurt in SD. Five-Year-Old Girl Injured In Car Vs. Bicycle Accident If a 5YO can’t play safely here then there isn’t a safe place to play in SD.

Our first international links come from the Great White North, as age is no defense against criminally bad driving. Charges pending against 83-year-old driver after cyclist hit And neither is “sun glare”. It’s not like you don’t know the sun is going to be there…

The father of a cyclist killed in a hit-and-run wants a mandatory minimum sentence for killing someone in a hit-and-run to deter DUIs from leaving the scene. Dead cyclist’s father wants jail time for hit-and-run drivers and Dead cyclist’s father wants jail time for hit-and-run drivers I suggest the minimum for a fatal hit-and-run be twice the minimum for death by DUI, whatever they call it in the statute. If leaving the guy to die is not worse than killing him outright, well…

Gawddammit! Cyclist seriously injured after being hit by a lorry in central London OK I know the drivers have at least some degree of driving ability to pass the test for the license, and the majority of the cyclists hit have been experienced and careful cyclists, which narrows it down to infrastructure and vehicle blind spots…

Road.cc is sorta like Gothamist except all bike and in England. They have two links in today’s Feed. The first one is the driver who had his pathetically weak sentence reduced further because victims’ impact statements don’t actually count, they’re just for show. Lorry driver who caused death of Denbighshire cyclist has driving ban reduced FFS.

Second link is the bus driver that hit a cyclist in plain view and dragging his body until there was no hope of survival and getting away with it. Bus driver who dragged cyclist to his death and failed to stop avoids jail That distance in American (formerly Imperial English) is almost 80 feet. And WTF?!? “Death by Dangerous Driving” is the most serious driving offense in the book, and he got probation?

I think the coppers are still looking for the murder weapon. 70 year-old man questioned over death of cyclist Yep, I’ almost positive that’s what they’re doing.

Last link. Sips For Cyclists Event To Benefit Injured Riders Go out there and benefit somebody.

And I’m tired and done composing, now comes proofing, editing, and tagging.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Unkillable Badass Poet

I went for a massage today, and the Feed

Since the last file of links won’t show up in the Feed folder until after midnight Friday is a good day to go do things. So I went to get a massage to try to do something about my neck, which has stopped getting better about two weeks ago. My range of motion hasn’t improved much over the big jump I had on the day after surgery, and my neck still cracks every time I try looking up. The good thing today was after the massage I was able to turn the overhead light on without using Braille, I could look almost straight up to find the pull chain on the light. That won’t last, but I hope there will be some carryover until I get another massage.

Up first is Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: OC hit-and-run truck driver guilty; SGV bike rider found beaten to death; get ready for CicLAvia Didn’t that trial just start Tuesday?

From down the road a day’s ride. Memorial ride planned Saturday for bicyclist Brian Silva “This from Please Be Kind to Cyclists …”

And motor vehicles in NYC killed the same number of pedestrians in June as people on bicycles killed since 2000. NYPD: Drivers Injured 1,228 Pedestrians and Cyclists in June, and Killed 10 The 10 includes one dead cyclist…

This NYC wreck is just troubling. No Charges for Driver Who Killed 72-Year-Old Cyclist in Sunset Park and 72-Year-Old Brooklyn Cyclist Killed 1 Block From Home As was pointed out in the Streetsblog article, the cyclist or the driver could have run the red, or the cyclist could have entered with the green and gotten balked by pedestrian traffic and then the driver failed to yield. Only one of those scenarios has the cyclist at fault.

Update on a FL fatal hit-and-run. Suspect arrested in hit-and-run that killed teen on bike They did a database search for cars matching the description, narrowed it down by specifying a radius from the wreck and then went and looked at all the cars until they found the weapon vehicle. Exactly what I told the detective to do in my wreck, but he said it was “too hard”…

This Chicago cyclist isn’t fooling around. Cyclist avows injuries, sues three The driver that doored her, the driver that hit her when she got doored, because he shouldn’t have been driving, and the owner of the car that hit her for allowing a driver who was required to have “adult supervision” to drive alone. If she’d lucky she might get enough to pay her doctor and hospital bills and cover her lost income and maybe even the costs of moving after losing her apartment…

A cyclist in VA is found bleeding on the side of the road. Stuart man injured while riding bicycle Apparently they don’t think he was hit by anything, just fell down after getting dizzy or something.

The links to this Boston hit-and-run report keep changing as I write this, so I have no idea what you’re going to find when you click. Truck, driver connected to fatal bicycle crash located out of state That was originally a description of a bog-standard right hook, complete with a semi turning from the wrong lane across a bike lane. Police Find Driver After Fatal Bicycle Accident In Boston and this one Police locate truck that hit, killed bicyclist OK they found the driver and the weapon vehicle. and the comments from the first link are continuing to blame the cyclist even though they are saying the truck violated her right of way.

Another hit-and-run in Chuck. Judge sets bond for woman accused of DUI in fatal Hollywood crash OK that link changed and now the driver was “just” drunk.

I’m just flabbergasted with this link. Man charged in collision that seriously injured cyclist in Chapel Hill What surprised me the most is NC has a reputation of blaming cyclists for being there to get hit, and less than 4 days after the wreck they have criminally charged the driver for making a right hook.

The Mounties got their man! Oshawa man charged in Stouffville-area hit-and-run involving cyclist and Police arrest man in April hit-and-run that left cyclist seriously injured Is that the charges, or a laundry list?

A cyclist in the Great White North left-crosses herself. Cyclist seriously injured in Fort Erie and Senior cyclist serious hurt in Fort Erie collision What more can I say? Left turning vehicles must yield to through vehicles.

This tale from the Great White North sounds exactly like a Buzz Job. Cyclist injured in collision near Delhi, Ont.

This is about as far east as you can get in Canada without taking a ferry. Cyclist injured After looking at the front of that car, if the driver stopped it was only for a fraction of a second and it was burning rubber until contact with the cyclist. IOW this was a left cross at speed.

And Canadians can only stay polite for so long. It’s a mixed up, shook up world when pedestrians punch cyclists

[facepalm] Lorry driver who caused death of Denbighshire cyclist by careless driving has driving ban cut on appeal [/facepalm] Seriously?!? Only 5 years of not-driving for killing while driving and it was still too much? and he didn’t even get community service…

Part 2. County Durham bus driver spared jail after killing Washington cyclist Les Turnbull Another killer driver gets probation and a meaningless driving ban instead of something appropriate, like drawing and quartering.

Texting and driving is bad, umm kay? Deal Mum of teenage cyclist Daniel Squire features in emotional video for new phone app and Mum’s campaign to prevent texting at wheel after death of her son

Oh Ghisallo, fix this junction or direct large heavy vehicles away from it. Bank crash: Cyclist hit by van at notorious junction where Ying Tao was killed in lorry crash The only thing that prevented this from being a fatality was low speed and the weapon vehicle being comparatively light (compared to a semi that is).

Automating road surveys so they are done constantly instead of once or twice a year. Pittsburgh Program Looks to Seal the Cracks in Urban Road Management Good pavement looks textureless to the program, but as the pavement degrades it develops more and more texture, until it hits a point where it has to be replaced. Using this program will keep maintenance from getting behind the curve so that roads can be repaired instead of rebuilt and lower costs.

And when our robotic overlords take over the streets they will be polite to cyclists and pedestrians. This is why self-driving cars will be programmed to let cyclists rule the roads

And that was the last link, and I’m beat.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Unkillable Badass Poet (current time is 0227 )

Grocery Day again, and the Feed

OK today’s opening paragraph is both non-bike and non-humor. There was another theater shooting yesterday, only this time I know the location. Know as in have been to that theater several times to see various movies. The “shooter” this time was a real loony, he only brought a non-lethal training rifle, pepper spray, and a hatchet to the theater, and a fake bomb. The theater was showing the new Mad Max movie, the “feminist” one. I don’t know if any of my friends from when I lived in the area were at the theater or anyone I knew even tangentially because, well it has been close to thirty years now and my memory for names is pretty bad. You can ask my kids how many times I have used one of the cats’ names while talking to progeny. So, anyway, prayers and energy to the wounded in body and spirit.

Up first is more on the murder of a cyclist in NC (yes, I went there). Memorial created for cyclist killed by motor vehicle Drugged out driver crosses several lanes of traffic to hit a cyclist riding on the sidewalk? YES I’m going to call that a murder.

Our Daily Ted comes back after a day off with medical issues. (Writer’s block is a medical issue, right?) Morning Links: Mobility Plan passes but defers battles, Tito’s Tacos owner battles Culver City over CicLAvia The taco stand is going to be inundated with hungry cyclists unless the owner manages to totally piss them off before the event.

There aren’t enough bike lanes in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell to make parking in them an issue, but I “get” the rest of this comic from Bikeyface. Whatever “Dude, you almost got me killed there!” “Whatever.” [cyclist beats driver to death with u-lock] “Whatever, dude.”

And the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike adds another fatality to the total. Teen on bike killed by hit-and-run driver in east Orange County and Teen killed on bicycle – search for hit&run driver also, late to the Feed FHP finds car that may be fatal hit-run vehicle Apparently a witness to the wreck was a car guy and was able to identify the make and model of the weapon vehicle. Debris at the scene verified the ID.

LA (the state, not L.A. the city) has some seriously bad drivers. Returning from memorial for bike rider who was struck and killed, another bicyclist is hit Hit by a driver running a stop sign. The irony here is the cyclist would not have been there to hit if he had not stopped for his own stop sign… More Bicyclists remember friend who was killed in crash

From a little south of that wreck. After 5th cyclist death, increased safety on City Council agenda

From down the road from where I used to live, a survivor. MTSU AD Massaro injured in bike accident, back at work The guy broke his neck in two places and rode home… I think I may have found competition for my “unkillable badass” title. Actually there is no competition for that title, you either are or you are not an unkillable badass.

Joisey is seriously not bicycle friendly. Cyclist from N.Y. injured in collision with car at Clark Street and Route 46 in Wharton Another classic left cross wreck, but watch it get blamed on the cyclist (again).

An injured VA cyclist has the $$ to offer a reward for the driver who left him to die in the road. Augusta County Cyclist Injured in Hit and Run Offers Reward for Suspect “This person won’t be able to keep their mouth shut, since they evidently did it on purpose, so eventually they’ll have to brag about it and that will lead to their demise,” Steve.

A low-information report from the Great White North. Cyclist struck, seriously injured in Mississauga Love the comments section (not).

A cyclist in Canuckistan crashes next to a road. Invermere cyclist with no ID in coma after being found at the side of the road I keep harping on having wearable ID (not so much any more, but there is a limit to repetition). Seriously, this happens all the time it just doesn’t always make the news.

Remember that driver who spent several seconds looking at his phone instead of the road out his windshield? Lee Mill cyclist-death trucker cleared of dangerous driving Apparently driving with your nose in a phone instead of looking where you’re going isn’t “dangerous driving” when you are driving a semi.

The cyclist who went over the edge of a bridge is memorialized. Tributes paid to Ilkley cyclist killed in bridge fall I still think they need to fix that bridge.

No government in the world has ever made bicycle licenses work. Australia: Licensing cyclists will not ease the pain of being hit by vehicles But that doesn’t keep the crazies from trying, over and over.

Way back when, driving was considered anti-social. Before “Accident,” Deadly Driving Was “Homicide By Automobile”

Bob Mionske (as usual) is on it. Legally Speaking: At least three feet

Hydration with a full-face helmet is a problem, but this system can keep you from dehydration. No-drill Motorcycle Helmet MotoGP Hydration Mod One of the things I had the most trouble with was getting a drink while riding with my full-face helmet was getting the water bottle around the chin bar.

And I’m all out of links.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Unkillable Badass Poet

I had errands to run on the Big Feed Day

Now that Mrs. the Poet is home I have access to her account for paying the bills that my income won’t cover (which is just about everything except groceries). So I spent a few 2½ hours out in the 99°F heat paying bills that had to be covered today or face huge late fees. I was fully hydrated before I left and did not stop to rehydrate until I got home, so I’m all hot and sweaty and thirsty now. That’s called “living in Texas”. 😛

Up first the biggest story continues to be the cyclist hit by a texting driver in OK. Young Teacher Biking Across America Senselessly Killed By Driver On Her Phone also Key Biscayne native killed riding bike on Oklahoma highway and this Schoolteacher Killed by Distracted Driver While Biking Cross-Country for Charity: Officials Wow a bike wreck covered by People magazine! NYC teacher killed during cross-country bike ride for charity And from Gothamist NYC School Teacher Biking Across Country Killed By Distracted Driver In Oklahoma and even this Teacher on cross-country charity bike trek killed by driver looking at cellphone in Okla. Am I allowed to say this was a senseless death? Because this was a seriously senseless death. This is even easier to avoid than a DUI murder: put the fucking phone away when you are behind the wheel or handlebars. BAM! your driving or riding abilities are improved 1000% over your on-the-phone state.

Our Daily Ted, Part 1. Morning Links: It’s Mobility Monday — contact your councilmember to support LA’s Mobility Plan as written

And Part Two. Update: 23-year old Newport Beach e-bike rider died after colliding with parked van and Corona Del Mar Cyclist Killed After Crashing into Parked Car Something caused that cyclist to be a couple feet off the curb at nearly the speed limit when he hit the back of that van. Seriously I have seen bikes hit by cars going 40 MPH on the wrong side of the road that had less front end damage than the bike in this wreck. Unfortunately the only witness in police custody has been transferred to the coroner’s custody…

Part three. An open letter to the LA City Council in support of the Mobility Plan 2035

And another wreck in Sooner Country. Cyclist killed in Pontotoc County crash If the street view of that intersection is to be believed, there is no way to safely cross that ramp as a cyclist, and no way to avoid the frontage road riding from northeast to southwest or vice-versa in certain areas. This is as much an infrastructure failure as a wreck between two vehicles.

Interesting response to a MI wreck. Boy seriously injured in car-bike accident in Lansing What is interesting about this report is in the comments section, where none of the comments blamed the cyclists involved, and at least one directly blamed the driver. And this is in spite of a Street View that shows the weapon vehicle had right of way and the cyclists were facing stop signs. I wasn’t able to follow the street view far enough to find a speed limit sign, but from the comments it can’t have been too high as this was in a residential area.

Another hit-and-run in PA. Cyclist injured in hit and run in East Liberty, police say If you see a car missing a mirror near Philly, call the number in the article.

More on that 2 vehicle bike wreck that was minus any motor vehicles in Philly. 68-Year-Old Man Seriously Injured After Collision With Another Cyclist While Riding Bike Not known if the victim was the one riding salmon or the other one.

Another bike wreck minus motor vehicles in MA. PMC Rider Seriously Injured In North Attleboro Bike Crash The PMC is a ride on the long direction of MA from NY to the sea going east. Neither of these guys finished the ride.

And in upstate NY they can’t figure out how a cyclist got hit from behind. Bike rider seriously injured in Kinderhook collision Seriously? “when a Hyundai Azera driven by Leah Tricozzi, 45, of Valatie, heading northwest on Route 28, struck Donald J. Wilber, 68, who was biking in the same direction in front of her, for unknown reasons.” When a car hits a car travelling the same direction do you try to figure out a way to blame the slower car for getting hit, or do you just write the damn ticket?

Another one killed in the most deadliest state in the US to ride a bike or walk. Fatal bicycle crash in Polk County and 2 Die in Separate Polk Crashes The cyclist appears to have been setting up to make a left turn on one of the intersecting streets in the area. I call this one an infrastructure failure, the cyclist was doing what it takes to make a legal left turn and appears to have had the legal requirements of lights and reflectors (not mentioned means everything legal 99% of the time).

Meanwhile in NC a drunk crosses the centerline and hits a cyclist head on. Driver charged with DWI after cyclist hit, killed in Hickory Remember what I said about the bike running into the back of the van in CA? This is the picture I was writing about. Notice the blood on the roof of the weapon vehicle, which sustained additional damage from hitting a pole after hitting the cyclist on the shoulder of the road. It almost looks like the driver was targeting the cyclist.

These kind of wrecks make me the craziest because they are almost always the fault of the cyclist and so easy to prevent. Huron: 15-year-old bicyclist killed by train See what I mean? All that is needed to prevent this wreck is staying behind the crossing guard.

Another hit-and-run in OH. Pickerington man injured in bicycle crash If my area readers see a vehicle matching the description of the weapon vehicle notify LEO at the number given in the article.

Read the article, then read the comments to see why the article fell on deaf ears blind eyes. Editorial: An open letter to cyclists, motorists Seriously, it is like they read the article and then completely dismissed it because it didn’t comply with their prejudices.

More of the same in a different accent. Bicyclists seek solutions following accidents

This is just one city among thousands in the US, albeit one of if not the largest city (depending on how you define “largest”) so multiply this by say, 100? NYC’s $138 Million Pothole Problem

Tragic story from the Great White North. Did vigilante kill Michael Sullivan for pretending to take child’s photo? Not a True Canadian then. And talk about jumping to fatal conclusions.

Ugghh! Cyclist struck by SUV in Oshawa intersection Who outside of the weapon vehicle is saying the cyclist ran the red light?

I was uncertain about including this one because it was so low-information. Cyclist dead after collision in Vaughan

Not a good ride in Jolly Olde. RideLondon 2015: cyclist dies from suspected heart attack while climbing steep Surrey hill I’m reading separate reports that I can’t link to at the moment that are blaming heat and dehydration for the death.

And here is one of the Good Guys. Cyclist going the distance to help terror victims

And I am out of links, hurrah!

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Unkillable Badass Poet (this will be my sig for the rest of the month to celebrate my upcoming Death Day 08/31)

I’m inundated by links and I haven’t even half finished filtering the Feed

I had to stop and compose the opening paragraph before the Chromebook locks up completely. Way too many flash ads in the tabs and everything is closed except links that I hope to use in today’s post. I really need to see if this computer can be upgraded with more memory, because I rapidly run out of resources with all the flash running in the background. That’s what irks me the most, that this is blinking whirling image-swapping resource-hogging going on in tabs that aren’t even visible. When G-Mail has to reload, you know things have gotten bad.

Up first because I need to dump something and Ted is good to lead off with. Morning Links: Graphic testimony in the case of a fallen PCH cyclist; riding the Reseda protected bike lanes

And just as I was closing down the Feed this came in. Anaheim Hills bike rider died from solo fall last year; his family makes moving video calling for helmet use Hey, if a helmet would have made a difference in the wreck, promote away!

And just over the border from WoaB in Sooner land. Cyclist hit by pickup, injured The cause of the wreck was listed as “driver’s ability and age“.

This was caused by bad infrastructure. Bicyclist killed Friday in causeway crash and Bicyclist struck and killed on bridge on St. Simons Island causeway The cyclist was hit because someone parked a car in the bike lane, completely blocking it in both directions. This would not have happened had the bike lane in question been built properly with a solid barrier preventing motor vehicle incursions.

This cyclist was apparently not looking when he entered the intersection. Bicyclist killed in Tacoma intersection and Cyclist killed Friday in Tacoma identified The cyclist apparently went into the intersection completely oblivious to what was going on around him.

I used to race my 10-speed down this road, and had no problem keeping up with the cars. Cyclist injured in hit-and-run hopes to find driver of car responsible for crash But back then I was 16YO and fearless, our bike tires had much more grip compared to the car tires of the era and if I used the rim brakes too much I ran the risk of blowing the tires off the rims before I got to the bottom of the canyon. These days standard passenger car tires for “transportation appliances” have more grip than full-blown race tires had back then, and bike tires are about the same as they were 40 years ago as far as levels of grip are concerned. But that still makes the driver that sideswiped this cyclist a douche canoe for leaving the scene.

More on a FL ride for a cyclist killed riding on the road. Cyclists honor swim instructor who died and Ride to honor cyclists killed in collisions with cars

A memorial ride in MS. Bike ride and memorial honors cyclist, educates motorists

Stumbled on this report by accident. Kitchener women say they were stopped by police for cycling topless At least they weren’t stopped for Cycling While Brown, as that can get a person killed.

Followup to the memorial ride for the Canadian cyclist killed “winning” the door prize. Memorial ride held for cyclist killed in downtown Kelowna That was a large ride.

UK infrastructure news. Cyclist knocked off his bike at ‘dangerous’ Chichester junction calls for change I looked at the “street” where the car came from and I think that would be a good place to put some bike infrastructure and ban cars.

This came up a few hours after I finished Friday’s post. Cyclists banned from stretch of A19 – but is there a viable alternative route? The cyclist was hit in a designated bike lane, so they are going to ban cyclists from the bike lanes? How does that work?

And I’m finally out of links to crazy, which means I’m totally out of links I generally get one or two “not crazy” links a day on a good day.

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

Having allergy problems again, and the Feed

I’m having allergy problems again (deja vu!) with my legs this time. I have an itchy rash around my ankles and slight swelling of the right leg with the left one looking like I’m smuggling oranges in my calf. When I take a diphenhydramine the swelling and the rash mostly go away, but I get a little sleepy and slightly loopy until the pill wears off, which happens in about 3 hours. The the rash and swelling come back. Yay! consistency.

Up first is yet another link to that heinous murder of a cyclist just a few miles away from WoaB World HQ. Cyclist dies after being stuck in windshield as driver fled The author of this piece remembered the killer nurse who left a man stuck in her windshield also, there is a link to that wreck in the article. Not the same as my link, though.

This story is a little further away and somewhat of a palate cleanser after that last link. Waco cyclist, cancer survivor overcomes obstacles to set world record The bad thing about melanoma is it can kill you quickly, the good thing is it can be easily treated without impairing your ability to function as a human being after treatment. As demonstrated in this story.

And I immediately take you back down again with this link from the same area, ain’t I a stinker? Bicycle rider robbed at gunpoint This is kinda inevitable, really. I mean they attack people inside cars and rob them or steal the cars, which are like mini armored vehicles now. All cyclists have are wits and situational awareness, and sometimes that just isn’t enough. With the M.O. used in this robbery there is no amount of situational awareness that could protect you. Once crooks started identifying cyclists as having enough money and “stuff” on them to be worth robbing, they started robbing us.

An internal debate made public at StreetsblogLA. Man is Shot and Killed by the Officers He Called to Help Search for Stolen Bike. Is it a Livable Streets Issue? When does police racism and brutality become a livable streets issue? IMHO when people are in fear of LEO, then streets are no longer livable. When people are in fear of anything when they are out on the street, that area is no longer “livable”.

Since we need some good news to balance the previous link and paragraph, people raised a ton of money for the survivors of the victims of a hit-and-run in CA. Nearly $80K Raised For Family Of Afghan Immigrant Killed While Riding Bike If you give people half a chance they can and usually do good.

And this looks like a good place to put Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Scofflaw drivers and bike riders break laws at the same rate; too much news from Tour de France

A cyclist hit in MT has been transferred to Seattle to treat her injuries. Cyclist injured in downtown Missoula stable in Seattle hospital And for those whose geography is a little weak Seattle ia almost 500 miles from Missoula, and you’re basically crossing 2 and ¹/₃ states to get there. That’s roughly equivalent of transferring a patient from Belfast to London for my UK readers, or Antwerp to Paris for readers on The Continent. Stop and think for a moment what this says about the level of treatment available in Missoula…

A cyclist is almost “taken out” on a charity ride. Braden Tucker: Bicyclist critically injured in hit-skip during VeloSano ‘Bike To Cure’ event and UPDATE: Injured VeloSano rider in fair condition There is no way the driver that hit this cyclist does not know he hit someone especially looking at the level of destruction of the bike in this wreck. The rear wheel was ripped out of the dropouts during the wreck, that kind of impact is going to make a lot of noise.

Speaking of large group rides, we have our first drunk driver hitting someone in RAGBRAI on the first day of the ride. Hudson couple on bike injured by drunk driver Can’t say for sure, but there is no way the driver did not know there were a lot of bicycles on the roads that day, so it might be a case of drunken road rage.

Speaking of RAGBRAI, did you know that an ambulance company started to provide coverage to the ride went on to become a state-wide provider? I didn’t. Local ambulance service keeps RAGBRAI riders safe How about that?

The wheels of justice grind very slowly, and sometimes you think there isn’t anybody at the controls. Woman arrested for cyclist’s death Is that a bike flag stuck in the front bumper of the weapon vehicle? The crime scene pictures don’t show very good sight lines for the cyclist, who may (probably) thought the way was clear when he started crossing the road. The degree of damage makes me think the drunk and distracted driver may have been speeding at the time of the wreck, further reducing the cyclist’s clear crossing window. Drunk drivers who kill need to be handcuffed to the steering wheel of their cars while the cars are run through a metal shredder. On fire.

Continuing on the drivers that need to be fed through a metal shredder topic… Suspected drunk driver hits, kills prominent Albuquerque homebuilder This cyclist was hit riding on the sidewalk inside a gated community. If there is any place safe to ride a bike in ABQ that should be it.

On the other side of the country we have another one. Atlanta police searching for driver who hit, killed cyclist And by “another one” I mean a cyclist hit riding on the sidewalk by an out of control driver. This guy died because the driver decided to do some doughnuts in the middle of the street when he lost control and went over the curb and ran down the cyclist.

FL puts another notch in the gun. Bicyclist critically injured in crash with car and Weston man, 51, struck and killed while riding bicycle The cyclist was hit with the driver’s side of the car, but the cyclist ended up on the right-hand sidewalk after clearing a hedge. Either the bike was moved after the wreck, or there are some strange physics going on here.

This link is not for the squeamish. Bicyclist impales neck on fence after pothole crash in Queens The cyclist did not impale himself during the wreck but as an aftermath to the wreck, staggering around after picking himself up off the sidewalk. That is going to hurt, long term, but since it looks like critical blood vessels were not hit or the cervical spine damaged he should live a fairly normal life after the initial recovery.

This ‘hood is too dangerous for kids to be kids. Girl on bike injured after collision with car in Lowell The damage visible on the weapon vehicle shows it was traveling too fast for a residential neighborhood, but still people blame the victim for not wearing a helmet when her arm was injured. SMH The damage to the bike and the weapon vehicle are much too severe for the claimed “25 MPH” impact with a “little” 13 YO girl. I will say this in the driver’s favor, the apparent geometry for this wreck did not allow any reaction time to stop or even slow down.

How do you keep people in cars from hitting people on bikes? Turn down the volume. We must change the car vs. bike culture we have created Part of the problem is the Culture of Speed we have developed. People in cars expect a road clear of slow-moving vehicles, not to have to move around a bicycle in “their” lane.

What can you do about drivers backing blindly across the bike lane when leaving parking? My Turn: Downtown parking not good for cyclists How about reconfiguring the stripes so the driver is looking the direction traffic is coming from? Simple in concept but getting drivers to change the way they have done things for decades will not be easy. Why change the way you’ve done things for decades just because you kill nearly 100 people a day every day doing it like that?

A sad update from West Canuckistan. Injured cyclist passes The injuries were too severe for the cyclist to recover from her door prize. Helmets are just not built to survive that kind of concentrated force.

Well one way to prevent HGV from killing any more London cyclists would be to ban them when the concentration of cyclists is highest. PM To Consider Banning Rush Hour Lorries After Cyclist Death

Gee, maybe it has something to do with a poor state of driver licensing? Growing numbers of cyclists being killed or seriously injured on Welsh roads Perhaps raising the standard of cereal they hand them out from as premiums will improve that somewhat. Something more adult with less sugar in/on it

How stupid do you have to be to get out of a car and chase someone down with a knife? Family of ‘road rage’ victim Don Lock pay tearful tribute to him

People sitting in the bus saw the cyclist, why didn’t the driver with a much better view out the front? ‘Shattered’ bus driver admits causing cyclist’s death That’s all I have to say about that.

And I think I have run out of links. [checks] Yep, all done.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet @opusthepoet