Well, poop!

Mrs. the Poet is settling in at her new address nicely, but it’s just a little too far for frequent trips by ride-share, and DART is still dodgy from driver shortages. And I haven’t had a hug in 2 weeks and few and far between before that. I’m not going to spend this post feeling sorry for myself, but dangit it’s hard not to. I’m facing the same dilemma as most people on fixed incomes, I have to keep cutting things out of the budget but soon I won’t have anything unessential to cut.

The massage budget is gone, the transportation budget is down to almost nothing, food budget is up but the costs of food is up more, utilities budget is overdrawn, and the entertainment budget is basically the internet budget.

Needless to say the build budget for the Sprint-T is also wiped out pretty much for the forseeable future.

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Happy President’s Day, and the Feed

Well I have a day off from one of my gigs today, because that gig is with the Feds and I don’t have access to my work materials on Federal holidays, so more time to drink coffee and read comics, Yay? This is another one of those tiny jobs I get that pays almost nothing for doing almost nothing, except for today when I get paid almost nothing for doing nothing at all. I win 😛

Up first is Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Bikes banned from Burbank bridge; defaced signs led San Diego cyclists astray Those signs looked like they had been shot with acid paintballs, completely illegible.

Drivers in FL trying hard to live down to their reputation? Bicycle rider struck and killed by a car in Boca Raton The picture of the bike lends some credence to the claim that the cyclist was crossing the intersection, but the location of the bike and the age of the cyclist (84) make me doubtful the traffic light was red when he entered the intersection.

A wreck in GA. Grady High School freshman struck, killed while riding bicycle in Midtown While I’m reluctant to blame the cyclist on this one, I am willing to say she may have been at fault in the wreck.

Cyclist down in WA. Woman injured as pickup strikes her bicycle in Everett Hit from behind wreck not at an intersection certainly seems to point at driver at fault and the protocols for avoiding that kind of wreck are linked at the top of the page.

Wreck in NYC, now with more information. Cyclist Clings To Life After Being Hit By Truck Driver In Tribeca Well maybe not so much more information.

More on that MA cyclist. 15-year-old cyclist severely injured in hit-and-run crash in Lowell

What does the budget hold for those of us on two wheels and no motors? Obama’s 2017 Budget Request: What It Means for Cyclists I don’t think any of the “green” proposals will last long enough to return to Obama’s desk.

Crap infrastructure from Jolly Olde. Compensation for wheels damaged beyond repair in pothole is refused by council The “defect” was one that would only damage a bicycle, and which would be virtually invisible until you were on it and your wheel was in it.

Driver runs cyclists off the road and then gives them the finger, courts return the favor to the driver. Middle finger councillor appears in court after Devon cyclist incident I would think that a driver that gave the finger to the people he just ran off the road would get convicted of something far worse than “careless” driving. Just saying dudes. That is not the behavior of “careless” that is what someone who acted deliberately does. Does this seem like £140 and 8 points behavior?

Really? Really?! Forest Row cyclist: Truck driver could have killed me That could have gone so bad so quickly with a large truck of some description that close, literally he couldn’t have gotten any closer without killing or seriously injuring the cyclist.

More infrastructure from the Midlands (I think?). ‘Tram safety simply isn’t good enough’ says cyclist Put the trams where the bike lanes used to be and you guarantee there will be conflicts.

Legal infrastructure from Craig Ferguson’s homeland (Scotland). Cyclists’ petition to end David and Goliath legal battles nears 10,000 Still trying to get presumed liability in UK laws.

Blotter report of a bike wreck between two bikes has a rare death. Four people have died following four separate crashes on Victorian roads.

Crappy drivers in Oz are still crappy. Life-Threatening Injuries For Cyclists And Motorbike Riders Rose Significantly Between 2001-2010 As in every country keeping count, as cars get better fewer drivers and passengers are killed but more people outside cars are killed because drivers are not getting any safer but the insides of cars sure are.

Enn Zed bike culture. Cyclists rally for injured rider

And a wreck in Enn Zed. Ashburton and Dunedin cyclists critically injured Two wrecks, but only one narrative, of the driver failing to yield.

And we’re all out of links. finally. Program note I have another trip to the Lab Rat Keeper tomorrow afternoon so the post will be way late.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

That was a quiet but productive committee meeting on a Wreck-Free Sunday

Today was the first scheduled meeting of the Social Justice Committee at Sacred Journey Fellowship with more people than me in it in a very long time. There were two other people in the room with me which for a church our size is a massive turnout for a committee meeting.

What we discussed was the direction the SJ committee at SJF was going to take. I mentioned how in the past we (me) had pushed for Transportation Equity for a few years, then how we had moved to LGBT issues to synergize with the UUA national push for marriage equality. I mentioned how there were new things we could focus on, or that we could go back to any of our previous areas, but that as a very small committee we had to choose one and stick with it if we wanted to be effective.

The issue that seemed to connect with the new people the most was going back to transportation equity. Both the new people are living in Mesquite, another inner-ring suburb of Dallas just south of The Beautiful Suburbs of Hell that if anything is even worse than The Beautiful Suburbs of Hell. I mean as bad as it is we have DART trains and buses, they have a handicap ride system like the DART Paratransit system that doesn’t go outside the city limits, and one DART bus that goes to the old Downtown. Other than that they got cars, and some recreational bike trails. There are a few subdivisions that have no sidewalks and no direct grid system, just labyrinths of cul de sacs that connect to traffic sewers as like the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell most of the town did not exist prior to 1970 and large portions built during the late ’80s and ’90s when automobile-centric planning hit its zenith. One of the new people lives 2 miles from the nearest place where food ingredients can be purchased, a convenience store. The last half-mile is walking in the mud along a traffic sewer with a 40 MPH speed limit and cars going 55-60 MPH.

The thing about fixing transportation inequity is you can’t legislate your way out of it, you can’t educate your way out of it, and most definitely you can’t PSA your way out of it. Sure all of the above is required, but first and foremost you have to build your way out of it and that costs $$ ££ €€ or whatever your local currency symbol is. That in turn means transportation equity has to first fight the inertia of complacency, that what is being done now is fine and nothing needs to change, especially change that’s going to cost money. If we go back to transportation equity that’s what have to go back to fighting. I’m not sure I want to go back to that, but if the rest of the committee wants to go that route… I’m along for the ride.

And it’s late and I need to hit the hay. And I didn’t even mention the hours building and installing the rail on the back steps of the church which combined with the morning, and evening services, the committee meeting, and the bus ride to the meeting meant I spent just enough time at home to get a PB&J sandwich and a cup of yogurt for lunch between installing the rail and hitting the road to catch the bus for the meeting.

PSA, Opus

I was going to go out and get more check-ins and captures on my phone game but the pain in my foot said otherwise, and the Feed

Yep, that blister yesterday has turned into a swollen mess today. The blister collapsed (whether it popped or the fluid was reabsorbed I can’t tell) yesterday evening, and today the site is swollen and painful to touch, but no longer has a blister. But before I discovered that I was planning on taking a bus ride to get my “bag limit” again so as to get another gift card as quickly as possible. I went out to get the mail and my foot wasn’t all that bad, but by the time I finished reading the comics I knew there was no way I was going to walk to the bus stop on that foot.

Up first, changing the source of information about who actually uses bicycle infrastructure several days’ ride south of WoaB World HQ in the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell. Why Business-as-Usual Bike Planning Fails Low-Income Cyclists I recognize the disconnect between the people who actually have to ride a bicycle for transportation, and those of us who are heard at regional planning meetings. But they still somehow manage to put motor vehicle infrastructure everywhere needed or not.

Our Daily Ted, part 1. Morning Links: Calbike ranks LA area state legislators, and no charges in the Texas death of a San Diego cyclist

And Daily Ted part 2. Guest Post: BAC member Jonathan Weiss explains California law on riding side-by-side

Still in CA. Why am I afraid to ride a bike? The answer is “Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure, and infrastructure.”

Not done with CA yet. Cyclist injured in collision on Kansas Avenue Assuming the narrative is accurate and not something pulled from the driver’s subconscious this shows why cyclists have to be aware of traffic before entering the street. Or it could be a SWCC incident where the driver “didn’t see” the cyclist until just before impact and the driver’s subconscious creates the narrative the cyclist was crossing the street.

A really bad wreck in NYC. MTA Bus Driver Arrested In Fatal Brooklyn Hit & Run The video is pretty damning, the pedestrian was hit after she crossed the centerline to the lane opposite direction of the turning bus. Had the bus made a legal left turn there would have been no wreck, had the driver stopped when he hit the pedestrian she might have survived.

Similar wreck but no hit-and-run results in “no criminality suspected” when the driver sticks around. No Charges For MTA Bus Driver Who Killed Pedestrian In Queens Crosswalk Just because the driver wasn’t drunk and had a valid license it doesn’t change the fact that he ran over a pedestrian in a crosswalk with the right of way, which is a crime in NYC.

Back to the west with a hit-and-run wreck in OH. Alliance boy, 11, riding bike injured in hit-skip accident The cyclist was crossing the street (legally I assume) and the driver never stopped. Here’s hoping the driver is found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, given a fair trial and a decent hanging. Just kidding about the hanging, everyone knows I’m the guy who puts drivers in cars about to go through a high-speed car shredder.

A very strange wreck in AZ. Cyclist critically injured in west Phoenix crash The cyclist was hit from behind, and then the driver hits a wall on the opposite side of the street. Seriously, WTF? Was the driver drunk?

Cyclist hit by a bus in WA. Cyclist struck by bus on Bainbridge Island Hit from behind as the bus approached a stop. I’m calling this on the bus driver.

Cyclist loses concentration and rides off the MUP as it gets to a bridge. Woman injured in bike crash near bridge While not as dangerous for other people as distracted driving, distracted cycling can still be bad for the cyclist. Pay attention to where your bike is going.

What is it about conservative politicians and transportation funding? State Funds for Transit in Ohio Have “Evaporated” Since 2000 This link came out the day after the link on bike/ped funding getting eliminated by Congress, what is it about transportation funding and conservative politicians that seem so antithetical?

In the Great White North a cyclist is the pinball in a pinball wreck. Cyclist killed on Hwy. 27 Initial hit seems to be a hit-from-behind, and it really goes downhill from there. The question then arises as to how far to the left the cyclist was in the lane and was the second vehicle going the same direction or the opposite direction since the intersection does not seem to have figured into the wreck except as a landmark to place the location for readers.

Intersection wreck in Enn Zed. Cyclist critically injured in Hamilton The cyclist seems to have had the right of way and the driver most definitely seems to not have had the wreck on purpose.

And from Oz a video of a UK cyclist taking a header on an off-road bike trail. Cyclist’s helmet saves him from serious injury That was a serious endo.

And I’m out of links again.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

I really need to get some new shoes, and the Feed

I had to do some banking today so I did a little walking around to score as many points on my cell phone game as I can so I can collect another Amazon card like I did today. I deposited $11 to my Amazon account this morning from playing a game on my phone, how neat is that? The downside is I now have a blister on the bottom of my foot, again. So, new shoes?

Up first is a charity rider getting hit going across TX. Cyclist on national tour for veteran rights dies in crash Nothing explicit on the mode, but the location suggests a hit-from-behind wreck. But I’m more concerned with the mission of the ride, the number of homeless veterans.

Infrastructure and culture clash in LA. Bikelash in Baton Rouge LA drivers are some of the most entitled SOBs in the world.

More information on the cyclist killed by the crazy gunman in CO. Bicyclist Killed on Colorado Street Was Iraq War Veteran and Police release names of 3, including bicyclist, killed in shooting spree near downtown Colorado Springs Survived two war zones, but not the home front.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Yet another attack on federal bike funding, workshops on providing park access in LA County

Still in CA we get a wreck with lots of information about everything except the wreck. Bicyclist Struck, Killed By Car Near Palo Alto and Fatal Los Altos Hills accident claims Palo Alto cyclist At this point we know from the pictures is the impact was very close to an on or off ramp for a major highway, suggesting the cyclist was hit in a right cross, or the driver merging across the cyclist’s path from the left as the cyclist went straight at the edge of the road. I will keep an eye on this wreck for more information.

Not done with CA yet. Grieving Mom Calls for Safer Streets After Fatal Market Street Bike Collision SFPD cited the wrong law in this wreck report, much like they blamed the cyclist who was hit by a truck making a right turn where she was riding instead of calling it the right hook it really was. This wreck they were blaming the cyclist for leaving the bike lane that isn’t there to leave. That’s right, they blamed the cyclist for leaving the bike lane that does not exist on that street.

And another cyclist is blamed for not riding in the bike lane that isn’t there. Bicyclist critically injured after being hit by car in Santa Ana Oh yeah, another freaking blind driver hits a cyclist that “came out of nowhere”.

From the most deadliest state to walk or bike in the US we get “FloriDuh! man” on trial. Trial Begins for Man Accused in 2012 Broward Cyclist Deaths Running from cops he kills two people out for a Sunday ride. In TX that’s murder, apparently also in FL.

Still in FL another link to the guy who forgot how to move over and pass a cyclist. Bicyclist Struck, Killed In Melbourne I hope they put the driver under the jail (and about 20 feet of concrete).

More about the drunk driver that ran over a couple riding a tandem in MD. Docs: Drunk driver lied about fatally hitting cyclists The comments section was livid that the driver had such a low bail. Me, too.

More on the cyclist shot in PA. Loved Ones Remember Philly Teen Gunned Down While Riding Bike Too many shooting victims this week…

An OH cyclist pushing his bike up a hill gets hit by a blind driver. Joseph Mundy, Daniel Brown Jr.: 1 pedestrian killed, another hurt in evening crashes I don’t know what the cyclist could have done to not get hit, the narrative tells me he would have been hit riding or pushing the bike.

The DIY DOT does it again in NYC. Brooklyn Cyclists Ticket Cops Parked in Bike Lane Yeah!

Still trying to understand why tossing a few pennies at bike/ped infrastructure is such a problem for the current Congress. Funds for Walking and Biking Under Attack in Congress This Week Are they really that mad at “the poors” that they don’t want them to be safe in anything less than a 3500 steel box that they can’t afford?

As I was saying it doesn’t take a lot of money to make really great bike infrastructure as proven with this link. 2015 TIGER Grant Standouts for Cities Go to BRT, Bike Trails and More

A little personality profile. Meet Team Reeve Cyclist Christine Markow

Another cyclist gets hit in the Great White North. Cyclist struck by car, seriously injured on Sunday More Family thanks strangers for helping injured cyclist

And I’m outta links.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Today’s delayed blog post brought to you by Kinky D&D, and the Feed

I was out of the house again this afternoon as the Kinky D&D group met for a dungeon crawl. The game is loosely based on the Oglaf universe warning very NSFW, and like the comic we get long stretches where nothing remotely sexy is going on for one reason or another. That would include today’s game, where nobody was raped or seduced or otherwise engaged in anything resembling sexual activity, including my nympho bard apprentice NPC. Part of that was caused by the party being under mind control by a race of asexual insectoids with sort of a hive mind (Formeans) for most of the session. We got very little loot from the dungeon crawl, a dagger that was slightly better than one lost during the crawl, and a ring of +2 Charisma for my Warlock. Fortunately none of the characters on the crawl needed to perform marathon sex to charge magic because the Formeans really did not understand the concept of recreational sex used as an energy source for magic spells.

Up first because it is funny and hey, bees. [UPDATED] A Serious Swarm Of Bees Is Devouring A Bike In Midtown There are worse ways to temporarily lose access to your bike than having thousands of bees use it as a rally point while waiting for their new queen.

Next up, the Big Story today has been the cyclist hit head-on by a drunk driver driving on the wrong side of the road. Cyclist Killed in Collision on North Center Street [UPDATED 12 noon] and Hickory Police: Cyclist killed by driver high on drugs Again I see this as a drugged out driver targeting a hated road vermin and because he was impaired he ran into the other vehicles and the power pole. I suggest checking his social media for anti-bike rants or even jokes.

The other Big story today is a hit-and-run caught on tape in NYC. Cops Seek Hit-And-Run Driver Who Ran Over Harlem Cyclist and Police Release Video In Harlem Hit-And-Run That Critically Injured Cyclist The cyclist was waiting to make a legal left turn when hit, and drivers wonder why cyclists don’t wait for the red. Well wrecks like this are a big reason.

How much street can you buy with $150K? 1.3 What does it cost to run the transportation system? Turns out to be not much, one traffic light and a few feet of sidewalk with a curb. Converting from the metric system and Canadian dollars it turns out that one lane of road costs $1 million per mile, +/- a few bucks, not counting the cost of the land underneath it. At $150K/mile for a segregated bike path making everybody ride a bike sounds like sound fiscal policy.

So it is official now, it was the cyclist’s fault for getting hit, not the driver blowing 0.123BAC%. Police: Cyclist at fault in crash that killed him I smell bovine digestive byproduct. I smell BS because none of the cyclist’s belongings have been returned to his family especially the bike.

NOLA has a bicycle infrastructure problem. Bicyclist killed by dump truck at Canal and South Broad; five bicyclists have died in New Orleans this year Part of the problem is cyclists obeying the law are invisible to drivers. more on the specific wreck mentioned in the headline. CYCLIST KILLED IN MID CITY WRECK Bog-standard right hook, incomplete pass followed by a turn, and the innocent cyclist has nowhere to get away from the truck.

The shoulder of the road is not bicycle infrastructure. Cyclist dies after being hit by vehicle on Goodwood Blvd. Assuming the driver’s story is correct, and the remains of the bike seem to back that up, there are many reasons why a cyclist would swerve from the shoulder, including there was suddenly no shoulder there to ride on any more.

More on the FL cyclist killed trying to make a legal left turn. Polk County Sheriff’s Office Identifies Lakeland Man Killed While Riding Bike I’m still waiting to see how they are going to blame the cyclist on this one.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: OC truck driver goes on trial; Montebello hit-and-run reward; Metro bike workshops start tonight

From NYC, those horror movies about goofing off behind the wheel worked so well when we were in High School. City employed drivers forced to take ‘Vision Zero’ safety class What makes people think they will work any better on adults?

More on “pedestrian safety” in NYC. A Brief History Of “Jaywalking” In NYC

What happens when bike riders play by the imaginary rules. This Is What Happened When Bicyclists Obeyed Traffic Laws Along The Wiggle Yesterday Two blocks were all it took to get massive road rage from drivers, and a massive traffic jam from just a few cyclists.

Another deadly wreck in the Great White North. 15-year-old cyclist killed in crash on Highway 7/8 Cyclist riding with traffic hit from behind…

Put the fucking phone down and leave it alone until the vehicle has ceased all motion. Lorry driver killed Plymouth cyclist ‘after reaching for phone’ In the time it took to find the play app, find the sermon, and start playback the driver had been not looking at the road for several seconds, and was totally unaware of the cyclist NOT in the road bu the bike lane adjacent to the road…

I for one welcome our robotic overlords, as long as they learn how to “play nice” in an environment filled with squishy humans. Driverless Car Testing and Big Data Intersect in Simulated City

Cyclists need to learn how to stretch, unlike drivers… Off Your Bike: Four Helpful Stretches for the Bike Commuter

And I seem to have run out of links again.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Unkillable Badass Poet

Whee! full moon service tonight, and the Feed

The local Sumerians are hosting the full moon service at SJF tonight. This is a mutually beneficial relationship, as they have a requirement that to graduate from one level to another the applicant must perform X number of public rituals and our ritualists had become completely burned out between two services a week and 8 solar celebrations and then 13 lunar services a year, plus most of us having full-time jobs on top of that (that comes to 125 services of one type or another per year, or about twice to 2½ times as many as your average Christian church pastor. Plus there’s the fact that Sumerian services are really fun and engaging. It’s a win-win for everybody, especially the people that come to services.

Up first tonight an iconic bridge converted to a bike/ped river crossing may stop a toll road that nobody knows how to pay for and has no real need to be constructed in the big city next to the Beautiful Suburbs of Hell. An effort to make Continental Ave. Bridge a Dallas landmark — and kill the Trinity toll road? I’m including this because this is the only bike-ped crossing for miles, and because if the toll road gets built it has the probability to suck the air out of bike projects that have been in the planning stages since before I got to Texas 26 years ago. I mean one mile of this boondoggle would pay for that bike project, and this is a 10+ mile highway from nowhere to nowhere. Unlike the similar Hunt bridge recently completed, it won’t even make for backdrops to pretty pictures.

Is that a big rig or a ticking time bomb next lane over? Yes! Big Rigs Often Go Faster Than Tires Can Handle That big rig could have just spent several hours at or above the safe speed for its tires and they could be ready to explode at any second. I admit it is unlikely here in urban areas of TX because the speed limits are lower, but one that just pulled off of one of the 85 MPH speed limit highways to the south and west of the Metromess could be ready to blow.

Police are still not sure if this cyclist was shot on purpose or hit by a stray bullet. Police identify Albany teen shot and killed on bicycle Don’t know why he was out riding at 0200, but the reasons are moot, he had a right to be riding just like he would have had a right to be out in a car.

Again, not something one can really plan for. Lawnmower rider injured in accident on bike trail, winds up in water Good thing that cyclists have much better visibility to the sides than people in cars, right? Because that is what eventually saved the maintenance worker, being seen.

The good news for this blog is that no cyclists died in the month of February in NYC. NYPD: Drivers Injured 816 Pedestrians and Cyclists in February, and Killed 11 That is of small comfort to the 11 pedestrians that died and the 816 cyclists and pedestrians injured that month. One thing I find interesting was there were only 137 wrecks where either the driver or the victim was drunk, but 2604 where the driver was not watching where the vehicle was going, and that does not include the 646 drivers going backwards illegally.

Infrastructure news from the coffee-drinking capital of America. Will an Overturned Fish Truck Hurt Seattle’s New Transportation Tax? If one wreck can shut down your transportation system for 4½ hours, you have the wrong transportation system and need to make changes ASAP. Like maybe putting in some bike paths so people don’t have to drive everywhere?

Speaking of infrastructure, what drugs were these guys taking when they designed this fustercluck? Cyclists say city has much work to do to improve safety I see the problem as they don’t run the proposals past real cyclists until the projects are near completion, when they expect the cyclists to “Oooh and aww” over the shiny new project while they brag about how much money has been spent for you ungrateful cyclists. And either the shiny new project won’t get used because it is inconvenient and visibly a death trap, or it gets used because it can’t be bypassed and cyclists get maimed or killed. Both things seem to be happening to these projects.

That door prize in Oz has consequences, good ones finally. Sydney Rd bike safety works fast-tracked The single most important thing they are doing in this project is removing on-street parking. There just is not enough room for parked cars, moving cars, a tram system, and bikes all in that one street. The least useful thing has to give, and that was storage for private motor vehicles not being used at the time.

The young man involved in this case was a kid when this wreck happened, and kinda needs this money yesterday (many years ago). Court Orders New Trial or Reduced Verdict for Injured Cyclist I would love to see a new trial and the damages increased by 50% or so instead of the 70% reduction ordered by this court. He just needs care for the rest of his life and is in constant pain… and this case pre-dates my starting this blog on the original site by more than 2 years.

The legal case over a cyclist killed about the time I started doing this blog here on WP is finally settled. Racecourse legal wrangle over cyclist’s death finally ends

Ghost bikes. I will keep building ghost bikes as long as cyclists’ lives are taken Little point of information, Ghost Bikes were first made in St. Louis MO.

Could your doctor help pay for your next bike? A Polaris® eBike May Qualify as a Medical Therapy Device in Medical Deductions for 2014 Federal Income Tax Check with your tax professional to be sure.

And I’m all out of links again.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

I really am a scatter-brain, and the Feed

I left a ton of stuff out of yesterday’s post, specifically stuff about that lump on the back of my neck. Since I can’t recall exactly what I said and did not say (and I’m too lazy to open another tab and read it, I know that’s bad and I’m lazy) I’ll just go through the list. First of all this lump has been there for many years, at least 5 if not longer. Second there was some imaging done when I first noticed it by the Lab Rat Keeper to make sure it wasn’t something that was going to kill me (it isn’t going to kill me, it’s just really annoying now). Third the person checking me out yesterday was concerned that it has grown over the vertebrae on my neck and around the side of my neck and is concerned it may have become invasive. Fourth, it isn’t a sebaceous cyst because those are painful when poked they way I got poked during the exam yesterday, and not as firm as the lump on the back of my neck. So the thing they are really concerned about is that it might be invasive somehow and removing it might be a problem, and that it pretty much has to be removed sooner rather than later. The MRI is to determine how invasive it is and to positively identify what it is so that it can be removed without surprises when the operation gets done.

And with all that walking my feet hurt pretty bad when I got up this morning. 😛

Up first because The Onion is not the strangest source I have today. ‘What If No One Travels Anywhere Ever Again?’ Wonders Panicked Transportation Secretary Yep, nothing like a little existential angst to get the blood pumping in the morning.

Down the road from the Beautiful suburbs of Hell. I Can’t Even Why some people think we “need” a toll road through the middle of what was sold to the public as a park when the bonds were passed nearly 20 years ago now. No park, just a highway where there were pictures of people sailing little boats in tiny lakes in the brochures promoting the bond issue. Lakes that were never in the “official” bond proposal.

This note is TX-specific. Action Alert: Ask your representative to vote YES on HB 80 Since texting is a 21st Century blight upon humanity (and no I’m not just being old, I text when appropriate) it is only fair that TX should get in the 21st Century and ban it while driving.

Another TX specific paragraph on infrastructure. Texas House Takes Center Stage I like this one, because putting a designated portion of the general fund into transportation means we can demand a designated portion be put to non-motorized transportation. I suggest that $3 Billion be apportioned by fatalities for improving the safety for cyclists and pedestrians. I don’t meant that 16% of that $3 Billion should be put aside for cyclist and pedestrian infrastructure, I’m saying that 16% of the transportation budget up to that $3 Billion should be set aside for cyclists and pedestrians since this is a non-car source of funding.

And even in Houston they see the benefits of greater density in development. Houston Feels Downtown’s Lively Enough to Stop Development Tax Break The tax break had an initial cutoff of 2500 housing units that was quickly extended to 5000 when it was discovered that there was enough demand to support them, which is also about to get topped out years ahead of projected dates.

An experiment that worked out so well they wanted to make it permanent. Banning Cars Can Be Good For Business Whodathunkit? Giving more space to people instead of cars is good for business.

Our Daily Ted is really good today. (Late) Morning Links: Griffith Park road under attack, more on Sunday’s CicLAvia, and stupid Scot cop tricks

Would you like a secure lightweight lock for your crabon wunderFahrrad? LITELOK®: Lightweight, flexible and super secure bike lock. The mix of fibers in the braid that replaces cables and chains requires different cutting methods to separate, making one mode take way too long to get through and leading to thieves getting caught red-handed.

MPLS is getting serious about connected bicycle infrastructure. Minneapolis protected bike lane list for 2015 swells

What do you do when the air becomes dangerous to breathe? Ban cars for a day. Half of Paris just took a mandatory day off of driving OK ban half of cars, with the option to ban the other half the next day if needed.

Someone does not understand the concept of woonerf. 6 Places Where Cars, Bikes, and Pedestrians All Share the Road As Equals Woonerf are places where the motor vehicle is tolerated as something that has to be there but people would prefer not to be there, or basically a rowdy guest that has to be on its best behavior or get tossed out.

An e-assist bike for military use, when sometimes it is critical to be able to move faster than 20 MPH. Trefecta DRT: The $25K high-tech, military-grade electric super bike

And I’m all out of links again. I’ma have a little lie-down for my leg now.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

I was a bit worried about what I would find here today, and the Feed

I had a message on my FB wall that my blog was “not available” this morning, which made me a bit worried about not being able to post anything today. Obviously whatever was wrong this morning has been fixed because you can see this post…

First up, is cycling contagious? Heart transplant patient gets on bike for first time a week after receiving new heart from cyclist killed in road accident If I didn’t already know that I’m going to get autopsied and cremated as the final step in the medication study I’m on (unless I outlast the end of the study) I would donate my organs upon death. I would like to see what kind of things would happen to someone who got my heart. I couldn’t of course because you have to be dead to donate a heart unless you can regenerate like Wolverine or Feral (comics characters who can survive having organs removed and regenerating new ones that then can be removed in turn). I’m not that good.

This guy has a similar story to mine, except with much worse access to transit. After story of Detroit man walking 21 miles a day goes viral, his life is about to change and Buying this guy a car was nice. Buying a mass transit system would be way nicer.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: LA Weekly says LA driving is fun, LA doesn’t make the bike commuting list, and Lance lies again I had that link in yesterday’s Feed but at this point I’m just “Fuck Lance,” and don’t care.

One of my FB and Bikejournal.com friends went to court recently. Woman convicted of reckless driving, leaving scene after striking cyclist Obviously my friend was not the one convicted, he was the guy on crutches speaking to the judge.

Reporting like this really tweaks on me. Hitting cyclists could lead to felony charges under proposed bill This is a vulnerable users bill like the one that Gov. Goodhair vetoed here in TX back in 2009. It covers almost everyone not in a motor vehicle using the streets and roads, it just has a few cycle-specific paragraphs in with all the rest of the verbiage.

First of two FL links about dead cyclists. Family remembers cyclist

And the second link. Remembering a beloved Coral Gables cyclist This is a direct result of FL being the most deadliest state in the US (worse than the worst of the worst) to walk or ride a bike.

Things are a little better in MO, but not by much. “Ghost Bike” placed on SW Trafficway to memorialize cyclist struck and killed

And even in the UK they still have these, because bicycle death is pretty much universal in the anglophone world. Bike ride to be held to mark death of two fathers This death was particularly galling because the driver was trying to run from police for a traffic ticket.

And I’m out of links again.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

This is frustrating

I got a call from the PCP designated by my insurance company this morning, and he’s not taking any new patients insured under my plan. Which leaves me with Not Much from what looked like a great plan on paper (or in the web site). I mean seriously, it didn’t cover half of the meds I was prescribed for side effects from my study meds that aren’t covered by the study, when I developed a condition not covered under the study neither of the doctors I was referred to accepted the coverage, and when I tried to get a doctor that would accept my insurance I find the gatekeeper doctor won’t even see me. Basically I have catastrophic insurance that says if I have to go to the ER I won’t go completely broke.

Need a horse for your Halloween costume, but live someplace that doesn’t have space to keep a horse? Then you need a horse bike. Giddy-up, pilgrim! Yes it’s silly, but cute.

I went out and voted today, I think the “I Voted” widget is up and running by now. I voted against Prop 1 that would create a stable source of income for highways for two reasons: First and foremost, hidden down deep in the official language for Prop 1 is a clause that prohibits spending transportation $ for anything except highways, explicitly including bicycle and pedestrian projects in that ban. Second the “stable” funding is diverted from the fund used to pay for disaster recovery, meaning that while we could build roads etc. there would be no money to repair them in case of natural disasters or other unusual damages like a tanker fire under a bridge like happened in Dallas a few years back. Instead of getting money from the comptroller out of the “rainy day fund” to pay for these events, we would have to wait until the next scheduled legislature session and hope they decided to cover the repairs in the general budget… This combination was just untenable. And you know me, I’m a big transportation project wonk, but not a pro. If I can see this with just a cursory reading of the full text, what are the active transportation pros doing about this?

I have to go now because the old tenant is having a squabble with one of the new tenants about the fact that she used to be a he, and the other one used to be a she and is now a he. Since gender identity is a protected class in this county this is one of the few things that can get someone evicted in less than 30 days…

And that’s all I got thanks to the drama with the tenants.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the unkillable badass Poet