Still foggy, and the Feed

Not the weather, me. I’m still a little foggy as evidenced by making of the morning caffeine, trying to get the tiny bit of coffee I have into the reusable Keurig filter without over filling or dumping it. I do this operation over the can to catch any spills (proving I’m not a total ditz) but it still took way too long to get caffeine this morning. And I think the local pollen level is “up there” as I’m getting itchy, burning, and watery eyes, and lots of yawns which are a personal quirk when assaulted by plant bukkake. Yes the trees are having a sex party, and I’m in the middle of it. If I’m remembering correctly this is just the preliminaries as my allergies get really cranked up later in the season.

And Happy International Women’s Day to all my distaff readers. Remember we are all here because of women. They have experimentally found a way to reproduce without men, at least in smaller mammals, but AFAIK there is no way to reproduce without women. So “Respect!” those women.

Up first is Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Another sunny & successful CicLAvia; SaMo Spoke’s Cynthia Rose wins Inspiration award Unfortunately that is only Part 1.

Daily Ted Part 2. Update: Bike rider killed by moving truck in Rancho Palos Verdes

Still in CA. Ventura Police Release Photo of Vehicle of Interest in Fatal Hit-and-Run Also they held a memorial to the kid that died in that wreck.

Infrastructure from America’s Copenhagen. ODOT is repaving a key stretch of “Dirty 30”: Here’s what to expect What it all boils down to is “not much.”

More infrastructure from Portland. Construction begins on 1.3 mile section of Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail

Still in Portland, it seems that someone at Google Maps decided he preferred one of the final ballot names for the Tilikum Crossing other than the one selected. Google Maps prank renames Tilikum Crossing after Star Trek captain Yep, it’s the good old “Jean-Luc Picard Wunder Crossing” just as intended.

That wreck in Tucson is reverberating. Local cycling club talks safety after recent fatal crash Seriously, the guy driving the truck was drunk and (possibly) texting at the time of the wreck, what could the city do about that except jersey barriers on all bike routes? Still extending the conversation to the entire system and drivers would be a good start.

Meanwhile in Florida. Two teens, 13 and 14, critically injured in car-bicycle crash Let’s just say that the narrative on this wreck is highly suspicious because the narrator was the DUI driver. I think it is very unlikely that the kids would swoop all the way over the double yellow line just as a truck was passing, or in other words the SWSS is in.

Still in FL, the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike. Teen bicyclist hit, killed on Central Florida Parkway The narrative is of very little help in determining anything about this wreck. The location and direction of travel is only given for the victim, but we did get useless information like the victim’s bike had reflectors and the driver of the weapon vehicle was wearing a seatbelt and was uninjured in the wreck. Of course knowing that there were reflectors would be useful if we knew when the wreck happened, but that information was left out of the narrative. I guess “Sunday night” is as close as we are going to get.

Not out of FL yet, we get another cyclist not looking both ways crossing a train track. Bicyclist critically injured after being hit by Amtrak train I have posted this many times, it is very easy to not get hit by a train, just don’t be on the tracks when the train is coming. Heed any warning systems, and look and listen at uncontrolled crossings before proceeding after you are sure there are no trains coming. I mean trains are big, noisy even when they aren’t blowing the horn, and they are ONLY found on train tracks.

The ultimate infrastructure articles from NYC. Former DOT Head Janette Sadik-Khan Reflects On Bike Lane Battles: “The Status Quo Is The Problem” and Janette Sadik-Khan on Asphalt, Staten Island and the Adrenaline of Infrastructure My favorite quote comes from the second link: “Reporters started to figure out the counterintuitive fact that bike lanes and plazas were the budgetary equivalent of change found between the sofa cushions compared with our road infrastructure investment.”

Infrastructure from Jolly Olde. Fresh calls to improve cycle safety in Cambridge after man ‘seriously’ injured on Newmarket Road

This is being treated as an assault, not a vehicular offense. Video: BMW driver caught on film trying to push cyclist from bike and Exclusive: First interview with Bristol cyclist who caught aggressive BMW driver shoving on camera The sad thing is that without the video it would have been just passed off as the cyclist’s fault for doing something to annoy the driver who crossed the street and assulted him. And there are those who find dark humor in the situation. Bristol Drivers: always giving cyclists a hand

More vidiots in the UK. Taxi driver caught filming at wheel by Traffic Droid Sad thing is the guy taking the video we see is using cameras that run all the time without operator aiming required, where this vidiot has to manually hold the phone to point it in the direction of the camera bike.

Last UK link is about their atrocious infrastructure. Triathlon coach says he could have been killed by ‘giant pothole’ Yeah, if the pothole causes the bike to come to a complete stop while the rider continues forward, you have crap infrastructure even if it’s only in that one place.

Hey know how to get people on bikes? Norway to invest $1bn to create 10 ‘bike superhighways’ and Norway Will Spend Almost $1 Billion on New Bike Highways To give you an idea of what we are dealing with, Norway has 1 million fewer people than the Metromess I live in, more commonly referred to as the DFW Metroplex. And somehow they have found roughly $1 billion to spend on 10 inter-city bicycle highways.

Report from Oz. Two cyclists injured after collisions with cars on Tuesday morning Notice the line that said both cyclists were operating completey within the law? And then the final line “Both bicycle riders were complying with safety requirements.” You think maybe that was a dig at the new bike regs going into effect in the neighboring state?

And we are out if links and time to find any more.

Billed @$0.02, Opus

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Making beans today because we are having a guest and my beans and rice were requested. I have red kidney beans instead of the small reds I had before, so slight change in texture from the usual, but the flavor should be about the same as usual. And good news, one of the people here without a job is at a job fair. I have a job, actually several jobs even if you don’t include this blog, so I’m speaking in the third person non-ironically. I’m still having computer issues related to the latest versions of Flash and Chrome OS but there is a ticket out on that so maybe soon I won’t get crashing while I’m working? Please? The issue of the wandering cursor is getting worse, too, and appears to be related to the number of Flash ads I have in tabs or open windows, so back to the first problem.

Up first is another article that puts blame on the infrastructure for placing cyclists next to fast traffic when a cyclist was killed by a driver who was DUI and texting. A driver killed Tom Palermo in Baltimore, but road designers deserve some blame, too Specifically blamed are multiple wide lanes of traffic and a median that looks like a highway to a drunk person with the cars on the wrong side of the bike lane to prevent the drunk driver from hitting the cyclist.

Bicycle deaths in the Windy City more than double. 7 Chicago cyclists died in auto-bike collisions in 2014, up from three in 2013: data Actually 2013 was an anomaly, 7 dead cyclists a year is an average year, and 2014 is one less than 2012.

From ABQ is a report that bad infrastructure hurts lots of people even when only one is actually physically injured. One injured bicycle rider, many victims Looking deeper this is another “I ran over a cyclist, now I’m a victim, too!” from someone safely enclosed in a light armored vehicle.

More on the SF truck driver who killed a cyclist being found “negligent” after escaping criminal prosecution. Truck Driver Who Killed Cyclist Amelie Le Moullac Found Negligent Just like OJ, he got away with the criminal charges (because of a wimp PD and DA rather than from having a good lawyer) but was not able to escape the civil courts.

Updates on infrastructure spending in WA. WSDOT Report: Bike/Ped and & Safe Routes to School Projects up for state funding in 2015-17 In a nutshell, about 20% of the projects that need to be built “yesterday” are getting funded, with some of those needing to be built “last week”, not just “yesterday”.

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: CicLAvia comes to the Valley, bike confusion east of Barstow, and why our roads are dangerous

A Facebook group devoted to bicycles not just as transportation but as a transformative force for good. Bikemuters – Public Transformation

“Not enough room” to build bicycle infrastructure? Once again, ask the Dutch. Dutch Suburbs Are Like America’s, and Protected Bike Lanes Work Fine There The trick is not to just assume that people will drive everywhere if that’s the only alternative to staying home. Give people a choice and they might choose to ride a bike. Hell people are choosing to ride a bike even when that really is not a viable choice because of a lack of infrastructure. Just look at the number of people riding bicycles in Garland, TX, the literal “Beautiful Suburb of Hell” where WoaB is located. Garland is one of the most car-dependant towns in the US with an average annual mileage of 19+K miles a year. And in spite of this there are people other than me who live without motor vehicles, riding bikes and taking transit where they need to go.

Dude, when you get assaulted with a motor vehicle and then assaulted for a second time when the driver gets out of the vehicle while you’re on the ground, and you have a camera recording the event, take it to the police, don’t just post it to YouTube. Police issue cyclist appeal on Twitter after shocking ‘van assault’ video is shared on YouTube

And last link is a collection of e-assist devices that were all destined to “change the world” by being cheaper and easier to install on your bike. All-In-One E-Bike Motors For An Environmental Commute Swap out the front or rear wheel, run the wire to the throttle or the pedal speed sensor, and wallah! electric power to aid your legs…

And those are all the links I have today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Bacon Jerky round 2, and the Feed

OK I bought a second package of bacon jerky, from a different manufacturer and a different flavor and curing technique. Today’s brand was from Carnivore Candy and uses a salt-and-sugar cure along with a dash of jalapeño pepper in the post-cure process. It is not greasy in texture but does tend to adhere together in a single mass inside the package. It also has a better mouth feel than the Oberto product I tried last month. I would be interested in trying the Carnivore Candy brand without the added jalapeño flavor (hint, hint). One thing is for sure, this is a huge step up from the “cold bacon” mouth feel of the Oberto brand bacon jerky. Second thing is that there was just enough jalapeño added to cause my allergy-clogged sinuses to drain, which was not a bad thing. My head feels much better after eating the Carnivore Candy bacon jerky.

First of two links from People for Bikes, is your state stomping on proven bicycle infrastructure because of NIH? WHAT MARRIAGE EQUALITY SHOULD TEACH STREET DESIGNERS: JUST BUILD IT Ordinarily I would not advocate building things not approved by your state DOT, but if you follow the NACTO or CROW manuals, you are working from proven designs (outdated demi-buttocked designs in the case of the NACTO manual) and should be OK.

And in case you get the colly-wobbles from building from a proven design manual not accepted by your state DOT, THREE CHARTS FOR PROTECTED BIKE LANE DESIGNERS TO REMEMBER IN 2015

Two links to a Lifestyle story, one Pre- and the other Post-ride. Memorial Ride Planned for Maryland Dad Killed in Hit-and-Run While Biking and Memorial ride held in Baltimore for bicyclist killed in hit-and-run crash The victim of this wreck was hit by clergy who had multiple DUI and drug convictions prior to the wreck. In many states this would qualify her for felony manslaughter charges.

There are legal ways of taking the law into your own hands. Justice on two wheels in the heart of London Yep, in many places helmet-cam video is acceptable for police to issue tickets or more even though the LEO was not physically present to view the infraction. Check with your local fuzz to be sure.

Instead of predicting the future, ask if this will happen. Good strategy. 33 questions that’ll shape Portland bike news in 2015

And a terrifying example of a fork failing a “squirrel test” with a chunk of road junk standing in for the squirrel. WATCH: Terrifying cycling crash near Byron caught on film Having just finished watching the Mythbusters marathon on the Science Channel and in particular the “flipping motorcycle myth” I really wish they could have seen this video. Could someone send it to Adam and Jamie, por favor?

And I seem to have run out of links, again. I keep hitting refresh on “Dumbing of Age” to see what Becky and Joyce are up to (not much).

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet (I no longer feel the need to advertise that I am an “unkillable badass”)