Jed19

Hey calamarichris, in all honesty, Des Moines, and Iowa in general, is not a bad state at all. I have lived in four states and have traveled to many, and hands down, Iowans are still my favorite people in all the places I have lived or traveled to. Admittedly, I left the state the day after graduating college, but I have very fond memories of the people I met or still meet that are from there.

And about Italian restaurants serving overboiled macaroni bathe in catsup sauce, well, you just saw TrojanHorse in post #18 mention his experience in Rome.

Let me give you an example of what I am talking about. I happen to be a sucker for jambalaya, and the best jambalaya I have ever eaten in my life was from a creole restaurant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. And New Orleans is included in my jambalaya sample.

So, please go easy on Iowans, as they really are fantastic people.

calamarichris

Thanks Jed. I still think it was poor taste to break out the Chamber of Commerce brochures in this thread, but enough on that.

I've lived and ridden (and motorcycled) all over too. Texas, Colorado, Kentucky, Indiana, NY, OK, GA... heck I was born in American Siberia (North Dakota). 3+ years in Europe too, and Italy had the 2nd worst Italian food I've ever tried too, (after Holland.)

As dangerous as cellphones have made our roads nowadays, I've been hit by two California drivers in this lifetime (easily ~100,000 miles) so far, and by two Texas drivers in the one year I raced & trained there.

KingCat

ride as much as you can on the sidewalk, its safer

mwandaw

Ride on a trainer while watching a video of a bike race. That's even safer.

furiousferret 

I'm glad I live out in the boonies, there's still traffic out here but you can actually find empty roads...

Orange and LA County are just insanely busy with traffic.

KingCat

and drunk illegal aliens

RR3

I am from the East Coast but spent a week in North San Diego in March.o

After a few days riding on extremely dangerous roads and unattentive drivers, I withdrew from several cycling events and played golf instead. The roads suck and the drivers are worse.

Beachgrad05

Troll much?

TGT1

The wife saw the aftermath of this one on the way home yesterday.

Motionless cyclist on the pavement.

Bicyclist injured in collision with truck in Anaheim - The Orange County Register

TrojanHorse

Ouch, that's a graphic picture, although I think it's just his bicycle and blood. After a little google maps exploring, it looks like the cyclist was probably in the cross walk crossing over the on-ramp so he could stay on Lincoln. Maybe this link will work, it's what I found on google street view: https://www.google.com/maps/@33.8376...7i13312!8i6656

Personally, that's one reason I prefer being in the road and not on the sidewalk / cross walk but on and off ramps make me nervous on a good day.

fat biker

I am at all times saddened to hear of a dead cyclist.
I am enraged when I hear of a dead cyclist at the hands of a careless driver.

As I see it anyway, if you want to kill someone and get off with a slap on the wrist, just mow 'em down with your car.

I question where the law enforcement/justice system falls down on the job.
It's a series circuit if you will.
The cops make a report and investigate.
The District Attorney office is supposed to charge and prosecute.
The courts are supposed to hand out punishment.

Somewhere along there the system is broken.

Perhaps the M.A.D.D. model?
Cyclists Against Distracted Drivers C.A.D.D.

Every time some DD goes before a judge we pack the courtroom to the rafters with cyclists from all walks of life. Everybody has their helmet on.

Grrrrrr,
fat biker

trailangel

This just in too. DD kills lady on Trike and her dog in Garden Grove:
Cyclist, Dog Fatally Struck in Alleged DUI Crash in Garden Grove; Driver Arrested | KTLA

gear64

Did the reporting change? I didn't see anything across a few stories about a cell phone?

TrojanHorse

Well, not that it's a positive but if you go to the link above about the garden grove fatality, there's one dead cyclist and dozens of dead motorists, pedestrians & others as a result of DUI drivers. At least we're not being singled out for abuse.

trailangel

You forgot the dog

trailangel

Another one.
LA Times

TrojanHorse

Here's the really disheartening part:

The Los Angeles Police Department closed one in five hit-and-runs from 2008 to 2012, according to data the department reported last year to the Board of Police Commissioners. Less than half those cases were closed through an arrest.

KingCat

Usually the drivers just head back south of the border.

TJClay

I think that's a piss poor generalization of the drivers involved in these fatalities. I don't know the stats of the drivers but I would be willing to bet most of them have been citizens.

trailangel

I tend to agree with you on this. I usually see the "south of the border people" as being fairly courteous drivers, as they are being careful to not have to go back south. Now you want to single out people, lets talk 'soccer moms on cell phones driving SUVs' or maybe you want to single out a race, how about 'middle-aged asian drivers'?

Jed19

Unnecessary generalization. Mixing your politics with the serious issue of careless/inattentive motorists killing cyclists trivializes this serious issue, and frankly, is in poor taste. There are places for you to vent/rant about illegal immigrants, but not with regard to this serious issue of cyclists getting killed by motorists.

Most of the motorists maiming/killing cyclists recently have not been illegal immigrants. One famous case was that of a Sheriff's deputy, and another case I am familiar with was a bicycle shop employee (whom I knew) killed by a drugged-up teenager on Trabuco Canyon road.

So, unless you have specific facts, libel, sheathed in generalization won't help the situation.

calamarichris

jimxyz

Wow - crossing in a crosswalk at 3 am on a Friday and the driver hit him at 80 mph! It is getting harder and harder to venture out for a ride these days

TrojanHorse

Seriously, are you venturing out at 3 am for a ride?

I have no idea if it's true or not, but 40% of drivers between midnight and 4 am are drunk. Frankly, those are bad odds even in a good part of town.

sleepy

Don't feed the troll.