To The Woman I Yelled At This Morning

I was coming out of the left turn lane and you were in the oncoming lane making a right turn onto the same road as I. I was behind a pickup truck but there was enough distance between me and the truck that the truck would not obscure me. The truck and I had a green light. You had a red light. You yielded to the truck and then made your turn.

I realize that screaming "HEY!" at the top of my lungs at close range into your open driver's side window could be startling, disconcerting and even annoying, but I had no idea if you were aware of my presence and I desperately wanted to alert you to that fact. You may think my reaction to the sight of a vehicle entering the space I was occupying on a bicycle was a bit over the top and hardly merits an intense emotional reaction, but there's something about a near life-threatening situation that affects me that way. And while I appreciate that, for whatever reason, you pulled over at the next intersection, I know my curt "Take a look next time," may not have thoroughly conveyed my underlying message of paying attention to more than just vehicles. So next time I'll try to do better and calmly explain my concerns.

Let's hope your next time doesn't involve a cyclist who isn't paying attention.