First off, let me say that I was very sorry to see you go tipping over your handlebars directly in front of me. I was glad to see you get up, largely unharmed and healthy enough to yell and swear at the driver who passed around the corner in front of you and thereby causing you to brake and fall.
But here's the other side of things: you really don't have much right to be mad at the driver.
You see, you were angry because he cut you off by turning in your path. That wouldn't really have happened if you were cycling on the right-hand side of the road. If you had been, his left-hand turn wouldn't have affected you at all.
Did you notice, by the way, that I said "cycling" and not "bike riding"? That's because I think that after you're twelve or so, you're no longer a bike rider, but a cyclist. You know, like a vehicle. And come on, you were about forty. Riding on the sidewalk is really no longer appropriate, is it? And riding on the left-hand sidewalk is extra wrong, I suppose, especially if you cross at the pedestrian crossing without stopping for the little hand.
That's right. In addition to riding on the sidewalk and on the left-hand side, in your anger you neglected to acknowledge that the driver had an advanced left-turn light, giving him the right of way. Even if you'd been a sidewalk-walking pedestrian, you would have to wait for the full green to allow you crossing rights.
So, to recap, here's you: riding your bike on a sidewalk, crossing against the light across the left-hand side of the road. Here's the other guy: making a legal left-hand turn in his car. Back to you: standing in the middle of the intersection yelling and screaming profanity. Back to him: driving down the road half a block away. One more time to you: looking like an idiot.
Sincerely,
Me
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