To my fellow automobile-driving citizens, please stop waving bicycle riders through intersections when they lack legal right of way.

We all rely on right of way to avoid collisions and other harm. No matter how well you mean, when you wave a bicycle rider through an intersection when they have no right of way, you dilute the consistency we rely on for safety, and reinforce behavior which underlies the common perception that "cyclists" are general scofflaws. Many times those who wish to do well have even waved riders into danger in front of other traffic, perhaps because they developed a habit of putting being nice before being safe, effectively not being nice at all. Please, be diligent in recognizing your right of way, and take it, with readiness to brake for any unexpected reason.

To my fellow bicycling citizens, while common sense dictates making eye contact with people driving automobiles, don't rest on that alone, but instead also look at the automobile's front tires to know exactly what that driver commands their vehicle to do, and be ready for evasive maneuvers and/or sudden braking at any moment.

The recent downtown tragedy inspired this letter, but in no way is this commentary on that tragedy. I wholly defer to public reports on that matter, and express sympathy for the victim's family and everyone else impacted by losing her.