Let Nothing Come Between Us

At the corner, I waited for eye contact with the driver who sat at the light, waiting to turn right. I was running in place, to keep my heart rate up and my legs from cramping. She was chatting on her cell phone looking for oncoming traffic, not acknowledging the crosswalk that her Sports Utility Vehicle was straddling. Even though I had a "walk" signal, I waited for some outward response that would tell me that I wouldn't be crushed under her wheels. Then the "don't walk" signal started flashing. She finished her conversation (for the moment) and made her turn. Now The light was yellow heading my way, so I waited for another cycle for the light to cross the street.
Much has already been written and said about the way we feel invisible when we are inside our cars. There is a whole "Seinfeld" episode about being caught "in flagrante nostril" - other people can see you with your finger in your nose. This notion stands in stark contrast with the "merge wave" that drivers across the globe insist upon before letting someone in on the highway, exit ramp, or parking lot. This is the moment where the windshield really is just a piece of glass and you expect to see through it and the glass that separates the other guy from you as well. Once everybody is back in line, the glass returns to opaque and we go about our day.
There is a similar interaction between runners and bike riders: The head bob that occurs just before you pass someone else heading the opposite direction. It usually includes some faint grimace that reminds the other that there is physical exertion involved. If you don't have your ipod turned up too loud, you can sometimes hear a groan or wheeze as well.
The problem comes when you try to mix the two. Try to get a motorist's attention if you are trying to get across a busy street. If you're driving your car and trying to wave the bicyclist in front of you across before you turn left, you know the difficulty. Maybe this is how we can solve the crisis in the Middle East: get everybody on bicycles. It works great in China...