Is it a full moon? Something in the air?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I was coming to a stop at an intersection at a bottom of a hill. There was a big gravel truck dead set on turning right so I decided the smart thing to do was wait beside the next car in line and make sure she saw me. She wasn't signaling and we were pretty much at the light. As I rolled up to her she decides to cram herself behind the gravel truck and pull into a driveway and pretty near over top of me. I reefed on my brakes and yelled some choice words.....


After I picked up my headlight I rode back towards the MUT and waited patiently at the crosswalks. Several people kept going after they lost their protected left turn which I expect, but as I crossed the road brakes squealed as someone making a right hand turned failed to notice TWO cyclists.

Further down the road I hit another light and waited with another rider. He took off a skosh before me and Little Miss Mall Shopper stopped for him and then tried to plow forward into me. I amazed myself by how quickly I dropped my wrists to grab my brake levers as hard as I could. Fear is a wonderful thin sometimes.

Smurf,
It sounds like you are crossing in crosswalks while still ON your bike. Far safer to get off and walk your bike across a crosswalk just like a real pedestrian. Or else don't use crosswalks while on your bike at all. Either be a real vehicle or be a real pedestrian.
The other problem here is that from your description it seems you are stopping at red lights alongside of cars instead of taking the lane and being just like a car at an intersection. Cars so often cannot see you if you are stopped alongside them. You are creating an additional imaginary lane that really does not exist and car drivers are not expecting anyone to be there. You are far safer moving right into the middle of your lane at a stop light or major intersection, taking your rightful place in line in full view like all the other vehicles at the light, and then broadly hand/arm signaling your intentions to the cars around you before the light turns green.
Please read this page and you will be mostly avoiding altogether the very typical incidents such as happened to you yesterday:
http://bicyclesafe.com/

P.S. also be sure to not ride in the 'door zone'.