Last night was a mostly uneventful commute home. It was cloudy and ready to rain so I was wearing my yellow rain jacket and had the headlight and helmet lights turned on. I was feeling comfortable and safe on the residential streets of SE Portland. Topping the rise on 76th just south of Main I kicked up the speed a bit for the drop down to Division Street. There was some guy riding his bike south too, but he was riding on the left hand side of the street. “What’s with that?” I wondered. Further up the street a white car turned into a driveway. As I caught up with the wrong-side-of-the-street rider a flick of white light caught my attention. The white car had shifted into reverse. Just in case I shifted left into the middle of the lane. Just in case became the case as the driver started to back out of the driveway into the street. Didn’t the driver see the pickup coming from the south? Didn’t the driver see the two cyclists coming from the north? As I got closer I edged further toward the centerline. The driver accelerated the reverse into the street. There was only one thing to do.
HEY!
I yelled in a “this is for the folks in the back row”, best I could muster, full projection from the bottom of my diaphragm voice. Theater classes in college had reinforced the voice lessons I received as a radio announcer. When it’s time to make my voice heard I can make sure people hear the sound, if nothing else. The performance was rewarded with the applause of brake lights. No matter, the lane was now blocked, I swerved around the car feeling really happy that the pickup wasn’t this far up the street yet.
While on Division waiting to turn left onto 75th the white car driver caught up to me. “I’m sorry I didn’t see you. I saw the other bike, but not you.” “And that guy was riding illegally on the wrong side of the street”, I replied. “I’m sorry” she repeated as she drove off.
She didn’t see me, despite a visible yellow jacket and two lights. She wasn’t looking at the traffic lane she was backing into. sigh Sometimes you just gotta yell. I think the pickup driver tapped his brakes when he saw me swerve into his lane, but I can’t swear to it. My attention was focused on the road and the rear bumper of the white car.
So I have to recommend the type of class that really helped in putting force into my voice. This one is from Portland State University Theater Arts department. Any college theater program is sure to have a similar offering.
TA 144
Voice for the Actor I (3)
An introductory course in basic principles and techniques of
voice production specifically for stage performance including
physiology, breath support and resonance, articulation and
projection.
Projection and breath support being the key elements. Singers probably have the same kind of training. A strong voice is almost always available. It is a great supplement to careful riding and visible clothing.
Lately I’ve taken to wearing a day-glo vest as part of my normal commuting get-up. I wish I didn’t have to dress up like a Christmas tree on crack to feel safer on my bicycle but there it is.