Originally Posted by noglider

You were unprepared because you assume people act rationally and intelligently in their own interests. They don't, and they are also inattentive. In NYC, a lot of pedestrians navigate mostly with their ears, as if they will know danger is coming by the sound of it. But bikes don't make much sound, so they walk in front of us often. Or they see us but misunderestimate (with apologies to George W Bush) our speed.

Add this to the list of things to expect. It will serve you until something else new happens, and you'll add that to the list.

Things are less of a panic when you go slowly enough. Also, practice panic braking while riding in a straight line. It's much better to do that than to swerve into another lane. The person directly behind you has a responsibility not to hit you. People in other lanes don't have that.