Wheeltalk: Motorists, hold that horn when sharing the road with cyclists

➤ Dear Wheel Talk: I just moved here from Houston where nobody bikes. What should I know about driving next to bikers in Philly? — All Hat, No Saddle

Dear All Hat: I don't have the space to list every way to be safe and courteous around bicyclists. But some include: Use your turn signals! Check for bikes before turning or opening car doors. Get off your cell phone. When a jerk bicyclist cuts you off, don't take it out on the next bicyclist you see. God forbid you hit someone, stop to see if they're OK.
I'm going to focus on four things. First, know the laws. Every bicyclist has been yelled at to, "Get on the sidewalk!" Nope. Wrong. Incorrect. The Bicycle Coalition website posts the laws in layman's terms.
Next: Stop honking. A bicyclist cannot tell the difference between "Honk, I'm here!" and "Honk, I'm a psycho with the patience of Cookie Monster picking up his Pepperidge Farm CSA." That horn is super jarring to everyone but you. Car horns should be as loud inside the car as they are outside.
Third: Don't park in bike lanes. The anger this gen­erates may seem outsized, but Philly bike lanes are hard-earned space that gives bicyclists safety and legitimacy. Parking in those lanes strips that legi­timacy and makes bicyclists feel marginalized and disrespected, while forcing them to weave into traffic.
Lastly, treat bicyclists (and everybody) as hu­man beings. That's not "a dirty cyclist" ahead of you. It's just a woman on a bicycle, riding in the middle because that's legal and safe. The power dynamic between you two in that moment is very unbalanced. She's vul­nerable, but she's not foolish. She'll be turning soon, or stopping to let you pass. She's not your arch-nemesis Crazy Dr. Inconvenience. Choose to be patient. Put into the world what you want from it in return. Rage begets rage. Kindness begets kindness.