As we reported yesterday, the District has released a brand-spankin-new city map including Metro stations, taxicab zones, snow and emergency routes and bicycle trails. And as the District Department of Transportation tells us, our fair city’s bicycle lane offerings have increased from a mere 3 miles in 1999 to the 25 miles we enjoy today.

But the more that bicycles become a primary mode of transport, the more that drivers and cyclists alike will have to abide by a common set of rules. Until now, pretty much anything we have written on urban cycling has devolved into a screaming match between the driver that thinks that all cyclists are out to run red lights and eat little kids and the cyclist who thinks that all drivers are looking to add that extra helmet to their trophy room. Neither is true. Well, not really. The part about eating little kids is somewhat true.

So as a public service, here again we offer up our Official Rules of the Road for Cyclists and Drivers, first rolled out in 2005. The rules are simple and to the point, and you can even print them out, laminate them, and hold them as law against trangressors. Police don’t often enforce these, so it’s up to you, District cyclist or driver, to be the vigilante that these rules demand.