I don’t think there’s a German over the age of five or six who doesn’t know how to ride a bike. Seeing an 80-year-old German lady zipping along on her bike is nothing unusual in Germany.
This sign means the sidewalk is shared by pedestrians and cyclists. It screams: “Pedestrians, watch out for your lives!” PHOTO: Hyde Flippo
I have witnessed rush hour in the small town of Burghausen, Bavaria, which means swarms of bicycles, not cars, going to and from the Wacker chemical plant. In much larger Berlin and other German cities, the bike is also a popular mode of transportation. Estimates are that Berlin has 710 bicycles per 1,000 residents, almost twice its 342 cars per 1,000. An estimated 500,000 bikes stream across Berlin on an average day, and in 2018 there were also 18,000 shared bicycles in the capital from eight companies. If we compare the USA and Germany, travel to work or school makes up only 11 percent of all bike trips in the US, compared to 28 percent in Germany. Shopping trips account for only 5 percent of all bike trips in the US, versus 20 percent in Germany.
So you might think that cyclists have a special place in the hearts and minds of most Germans. Well, they do, but it’s usually a negative place. The average German motorist despises cyclists (and vice versa). Although Germans often maintain that most people are both motorists and cyclists who should not hate each other, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Once a cyclist gets in a car, a Jekyll-and-Hyde transformation takes place as the driver grasps the steering wheel and heads out to do battle with people on bicycles. And there are a lot of them in the average German municipality, large or small.
Safer than on the streets of Berlin: Cycling on the field of former Tempelhof airport, now a park. PHOTO: Hyde Flippo
But that’s a topic we’ll save for another day. Here I want to discuss a different bike battle: cyclists (Radfahrer) versus pedestrians (Fußgänger). I have my own battlefield experience on the sidewalks of Berlin when it comes to cyclists versus people on foot, particularly from the viewpoint of the pedestrian. During my time in Berlin I often rode the S-Bahn and U-Bahn, but I didn’t have a bike. I was always the Fußgänger going up against the Radfahrer. Luckily, my Berlin battle scars are only mental, but I had a few close calls in which I only missed being run down by a speeding bicycle by milliseconds. I’m now a war veteran who has somehow survived the insane German practice of putting pedestrians and cyclists on the same stretch of pavement.
Although Germany has an association for almost anything you can name, I was still a little surprised to learn that there’s not just one but two German pedestrian associations (FUSS e.v. and Bund der Fußgänger) that fight for walkers’ rights and safety. Both were founded in the mid-1980s. FUSS e.v. and other advocates for walking complain that pedestrian rights are routinely ignored by city planners in Germany, and that far too little funding goes into sidewalks and making urban walking safer. Responding to such criticism, the German federal environmental office (Umweltbundesamt) sponsored the 2. Deutscher Fußverkehrskongress (2nd German Pedestrian Traffic Convention) in Berlin on 11-12 October 2018 that dealt with improving strategies for pedestrian traffic. Its motto: „Geht doch!“ (“Go for it!” or “Do walk!”)
Most German cities try to save money by putting bike lanes on existing sidewalks, rather than the safer practice of having real bike lanes on the street or parallel to the roadway. Even when the sidewalk is divided into a pedestrian and a bike lane by a white stripe or different colored paving material (the so-called “getrennter Geh- und Radweg”), there is the constant risk of a collision between bikes and people on foot. Unsuspecting tourists who aren’t aware of the bike lane (and they are often poorly marked) soon learn the risks of setting foot into one. If they’re lucky, they’ll only get cursed at by a Radler who is suddenly forced to brake (or not) for them. The unlucky ones may get a more physical lesson. They soon learn the mortal fear caused by the chime of bicycle bell or horn.
A bicycle flash mob seen in Hamburg. PHOTO: Hyde Flippo
In recent years Berlin’s local government has finally started to recognize the wisdom of separating cyclist from motorists and pedestrians. The 12 proposed “bike superhighways” (Radschnellwege, 2017) are still only a proposal, but at least the thinking is moving in the right direction. Berlin now has a few true bike lanes that are only for cyclists and have more than just a painted line between autos and bikes. But the German capital city still has a long way to go before it comes close to European cycling paradises such as Amsterdam and Copenhagen. The environmental group Greenpeace reported recently that Germany’s five biggest cities, including Berlin, each spend less than five euros per person per year on their bike routes. That is far less than Amsterdam and Copenhagen, which spend many times that amount on their cycling infrastructure. Out of a total of 1087 km (675 mi) of bike paths, Berlin currently has just a little over 660 km (411 mi) of dedicated bike paths – without pesky pedestrians. Cyclists are ten times more likely to die on the streets of Berlin, Hamburg, and Stuttgart than in Amsterdam and Copenhagen. In a 2017 ranking of The 20 Most Bike-Friendly Cities in the World, Berlin came in 10th, up two from 2015. (Copenhagen, Utrecht, and Amsterdam were 1, 2 and 3.)
| The Ruhr’s Bike Autobahn The Radschnellweg Ruhr (RS1) is Germany’s first bike autobahn. The RS1 in the Ruhr region is four meters (13 ft) wide, and will eventually cover 62 miles and connect 10 German communities between Duisburg und Hamm by 2022. The first 8-mile segment, stretching from Essen to Mülheim, already allows some residents to commute on two wheels rather than four. Designed for commuters, tourists, and anyone else with a bicycle, in some places bike riders can travel faster than cars on a normal German autobahn with traffic jams. Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich are also considering their own bike highways. |
Berlin politicians’ sudden pro-cycling conversion didn’t happen by chance. The city’s bike lobby presented a 100,000-signature petition in 2016 to force a referendum on cycling policy. They pointed out that bicycles account for 15 percent of traffic in Berlin, but have just three percent of the street space, compared with 60 percent for cars. (The city also needs to reduce auto emissions to improve its air quality, and Berlin gets about 40,000 new residents each year.) The new bike express routes would use mostly abandoned railway lines and other free space by 2022 if all goes well. But even if the plans materialize, they won’t solve the problem of improving normal bike paths in the German capital. And, as usual in Berlin, there is already resistance to the planned bike autobahns from those who favor trains or other modes of transport. One proposed route already faces being blocked by a new shopping center. Kreuzberg’s planned N1 route under the U1 subway viaduct is threatened by parking spaces and other issues. Let’s hope things move faster than with the BER airport, still under construction for almost a decade.
This artist’s rendering shows what Berlin’s proposed “Radschnellweg” (bike autobahn) could look like. PHOTO: CDU Steglitz-Zehlendorf/Staubach+Kuckertz Architekten (CityLab)
Even after learning the ropes of safely navigating the sidewalks of Berlin, I would occasionally get an unpleasant reminder that one has to be constantly alert to potential bike danger. I once decided to cross the street where there was no crosswalk or signal within a 100 meters, being careful to watch for cars, only to hear the screech of bike tires as I inadvertently crossed a bike lane on the other side of the road. I also heard a few harsh German words from the woman on the bike that had almost hit me. Okay, I was in the wrong that time, but more often it is a pedaling scofflaw who endangers life and limb – and in my defense I would also point out that the bike lane was poorly marked.
For bikes only. No pedestrians allowed.
As is typical in Germany, there are laws and regulations governing bicycles and their riders, but many cyclists ignore them. Although it is against the law, aggressive cyclists (Pedalritter, “knights on bikes”) often speed along the sidewalks of Berlin, catching many a pedestrian by surprise. Berlin cyclists are a tough breed who show as little mercy to pedestrians as motorists show them. (In 2016, 17 cyclists were killed by cars or trucks in Berlin.) Cyclists also frequently ignore red lights and weave through pedestrians as if they were rubber cones. Recent law changes don’t really help the situation, and have led to more confusion than clarity. Nevertheless, you’d be wise to learn the rules and laws governing bicycle riders before daring to venture out onto the sidewalks of any large German city — as a cyclist or pedestrian. Nationwide in 2017 a total of 382 cyclists died on Germany’s roads (393 in 2016) and more than 79,000 were injured.
At first I wondered if it was just my American sensibilities that made me regard most German cyclists as a menace to society. But I soon learned that native Germans also shared my cyclophobia. Apparently, Berlin is not the only German city where pedestrians live in fear of being run down by a speeding cyclist. From the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: …weil die Verkehrsverhältnisse für Fußgänger in Frankfurt „unerträglich“ geworden seien. Die Gefährdung durch rücksichtslose Radfahrer, für die scheinbar weder rote Ampeln noch Zebrastreifen gälten, nehme drastisch zu. Passanten auf den Gehwegen und in den Fußgängerzonen seien der ständigen Gefahr ausgesetzt, umgefahren zu werden. (…because the traffic conditions for pedestrians in Frankfurt have become “unbearable.” The danger from reckless cyclists, for whom apparently neither red lights nor zebra stripes [at pedestrian crossings] mean anything, has seen a drastic increase. Pedestrians on sidewalks and in pedestrian zones face the constant risk of being run over.)
Similar laments can be found in newspapers in most larger German cities. In Düsseldorf there was an article about a proposed initiative to impose a speed limit for bicycles. (Not very likely.) In Berlin the magazine Berliner Woche ran a story under this headline: “Wie Radfahrer Fußgänger das Fürchten lehren” (“How cyclists teach pedestrians the fear of God”).
Here are some of the rules and laws that many German cyclists choose to ignore:
- If there is a blue “Radweg” sign (see photos) indicating a bike lane or path, cyclists are required to use it, not the street or sidewalk.
- Cyclists over the age of 10 are not allowed to ride on sidewalks or in pedestrian zones (Fußgängerzonen). They must use a bike path or bike lane, or the street if no bike lane is available.
- Children age 8 or under MUST use the sidewalk rather than a bike lane and must walk their bikes across intersections. Cyclists age 9 or 10 may use a bike lane if they want to.
- On the street, bicycle riders must keep to the right and travel in the same direction as auto traffic (unless there is a sign indicating otherwise, most often on one-way streets).
- In Fußgängerzonen or on sidewalks where bicycles are specifically permitted (“frei”), cyclists must exercise caution and adjust their speed for the pedestrians.
- By law, bicycles must have a warning bell or horn mounted on the handlebars. Intended as a warning device, the bike bell in Germany usually serves to strike terror into pedestrians.
- Note for motorists: When making a right turn, bikes traveling in the same direction on your right (on the street or in a bike lane) have the right-of-way. You need to check your right side-mirror before making a turn, in addition to checking for pedestrians.
- Helmets are recommended for cyclists but not required. (See more about helmets below.)
- German traffic law (StVO) has specific requirements for bicycles regarding brakes, lights, reflectors, and warning bells.
- Differing local state and municipal cycling laws/regulations may apply. Inquire locally.
Helmet? I don’t need no stinkin’ helmet!
Although many German bike riders do wear a helmet, it is not as common as in many other countries. There is no legal requirement for cyclists to wear a helmet in Germany. Although it encourages helmet use, the leading German cycling association, the ADFC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad-Club e.V.), opposes mandatory helmet laws for cyclists. They do recommend bike helmets on a voluntary basis for children.
Indeed, separating cyclists and pedestrians would be a great thing. As a cyclist in large cities in Germany like Hamburg, Stuttgart, or Berlin you are screwed down between car drivers and pedestrians.
In many cases, you have to fear cars if you are riding on the street and on sidewalks it is not allowed to ride, or it is impossible. So both is difficult. It’s a thing of infrastructure, although many Germans like their bike (and other people, of course, like their car).
Many local politicians know that there’s a problem, but you have diminishing resources in administrations. Or many people working in administrations does not think too much of cyclists. But nevertheless, if you view it in the long run, there will be some change. Left and conservative politicians know the word “Verkehrswende”, so I hope there will be more discussions and some change in the future.