Brakeless in Berlin

so the german police are doing a crackdown on brakeless "fixies" in berlin. there's a safe biking check thing going on over the next few weeks. one of the paragraphs from that press release reads (roughly):[INDENT]For the first time the police will have an eye on a special kind of bicycle. They are called "Fixies" or "Singlespeed-Bikes". These minimalist trend-bikes, e.g. ridden by bike-messengers and members of a growing fan-scene are being used more and more in city-traffic. The bicycles, for the purpose of saving weight and conveying a very special "Kick" during fast riding, do not have proper security-measurements, i.e. they lack any sort of brake. Only foresighted riding, and enormous capacity of reaction ought to hinder accidents. The use of such vehicles, which were originally designed to be used for track-bike sports, in road traffic is profoundly dangerous and inevitably bound to health- and live-threatening situations for other road-users as well as the rider. In consequence, police will not only file a complaint against the riders of such fixies, but make insistently clear, that the bicycles will be seized after reoccurring identification.
[/INDENT]don't tell them about the ecmc's! this is incredibly badly informed, and pretty stupid really. does anyone have any stats about braking or no. of fixed gears in accidents vs geared bikes?

Cheers for the heads up, Didn't know this and I may be taking my bike over these for a few days from Sunday. Sounds absolutely ridiculous.

dunno how much you should worry. all the berlin fixed kids ride brakeless. i got stopped a few times by cops but they never mentioned me not having any brakes. but to be honest, it sounds stupid so who knows what'll happen. i'm still planning on bringing over my brakeless bike when i head over this month.

Everybody likes a bit of alarmist police PR.

Good Post Teddy...Would be interested to see how this "safe biking check" goes down, Has there been an high profile crashes ... to force the police to act or something??

Also that does not seem a very balanced paragraph from the German press ..are the always like that ?

Also that does not seem a very balanced paragraph from the German press ..are the always like that ?

I grew up in Germany and the answer is no. But this depends on what papers you look at. Same in England really, Daily Mail vs. Guardian, innit.

I thought that would be the case.... Thanks Chicken

That direct from the press release?

I hope they realise they're not going to help anyone with these checks.

It is from the Berlin Police website. It says that that all this is about protecting elderly and child pedestrians. In Germany it isn't illegal to ride on the pavement and many cyclists do. I'm a bit puzzled though because Berlin has shit loads of cycle lanes that are on a different level from both pavement and road.

Anyway, please hold while Herr Oliver Schick is proceeding to this thread. I'm sure he is drafting a well-argued essay as we speak.

It is from the Berlin Police website. It says that that all this is about protecting elderly and child pedestrians. In Germany it isn't illegal to ride on the pavement and many cyclists do. I'm a bit puzzled though because Berlin has shit loads of cycle lanes that are on a different level from both pavement and road.

Anyway, please hold while Herr Oliver Schick is proceeding to this thread. I'm sure he is drafting a well-argued essay as we speak.

Not much to say, really, as I don't know much about Germany except that, as Lenni knows, they have actual traffic police and therefore have the capacity for such an initiative.

NB as far as I remember it is illegal to ride on the footway in Germany if you're over 12 and no part of the footway is designated as a cycle track/path.

Without taking a position either for or against brakeless riding (there are plenty of brakes threads around as it is), it's easy to see that the tone is paternalistic and breathlessly worried. In Germany, a big point always made about bikes is their "Verkehrssicherheit", or 'safety for use in traffic' (irrespective of the rider), and brakeless bikes are not considered "verkehrssicher" by default.

I can't put the explanatory paragraph about casualty statistics into its proper context as I don't know the overall stats from Berlin, but it is certainly possible to stress even without this knowledge that stats like this don't give an adequate picture of what really happens on the streets. The estimated modal share of cycle traffic in Berlin was reported to be 10% as long as two years ago, which translates into a huge number of trips that would show that the risk indicated by the number of collisions cited, about which there is of course cause for worry, is actually quite small--as usual where there are lots of cycle trips.

I don't know if it's unusual for Germany that the main emphasis of the press release is on contraventions by cyclists as opposed to those by users of motor vehicles (which is pretty much par for the course in this country), but this paragraph gives some balance by stressing the police's determination to check how HGV drivers turn right (i.e., the equivalent to what turning left is in this country), and the behaviour of inattentive and reckless drivers:

Zum Schutz der Radfahrer werden Kraftfahrzeugführer verstärkt in ihrem Verhalten beim Rechtsabbiegen gegenüber parallel fahrenden Radfahrern überprüft. Trotz der umfänglichen Diskussionen zu den Gefahren des Toten Winkels bei Lkw verhalten sich immer noch zu viele Fahrer in solchen Situationen unaufmerksam und zum Teil rücksichtslos. Kontrollen werden überwiegend dort stattfinden, wo es in der Vergangenheit vermehrt zu Verkehrsunfällen mit Radfahrerbeteiligung gekommen ist bzw. dort, wo in der täglichen Verkehrsüberwachung auffällig viele dieser Verstöße festgestellt werden müssen.

How this positive intention works out in practice is to be seen.

the german "Road Traffic Licensing Regulations (STVZO)" said that your bike needs 2 autonomous working brakes, but it doesn't excist a precedence if the fixed hub is a brake

Teddy I reckon they should nick you for not wearing a helmet and reflective armbands and all ! mark my words it won't be long

they've been confiscating brakeless bikes and issuing fines. i know some people who've been caught.

i'm totally getting a fluoro vest and training wheels...

brakeless as in no hand-operated brake or brakeless as in no rear brake?

german law requires two physical brakes, and they're not counting a fixed drivetrain as a brake.

german law requires two physical brakes, and they're not counting a fixed drivetrain as a brake.

was that actually written or it's more of how they elaborate it? since in the UK you have to have two brakes on your bike, fixed wheel count as one, but still a grey area.

if you're still worried about it - coaster brake?

they've been confiscating brakeless bikes and issuing fines. i know some people who've been caught.

i'm totally getting a fluoro vest and training wheels...

teddy you know it makes sense - and no weaving, riding away from the curb, or speeds in excess of 15mph - I gave up hot rodding VW's with the advent of speed cameras - I daresay the commies will one day stop me riding my bike and all

was that actually written or it's more of how they elaborate it? since in the UK you have to have two brakes on your bike, fixed wheel count as one, but still a grey area.

if you're still worried about it - coaster brake?

its how the cops are interpreting the law. they're handing out 100€ fines to brakeless riders.

there's no way i'm putting a fucking coaster brake on my bike. i'd rather just get a geared bike instead.

i think you'll be fine with a front brakes only, since you know some people in Berlin, have you hear about anyone with a front-brake only being pulled over and/or issued with a fine?

yes.

but i'm hoping that they'll either be more lenient with a front brake, or else won't notice the lack of a back brake.

I hope you have got a bell

you should able to make a temporary rear brakes, someone did a home-made one without much effort, give me a minutes to find it.

i thought about scrunching up some aluminium foil to look like a brake...

Whatever you do, just don't mention ze war.