Berlin - Polizei Are On The Hunt

Also interesting for you gusy might be the fact that you MUST use the cycle path if there is one:

Ein Fahrradweg muss, sofern er als solcher ausgewiesen ist, benutzt werden. StVO §2 (4) Radfahrer müssen einzeln hintereinander fahren; nebeneinander dürfen sie nur fahren, wenn dadurch der Verkehr nicht behindert wird. Sie müssen Radwege benutzen, wenn die jeweilige Fahrtrichtung mit Zeichen 237, 240 oder 241 gekennzeichnet ist. Andere rechte Radwege dürfen sie benutzen. Sie dürfen ferner rechte Seitenstreifen benutzen, wenn keine Radwege vorhanden sind und Fußgänger nicht behindert werden. Das gilt auch für Mofas, die durch Treten fortbewegt werden.

http://www.wer-weiss-was.de/theme64/article2914543.html

Also interesting for you gusy might be the fact that you MUST use the cycle path if there is one:

Yeah I always wondered why I got abuse from drivers before someone told me I had to use the cycle paths... To be fair to them, in the cities I've been in they usually were pretty good cycle lanes, and it made sense, but it's then a different sort of cycling

Oh, and when there is a cycle path on each side of the road, you have to use the one on the right hand side...

The cycle path thing is just normal, the UK is the exception of allowing the cyclists to choose between road or cycle path.

Yes, you have to take the one which indicates a direction by having signs *237, 240 or 241 facing the right way :p

*

For what it's worth, the whole legal situation causes great grief amongst sport cyclists in germany as well. For once with clipless it's impossible to comply with the regulations in terms of pedal reflectors, but also the state of the cyclepaths is often detrimental to the condition of a 4k EUR carbon road bike.

The possibility that someone comes up to you, measures the position of the rear reflector and finds it higher than the required 60cm ground height, therefore fines you a tenner, is always there, but very often unrealistic.

One thing I can tell you from the outset is that if they find stuff wrong with your bike, or you're going down the wrong cyclepath or whatever, ALWAYS say you didn't know. In germany fines multiply if you did something "mit Vorsatz" (on purpose).

We have the same law in the UK, but quite rightfully they're not being enforced (apart from riding without light in the evening and the like that'd cause problem), it's just appear that the german police seemed to act upon on every single detail no matter how small and mundane it is.

Ed, I think you don't have "the same laws" in the UK.
For example the Highway code on direct gov says:

You MUST

[]ensure your brakes are efficient
[]at night, use lit front and rear lights and have a red rear reflector

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_069866

This sounds very different to StVZO §67 which as I said does give specific wattage and voltage of dynamos that have to b mounted to your bike at alltimes, specific maximum heights of reflectors as well as as the correct position for the spokes reflectors.

Sorry, that's a massive difference.
Also the popo in germany is forced to go by the letter of the law, because if they neglect something they'd technically break the law as well. This is called Legalitaetsprinzip. So expect at least a verbal caution if they catch you, or a fine depending on what's set out in the catalogue.

Of course the main difference between German law and English Common Law is that German law is codified, where you guys go by precedent ... massive difference.

Learn a new thing everyday eh?

The cycle path thing is just normal, the UK is the exception of allowing the cyclists to choose between road or cycle path.

No, it's the UK that's 'normal'. That a few other countries in the course of mass motorisation banned cycling in the carriageway where there is an adjacent or parallel cycle facility is not 'normal'. It's repressive and a sign of a completely misguided transport policy.

For what it's worth, the whole legal situation causes great grief amongst sport cyclists in germany as well. For once with clipless it's impossible to comply with the regulations in terms of pedal reflectors, but also the state of the cyclepaths is often detrimental to the condition of a 4k EUR carbon road bike.

I've never been stopped when riding my road bike around Germany, and neither have any groups I've ridden in (on occasion 40-odd people). In practice, the rules are not enforced about road bikes.

The possibility that someone comes up to you, measures the position of the rear reflector and finds it higher than the required 60cm ground height, therefore fines you a tenner, is always there, but very often unrealistic.

Exactly. There are limits even to German officiousness.

One thing I can tell you from the outset is that if they find stuff wrong with your bike, or you're going down the wrong cyclepath or whatever, ALWAYS say you didn't know. In germany fines multiply if you did something "mit Vorsatz" (on purpose).
("Mit Vorsatz" means "with intent".)

I've always done the exact opposite. I never use any footway cycle paths when I'm in Germany that I don't think make any sense. I've got stopped a couple of times, but each time I've been able to explain to the officers quite precisely why I wasn't using the path. They could have fined me but realised that I knew what I was doing and went on their way.

It's not difficult to explain why the Radwegebenutzungspflicht is completely absurd. Anyone with a bit of common sense will see this.

Intent, that's right ... couldn't come up with that word ... maybe I am loosing my german language skills after all.

If they're busybodies and want to fine you, the intent thing can rocket up the fine quite drastically though.
Haven't seen this happening, but yeah, it could.

It may well do. I'd risk it and be a martyr, though. ;)

Oliver, what do you expect out of it? Be honest! 40 cycling virgins?

It's all about making sure your reliquies are worth something when you finally go to the Great Big Mont Ventoux in the sky.

That clip comes from a "news" item on Dutch television. Item was about the growing popularity of fixed gear bikes and the resulting accidents and injures. They talked with serveral hipsters from Amsterdam who bragged about "stopping the bike on a nickel" because they know how to handle a fixed gear bike. Needless to say that the above crash from that very same hipster did not add to their credibility. But he survived (the Seat did not hit him). All in all the item did not put the fixed gear scene in a favorable light since it underlined all bias against such bikes.

Yes, I managed to find the news article by googling HvNL, though it appeared the video would only work given I downloaded an application which I wasn't willing to do. If the video exists on Youtube/Vimeo etc. I'd be pleased to see it - anyone?

A big thank you Pascalo for all of the information you provided.