Seeing what they considered a growing danger to traffic safety, Berlin police announced this spring they would begin cracking down on fixie riders. Since only April, they’ve confiscated 18 bicycles.
“Fixies have become a real problem,” Rainer Paetsch, a Berlin police official for traffic issues, told The Local. “It wasn’t a hunt, but we decided to do something to undercut this trend.”
To get their bikes back, cyclists have to pay a fine and convince the authorities they won’t ride them on the street anymore – or at least show an inclination to install brakes on them.
“For all I care they can ride them in their backyards,” Paetsch joked. “We just want people to realise it’s too risky to ride them around the city. Then we’ll be content that we’ve helped improve traffic safety.”
Full story:
Um, ok… so riding a bike in Berlin is bad… So why does the Berlin Tourist Information site recommend using a bike.
an excerpt.
“Nearly all big streets are featured with a bicycle track. Some older tracks are not ideal for speedy biking; a new law allows to choose between using these tracks or riding the bike on the road.”
Check it out here http://www.visitberlin.de/english/sightseeing/e_si_stadterkundungen_fahrrad.php
wow, what a dumb ass law.. don’t people have better issues to deal with.. jesus
If people would quit being idiots and put brakes on thier bikes then no one would have a problem. But NOOOO, they just have to be cool and ruin it for the rest of us. The only place where you shouldn’t have a brake is on a Velodrome.
I dont know. If its fixed gear you really do not need brakes. When I used to ride bike back in Russia, I used to have a single speed but with coaster brake like fixed gear. After couple of months I removed both of my brakes because I was able to stop faster and even in the rain better then regular brakes by just standing on my pedals and hitting them backword. Talking about complete stop
I guess the concept behind the law is that if the chain brakes there’s nothing to stop them. Just install a brake and the police won’t give out a ticket. They don’t have to use the brake, but having a back-up plan is smarter than no plan.
I personally just don’t trust the old people around town.. that’s why i rock a brake.. forget about skidding.. haha..