Cycling facilities

The volume of cycling traffic in German cities continues to rise. However, more cycling traffic also means more conflicts with cyclists and more accidents involving cyclists. Cyclists account for one in eight fatalities and one in five serious injuries on German roads. To improve the safety of cycling and ensure that this improvement is sustained in the future, a wide variety of measures are required. On the one hand, the cycling infrastructure – preferably on the road itself – has to be designed in such a way that it can be used safely. On the other, it is necessary to improve behavior on the roads, compliance with the rules of the road and the consideration shown by and towards cyclists.

Removal of the obligation of use for cycle paths The obligation of use for cycle paths in Germany has increasingly been removed in the last years. A study of the UDV concluded that no significant changes in the accident or conflict characteristics were found once the obligation of use was removed. The main reason is that the majority of cyclists... Read more.	Cycling roads and one-way streets The German Insurers Accident Research (UDV) carried out a research project on the traffic safety of cycling roads and one-way streets with permitted contraflow bicycle traffic. Read more.	Infrastructure for safe future cycling The demographic change, increased use of pedelecs and an increasing share of cycling traffic on total traffic in cities are current changes in cycling traffic. This affects especially cycling traffic volumes, age-structure of cyclists and cycling speeds. In the future, more heterogeneous cycling... Read more.
Accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists The UDV investigated accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists, taking accidents in the city of Berlin as an example. The aim was to find out the typical accidents that occur in built-up areas involving pedestrians and cyclists, the causes of these accidents and the influence of road facility... Read more.	Traffic safety of electric bicycles The number of electric bicycles has increased in recent years and continues to increase both in Germany and elsewhere. For example, 410,000 electric bicycles were sold in Germany in 2013. The growing number of electric bicycles and the possibility of higher speeds give rise to concerns about road... Read more.	Safety cycle paths around perimeter of roundabou... Compact single-lane roundabouts are among the safest types of intersection. But cyclists benefit least from this high level of safety. A previous German Insurers Accident Research study carried out in 2012 had shown that cycle paths around the perimeter of roundabouts with priority for cyclists at... Read more.