The Bike Lanes in Berlin

The German capital has a good infrastructure for cyclists in the city. With approximately 1,000 km of bike lanes in Berlin, you can get almost anywhere on your bike. From north to south and east to west one can find thousands of people exploring the city every day, moving to their work, for daily activities or simply exercising in our beloved Berlin.

Germany in recent years has been prioritizing the use of clean transportation, i.e., reducing pollutant emission rates in the atmosphere and of course the use of bicycles for the population assists this problem.

The bike lanes in Berlin have a generally good condition and can be found both with signs in red or gray on the sidewalks as highlighted in white on the streets next to the cars.

The city of Berlin is almost totally flat, which makes life much easier to the cyclists. There are, however, older streets with cobblestones that hinder a little locomotion. Like in some places it is a little difficult because of the large flow of cars, for example, parallel streets to the U1 subway line, which are considered one of the worst for cyclists as there are no signs and you need to share space with cars. There is a project, however, to build a bike lane under the elevated tracks of the subway.

Like anywhere else in the world, one must be careful with cars, buses and pedestrians. Berliners cyclists are usually quick in bike lanes, and it’s not very uncommon to see tourists who are not used to cycling facing problems with this. Therefore, if you rent a bike, be aware that this is here primarily a mean of transport and not leisure.

Also watch out the theft of bicycles, so always use locks to keep yours protected from opportunists. Unfortunately, in Berlin there is a black market of stolen bikes, so do not take risks and protect yours. It is normal for people to have second-hand bikes, many of them acquired from the Internet.

A tip for those who want to buy a bike in Berlin is to acquire it in late summer, this because many tourists and students are leaving the city and thus selling their goods! In winter it gets harder to go around by bike, because besides the cold, the snow is very disruptive. At the beginning of spring, many people come and the weather becomes suitable for cycling again, but the price increases in this period due to the higher demand.

In Germany as a whole there is an urban mobility plan and currently 10% of trips are made on the pedal base. In Berlin it’s very easy to rent bikes, almost in every corner there is a store offering the service. There is also a website called Bike Surf Berlin, where you can borrow a bike to explore the city. The service is free of charge and you just have to fill out a simple personal record.

Berlin has a ratio of 324 cars for every thousand inhabitants, basically half of what’s found in São Paulo, Brazil. Having a bike in Berlin is synonymous of saving money, this because a fixed parking spot costs a lot here, in addition to the normal costs of having a car, such as taxes, gas, depreciation, etc. Another advantage is obtained when compared to public transport tickets, which currently cost 81 euros monthly. With this same value it’s not difficult to find a second-hand bike, which you will be able to use at least 9 months of the year.

Do you liked to know more about the bike lanes in Berlin? How are they in your city? Tell us! 🙂