Vehicle movement on roads - Cyclists found guilty of 41,000 violations, mainly due to running red lights and using cell phones.
The Berlin Police have addressed potential dangers for cyclists and issues caused by cyclists with approximately 1500 targeted controls in the past year, spending around 20,000 hours on these efforts. This was stated in a response to a query from the Left Party in 2023. In contrast, there were fewer targeted controls in the years 2020 and 2021, with the pandemic also influencing these numbers.
Around 41,000 infractions by cyclists were reported by the Police in the previous year. Before 2022, this number was over 43,000. The most common infractions involved cyclists ignoring red traffic lights, riding against the flow of traffic on one-way streets, and using their phones while cycling. These offenses were most often spotted in highly trafficked areas like Mitte, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, and Pankow.
Police issued fines in around 22,500 cases in 2023, while immediate payments were made in 14,600 cases concerning minor violations such as cycling on the sidewalk and mobile phone use. Moreover, around 4,000 cyclists were stopped by traffic wardens, mainly due to using the sidewalks.
Although the number of infractions committed by motorists, such as speeding or disregarding red lights, is notably higher, reaching in the hundreds of thousands, this is largely due to the massively greater number of motorists on the streets and the fact that several offenses like speeding and disregarding red lights are automatically detected by numerous surveillance cameras.
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The Berlin Police are also warning cyclists against using their cell phones while on the road, as it contributes to road traffic incidents. Despite the pandemic, the Berlin Police increased their efforts to address traffic violations by cyclists in 2023. In highly trafficked areas like Mitte, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, and Pankow, cyclists continue to disregard traffic rules, including using their cell phones while cycling, even as coronavirus restrictions gradually ease.
