Discussions about whether German roads are safe or unsafe for cyclists can unfortunately be settled quite quickly using statistics: one in six traffic fatalities in 2025 was on a bicycle. Compared to 2015, the number of injured cyclists has increased by 20.6 percent. And that is even though, according to the Federal Statistical Office, the overall number of road deaths has fallen by 18.4 per cent compared to 2015.
The German Federal Statistical Office explains these developments mainly by an increase in cyclists “in the wake of the e-bike boom”. Cyclists over the age of 65 in particular are at high risk on the roads. Regardless of this, the statistics suggest that German roads are far too dangerous for bicycles. The BikeBox project at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt is now taking a new, empirical approach to this issue.
100 BikeBoxes aim to provide empirical rather than anecdotal evidence
Please excuse this somewhat lengthy and, above all, sad introduction. However, with election posters such as “Banning is forbidden”—which politicians are putting up in response to a ban on cars in German city centres at our editorial base in Berlin—in mind, it is particularly important to us to point out how vulnerable cyclists in Germany are. And also how vehemently attempts to allocate them more space on the roads are prevented.
Because the responsibility for traffic accidents involving cyclists is mostly placed on their own inattention, their allegedly overly aggressive riding style, or cycling itself. Yet, due to a lack of crumple zones and increasingly large, heavy vehicles, cyclists are already in danger just standing at the side of the road. And despite this, in cities like Berlin, they share lanes with cars, lorries and other two-wheeled vehicles. At least, that is our impression.
Do we need a speed limit for e-bikes?
The number of cyclists involved in accidents is also rising in the Netherlands. In the town of Houten, a speed limit for cyclists is being trialled, with a view to possibly extending it to other towns.
Kees Bakker from the Dutch ‘Cyclists’ Union’ argues that it would make more sense to examine the allocation of space, as in the Bike-Box project.
The project offers an interesting alternative to the study from Würzburg.
It is precisely these impressions that the “BikeBox” project focuses on, as project leader Prof. Dr Nicholas Müller explained in response to a press enquiry: “The aim of the project, using a swarm of BikeBoxes, is to move away from anecdotal evidence (‘I was overtaken too closely here and there’ or ‘I think the kerb here needs to be lowered’) towards empirical data.”
100 BikeBoxes to be distributed at the launch
To achieve this, researchers at the Würzburg test location already deployed 80 BikeBoxes in June 2026. Prof. Dr Nicholas Müller explains that the BikeBoxes are small sensor units that can be mounted on a bicycle. Once attached, they measure “distances to the left when being overtaken and to the right to parked vehicles or objects encroaching on the cycle path”, as well as other factors such as fine dust pollution on the road, vibrations while riding, and temperature alongside air pressure.
Cyclists transfer this data to their own mobile phones after completing their daily journeys. As soon as a Wi-Fi connection is available, the phone transmits the data along with GPS location details to the project’s servers. To anonymise the routes, the app automatically deletes the first and last hundred metres of each recorded trip.
Swarm approach aims to make municipal budgets more efficient
The collected data is intended to support traffic planners in two ways. Firstly, as Prof. Dr Nicholas Müller explains, “cities can use their budget in a targeted manner […] where there are actual problems for cyclists.” This protects cyclists simply by ensuring that issues are identified and tackled before accidents occur.
According to Prof. Dr Müller, the second major benefit for local authorities lies in their ability to evaluate the success of their measures: “If [city councils], for example, erect a sign warning about overtaking distances, instances of vehicles passing too closely should drop the very next day. If a kerb is lowered, vibrations should also cease.”
Data is also available to the general public
However, collecting data as part of the BikeBox project in Würzburg is only a first step. Examples such as the Polish Smog Alert or the work of CorrelAid show that social change often only occurs when data is freely available.
It therefore makes particular sense for Prof. Dr Müller and his team to make the data freely available online in collaboration with their partner, Webfactor. Anyone interested can use a heatmap to see which streets Würzburg residents cycle along most frequently. In addition, they can view particulate matter levels, vibrations and locations where the BikeBoxes repeatedly measure social distancing below 1.5 metres.
Such data would also be useful in other locations across Germany. As freely accessible datasets, they not only enable local authorities to identify danger zones, but data from BikeBoxes could also be used by campaigns led by members of the public to advocate for greater safety in their town centres. Prof. Dr Nicholas Müller and his team are therefore open to collaborations in other towns and cities.
Taking it a step further: How can city centres be made safer for cyclists?
As part of our feature on the mobility transition, we have learnt about further projects and initiatives that are working to improve safety for cyclists. We’d like to introduce them to you here.
In the ‘Essen auf Rädern’ (Essen on wheels) project, school pupils – much like in the Bikebox project – collect data via a sensor box attached to their bikes. The name is derived from the project’s location, Essen, as the city came last in the ADFC’s city ranking of towns with more than 500,000 inhabitants.
The company Bike Citizens offers an app designed to meet the needs of cyclists and ensure their safety. We interviewed Elisabeth Felberbauer from Bike Citizens and spoke to her about the app.
Bicycles – and e-bikes, which, according to the Federal Statistical Office, are more dangerous – are an important part of a green transport transition. Our feature on the Mobility Transition shows that private passenger transport by cars with combustion engines and electric motors must be reduced in future if the transition is to succeed. Instead, mobility must be multimodal and thus become more diverse.
Preparing our city centres for this now also means making them safer and more comfortable for cyclists.
