It must be possible to have a cycling accident in Berlin – but it's quite hard to conceive how.
Unlike Claire Armitstead in London, I never went through red lights, cycled on the pavement or - God forbid - charged through zebra crossings. That didn't stop me from being on the end of some near misses with careless, angry or downright dangerous motorists, but the contrast between the English and German capitals could not be greater.
With paved, segregated cycle lanes 1.5 metres wide down every street, complete with their own traffic lights at every junction, getting around on two wheels in Berlin is child's play. Indeed, one of the refreshing joys of the city is seeing troops of schoolchildren pedalling to classes, or mothers with toddlers strapped to the back of their bikes.
Perhaps as a consequence, in two weeks of biking here since beginning a placement at Der Spiegel I've not seen one example of a cyclist jumping a red light – and, conversely, only one rider out of several thousand wearing a helmet.
In addition, the state-owned German train operator, Deutsche Bahn, provides a fleet of thousands of top of the range bikes for commuters to rent by the minute, paying by credit card and simply leaving the bike wherever, within the city limits, their journey has taken them.
Not only that, but bikes are welcomed on the U-bahn and S-bahn rail networks. Compare and contrast that with Britain, where, despite the best efforts of the London Cycling Campaign, cycle provision remains absolutely diabolical. And you won't know whether to laugh or cry when you see Warrington's Cycle Facility of the Month.
You can see London's Hall of Shame and Bad Examples here and the aptly-named Crap Cycle Lanes of Croydon here and, on the south coast, there's the Weird Cycle Lanes of Brighton.
With urban planning like this, it's perhaps no wonder Britain's cyclists make up their own rules – and routes – as they go along.
