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Munich stops Bierbikes trade

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With Octoberfest just a month away, the city of Munich has put the brakes on the bicycle-orientated drinking vehicles commonly known as Bierbikes.

Officials in Munich reacted to complaints from residents and motorists about the rowdy behaviour on the Bierbikes as well the traffic congestion the vehicles cause and have now banned Bierbikes on “public streets, paths and squares”.

Cheers

A Bierbike typically has four wheels and is navigated by a steering wheel. They move by power generated from the pedalling of 12 individuals on the vehicles. The vehicles weigh more than two tons and have a length of around 16 feet so they are not an easy thing to get past, especially when they travel at 6mph.

On top of this, locals/drivers also have to deal with up to 15 drunk men/women getting steadily more drunk with loud music blaring out (A Bierbike rental includes a sober driver). The Bierbikes can hold up to 20 litres of beer, which is about 42 pints.

Fighting back

You can probably understand why Munich and 40 other German cities/towns want to see the back of the Bierbikes trade on their streets, but tourist firms who run Bierbike vehicles are fighting back.

An operator in Dusseldorf had taken the cities’ metropolitan authority to court over the strict permit rules that the city imposed on providers of the Bierbikes and won, but now Dusseldorf authorities are back in court to make sure the permit rules are upheld.

Operators argue that the Bierbikes are a major tourist attraction for German cities in the summer.

See also

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