Regulations for bicycles in Switzerland

I have been waiting for a long time to happen and it finally did: the police stopped me while I was biking today. Strange, isn't it?

In Romania it would be strange because there bicycles are de facto not considered to exist on the streets although there are some cyclists on streets. Police is Romania is probably too concerned with managing the automobile traffic and does not get involved in how bicycles circulate.

So what does this mean for the cyclists?

Basically, they can go whatever, however they want on the streets as long as they don't get hit. Furthermore, they needn't have any lamps or other protection elements. They can even get drunk and still hop on the bike and cycle to get home. However, don't think that this has only advantages.

So what are the disadvantages?

First, you are in danger when you find yourself on the street between the cars because they see you only as an obstacle and not as an equal participant in the traffic.
Second, if there are no rules to follow, the cyclists can adventure in dangerous maneuvers that put their lives in danger.
Third, you don't have any special parking places for your bike. this means that it can easily be stolen or hit if somebody thinks it stands in his/her way while parked.

But how is it in Switzerland?
I'll mention only those facts that I usually come across.

1) Every bicycle that runs on the streets needs to hold a vignette, similar to the ones for the cars. In this case, this is an insurance, like a car insurance.

2) It is forbidden to cycle if you drank. Should the police stop you, you risk losing your driving licence. Yes, your driving license although all you drove was a bike.

3) The police can stop you like any traffic participant and ask you for your documents. The reason why they stopped me today was to check if I had all the lamps. If something misses, then you risk being fined.

4) Cars usually pay great attention to the cyclists and give them priority. It somehow makes you feel good when you make a Porsche stop in front of you to allow you to cross the street. :-)

Coming back to more serious reasons, all this attention given to cyclists as well as the special dedicated bike routes promote the use of bikes for within town circulation, making the air more breathable and reducing noise.
For the cyclists it brings some significant advantages: rapidity especially in traffic jams and use of bike both as a sport and as a utility vehicle.