Thanks Axel, I did wonder why my German wasn’t quite making sense at the T-junction! Updated now. Technically there is a connection to the right as well, although in practice most riders were just ignoring the sign here.

“Fahrradstraße” has an interesting legal meaning to it. By definition, it is just for cycling, and a 30 km/h speed limit automatically applies. In practice, other traffic is often permitted through supplementary signs. Sometimes, this is done for driving in one direction only. All in all, it’s a rather powerful tool.

Regarding the supplementary sign at the signalised T intersection, it actually means the exact opposite from what you assume; it says “[traffic signal control] also applies to bicycles”. But in lots of places, cyclists are controlled separately from the main traffic signals. They use the small scale signals where that is the case.

We’re also using neighbourhood greenways in places around Chch, which are somewhat similar to bicycle streets. They will be low-speed / low-volume routes, hence easy for cycling on. The only difference for now is no legal situation that says “cars are guests”; the closest tool we have to that at present are shared zones.