speyfitter

To be honest I've ridden lots of MUP's and I consider myself a very courteous and law abiding person that cycles who gives everyone the benefit of the doubt and doesn't assume anything and even I've been stressed to the max while riding a busy (with pedestrians) uncontrolled MUP. Think about things on the flip side as well. When a sidewalk is converted to a MUP (as is often the case), you are now introducing a hazard to the pedestrians who happily utilized the sidewalk or pedestrian only path for many years. So I feel there need to be some controls in place to separate cyclists and pedestrians, a path beside a path perhaps, on MUPs. Paths must be designed with the lowest common denominator in mind to some degree as not everyone is courteous, or not looking at their phone, or not tending to their dog and/or kids, or not oblivious to others, etc.

I took a cycling course a couple years ago and at the course one of the things they told us was there is a high pitched noise that bicycle wheel bearings emit that only dogs can hear and some of them react aggressively to it. I've experienced this myself - I remember more than a few times seemingly innocent looking dogs beside their owners suddenly becoming aggressive with the presence of a myself on my bike, even if you are no where near their owner or them. The instructors suggested to us in the course, which they have apparently tested themselves, that if a dog suddenly becomes aggressive towards you to just stop your bike and they will calm down as this will cause the noise to go away. Somehow I don't think with a dog reacting aggressively to me I'll be doing this. But it is a hazard on MUPs worth noting, especially because the dogs react so suddenly often surprising their owners.