Myosmith

I'm a big believer that you get what you give. Respect and consideration for others should be a way of life and it shouldn't be dependent on reciprocity. Safety isn't dependent on the number and variety of people using a MUP, it depends on everybody treating each other like we have each other's backs instead of like we are in each other's way.

As far as what to do or say when passing, on a public path I like "Excuse me, passing on your left" as "Excuse me" is both polite and universally accepted as an indication that someone wants to get by and "passing on your left" lets them know what's coming. When on group rides or other organized cycling events, I just opt for the traditional "on your left". You have to give your warning early enough in advance to be of benefit, even if that means slowing down a bit on a public path. I find it silly when someone yells "ON YOUR LEFT" in your ear when by the time they they get the words out they are already past you. They might as well yell "I JUST PASSED YOU ON YOUR LEFT". It's like a driver turning on his blinker when he is already half way through the turn.

spdracr39

I just ring the bell and safely ride around them. I agree with the speeders and hollering on your left because even on my bike by the time I hear it and recognize it i am looking at their backside already. It would be nice if the walkers wouldn't walk three and four wide from both directions. They always seem to meet at the time I'm going to pass. You would almost think even with out the bell the ones walking toward you would have sense enough to make a way for you to go through.

OldsCOOL

I am troubled by those that walk, ride, skate, using the entire path never expecting anyone to come up from behind at a quicker pace than their blitzing constipated snail pace.

BlazingPedals

Yell "passing!" and wait to see which way they jump. Then go the other way.

doctor j

I've had occasion to walk a little on a local MUP, and yes, it was disconcerting. As a result, I am a better citizen of the MUP, when I am on one. I alert people when I am passing. I slow down to a crawl around little kids, and if one or more of the little tykes is on a bike, I'll wave and say, "nice bike!".

tcs

Loved the guy last week who stopped walking in the middle of the path and looked around up in the trees, trying to figure out where the repeated bell ding was coming from.

I'm not making this up.

qcpmsame 

He was listening to old Bill Cosby LPs and thought that God was calling on Noah, maybe?

Bill

rydabent

tcs

Reminds me of the person that was told------------oh look a dead bird---------------and he started to look up in the sky and the trees!!!!!

Biker395 

OMG ... I remember that routine! Thanks for the walk down memory lane, Bill.

RPK79

I'm not a fan of riding on MUPs. I usually avoid them and take the roads instead except in a few cases where taking the MUP will allow me to cross busy streets without dealing with the traffic (path goes under the highway). or in a few instances where it cuts considerable distance off (path goes through a park area instead of taking roads around the park).

I usually loudly say, "Coming up behind you".

az_cyclist

LOL on the Bill Cosby Noah routine! I had that on an LP album in HS in the late 60's.

If the MUP has a lot of traffic, you just have to slow down. A few years ago I also changed my call out for walkers to Passing on your left.

David Bierbaum

I think this is all just an inevitable conflict between two classes of path user between Mr. A. Walker and Mr. B. Riding, who are both using a path that wasn't designed with simultaneous use by both groups in mind.

az_cyclist

But the original point/question is valid. On the highway we cyclists don't care for cars buzzing us at 40 + mph within a few inches of our elbows. The same point can be made by walkers on a MUP if we buzz them with a few inches to spare doing 15-20 mph. I have heard a member mention this on one of our club rides.

Carbonfiberboy 

Simple: Ride your bike on the road. On the road, you're all vehicles and all obey the same rules. On the MUP, anything goes. On the road, you never see a person on the sidewalk with their dog on a 20' leash and out in the second lane. Doesn't happen. You never have to communicate verbally with someone in a car. No need. Everyone follows the rules and stays safe. One must ride defensively, just like one must drive defensively.

Bikes going over 10 mph simply don't belong on MUPs. The more bikes on the road, the better it is for all bikes, which is the opposite of MUPs.

Biker395 

Yup. And to that I would add the unfortunate human trait of not thinking about others when using a shared resource.

Are you kidding? It happens all the time were I live. I'll take a pix next time for evidence. I have no idea why it is suddenly in vogue for people to walk in the street (and with dogs in tow) instead of sidewalks, but that's the trend.

That's a bit of a generalization, don't you think? There are times (for example on my early AM commute) that the MUP is almost deserted.

Phil_gretz

I infrequently join a Wed evening ride that goes along one of our larger MUPs. The ride is a collection of safe, mature riders, new riders, racer wanna be's, and unknown friends/spouses. Anywhere between six and twenty riders might attend.

I've found these to be the most dangerous and chaotic rides, even when ridden safely from the rear. I usually sweep and encourage the newer riders, but sometimes go off the front with the younger, more aggressive riders. They form up sketchy pacelines and do a lot of weaving... It'd make you cringe to see.

Anyway, that's why I infrequently join up. Only when I'm going through the town where it starts, and I split off at midpoint to take the roads homeward.

The lesson in this...pedestrian beware. Cyclist be wary. For most of us, it's better to rarely ride on the MUP just to avoid the risks.

Lanovran

Aye, it always helps to be able to put oneself into another's shoes, as a bit of a changed perspective can shed quite a bit of light on things. I always use my bell when preparing to pass walkers/joggers on shared paths, and while I do sometimes get that "panicked, aimless cat-jump" out of people, more often than not I instead get the appropriate response. I've even been thanked several times by people just for using my bell (I'd wager those folks have been previously passed too closely and suddenly by stealthy cyclists on more than one occasion).

tcs

Yeah, across freeways, creeks/rivers and rail lines, too, in the rare instances where these are built. "Connectivity": One of the few safe, cost effective cycle infrastructure efforts.

tcs

Not were I live. By ordinance, the cyclist is at fault in any conflict on the MUP.

crazyb

As it should be. If you are riding faster than the person in front of you is riding, walking, crawling etc, it is YOUR responsibility to not hit them. If some one is oncoming and swerves in your path it will most likely be another bike.

Pamestique 

Funny this thread came up... I "swing" both ways - I like to ride and hike... I am a mountain biker ans used the same traisl for hiking and riding. Last night I decided to hike... I was coming down a steep hill when I was stuck from behind... I didn't hear the biker and he never called out... he just thought he could past me... but miscalculated. I got hurt; so did he(worse than me)... and he deserved every bit of the pain he suffered. Because I am a biker I am polite to riders, if I hear them, I step aside and let them pass... no biggie for me but if I can't hear the rider and he's too stupid to call out, then oh well.

I try my best to be a "good citizen" when I am riding and I call out, I acknowledge the walker when I pass, I make sure I slow down and give the walker room... don't want to risk either of us getting hurt and its just being a good human thrown in.

That said I have been riding nights on one of our local MUPS. It is busy with college students (it goes by a university), computers, walkers and runners. Thankfully most group now use lights which I am thankful for but there are those, dressed in black really?) with no lights who are hard to see (even with good lights I have on my bike). I hope I am polite to all even the "ninjas" out there...

Carbonfiberboy 

Yeah, right. I have a friend who had a serious head injury when a runner with buds did a U-turn immediately in front of him, without looking back. He was wearing a helmet. I stay off MUPs as much as possible. If it's always the cyclist's fault, then no other users have to be concerned about them at all and, as I said, can do anything they want.

I-Like-To-Bike

Assuming that walkers/joggers are walking/jogging in a straight line near the side of an MUP, what do you consider "the appropriate response" to your or any other cyclist's audible warnings?

Biker395 

Does it really say that? Or that cyclists should yield to pedestrians?

+1

crazyb

If you ride on a mup, you have to assume people are going to do stupid things. How fast was your friend going? I ride on mups occasionally, and if there is traffic, its about 5-7 mph. As far as anybody on those paths, most are going to do as they want anyway, regardless of means of locomotion.
Law enforcement would probably not step in anyway, so it would be left up to the lawyers.