NVanHiker

In my area we are blessed to have several MUP's with separated painted lanes for bikes and pedestrians.

sknhgy 

We (me and Mabel) do this nearly everyday, but I wouldn't do it on an MUP.
When I do this my attention is always on the dog. I'm not "riding my bike with the dog". I'm using my bike to run the dog.

Biker395 

We've got that too. Do the pedestrians actually stay on thier side of the painted lines? Whoa.

tcs

There is just one MUP around me that has parallel paths, one for the exclusive use of pedestrians (walkers, joggers, runners, etc.) and one open use for pretty much anything non-motorized. The universal path is concrete; the pedestrian path is some sort of firm but forgiving 'running surface'. Both paths are the same width.

Fully 80% of the pedestrians choose to mix it up with the bicycles on the universal path.

NVanHiker

Pretty much, although sometimes it helps to shout ਬਾਹਰ ਵੱਲ ਵੇਖੋ!

Biker395 

lol...

2nd Mule

We have some really good paved paths where I live and I ride them almost every week day during good weather. Mornings are my favorite hours to ride to avoid the walkers and dogs on 20 foot leashes, who seldom know their left from right. A couple of years ago a little girl ran out in front of me leaving me no where to go but the rocks and trees along the trail, and even at the snail pace I was traveling, I ended up eating dirt. The girl was untouched, bike just scratched, me; broken elbow, stitches, torn ligaments in wrist. I still ride there but have a deeper respect for the perils of sharing trails.

lakhotason

I walk a good deal more than I ride and in my town I fear the cyclists more than I fear the motorists. The obliviousness of the cyclist to the pedestrian is legend. However a cyclist did disregard a yield sign when approaching me and his $7000 bicycle was crushed by a garbage truck. Bet he won't do that again.

OldsCOOL

Taking care of the bike was simple enough.

nkfrench 

I've had a "situation" with a walker who was walking towards me rather than following convention on the MUP.
I could not pass (oncoming bikes) and I was on a bridge. I ended up stopping and politely told her that it was considered proper trail etiquette to stay on the right unless passing.
She told me "Well, I prefer walking on the left facing traffic" and she would not budge.

As far as "Passing", "On your left" -- many of our MUP pedestrians do not speak English nor would they understand the meaning. Usually they look back (which also means they step towards the middle of the MUP) and stare at me as if I'd grown antennae and was speaking Martian to a squirrel. The bell gets much better results and doesn't sound as harsh as my voice is after passing several dozen people who aren't cooperative. I usually freewheel before ringing the bell -- sometimes the bike noise is sufficient to get people single-file on the right.

As far as stepping off the trail either to pass or to be passed, I don't believe that is reasonable at all in my area. The pavement is slightly higher than the ground, and a bike's wheel is easily entrapped resulting in a crash. I have been hit by a novice cyclist who did that, the bruises took weeks to heal and helmets were cracked; her bike was damaged. Off-pavement can be muddy and slippery. Most of the bikes on our MUP are road bikes with slender tires. Goatshead thorns are rampant off-pavement and pretty much guarantee a flat.

FolsomJohn

As mentioned by Al Criner, here where I live in No. Calif we have miles and miles of MUP's and the proper trail etiquette is for walkers on the left bikes on the right and this works out quit well as long as the walkers follow that rule. It's even painted on to the trails to remind everybody. The theory is that when you as a biker approach a walker from behind they are over on the left side of the trail giving a lot more room for you to pass them without them feeling like they have been buzzed. When you are approaching a walker coming towards you it is easier to make eye contact and it is your responsibility as a biker to move over and safely pass them. Of course you still have the idgits walking in groups or with dogs that take up the whole path at which point you yell get the hell out of my way I'm coming through and bust right through the middle of them