hoodat

Very few walkers on MUPs around here. Joggers or runners are more likely than walkers. When you get close to military bases you see a lot of Marine and Navy runners but these are serious runners who seldom wear ear buds and are respectful of bikers. Mostly young athletic guys in their prime so they are aware of their surroundings. Give them space and they will return the favor. Skateboarders and skaters are prohibited thank God but you will often encounter them where a MUP breaks to go through a beach community. That's when things get jumbled. Better slow to a crawl when you go through those places.

Bikerdave222

I hate them because we have to share them with pedestrians. If pedestrians would simply pay attention and walk on the right side of the MUP all would be fine but we all know that is not the case. They walk all over and have no idea as to what is going on around them. I think pedestrians are dangerous to cyclist. At least we are on the right side of the road and paying attention.

GovernorSilver

Tru dat, though I have yet to see any biker cussing out pedestrians on MUPs, fast or not, in this area - which was one of the author's biggest complaints.

Hypno Toad

I have seen it in Minneapolis - mostly bike-to-bike aggression - and I find it maddening. I watch a TT rider yell at a family to get out of the way as he goes past a busy storefront on the Midtown Greenway, they didn't "jump" in front of him, the TT rider had all the time in the world to slow and react, he just didn't want to.

We got yelled at early this spring, rider yelled "ON YOUR LEFT!!" twice - well, I'm not moving on to the icy patch so you and your flapping jacket can inch past us. SMH.

mprelaw

The one near me is actually a good place to do flat intervals in the winter, when no one is out. Even has markers every quarter mile.

SpeshulEd 

Hey, I'm important!

waterfish_21

Yeah, i would love to be. From your number of posts, join date, and picture ( not even assuming its you), all this scientific data I will guess you are 35 years old.

Was I close? ?? , within 30 years ?

RPK79

Dead on.

SloButWide 

You're Speshul, Ed!

FlatFender

I like the MUP. Here in Raleigh my neighborhood connects to 112 miles of the Capital Area Greenway which in my opinion is mostly phenomenal.

However, last night my wife and I were doing a quick out and back, and no sooner than I heard the whiz of a 2-stroke engine did we almost get a head on crash with a 4 wheeler tearing down the trail. Seriously considering a headlight even for MUP riding in the evening now.

The trail has things that keep vehicles from making it across bridges, but I guess some folks still find a way onto the trail.

Hypno Toad

I was in your area last week on business (spend most of the time in RTP). The roads I saw in the area would keep me on the MUPs, high speeds and little on-road bike-infra. BTW - I highly recommend lights for on MUPs just like on roads, it helps other trail users (legal or illegal) see you and when you cross roads and driveways it will be easier for the drivers to notice you.

Stratocaster

I don't. We have a nice one across the way from our velodrome. It's only about mile, but it has 3 defined lanes:
Slow/Walk
Roller Blades
Fast Bikes.

Yeah, some people seem to have trouble reading. But it's a nice "track" and very close to home.

GovernorSilver

I agree - I highly recommend lights for night riding on MUPs. Don't use blinky mode though - that's a common complaint in my area. Blinking lights (headlights and helmet lights) are meant to be used in daytime - at night they won't help you see what you need to see, and they irritate other cyclists and trail users.

I would also advise you report you concerns to whatever authorities are responsible for maintaining the MUP you use. National Park Service is responsible for Mt. Vernon Trail in my area, and other MUPs fall under the jurisdiction of a particular city or county. Here we have bollards (some people call them "short poles') which keep cars, trucks, etc. from entering MUPs. . Maybe your MUP has a busted bollard somewhere or needs them installed. Bollards, Gates, and Other Barriers - Guidance - Recreational Trails - Environment - FHWA

TenSpeedV2

I hate most of them because for the most part, people are complete idiots.



Taken on the local campus, with a pedestrian sidewalk 10 feet away from the dedicated bike path. Even with very visible signage, people still manage to be dumber than a box of rocks. Add in the distraction of phones and MP3 players and you have what I call the White Cord Zombie - aimlessly walking around distracted by everything but their surroundings.

Booger1

Apart from the Tour racers,cellphone talkers,earbud wearers,dog walkers with 10 foot leashes,joggers running 3 abreast...I love them!

tramptrade 

On fair weather days I avoid the city MUPs like the plague because they can get so crowded that they are just not pleasurable to ride at all. On days when the weather is less than fair they are almost deserted and they can be a great way to get from A to B without dealing with road traffic.

Out in the Fraser Valley however, there are dozens of MUPs that are great to ride pretty much any time and add up to thousands of kms. Once you get out a few kms from the trail heads the pedestrians pretty much drop right off and the trails are wide open. Depending on the area, we have to watch out for the odd horse here and there.

Hypno Toad

ColaJacket

There are some roads out near Lake Jordan that are good for bicycles. They don't have bike lanes, but they're not that busy, and they see a lot of bicycle traffic.

GH

Nachoman

because muppets are evil. Oh wait . . . never mind.

devianb

I like them when they are vacant, but most of time you have to ride slow constantly dodging pets, runners, and the occasional maintenance crews.

avidone1

I wish we had some MUP's here on the treasure coast. I don't feel the need to go fast all the time. I love taking out the comfort hybrid and leisurely cruising in a pretty place on a pretty day looking at pretty scenery and pretty people.

LGHT

I have a few I like to ride close to home. They are technically horse trails, but I've yet to see a single horse ever so it's heaven!

bikecrate

Well, I had my serious accident on a MUP yesterday. Had a near head on collision with a lady cyclist who was on the wrong side of the MUP around a blind curve. I got broadsided and thrown off my bike. Probably looking at about $250 damage to the bike and several scrapes and bruises to me. The lady was riding a heavy cruiser and rode away without a scratch.

Soooo do I hate MUP's? No. I had plenty of near misses on the road too. This was just an expensive and painful reminder there are no safe places.

wunderkind

Busy MUPs are dangerous because of unpredictability. Avoid those.

Hypno Toad

This is not a rule everywhere. Minneapolis has some very busy MUPs, like the Midtown Greenway. Like a busy highway, traffic flows with a logic. There are always going to be a couple a**holes that think they don't have to play by the rules.

On the other hand, if I were riding a busy MUP out in the 'burbs I would totally agree with your statement.

Reference pic of the Midtown Greenway (not my photo), this is typical traffic, I can't find a 'busy' picture.