ModeratedUser150120149

A beautiful sunny day with moderate temps and light wind. Perfect for a ride. Except there are patches of ice and slush snow making it all too easy to take a fall. Falls bruise my tender body so a walk it is.

Hadn't been a pedestrian on a MUP is quite awhile. Was just like being on the highway. There were all sorts of folks enjoying the day on this busy MUP:
-The Cyclist who called "On Your Left" is a loud clear voice giving adequate time for people to move. And one did; to the left. But, this cyclist was riding with due regard to conditions so he just went around on the right. NBD.
-The Cyclist who said nothing and wove her way through pedestrians like a needle making a stitch. As she vanished into the distance I thanked my luck she missed me.
-The guy who approached silently from the rear and misjudged distances. He slid to a stop within a foot behind me. As he silently passed I commented "That was close". He ignored me as he narrowly missed another person on two wheels who was going slowly.
-The pedestrian with a dog on a wind up leash. The dog must have been 25' from her. A real pain to everyone. Hard to believe there are that many people with untrained dogs. A danger to all.
-A great number of cyclists who made conversational voice contact way back and chatted as they passed. Everyone responded and got out of their ways with pleasant comments.
-All in all except for the few cyclists who just couldn't bear to slow down to match conditions everyone was having a good time.

I'm going to have to walk more often.

Paul Barnard

In the New Orleans Metro area there are very few good riding roads. So If I want to ride, it's the MUPs. We are very fortunate to have dedicated MUPs along our lake and river front as well as a few others. With that said, they are MUPs with all the attendant baggage. Each one has its own personality. The one around Audubon Park is fascinating to me. I never fail to be stunned by how spectacularly oblivious people can be. This particular path has a two foot buffer zone of perpindicular hash marks separating the lanes. Each lane is marked at regular intervals with symbols showing pedestrians on one side and bicyles on the other. People pushing strollers will push them out of the pedestrian lane and into the bicycle lane when they have to tie a shoe or make an adjustment to the stroller. People walking dogs will walk on the hash marks while Fido weaves in and out of both lanes. Pedestrians crossing the path won't look for bicycle traffic before they cross. It's an absolute mess. But, I can still find enjoyment because it is a beautiful park and there are plenty of yoga pants to look at. It's also fun just to people watch and observe behavior.

The MUPs atop the levees along the lake and river aren't as bad. There are congested areas on those paths, but they are long paths with areas that see little use. I always slow when I come up behind someone. Many have in ear buds or are wearing headphones. If they are walking alone and are far to the right, I ease silently and slowly past them, leaving myself enough distance to react to an unpredictable move. If I come up on multiples I call out "I am coming around your left side." Then I pass slowly. If I come up on a group taking up the entire width of the path I call out "where do you want me to go?" That seems to work very well.

I have seen a bicyclist plow into a homeless guy. The homeless guy was walking on the grass parallel to the path. I knew he was going to cross it just any minute. Two bicyclists were coming up behind him and sure enough the pedestrian did a 90 across the path without looking and the rider slammed into him. Both were bloodied and in some pain. Another time I was passing an older man wearing headphones. I had slowed considerably. He was walking along the right edge. Without looking over his shoulder he did a 180 right in front of me. Had I not slowed, I would have hit him. I shook my head and moved on. I see some riders fly past pedestrians from behind. On occasion my wife and I will ride. When we do, we will ride side by side so we can talk. Our pace is about 12-13 MPH. She rides along the right edge and I ride in the middle. There is enough room for a cyclist to pass us. I look over my shoulder regularly and go single file for anyone who may want to pass. I have only been caught off guard once. A rider buzzed me very closely at what I'd estimate to be about 30MPH. That kinda pissed me off. I can and do hold a line, but many riders can't.

Any time I encounter a kid on a bike I slow and tell them they have a cool bike. When I pass pedestrians without buds or headphones, I tell them to enjoy their walk. If they have heard my announcement that I am coming around the left and have moved over, I thank them and tell them to enjoy the weather or the like. It's an MUP. With tempered expectations, they can provide for a great ride or a great walk.

ModeratedUser150120149

Yes, on a crowded street, or MUP, even in a crowded mall a person needs to act defensively; slow down, look out for the unexpected and be ready to evade.

genec

Yeah... the 25 foot leashes... and the oblivious owners... sheesh. Probably don't bother picking up the poop either.

howsteepisit

Mixed use paths seem to be designed on the theory that if nobody is happy everybody is equally happy.

rumrunn6

re: "-The Cyclist who called "On Your Left" is a loud clear voice giving adequate time for people to move. And one did; to the left"

haha classic, reminds me of shoppers walking or pushing a cart and you are going to pass them on foot, they are looking to the left like they are turning down that isle but suddenly move the cart or themselves in the opposite direction still while not looking in the direction they are traveling

ModeratedUser150120149

Yep. I don't think the behavior is malicious for the most part. It seems that some people are just so self-absorbed they are incapable of considering anyone else.

Fortunately, most people are really nice, concerned and helpful. Daily I see people make up for my mistakes and those of others around me. The overwhelming majority of all people I meet on foot, on a bicycle or in a vehicle are good considerate people. Keeping focused on that keeps a healthy mind.

CrankyOne

I long ago stopped using 'on your left' or anything similar because too many people moved to their left. A bell seems to do a better job of letting people know I'm behind them and they're now expecting to be passed on their left.

I think low volume MUPs can be great facilities if every user obeys some simple rules like keep right except to pass (or at least move right when there are conflicts) and bicycle riders are considerate of people who are walking. There was some debate here a few years ago with runners and some walkers wanting to do so on the left which was causing a lot of conflicts. Today everyone keeps right and everyone seems quite happy. When traffic volumes increase then it's time for separate facilities for bicycling and walking.