Commuting - An omen of things to come?

This morning was pretty nice: Light drizzle, temp hovering around 50, no wind. I left at my usual time, and figured that with the warmer weather there would be some extra people on the MUP today (even though I leave at 5:30AM.) The typical MUP jogger traffic at that time is 5 people over my 6miles on the MUP, most of them wearing reflective vests, all of them at least have some reflective piping on their outfit.
This morning, I encountered 2 new packs of joggers. Both packs of at least 5 people. None with anything reflective, all wearing dark clothing (navy, black, gray, etc.) jogging 3 abreast taking up the entire MUP. Dead silent because they're all wearing headphones and couldn't hear me calling out to them. They only moved when they got startled by the fact that they were casting shadows, turned around, and saw me rolling up behind them.

Normally I wouldn't take the time to gripe about this; it happens all the time on my afternoon ride home. I'm just hoping this isn't an indication of what to expect all summer. I'd almost rather take my chances on the narrow, poorly lit, winding road with no shoulder or BL.

This morning was pretty nice: Light drizzle, temp hovering around 50, no wind. I left at my usual time, and figured that with the warmer weather there would be some extra people on the MUP today (even though I leave at 5:30AM.) The typical MUP jogger traffic at that time is 5 people over my 6miles on the MUP, most of them wearing reflective vests, all of them at least have some reflective piping on their outfit.
This morning, I encountered 2 new packs of joggers. Both packs of at least 5 people. None with anything reflective, all wearing dark clothing (navy, black, gray, etc.) jogging 3 abreast taking up the entire MUP. Dead silent because they're all wearing headphones and couldn't hear me calling out to them. They only moved when they got startled by the fact that they were casting shadows, turned around, and saw me rolling up behind them.

Normally I wouldn't take the time to gripe about this; it happens all the time on my afternoon ride home. I'm just hoping this isn't an indication of what to expect all summer. I'd almost rather take my chances on the narrow, poorly lit, winding road with no shoulder or BL.
Heh heh heh, if it was me I would invest in an Airzound horn. Something loud enough to wake the whole neighborhood. :) Wouldn't take long for them to learn.

Heh heh heh, if it was me I would invest in an Airzound horn. Something loud enough to wake the whole neighborhood. :) Wouldn't take long for them to learn.
After the first two times I called out and no one moved, I thought about turning off my light and rolling up on them ninja-stylie and yelling "BOOGABOOGABOOGA!" but I didn't feel like getting pepper sprayed over a mean spirited joke this morning.

I'd say just keep your head down and power through. Maybe you can get a Strike!!

Maybe a 20mph dopeslap is your answer.

After the first two times I called out and no one moved, I thought about turning off my light and rolling up on them ninja-stylie and yelling "BOOGABOOGABOOGA!" but I didn't feel like getting pepper sprayed over a mean spirited joke this morning.

That's why you need to be dressed like me:

http://www.focushacks.com/photo/ninjabiker.jpg

Not only am I extra scary, looking like some kind of military special-ops dood, but There's absolutely no way pepper spray will hurt me. BTW pepper spray makes good chili seasoning. :p

I would have totally gone for it.

Not only am I extra scary, looking like some kind of military special-ops dood, but There's absolutely no way pepper spray will hurt me.

When it was temps down in the mid teens, I was suited up in my full Splinter Cell: Bicycle Recon gear. I'd have sweat out and died of dehydration in all that at 50 degrees this morning.

That's why you need to be dressed like me:

http://www.focushacks.com/photo/ninjabiker.jpg


Same advice I gave Portis when he posted his winter pic - that helmet ain't gonna do you much good teetering up their on the tip-top of your pointly lil punkin head. If it's too small to wear properly over your cap, you might want to consider getting a bigger helmet for winter. I don't wear helmets much, but when I do I wear it properly, otherwise, what's the point of wearing it at all. ;)

Normally I wouldn't take the time to gripe about this; it happens all the time on my afternoon ride home. I'm just hoping this isn't an indication of what to expect all summer. I'd almost rather take my chances on the narrow, poorly lit, winding road with no shoulder or BL.

Much of my route has a very nice MUP running parallel to it...but I don't use it for that exact reason - between the peds, pets, joggers, racer-wannabes and wild critters, the road is safer! :eek:

Just hose them down with your water bottle. At 50*F a nice blast of cold water on the back will make them well aware!

Nothing to add on how to move them but lots of sympathy for you. We have a major run (Vancouver Sun Run) here in early spring, so at this time of year, every year, every path is overrun with crowds of out-of-shape people gasping their lungs out. This year the fashion is to do it battalion sized groups in the darkness.

I am thankful that the recent snows forced me to find an alternative to my main MUP. The new route does need a bit of tweaking but should be nice for when the weather warms up and joggers flood the MUP until the heat of summer drives them away.

Nothing to add on how to move them but lots of sympathy for you. We have a major run (Vancouver Sun Run) here in early spring, so at this time of year, every year, every path is overrun with crowds of out-of-shape people gasping their lungs out. This year the fashion is to do it battalion sized groups in the darkness.

On my long Saturday ride I encountered a few squadrons of "Team In Training" groups that were getting ready for the Vancouver Sun Run. They at least knew enough to keep to one side of the trail, allow people to pass, and their support team gave me Gatorade and Fig Newtons at my midpoint turnaround when I struck up conversation with them and found out that one of them grew up in the same Ohio town as me. :)

We have to put up with a variety of users on multi use paths. That's life. Be nice and share.

When one particular type of user overwhelms a MUP it is time to ride elsewhere. Not to mention the inherent issue trying to avoid oblivious trail users.

We have to put up with a variety of users on multi use paths. That's life. Be nice and share.
That's the part that the users in question are having a tough time with. Taking up the entire path from edge to edge and tuning out the rest of the world by putting in earphones and cranking your music isn't sharing the path. It's being a discourteous a-hole that makes assumptions like "It's 5:30AM. I'm sure I won't be in anyone's way."
The number of people and lack of courtesy increase proportionally with the temperature.

16*F - 1 other person. On skis.
30*F - ~half dozen people. Mostly bike commuters; most shield their headlight for oncoming riders.
40*F - a dozen people. Same bike commuters, a few joggers. All wearing reflectives or lights.
50*F - Official fairweather temperature. Brings out the ninja joggers and Tour de MUP riders who yell at children on tricycles.

That's why you need to be dressed like me:

http://www.focushacks.com/photo/ninjabiker.jpg

Not only am I extra scary, looking like some kind of military special-ops dood, but There's absolutely no way pepper spray will hurt me. BTW pepper spray makes good chili seasoning. :p

I would have totally gone for it.

It Came From Outer Space.:)

On my long Saturday ride I encountered a few squadrons of "Team In Training" groups that were getting ready for the Vancouver Sun Run. They at least knew enough to keep to one side of the trail, allow people to pass, and their support team gave me Gatorade and Fig Newtons at my midpoint turnaround when I struck up conversation with them and found out that one of them grew up in the same Ohio town as me. :)


Don't get me started on TIT. Once it gets warm out, they run in packs up and down the W&OD trail - oblivious to anything coming from behind (I ring a bell, ring it again, ring it a 3rd time...call out "On your left."...then finally have to yell BIKER!!!! to get their attention). Even when you're headed right at them in the opposite (marked) lane, it's still a challenge to get them to keep the path clear.

Clifton, have you considered a 12v car horn ?

I installed a Fiamm 134db freeway blaster on my bike last night, used it this morning to "educate" a motorist that honked at me from behind as they passed me.

Worked quite well so far !!! YEEAH !!!!

http://www.velocide.com/images_old/2007_pics/Feb/fiamm_horn_dawes/image_00004.jpg

http://www.velocide.com/images_old/2007_pics/Feb/fiamm_horn_dawes/image_00005.jpg

http://www.velocide.com/images_old/2007_pics/Feb/fiamm_horn_dawes/image_00006.jpg

http://www.velocide.com/images_old/2007_pics/Feb/fiamm_horn_dawes/image_00007.jpg

http://www.velocide.com/images_old/2007_pics/Feb/fiamm_horn_dawes/image_00008.jpg

http://www.velocide.com/images_old/2007_pics/Feb/fiamm_horn_dawes/image_00009.jpg

Not only am I extra scary,
Wow, last time I watched Discovery Channel, military armor looked like it was supposed to scare people Xp

This morning, I encountered 2 new packs of joggers. Both packs of at least 5 people.

So would this appear to be an organised effort, as in Team in Training stuff? Perhaps you could grab the leader of each pack, do that alpha dog stare, and point out that you own the MUP?

(I am just joking about owning the MUP. We share. But, you've been on it all through the winter, and you get squatter's rights.) :D

East Hill

This morning, I encountered 2 new packs of joggers. Both packs of at least 5 people. None with anything reflective, all wearing dark clothing (navy, black, gray, etc.) jogging 3 abreast taking up the entire MUP. Dead silent because they're all wearing headphones and couldn't hear me calling out to them. They only moved when they got startled by the fact that they were casting shadows, turned around, and saw me rolling up behind them.


Slowly but surely the peds take over the MUPs. Like cattle, they don't care about 'single file', others trying to pass, visability. They don't know how to use the millions of sidewalks that are present for peds. Around here, some are even taking the bike lanes.

If you're refering to that 520 trail. Old web articles called it as "520 BIKE trail"....now it's a MUP...

We have to put up with a variety of users on multi use paths. That's life. Be nice and share.

We'd all like to tell them that...but how...????? When we correct a ped [and they can hear/see], it comes off like a jerk

Slowly but surely the peds take over the MUPs. Like cattle, they don't care about 'single file', others trying to pass, visability. They don't know how to use the millions of sidewalks that are present for peds. Around here, some are event taking the bike lanes.

Let me break this down so that my point is clear:

"peds take over the MUPs."
It's a Multi-Use Path. One of those Multiple Uses is pedestrian traffic. I don't care that peds are on the path, they're allowed to be there.
"They don't know how to us the millions of sidewalks..."
Sidewalks don't afford people the uninterrupted travel path that the MUP does. If I'm going out for a jog, I don't want to be forced to stop every block to wait for a crosswalk light. I understand why they choose the MUP rather than sidewalks.

"...they don't care about 'single file', others trying to pass, visability..."
That's the problem. Lack of courtesy. Packs of joggers corking the entire path, oblivious to their surroundings, begrudgingly moving only after faster traffic has been brought to the point of yelling at them. Packs of club riders who buzz too close to everyone they pass with their 20mph 2-abreast pacelines, yelling at other MUP users for not staying within 4" of the path edge. Dog walkers who let their precious little pooches off-lead to wander zig-zag across the path, or worse, on a retractible lead creating a clothesline across the path.
People seem to have this habit of taking up as much pavement as possible if there isn't a stripe of paint telling them to where they should confine their presence. Common sense dictates that on a 2-way path, staying to the right to allow faster traffic a passing berth on the left is practical. Unfortunately, common sense and courtesy left town a while back. I think they moved to remote tropical island along with personal responsibility. :p

People seem to have this habit of taking up as much pavement as possible if there isn't a stripe of paint telling them to where they should confine their presence. Common sense dictates that on a 2-way path, staying to the right to allow faster traffic a passing berth on the left is practical. Unfortunately, common sense and courtesy left town a while back. I think they moved to remote tropical island along with personal responsibility. :p

Even with a mid-line stripe on the W&OD trail, once it's more than 2 people in a group, they tend to spread over the entire path. The Team in Training groups are particularly visible doing this - but I came across a group of about 12 guys in running gear STANDING on the path, evidently getting ready to run. I try to get ped's attention via the least annoying method possible and escalate as needed...(bell, bell again, 'OYL', BIKER!) but when the path is completely blocked and nobody's paying attention, makes me want an airzound.

.
This morning, I encountered 2 new packs of joggers. Both packs of at least 5 people. None with anything reflective, all wearing dark clothing (navy, black, gray, etc.) jogging 3 abreast taking up the entire MUP.

I can understand bicycling at that hour, but what crazy people Jog at that hour? Best to give them a wide berth.

I can understand bicycling at that hour, but what crazy people Jog at that hour? Best to give them a wide berth.
Up until it hit 50*F, only 3 joggers were out at that hour. And one crazy long-trail hiking guy in training, out walking the MUP with his trekking poles and giant backpack.

And err...the walkers seem about 8" wider than last year...Sometimes difficult to pass just 1 walker! A simple 'excuse me' used to work. But now they all have headsets and cell phones. I'm for the car horn idea but that'll probabyl wreck my own hearing from overuse! :eek:

I'll take peds over equine anytime! MUP rules state no horses on the rail trail I frequent. I was assisting a sheriff's deputy helping a cyclist that had been kicked off his bike by a horse and it's rider and asked about the rules and what he was going to do about it. He told me the rules were just nice rules for nice people and no force of law was behind them. I was shocked when the deputy allowed the horse and it's rider to continue traveling the MUP after the ambulance took the cyclist to hospital.

He told me the rules were just nice rules for nice people and no force of law was behind them. I was shocked when the deputy allowed the horse and it's rider to continue traveling the MUP after the ambulance took the cyclist to hospital.

:eek: Around here, if you speed, you'll get a speeding ticket and that goes on your driving record, also affects insurance rates.

yeah i bet i come off like an a-hole a lot...

LOTS OF CLUELESS PEDS everywhere as soon as it warms up.

if i had a decent road option i'd definitely do that, but as of now i'd rather be a little slower while yelling than try to ride shoulderless roads for 5 miles.

you guys can complain about the peds coming out all you want. I'll be too busy enjoying the warmer air and the girls/ladies with shorter shorts to care about the people hogging the entire MUP :p