Commuting - Roadie Commuters

Why do Roadie Commuters seem to have to take the added risks of always riding on the road despite there being a perfectly good and lovely to ride on bike path/MUP next to them?

I've noticed this a lot recently. There are two MUP's which are really fine to ride on on my route in to work both of which are right next to busy roads. Both MUP's can be used at speed as during rushhour as other times there is hardly anyone on them.

The stretch of road next to one is horrendous and fast and you have only a tiny amount of space at the side of the road to ride in, this space has around 20 manhole covers along it. Taking the lane is impossible due to the speed of the traffic and I've not seen even the most courageous VC roadie manage it yet in 3 years. I use that road very rarely and only if the traffic is not too heavy and I'm very late for work, it saves you about 5 minutes. I see roadie commuters and only roadie commuters use it daily why take the risk? By leaving 5 minutes earlier you can have a stress free and lovely to look at ride on the MUP?

A couple of months ago I was on another MUP which runs next to the State Highway, it was gusting up to gale forces and the wind was moving me and I'm not light with around 10kgs of shopping on my back, around the bike path. Up ahead I spot a roadie commuter on the side of the highway being pushed into the traffic by the wind! I see her regularly, she knows about the MUP because it known by everyone and is well signposted. There is nowhere else to go, both the MUP and the highway go to the same place.

Why do Roadie Commuters have to use the road all the time? It defies logic and common sense.

Sidewalks are generally for pedestrian use only and illegal for vehicle usage including bicycles.

Sidewalks are generally for pedestrian use only and illegal for vehicle usage including bicycles.

OP said nothing about sidewalks.

Who mentioned sidewalks?

Jonah, roadie commuters ride on the road because that's what they do. Unless you're able to claim them on your taxes, it's really not up to you if it's logical or commonsense to do so. I'm serious here.

If that's how they define themselves as cyclists, that's their choice. You want to ride the MUP in that area? Go for it -- if I lived where you do, we'd likely see each other on the MUP! I happen to agree with using that option -- for ME, it's the better choice. For them, it obviously isn't.

Pretty much, it's an extension of why we all ride; we're not taking the 'easy way' by pedaling wherever we go. They are not even taking the easy way available to the hard way practitioners!

Don't shake your head, or condemn them as fools -- cheer them on! They're livin' large! I'll use myself as an example -- there's not a damned thing in my area that requires a 6-inch-travel MTB! But that's my chosen commuter -- because I never know when I'll just give in to the impulse to hit the dirt, drop off something, just get funky. Once, I hit a short, steep rise in the ground that was half-washed-out by rain, the top of which was a narrow gap in an 8-inch-high curb in an apartment complex parking lot, just off the MUP. I hit the rise wrong, and missed the gap, without a chance to pull up the front wheel. BUMP! Right over it, barely felt the thing. My hardtail would have faceplanted me on the curb itself.

Live and let live, dude.

I am more of a commuter than a roadie, but I ride very aggressively. Not dangerously, mind you, but aggressively. When I find myself on the MUPs, it is a frustrating experience. No one really pays attention because they're too busy fiddling with their phone or iPod (the foot traffic). I cannot ride as fast on a MUP, and I like to go fast.

For me, riding on a MUP defies common sense because it does not suit my style of riding.

Around here the MUP increases my commute time 50% - like all MUPS it snakes beside a river or lake and is horribly washed out in areas(roads are in better shape), it is also indirect with many twisting and blind corners(20km/h speed limit). Too many dogs and pedestrians doing their own thing... so you're slowing to a crawl every km at least to deal with that.

Nobody pays attention to your bell...

I ride very aggressively. Not dangerously, mind you, but aggressively. When I find myself on the MUPs, it is a frustrating experience. No one really pays attention because they're too busy fiddling with their phone or iPod (the foot traffic). I cannot ride as fast on a MUP, and I like to go fast.

For me, riding on a MUP defies common sense because it does not suit my style of riding.


Same.

I am more of a commuter than a roadie, but I ride very aggressively. Not dangerously, mind you, but aggressively. When I find myself on the MUPs, it is a frustrating experience. No one really pays attention because they're too busy fiddling with their phone or iPod (the foot traffic). I cannot ride as fast on a MUP, and I like to go fast.

For me, riding on a MUP defies common sense because it does not suit my style of riding.

Good answer.

You'd actually like the MUP I'm talking about as they are hardly ever used, I might see one other ped or cyclist on the first, and maybe 2 or 3 people on the second and you can go as fast as you want without the added hassle of roadkill, glass and manhole covers and car side mirrors brushing your arm as the car goes past.

I guess I understand, sort of.

I do spend time on MUPs, but it is when I don't have to be anywhere anytime soon. Weekend rides with the daughter, taking the MTB for a spin, riding to the coffee shop. There are good reasons for it, just not commuting in my world.

A lot of MUPs could use more frequent access points, too. A lot of the time I'll be on the road and trying to decide whether to stay or take the path I've just spotted (sizing up the traffic, route, pavement quality, etc.) but I can't get onto it without stopping because every time there's a break in the curb there's motor traffic in the way. After missing a couple entries staying on the road can simply be more direct.

i ride on the road because i can go faster than i can on the MUP. i'd rather take my chance with cars than the speedwalkers with their headphones turned all the way up.

I don't know what an "MUP" is...

But where I live, there are bike paths that are made from cement, like a sidewalk. I hate the seams in sidewalks, so I avoid them.
There are also paved paths, but they are generally narrow, and encountering runners; roller bladers; and walkers is more trouble than they're worth (to me)
Or, they wind around ponds, or through parks, etc. which lengthen the distance I'd have to ride.

I stick to the roads because I'm more at ease riding in traffic than a lot of other people are. Plus it's usually the shortest route to whatever destination I have.

I ride smart; defensively; a straight line; I signal my intentions clearly; I ride with traffic; at night, I'm well lit up.

I don't know what an "MUP" is...

But where I live, there are bike paths that are made from cement, like a sidewalk. I hate the seams in sidewalks, so I avoid them.
There are also paved paths, but they are generally narrow, and encountering runners; roller bladers; and walkers is more trouble than they're worth (to me)
Or, they wind around ponds, or through parks, etc. which lengthen the distance I'd have to ride.

I stick to the roads because I'm more at ease riding in traffic than a lot of other people are. Plus it's usually the shortest route to whatever destination I have.

I ride smart; defensively; a straight line; I signal my intentions clearly; I ride with traffic; at night, I'm well lit up.

This is the problem with motorists on my 1:00 a.m. return commute :D

At 15+ MPH, MUPS get downright dangerous. The pylons they put up at every intersection to prevent cars (i guess) from getting in become dodge hazards. Not to mention that at every block it puts you in a crosswalk. Not to mention that at those crosswalks, cars aren't looking down the MUP to see if any 20 MPH vehicles are coming at them. Not to mention that the average walker freaks out when you alert them, usually diving in your way by accident instead of away from you.

Roadies ride on the road because they're roadies. Not all, but most MUP's are much more hassle than traffic is; if you want to ride fast then the MUP is not the place for it.

I find it a lot more comfortable to ride on the road. I hate sidewalks in my area because they're not kept, they have seams every few feet, and your constantly riding up and down the bumps for parking lot entrances. The only "MUP" around here is are paved rail-to-trail paths. Most of them are hardly used but fairly new, so I take those when I can. If I had to choose though, I would take road all the way. Personally, it's safer to be in traffic where people are aware of your presence and actively working to safely (most of the time) pass you than trying to dodge people and obstructions on a path or sidewalk.

It defies logic and common sense.

How so?

They are using a vehicle and legally entitled to use the road.

I have to ask, but all these complaints about inattentive people on the MUPs, (Multi Use Paths) you are encountering them during a rush hour commute? Around me, they're used mostly on weekends, and when they're used during the week, it is not first thing in the morning.

The crosswalk complaint is valid.

The one about it taking longer, I'm not so sure about. If we were that worried about time, why are we choosing to go 10-25 mph instead of 55 mph?

whups... I asked what a "MUP" was... and then found it in the post above me...

When I'm going to work. I'm trying not to sweat my balls off... So I ride at a not so slow but steady pace. As a part time "Roadie," All I'm thinking about is simply going fast. Making that bike move as fast as I possibly can. And I'm always thinking about how I can use the decend to appropriately attack the next hill. There is a lot of concentration involved sometimes... and I can see how those walkers/joggers/rollerbladers can annoy roadies.

i ride on the road and often wish there was a path to use instead. although i have ridden paths before and sometimes people are walking and using the full width of the path do not hear you as you approach, even after saying "on your left" slowing down and saying it a bit louder and then almost stopping and by this time you are screaming and they look at you like you are a jerk.

When I'm going to work. I'm trying not to sweat my balls off... So I ride at a not so slow but steady pace.
Yeah, I wear my work clothes and "soft pedal" it a bit. But still, I want to go as fast as I can, as efficiently as I can, without smelling like a gorilla when I get to work.

Although, that said, my boss gave me the green light to leave a couple of changes of work clothes there, so I can wear more "cycling appropriate" clothing while riding. Personally, I think she just wants to see me in my shorts... hehehe!

Because he or she wants to.

The one about it taking longer, I'm not so sure about. If we were that worried about time, why are we choosing to go 10-25 mph instead of 55 mph?

No one here goes near 55 mph in their rush hour commute. I get to school as fast as when I drove, sometimes faster, and I get to class faster because I don't need to find a parking spot.

Interesting that you talk about this danger. It happened today in Canada 3 dead, 3 injured. There is a MUP parallel to the highway but the MUP is not paved. You can read about it here http://www.theprovince.com/news/dead+injured+pickup+hits+cyclists/3028515/story.html

STREETS ARE KING

i'm on the path a lot because of how close it is to my destination a lot of times. but it does get nasty late afternoon to evening times

If I feel like riding fast and getting to my destination as quickly as possible then I take the roads, but when I ride at the slower speed I take MUP's.

When I lived in Calgary, there was a 20 kph speed limit on the pathways and the police would go out once or twice a year and ticket cyclists who went over it. Since 20 kph (13 mph) is what a reasonably fit rider can do going uphill into a headwind on a road bike, there was little incentive for serious riders to use the pathway system. Not to mention the hassle of constantly having to pull out and pass people. Groups of gossiping walkers were the worst, they didn't see any good reason not to spread out and take up the whole path.

Interesting that you talk about this danger. It happened today in Canada 3 dead, 3 injured. There is a MUP parallel to the highway but the MUP is not paved. You can read about it here http://www.theprovince.com/news/dead+injured+pickup+hits+cyclists/3028515/story.html

That is just horrible. My reflex was to say: "string him up"

But I guess there are some questions first:

1) What time was it? Was it light out?
2) Did they have rear reflectors or blinkies?
3) Were they "taking the lane?"

I'll keep taking my chances with the iPod-using dog walkers whenever possible.

I'm out in the suburbs, so streets are faster. I don't do it for the speed.

The biggest problem with MUPs is this. Whenever a mup approaches an intersection, I have to stop, even if the light is green. At that point, I'm invisible to right turning cars.

The other (perhaps bigger) problem is that few MUPs run on both sides of the road. So not only does it empty me out onto the street at intersections, but it also does so in such a way that I'm going opposite traffic.

Unless the mup continues unbroken for the entire distance I'm wish to go, I'm safer on the road.

I think there's a difference betwteen a mup and a bike trail, too. A mup is basically an asphalt sidewalk that parallels the road and is separated by a strip of grass. A bike trail actually skirts around intersections, sometimes by having over or underpasses, and is often lined. I might ride that if it is convenient.

Simple. Roadies ride on roads. Hence they are call Roadies. MUPS users are Muppets. ;)

Most of our major roads have bike lanes. You can travel fairly quick on them with a road bike. With MUPs, you just have to watch for pedestrians with their media devices, dogs and their slaves, bumbling dude on a fixed cruising every which way on the path etc.

Therefore I only use MUPs on my last mile for cool down before reaching the office. It's actually no so bad during AM. Less people using MUPs apart from fellow commuters. It's the PM rush hour where you find all sorts of people using MUPs. So I avoid them or just go slow.

Funny that I should stumble into this thread today. I finished a ride about 2 hours ago that was mostly on a MUP. Let me tell you this now: MUP's are horrible to ride on weekends. I ran into a mish-mash of little kids who didn't know how to ride, slow pedaling adults on X-Mart bikes, peletons of roadies who think they own the MUP, teenage fixed gear scofflaws, and joggers. The joggers generally followed the rules most of the time. The rest of the users did not. It was amazing that collisions were avoided. A MUP is a horrible place for a ride when such a mix of people is all concentrated within it.

Sometimes I take the road, because bicycles are entitled to the road, and there's usually no other bicycle rider there where I live and ride. That is sometimes a good thing, believe it or not! When I get lonely, I go back to the MUP :D

No one here goes near 55 mph in their rush hour commute. I get to school as fast as when I drove, sometimes faster, and I get to class faster because I don't need to find a parking spot.

...what? you're saying, in a car, I don't go 55mph ever when I commute? that's super duper wrong, and i'd wager most people here go 55 if their commute takes them on any limited access roads.

If a MUP is useful, I'll probably use it...but most are not that useful.

Example: one of my old commute routes used to parallel the O&E towpath for about 9 miles...but I preferred the road because:

1. Cars are more predictable than early morning/evening joggers, peds, pets, ninjas, wobblers and wildlife.

2. The path is limestone, the road nice and paved. The road is thus cleaner, as well as easier to roll on.

3. The road has the right-of-way over most of the cross streets, the MUP does not.

4. Car headlights and taillights on the road suck less than bike headlights and taillights on the path.

MUPs are built for recreation, not transportation, but if one is useful for you, by all means use it, but don't get your panties on a bunch because some of us ride where we have always rode...since well before most MUPs even existed...on the road.

Simple. Roadies ride on roads. Hence they are call Roadies. MUPS users are Muppets.

I've actually broken them down into two distinct categories...muppets and muppies.
A muppie is one of those clowns racing everyone he meets on the mup, especially those on road bikes and all kitted out. The rest of the MUP users are muppets...or wobblers.

MUPs are built for recreation, not transportation, but if one is useful for you, by all means use it, but don't get your panties on a bunch because some of us ride where we have always rode...since well before most MUPs even existed...on the road.

+1

Oh, and that's a nice division of MUP riders...pretty much all I encounter on a good day at the MUP. I myself tend to straddle the line between both at times...I may seem like a wobbler to the racing clowns, and a racing clown (wearing a t-shirt, swim trunks, and using panniers) to the wobblers that I blow past :o

I think some of your are mis-interpreting the original poster. I don't think he is upset that roadies (or anyone else) use the road. He's just curious, because his MUP is so good & useful.

I took our local MUP 3 times today. Two separate shopping trips. Our MUP goes parallel to power lines, like a nice big field. There's more to see. Families having barbecues, kids playing soccer, one family was having a huge picnic and playing softball across the MUP. I didn't even mind slowing down. My other option was a busy 5 lane road with no shoulder and an intermittent sidewalk with no ramps. No scenery either. I guess it all depends on the MUP and how serious you are to make time.

On the way home after the last shopping trip, I took backroads instead of the MUP. (thinking about this thread.) One beautiful thing about 4-way stops around here is that everyone expects cyclists to sail through the stop signs. So I did, and gave everyone a wave and a smile who let me do so.

Yesterday, when I was on the MUP, I saw a pair of ducks wading in a puddle in a low part of the field. Male & female. Today, I saw only the male, and further up the MUP, the female's disembodied head & neck off to the side. I'm pretty sure a coyote found them during the night and made a meal of the missus. Kind of sad, but coyotes have to eat too. Roadies probably don't see that kind of thing too often.

Roadies don't get to see dead animals...?

I like that term muppie though :)

I wish I had MUPS nearby that I could chose to ignore.

I don't, and I'm still on the road. :)

Roadies don't get to see dead animals...?

Not the whole story. Out on the road, they are smooshed into the road, not ripped apart by 'yotes.

My point was just that there is more to see on the MUP. For better or worse. Nicer smells too. Barbecues instead of diesel. Old growth forest instead of burning antifreeze. No one shooting us with pellet guns. Plus, the constant obstacles keep us sharp.

I feel like I'm doing a cyclocross when I get to dodge some stupid dog or kid. Fun! :)

Walking along martin goodman tail today. A lot of those tour de france wannabes are a-holes. Slow the **** down. :) thank u!

http://twitter.com/BikeBerryJam/statuses/14066368396

Which is a MUP, anything over 20km/h and you'll get people calling you *******... even if you ring a bell, etc.

MUP is fine for lollygagging around, but when you have to get somewhere that isn't 5km away it would take you a long time todo it on a MUP and it would take more effort/be less efficient due to all of the slowing to pass etc.

I've actually broken them down into two distinct categories...muppets and muppies.
A muppie is one of those clowns racing everyone he meets on the mup, especially those on road bikes and all kitted out. The rest of the MUP users are muppets...or wobblers.

Can't I be both?

MUP's just a big sidewalk. sorry, but if my ride TO work took any longer i'd just drive instead. I don't mind that coming home is a half hour longer than driving (all uphill), but plodding along behind the shiftless, aimless, idiotic masses who would treat it as any other sidewalk make for pretty awful conditions when you choose to hit double digit mph. the only things more dangerous and less predictable than the drivers around here are the folks out on foot.

I don't really have any MUP's were I live but when I am heading through town the sidewalks get so congested it's more of a hassle than anything. That's why I stick to the road most of the time but if I had a good bike path to ride I probably would.

That and I hate having to deal with curbs. If I'm on the road I can just hit a good pace and fly, no dealing with pedestrians or parking cars, just me and the road . . . and those pesky cars.

It depends upon the road, the MUP, and the roadie (or roadies). Some of our local MUPS are in horrible shape, have poor sight lines at too many intersections, have heavy pedestrian or low-speed cyclist traffic, or all of the above. For a group of roadies trying to go fast, it may be much safer for all concerned on the road. 'course, that then raises the ire of drivers who firmly believe the Constitution, Bible, voice in their head, whatever, has ordained that bikes belong on the MUP/sidewalk but never a road. Most of my commute uses a reasonably well-maintained MUP/bike trail, but for some alternate routes (change of scenery) the shoulder (even as poorly sweeped as it is) is better (for me at least) than the adjacent MUP (one of the bumpy needs maintenance poor site lines ones). And the group rides I go on avoid the MUPs as there just is no safe way to move a group of riders down even a light-to-moderate occupied MUP.

I ride on the bike path to work most of the time. And I do like it much better than riding on the road for the most part, regardless of what bike I commute on. One thing that does get me though is when people on the path don't ride/walk/whatever on the right, and how some feel that the best place to have a picnic is the path that leads you onto the path. Do you stop on the on ramp to the highway? I think not...

Why do Roadie Commuters seem to have to take the added risks of always riding on the road despite there being a perfectly good and lovely to ride on bike path/MUP next to them?


Because the multi-use paths generally cross roads, which cary cars that are not looking for car-speed traffic on them especially when they go in the wrong direction, and that leads to being hit by cars which sucks.

As an adult I've never been hit by car riding on roads without bike lanes. I have been hit at an intersection between a multi-use path and road. And I have a lot more miles on bike-lane free roads than paths.

The multi-use paths also have people and animals which are less predictable than cars.

OP: Why the generalization? Or, am I just a bad excuse for a roadie? ;)

Seriously though, I am thinking they do it to keep their speed and run along with the faster traffic. From my experience I know that the MUP/bike path can be pretty crowded. I don't like riding with the cars though. Been taken down one time too many by one.

I'll take the MUP just as soon as they build one between my house and my office.