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Pedestrians on bike-only path are violating city ordinance

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Pedestrians on bike-only path are violating city ordinance

Old 08-20-07, 10:47 AM
  #26  
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Originally Posted by o-dog
man I wish we had bike-only paths. all our paths are shared here.
Sharing is the way to go. I ride on a bicycle-only lane through Central Park, sharing it with all manner of pedestrians, rollerbladers, skateboarders, recreational cyclists... yes, it's a bike-only path, but cyclists are in the minority there when I ride on it, and of the cyclists, commuters are a tiny minority. Wouldn't it be nice if there was a commuter-only bike path going right where I need it! But being realistic, there are just too many constituencies out there, and it would be a complete disaster to try to put in paths for the exclusive use of each one. I was recently riding in Germany, where most streets now seem to have a bike path between the sidewalk and the street, and things can get pretty hairy where the respective paths cross.
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Old 08-20-07, 10:49 AM
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Originally Posted by lil brown bat
Oh, I think there was probably at least one. When you got buzzed by the woman in the car, were you on a cars-only road? As in, legally posted for motor vehicles only, or with "no bikes"?
To her it was a cars only road. And that's all that's important to her. Self righteous is self righteous whether or not you're right or wrong.

I'm just saying. A little temperance goes a long way.

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Old 08-20-07, 11:00 AM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by Az B
To her it was a cars only road.
....okay, so you're saying that she was crazy or hallucinating. Look, it's pretty clearly different from the case of a cyclist going onto a road (for example, an interstate) that has a "NO BIKES" sign, or a pedestrian going onto a bike path that is clearly labeled "BIKES ONLY". You're trying to claim that the two situations are parallel, and they just aren't.
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Old 08-20-07, 11:07 AM
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I have lived near the lakes in Minneapolis for several years and I just moved even closer. So, I bike around the lakes several times a week as my "cool down" in the middle of a harder bike ride.

The only time I ever have problems with peds on the biking only path is in the very beginning of the season when everyone is out before the novelty wears off. I haven't had a problem with peds on the bike path in a few months, actually. Then again, I purposely don't bike during the most "busy" periods, either.

There is a spot on the lake, though, where the ped path and bike path come together and the only separation is paint (rather than a physical barrier). Even that spot isn't bad now that they repainted it a few weeks ago.

As far as the speed limit, I was upset about the 10mph at first, but now I don't have a problem with it. I try to stay under 12-13mph, and I still get passed by everyone, including little kids. BUT, I have had a few people wipe out in front of me as well as dogs on long leashes in front of me, and I was able to stop at that speed just fine.

As much of a bike advocate as I am, when I read that article in the paper today, I couldn't help but wonder of all the ways the cyclist's accident could have been avoided... My only guess is that the cyclist was going very fast, or wasn't looking far enough ahead, or didn't expect the dog to run in front of her?

When I DO see peds on the bike path, especially along the river, I will say something to them. Usually I just point over to the walking path, but if I really have a problem with someone--college age kids who hear and see me but still don't move over--I will say something out loud to them.

As far as bikes on the ped path, I have never, EVER seen bikes on the ped path except for little kids with training wheels, or at the bandshell around one of the lakes because the singage there is vague (I, for the record, walk my bike ANYWHERE off the designated bike path).
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Old 08-20-07, 12:30 PM
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Originally Posted by Sigurdd50
the only problem I have with (most) roller bladers is.. they favor personal music listening devices, which means they are OBLIVIOUS to my BELL when I ring it to alert them that i am passing
Some cyclists use such devices too. Such as myself.

But it's ok: I never get passed.
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Old 08-20-07, 01:50 PM
  #31  
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I also live in the Minneapolis area and I rode on the Calhoun and other Uptown lake paths a couple of times. And that was it. I quickly concluded that those paths are intended more for Mommy and Daddy out for a nice Saturday ride with little Suzy and little Billy. Especially with the repeatedly posted 10mph speed limits. If you're trying to get from A to B or you're out for a training ride, those paths aren't where you want to be. Just get on the road and be done with it. I'm not defending the pedestrians that are walking and jogging on the bike path. They should not be there. I'm just sayin'...
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Old 08-20-07, 03:14 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by lil brown bat
....okay, so you're saying that she was crazy or hallucinating. Look, it's pretty clearly different from the case of a cyclist going onto a road (for example, an interstate) that has a "NO BIKES" sign, or a pedestrian going onto a bike path that is clearly labeled "BIKES ONLY". You're trying to claim that the two situations are parallel, and they just aren't.
You're missing the point. Yes, the situations are different although they have similarities. However, the attitudes are exactly the same.

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Old 08-20-07, 03:19 PM
  #33  
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Yup. Most of the urban paths in these parts are of no value to folks who have somewhere to go are wish to go fast in even loosest sense of the term. Enforcement of this stuff is just about nil, too. It's why I bike on the road 99% of the time.

Originally Posted by Quickbeam
I also live in the Minneapolis area and I rode on the Calhoun and other Uptown lake paths a couple of times. And that was it. I quickly concluded that those paths are intended more for Mommy and Daddy out for a nice Saturday ride with little Suzy and little Billy. Especially with the repeatedly posted 10mph speed limits. If you're trying to get from A to B or you're out for a training ride, those paths aren't where you want to be. Just get on the road and be done with it. I'm not defending the pedestrians that are walking and jogging on the bike path. They should not be there. I'm just sayin'...
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Old 08-20-07, 06:00 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by Az B
You're missing the point. Yes, the situations are different although they have similarities. However, the attitudes are exactly the same.
How can they be exactly the same when one is based on a reasonable expectation (i.e., what you're told to expect by the signs) and one is based on an unreasonable expectation?

Look, I'm not saying "bikers always right, everybody else always wrong". But this thread deals with a fairly narrow and specific situation -- one which, I might add, doesn't exist where I live, since we don't have any "bike-only" paths. A short section of my daily commute is on a MUP -- lets me dodge a bunch of one-ways and take a more direct route, therefore worth the horrible pavement and slowdown -- and I deal with pedestrians, other cyclists, inline skaters, parents with strollers, people with dogs, you name it. But if I had a path marked as bicycle only, I'd be pretty damn irritated if pedestrians decided to use it and no one would do a damn thing about it.
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Old 08-21-07, 01:17 PM
  #35  
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10mph SL for bike only path. Absurd.

Unless of course the enforcers allow a 10mph "margin of error/grace for inaccurate vehicle speedometers and short-term lapses of attention by otherwise law-abiding and generally cautious drivers" as they do for motor vehicle speed limits. 20mph is fine for a path.

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