DnvrFox

For all of you M.U.P haters, I would like to share - what to me - is a good M. U. P. system.

The Denver Metro Area is blessed with an interconneted, ever-growing system. I live right on the system, having chosen my house in 2001 specifically because the trail in the open-space behind our house goes directly to the trail system - .5 miles away.

The cement trails are smooth, wide (especially the new sections) and utilize bridge underpasses and bridges so that there are very few trail crossings. Just being completed is the last link from my house to downtown Denver (about 30 miles) with only 1 minor street crossing. From downtown at "Confluence Park" in can go north, south, east or west to all parts of the metro area - many miles - Golden, Morrison, Chatfield State Park, Brighton, Aurora, Littleton - with just a couple street crossings. I can also take a trail - just a mile from my home - that follows the C470 freeway west- with about 5 street crossings and also joins into the above trail system.

On a weekday, I can ride 30-40 miles and see perhaps 5 other riders, a few peds and dog walkers. Almost all of our riders and peds are friendly and we wave or say hi! It is more corwded on a beautiful Saturday, especially near the towns - but get out a bit even on Saturday and the traffic decreases sharply. I can interconnect with three different state parks and one large city park - these parks are in the 5,000 acre size, one right in the middle of the city.

Here is a map and a video of a part of the system. The map is getting old as the system continues to expand, but it gives you an idea.

I consider the M. U. P. very safe, expecially if ridden with knowledge of how to be safe around a few peds, dogs and the occasional horse.

DnvrFox

Location of house in relationship to Cherry Creek Trail, not showing the trail behind the house:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/17...2429b37e02b4cd

StephenH

Sounds like a winner.

Around here, they have a number of issues:
The White Rock Creek Trail has been very popular, but is older, narrower, and the concrete is getting busted up some, so it's getting fairly rough. The advantage is, it follows the creek and goes under the roads, so you don't need to stop anywhere.
Up in Plano, they have a number of bike trails that follow power line easements, but the drawback is that they have crossings at every major street, so you ride a couple of minutes, then wait on traffic. They're building a new trail across Mesquite with similar issues.
There is a fairly new Katy Trail near downtown Dallas, but it is VERY popular with walkers and joggers and best avoided on a bike.
There is a fairly new Santa Fe Trail near downtown Dallas, but it has numerous grade crossings, so it's not terrible to ride on, but not something you want to do everyday, either.
On some of these trails, they make them weave back and forth even when the route is basically straight, which is great for little kids riding, but just annoys anyone trying to actually go somewhere.

prathmann

Minimal usage may be nice for the few people on it, but it doesn't strike me as being indicative of a well-designed and useful network.

wphamilton

That's incredible. I only dream of riding a path all the way downtown Atlanta from the Greenway let alone to the other side. Nice ride just to your Cherry Park and a lap or two around!

Why is it utilized so relatively little, by bicyclists?

OldsCOOL

We have the prettiest. Wraps around Lake Michigan's Little Traverse Bay here in our much visited sleepy little northern lower Michigan.

If I had to live in a city I would enjoy a bike path for local riding but really would enjoy the open road at least once a week.

CommuteCommando

My daily commute uses a MUP for about half the distance. (mile 2 to mile 7.8) Bike Ride Profile | 9 miles near Irvine | Times and Records | Strava

Sadly, while called bike trails, they are increasingly being taken over by pedestrians. One section passes behind the offices of Blizzard Entertainment, publishers of World of Warcraft. They have taken to using it as an outdoor conference room and have large groups, half on cell phones, most weaving all over the path. This would not be bad, if there were an 8mph speed limit (There may be one in the future), and I would consent to obey it (I would hit the streets first).

I like the bike paths because they follow a creek, which allows them to have un-controlled underpasses at some major streets that allow me to bypass some horribly long traffic signals.

DnvrFox

And another nearby trail - just a short one - 17 miles round trip from my home to the dead end.

DnvrFox

And another one with the wife leaving from our home. She likes to take the long way around to get to the trail! Just a very short ride. The music is supplied by the music group I organized and run, the XY Zingers. (This was my first video - I learned to make them MUCH shorter after this one - sorry about the length. I now keep them to about 5 minuutes).

Zinger

We have the Centennial Trail up here that runs (with 2 short detours) from Spokane Washington to Coeur d'Alene Idaho and either branches off into some other trails over in Idaho or is in close proximity to yet others.

It has some congested stretches in populated areas alright but mostly lots of wide open stretches with good forward visibility where the 15 mph limit gets commonly broken by many. It's an indispensable asset to my recreational riding up here even if I'm only using it for access to some other area before hitting the streets.

CB HI

As indicated in the OP, was that he had to pick his house next to the path to help make they system useful. The other major factor in the system being useful to the OP, is that he is retired and does not have a job location he must travel to each work day.

For someone living in Wheat Ridge and working around East Colfax, the path system is useless for transportation.

So it is a plus for recreational use and very limited transportation use, bust a bust for most cycle transportation needs. Yet I will bet that most of the funding came from federal transportation money with certification that the paths primary use would be transportation.

I suppose some here would call this post MUP hating, rather than just noting I am stating simple facts.

DnvrFox

1. I didn't HAVE to pick my house where I picked - I WANTED to pick my house there. Big difference. You are trying to make a straw man argument, IMHO. You used the word "had" to try and make a false argument. "Had" was never used nor implied Read this again "having chosen my house in 2001 specifically because the trail in the open-space behind our house goes directly to the trail system - .5 miles away." You anti-M U P bias is really coming through!

2. I used to live in Wheat Ridge - right next to the trail that now goes to and from Golden, which also goes directly to downtown, and is used by many for that purpose. You don't have your facts correct.

If one was to go out to our trails during commute time, one would see many commuters. I frequently go out about 6:30 to 8:00 am and se many bicycle commuters on their way to work, even during dark hours, when they use lights.

Before I retired, I used to commute from the south side of the metro area to Westminster, almost all the way by trail - 28 miles.

CB HI

Oh please, stop with the drama and do not play the semantics game to create a real own straw man. To be that close to the path, you had to choose a house that close to the path. Or did it all occur by accident, contrary to the indications in your post.

The map you presented shows no such trail. Maybe presenting the facts correctly would help rather than telling others they do not know the facts.

Your own post indicates how little the paths are used during the weekdays.

My beef is not with the trails but the use of transportation dollars that could be more effectively used for a large number of cut through paths and other bicycle transportation enhancements.

CB HI

Even the 2012 Denver bike map does not show a trail from Wheat Ridge to East Colfax.

https://www.denvergov.org/Portals/708...2012_Final.pdf

DnvrFox

You know, I was just trying to share some of the pleasures of riding the M U P system, some pictures and videos, etc. Instead I get this stuff. I have been off line from this group for 6 months, with none of this to increase my blood pressure.

So, I am asking the mods to ban me until November 1st, when I will "check in" near my 75th birthday, and say "hi!" before I ask for another 6 month ban.

Life is just too short for this increased aggravation.

Dudelsack 

Don't let CB HI drive you off. It's not fair to the rest of us who enjoy your posts.

I'm familiar with the MUPs in the Boulder area and in Summit County. Both are fantastic.

This is not my video, but it rode this very trail last year and just loved it:

ModeratedUser150120149

You are a blessed person indeed. Your talent for diverting posts to contentious and negative arguments is superior. If there is a way to express things in a negative and quarrelsome way you will find it.

In that spirit: You claim to live on a volcanoe tip in the ocean that, by my experience, is choking on its poor transportation and whose citizens can't seem to improve in even minor ways. Its' cycling amenities are at best laughable and more properly labeled hazardous. Yet when people in a community come together to build and continue to improve a MUP system that serves fhem well you throw stones. Sir/Madam/Neuter that is pathological.

CB HI

Where did the contentious and negative posting really begin?

I simply provided some counter points. I guess that is not allowed in some minds.

CrankyFranky

Dnvr, thanks for sharing - I am beginning to think about moving away from my home state, once family necessities allow - and you've piqued my interest again in your fair state.
More than a few of us have missed you, and while I understand your being upset when a forumite acts poopheaded, please don't stay away for so long. I for one like to hear what you post, and admire your strengths and accomplishments.

In any event, Happy Trails to you, friend!

DnvrFox

I would welcome friends contacting me at dnvrfox@aol.com. Thank you.

ModeratedUser150120149

Just back from a very pleasant 20 mile ride on a very quiet road system. Not a formal MUP. But on weekends and evenings traffic is so light on this government facility recreation folks can have a ball. An added bonus is the low speed limit.. Max is 35 and most is either 15 or 25 (all mph).

During the work week with the low speed limits people, bikes and vehicles mix very well. Not as good as Denver's system. But pretty good.

Zinger

I picked my house for easy access to our MUP. It goes into two states so my town only paid for half of it. About 45 miles of hotmix and a little grading here and there just for our half.....cheap thrills. (Last photo is in Idaho's half) Seems well appreciated by the people who use it and it gives easy access to the Spokane river.


And this is actually the section closest to my house where I get on to ride it. (not my video) It's actually one of the more relatively congested stretches on the weekends but beyond this it's wide open and visible bike-way into Idaho going this direction. In the other direction there's a detour to the street with a good bike lane going into Spokane and you can pick up the trail again going through part of Gonzaga university into Riverfront Park in Downtown Spokane.

What it doesn't really show well in that camera angle is the river going all along the left hand side just beyond the trees. When you're riding it's easily visible.

Retro Grouch 

I'm thinking that sometimes people will let one little tree block their view of the whole forest.

Zinger

Now here are some of the great gravel grinder trails that I've been missing out on (so far) up here in the Pacific Northwest. One of them that my coworkers have been telling me about is the Hiawatha trail. I'd have to get me some kind of lights for the tunnels but I already have touring rims laced up. Since a coworker has done this on his steel Lemond road bike I don't see why I couldn't do it. So when I get done with some home repairs, and get some more riding time, in I probably will.

Also a nice 72 mile paved trail in the second half of the video out in the wilderness.

StephenH

My house just happens to be very near the local MUP. And actually, if I want to ride to Walmart, I can take the path in one direction to the big Walmart, or go the opposite direction via alleys to get to the Neighborhood Market Walmart. I mentioned the MUP being built in Mesquite, it is supposed to connect up to the MUP near the big Walmart.
That being said, the best cycling is still on the road, which is usually where I ride.