Originally Posted by
alan s
The MUPs in DC are way too crowded on weekends and some evenings during the week (except in the winter). I stay off them on weekends completely.
Many peds seem incapable of comprehending that they need to move to the edge of the MUP and make room for bike traffic. They seem to think that because they are on foot, that they can "take the path." I'm sure that bikes are also to blame in many instances for failing to signal or passing too closely.
I think the only solution is to create separate bike and ped paths, but the likelihood of that happening is close to zero.
Funny thing is that they are doing that "trail widening" along the Arkansas River in Tulsa. Some sections have been completed, some under construction, and some haven't been touched yet. Where they have the room, they run two paths, separated by a "island" of grass. One closest to the road is for bikes, the one closest to the water is for the peds.
Where they don't have the room to fully separate them, they merely double the existing trail in width and paint a solid white line down the middle. Some isolated spots just don't have any extra clearance for widening, in which case you follow the posted signage- share the MUP, general rules of the road type stuff (stay right, pass left and with care).
Damned near collided with a jogger in one of these shared zones. She was all the way to the left (when travelling in the opposite direction I was going, which made it my right) and proceeded to cuss me out without breaking stride that I was on the wrong side...