If you can, aim your headlights down on the MUP, turn off your blinker, and don't look directly at anyone if you've got a headlamp on. If you can't, come to terms with the fact that you kind of suck.
Originally Posted by
pwdeegan
when it happens that i encounter another bright light (car or bicycle), i use the visor on my helmet to block the brunt of it and keep focused on the edge of the road or path. this always works for me. always. if it happens that you can't see the path, then you need to slow or stop to evaluate that condition, and not fault some other user's light. that's part of riding on varying road conditions.
Agreed. Having to deal with ***holes and idiots who blind oncoming traffic with bright lights is part of riding, but that still makes it the fault of said ***holes and idiots for creating adverse riding conditions. On the MUP I rarely wear a helmet, and even if I do have my helmet on, it doesn't have a visor. I just do the same thing that I do when driving and some oncoming ***hole has his brights on: look down at the edge of the trail and away from the light. Rarely I'll encounter a bright enough headlight to make me block it with my hand.
Originally Posted by
cellery
I have a solution, but you and many people here may not like it: don't ride on MUPs.
Poorly aimed, bright, floody lights suck to share a trail with. High powered blinkers suck to share a trail with. Idiots with bright headlamps who insist on looking directly at oncoming traffic suck to share a trail with. These are all easily as annoying as extend-a-leash dog walkers, side by side double-wide stroller brigades, reckless and speeding cyclists, clumps of drunken disc golfers, loose dogs and children, hobo drinking circles taking up the entire path (twice, in the middle of the night, have I seen this), punks who break glass on the trail (gl*******s, if you will), skate skiers who refuse to narrow their stance for passing traffic, moose, entire classes of clueless middle schoolers out on a field trip, winter cyclists who won't move out of the center track for anyone, flocks of geese that cover the trail in smelly wet goose ****, dog walkers that don't pick up their dog's ****, etc...
But cars and trucks suck to share the road with, in my opinion more so than any of the minor annoyances found on the MUP, since none of these pose a threat to my life (except for the moose, maybe). And for every moment of minor annoyance, I'm pretty sure that there is at least an hour of pleasant, scenic, stress free cycling as well.