Originally Posted by
wphamilton
I ride on a MUP almost every day commuting, 1700+ times over the last four years in fact. Plus a lesser amount for three years before that. On a road bike, and I admit at a fairly high speed as far as MUP's go. So I don't really think it's as bad as all that.
It all depends on the MUP of course, and the mix of people using it and how crowded it is. It's just a different set of skills, and you have to switch mental gears between the MUP and the streets.
Well said, and I will add to this. Some MUP's are little more than glorified sidewalks. Others are built to different specs. The primary MUP in the area that wphamilton is riding is fairly well designed, and though it has sections that are indeed pedestrian only, it is anything but a glorified sidewalk. 16' wide, marked as a two lane MUP, and clear sight lines in all but a handful of sections, it is built to be used by bikes.
Certainly, there are times of the day and week that simply aren't advisable to rip through at 20+, there are others where it is fine. More often than not though, the biggest threat is not the other users of the MUP, but the wildlife. Deer, Rabbits, Squirrels, Big Honkin Turtles, Snakes and even Blue Herons are all as likely to be in your way as another person using the MUP.
This guy was just chilling out on a section that I know wphamilton rides almost daily. To give you a sense of scale, he was over 2.5 feet long and weighed in well over 20 lbs. Took two of us to move him without getting hurt. He is not the biggest I've seen out there, just the one I happened to have the camera handy for.