Originally Posted by
1989Pre
I think a maximum speed of 5-7mph would be reasonable on M.U.P's. I can admit to having ridden faster (up to 20mph), but only in straight-aways when no others were in sight. This does not make my actions right, and I would certainly understand if speed limits were imposed.
I would mostly agree with Jim I's description of M.U.P.'s as leisure parks.
I think what boy racers (like myself) need is a local velodrome, so that we can get our ya-ya's out, when needed.
Oy ... I think it a rare MUP that would justify a maximum speed of 5-7 MPH. There are quite a few runners that go faster than that. And remember, the maximum speed is the maximum speed under any condition, even at 4AM when there would be virtually zero pedestrians.
All MUPs are not created equal. Some are very wide, have terrific sightlines, and are very safe to ride on at speeds well in excess of 5-7 MPH. Others, at particular times of the day, are so crowded with people, you'd be better off getting off an walking. I ride to work on a bike path that has occasional pedestrians (they are legal for pedestrians, as there is "no adequate adjacent pedestrian facility"), and I do it perfectly safely at 16+ MPH.
One of my pet peeves is when cities enact speed limits on MUPs either without doing any kind of engineering analysis or speed study. We have an 8 MPH speed limit on a MUP near me that was based on a statement from a citizen at a meeting that he knows of another MUP in another county with an 8 MPH limit (yes, I was there when it happened). Never mind the two paths are entirely different in pedestrian use, bicycle use, dimension, and just about everything else.
What is and isn't a safe speed on a MUP shouldn't be determined by guessing. It should be based on engineering standards or a speed survey, just like any other public thoroughfare.