Originally Posted by
Ross520
I’m not sure, however, I’ve had folks act as if I’m speaking a foreign language after announcing my pass. In fact, my last time on a MUP (a few weeks ago), I had to yell 4 times at a women (that wasn’t wearing headphones) to give way (she was walking with her family, taking up the entire path). She actually had the nerve to try to tell me I could have passed them in the dirt and that I was speeding (complete fantasy, my Garmin had me @ 10mph) followed by an expletive as I passed-by, I returned the favor and kept pedaling.
In defense of MUPs, I will say the “idiots” are definitely in the minority, but it only takes one or two to leave a bad taste in your mouth after a ride. However, the constant slowing down for pedestrians can get very annoying, and most paths just aren’t designed to be used at the speed I like to cycle at, so for now, I stick to the road.
It only takes one idiot to totally ruin your day on a MUP. Whether that idiot is a pedestrian, a runner (with or without earbuds) a dog walking a dog on a fully extended retractable leash or a bicyclist or bicyclists riding like they're sprinting for the finish line at the end of a Tour de France stage; if any of those cause you to crash (which has happened to me a few times on MUPs) it can ruin your entire day or perhaps even longer.
I avoid riding on a MUP as much as possible. You just never know what's coming around that next blind corner towards you. Even riding at a crawl won't save you if some idiot on a bicycle or E-bike blasts around that corner and slams into you.
Cheers