Originally Posted by
rossiny
I've seen this first hand on a bike path.. I rounded the corner on my bike, an older couple was walking in the opposite direction.. i almost collided had i not reacted at last minute reflex. I had no way of seeing them, nor thinking they would be walking in the opposite direction..
Sorry, but that's simply user error - you were riding above the design speed of the route. What if it had been a couple of little kids going the proper direction but barely moving, while someone was correctly oncoming on the other side?
You took the blind corner too fast.
Shared use paths just aren't designed for higher cycling speeds, that's really the role of regular vehicle lanes and on-road bike lanes, limited to the situations where you can see your stopping distance ahead.
But even riding on the road, if you round a corner and almost hit a car disabled in the middle of the lane, you were operating at an unsafe speed.