Originally Posted by
livedarklions
I'm always struck in these conversations about how differently people view MUPs. The ones I ride on can safely accommodate 20+ mph speeds (I pedal that fast a lot). I occasionally see people riding like inconsiderate jerks, but generally they are far better behaved than people on the roads. And don't call.me a muppet or whatever, I ride several thousands of miles per year on roads. I see some roads I'd describe as the wild west, but no MUPs. That said, there's ones I won't ride on because they're really not designed for fast riding.
I could have been more nuanced in my statement. I also have ridden faster than 15mph on MUPs (maybe 20, but I'm pretty slow). But that's only in appropriate places - where there's no other riders and/or very good sight lines and quiet enough for verbal communication when passing if need-be. What bothers me - and probably you - is when a more well used MUP has unreasonably fast riders on it. It happens sometimes with racer wannabees who should be on the road, but fast pedal riders like that are fairly uncommon on MUPs. But it's becoming more and more common by casual e-bike riders who can so easily too fast. Face it, the vast majority of MUP, casual, recreational bike riders go pretty slow, but not ebikes. It's just becoming more of an issue. FWIW, I only use MUPs when I have to and/or when they're pretty much clear of other users, riders, families, walkers, etc. I'm generally on the roads, gravel paths or MTB trails as appropriate.