Originally Posted by o-dog

we have a network of similar paths in my area. most of them are a beautiful, scenic recreational ride, and I actually use them for this purpose a lot, but here are the problems with them:

1. lack of maintenance. lots of root bumps and other crap like that. plus for some reason the bridge crossings were designed with a huge bump at either side. this is a definite barrier to any kind of decent speed. our useless public works department chafes at maintaining the ROADS here, I am not expecting them to touch the bike paths anytime soon.

2. crime. one of the paths has become a notorious gang haunt, and none of them are usable after dark, especially given the fact that they are "closed" and therefore not patrolled after the sun goes down. my area is too crime-ridden for a secluded bike path in the woods (which is essentially what all of these paths are) to be usable to all.

3. the paths are narrow and winding, and filled with other users during peak hours. this is also another barrier to their use for commuting at any kind of decent pace. MNCPPC's brochures on the trail network even say "cyclists wishing to commute at over 12 miles per hour should find alternate routes"