Originally Posted by
mandovoodoo
[...]
None of the MUPs I've been on is at all suited for riding at my typical speeds, even if assured that no other traffic is present and that I could blow all the stops etc. They're tiny. Even compared to the smallest county road.
That's unfortunate. I've seen quite a few MUPs like that myself, but it doesn't have to be that way. Here in Denver we've had a very useful MUP (or three) in place for decades. There are no stops. It's not tiny -- about 15 feet wide. Used by scores of commuters, it is also used by recreational riders, and pedestrians, and even some homeless people, yet usually allows cyclists to ride about as fast as the wind will let them. Because there are no street intersections -- no red lights or stops -- a rider on the MUP can travel much faster than would be possible using the streets. It's not perfect, but it certainly is useful. It only takes one such path to make a real difference for a community's cyclists. Any negative repercussions that have come about as a result of Denver's MUPs have not been detectable or significant beside the obvious benefits.
Robert