Originally Posted by Juha

I may well be kicking the crows that ate the maggots that came out of the dead horse, but I don't understand why a MUP is automatically and in itself such a bad thing.

A well designed and maintained MUP is great for commuting. I'd choose one over a street any day. In fact I do, every day. I can understand a roadie not using it for training, but it CAN serve a purpose other than just offering a scenic ride at 8km/h.

The real problem is, it takes a lot of time, effort and resources to plan and build a good network of MUPs. That translates to political will at local level. The momentum needs to be maintained through a series of local government election cycles before results can be seen. If that's too much to ask or too complicated, then IMO use those resources for something else than poorly designed MUPs that will not get the maintenance they need. It can be done whimsically on the cheap (and in that case it shouldn't be done at all), or it can be done properly, as an integral part of city planning. Pick your choice.

Why separate? Our bike lanes have the same intervals as the street they're running next to. I doubt it has any effect on timing either (in downtown areas), as pedestrians are the slowest group and that determines the duration of each light cycle.

--J