Mixed MUP
 

A beautiful sunny day with moderate temps and light wind. Perfect for a ride. Except there are patches of ice and slush snow making it all too easy to take a fall. Falls bruise my tender body so a walk it is.

Hadn't been a pedestrian on a MUP is quite awhile. Was just like being on the highway. There were all sorts of folks enjoying the day on this busy MUP:
-The Cyclist who called "On Your Left" is a loud clear voice giving adequate time for people to move. And one did; to the left. But, this cyclist was riding with due regard to conditions so he just went around on the right. NBD.
-The Cyclist who said nothing and wove her way through pedestrians like a needle making a stitch. As she vanished into the distance I thanked my luck she missed me.
-The guy who approached silently from the rear and misjudged distances. He slid to a stop within a foot behind me. As he silently passed I commented "That was close". He ignored me as he narrowly missed another person on two wheels who was going slowly.
-The pedestrian with a dog on a wind up leash. The dog must have been 25' from her. A real pain to everyone. Hard to believe there are that many people with untrained dogs. A danger to all.
-A great number of cyclists who made conversational voice contact way back and chatted as they passed. Everyone responded and got out of their ways with pleasant comments.
-All in all except for the few cyclists who just couldn't bear to slow down to match conditions everyone was having a good time.

I'm going to have to walk more often.

I alternately walk and ride on a local 5-mile dirt/gravel loop near my house. For riding my MTB, I really have to choose my times. It gets way to crowded mid to late morning. But the rules are bikes yield to pedestrians and horses. People walking pets using those retractable leashes are the worst. I sure am going to hate it the first time I break Fido's neck.

Sounds like our MUP nearest the popular parks. Good practice to see how slowly one can bicycle without falling over. Once you get 100 yards past the nearest parking lot it's mostly joggers and cyclists, not many pedestrians with dogs, strollers and toddlers. I know it's popular with the cycling garb riders. I lack the wardrobe for that subculture.

I mostly ride in my own neighborhood and a rural route a few miles away. Wide shoulders, not much vehicle traffic. I see a few cyclists out there too. Only adjustment I've needed was to replace my tires with something more puncture resistant. Lots of goat head burrs, broken glass, nails and screws along the shoulders.

Not a problem with a trike.

Welcome to my MUP. Ice and snow, got studded tires? I find ringing my bike bell combined with a " passing left" gives peds a clear idea of what I'm going to do on my bike.

the MUPs in my area are crushed limestone surfaces. I avoid them like the plague in summer or other times when they're busy.

Something I've noticed about walkers on these MUP (Rail-trails actually) and bicycle bells is that when a walker hears a bicycle bell the walker stops AND LOOKS UP! Seriously. I've even loaned a bicycle bell to other bicyclists so that they can see this phenomena for themselves.

Cheers