crhilton

A 5mph speed limit is a pretty clear indicator that they don't really want bicycles on there. Which might be fine for some of those beach trails.

10mph seems like a pretty low limit, but we have sections of trail where it wouldn't be the worst idea. Unfortunately, during off peak times those stretches are fine for 20mph riding and people take advantage of that. If they put the limit in there would be a lot of riders jumping over to the already overcrowded parallel roadways...

High Roller

In a perfect world, where everyone behaved rationally and respected everyone else, we would need no laws. In the real world, where some people are stupid and selfish, we have laws to protect people from harm.

Agree with what many have said here. If you want to travel faster than jogging speed, get out on the road with the grown-ups.

rnorris

Several miles of my commute are on MUPS. I have nothing against them but plan for them to be the slowest part of my commute each time. Fortunately, much of my riding is after 7PM when they're mostly empty. Even then, ninja joggers and cyclists pop around the corners unexpectedly.

dietrologia

MUPs are intended for everybody and they aren't your personal training space, race track, or bicycle "freeway."

If you can't respect the rules that are designed to help everyone co-exist along MUPs and if a 15 MPH limit cramps your style, you shouldn't be on them.

no motor?

There's one around here I avoid that circles a lake and is popular with walkers, rollerbladers, and geese. It's got an 8mph limit, with no mention of a minimum speed or moving off the path to talk.

chs4

A MUP is basically a sidewalk in the woods.

I can see where something like a rail-trail or really straight MUP can lend itself to a faster pace (when not crowded) but on some of the MUPs I've seen anything above 15mph is just asking for trouble.

Here's a link to the "rules & regs" for a local rail-trail I ride once in a while: Guidelines for Sharing the Path

There are stretches where you can easily push things to 20mph+ if it isn't crowded and folks at least somewhat adhere to the "rules", but at the end of the day I know what to expect and do my best to not be a nuisance to others.

maddyfish

I have no problem with a speed limit 10 15 whatever on these MUPS. The problem is, when cities have must-use laws that the mup must be ridden instead of the road if it rusn parallel to the road. So, in that case, you are required to ride the mup not the road, and ride slow.
My town has a must use law, but luckily we were able to defeat the MUP they were trying to build. So I can still bike 25 instead of 10.

CB HI

Do runners and rollerbladers who exceed the 8 mph get tickets?
In younger days, many of us runners had no problem maintaining 10-11 mph for half an hour.

pletcgm

That is exactly my point. When they initially built these, that was what they had in mind; to keep cyclists off the roads by creating the MUPs all over Nashville and connecting them together.

no motor?

I've never seen anyone get a ticket there, and the rollerbladers appear to be the biggest threat there the few times I've been there.

Commando303

Nothing's wrong with a 15mph speed-limit on most greenways. To those who whine this should be played "by ear," it is, but the problem is, too many people's ears tell them it's OK to pump like crazy and rely on their reflexes to avoid pedestrians and other (non-racing) cyclists, who are to be treated as nuisances or obstacles, in any event. Laws don't work by being written to the effect, "Riders must ride safely. Don't run into people."

Now, these [i]are[i/] bikes we're talking about, and it can be hard to tell what one's actual speed is (it would be moronic to require greenway-using bikers to buy cyclocomputers), but it's reasonable to expect a person knows being in the second to last gear and spinning at 100rpm is exceeding the limit.

On greenways, the bikes are akin to the cars on other streets. We shouldn't frown if laws are imposed to help keep such paths safe for others.

unterhausen

there have been various municipalities that have ticketed cyclists on mups, and my understanding is they don't give any leeway because then there wouldn't be any violators.

noisebeam

That is what I have gathered from reports of such enforcement: That there is no leeway (zero tolerance) and enforcement zones and/or those found to be violators are most often not in locations or individuals causing a safety hazard.

For example they may set up trap at bottom of long gentle hill with great sight lines - easy to get over 15mph, maybe 20mph which is safe for conditions.

I'd rather see enforcement go after reckless users of MUP. Target those passsing at unsafe speeds, speeding around a blind corner, etc.

markus_mudd

I don't mind 15 MPH speed limits on the paths. Many people don't spend much time above that speed anyway. A 5 MPH limit is insane! Why not just ban the bikes. Still, even cruising along at 15 MPH is quicker than the 5 MPH average the cars are doing in some congested areas.

I'd hate to se cyclist rights taken away by stroller pushers, rollerbladers, power walkers, and parents with half a dozen wild young'ens riding erratically on the paths.

Digital_Cowboy

The Pinellas Trail has a speed limit of 20MPH. I have to kind of "laugh" because they put the signs posting the limit at the bottom of some rather step bridges.

Digital_Cowboy

And don't forget dog walkers with those asinine retractable leashes. On the Pinellas Trail there are signs every so often informing dog walkers that their leashes can't be longer then 6'.

Scrabbler

In these parts, once you get away from the busy parks, the greenways are fairly empty except for runners and cyclists who generally know what they are doing and everyone is safe. If you're doing more than 10MPH in the park paths, you'd be considered reckless with all of the dog leashes, strollers, 4yr olds, iPod 'exercisers', and generally clueless public. I avoid Greenways, and use them only as a safer connector/shortcut to get to another road, and I take it easy.

maddyfish

I think most agree that the limits on these MUPs is fine, so long as that is not the only place bikes are permitted to ride. Lots of bike advocates have that in mind- completely separate bike highways. WHile it might sound good, they will quickly devolve into 10 mph MUPS.