I don't think they ever clean leaves around here.

First it's acorn season, then walnut season, now leaf season, soon snow season.

All the more reason to stay off the MUP.

I'm talking about the road.

Until recently I had never seen an MUP, they are scarce around here. However at my new work building there are about 4 miles that I'm using. Though normally I'm hard cord "just use the road" on the last 2 miles of my 25 mile route, I'm going to use the MUP if I can. There's never anybody on it, and the road there is horrendous. I'm used to no shoulders and kind of rough road, but on that particular stretch for some reason, everyone has their face buried in their phones and I see a lot of people not staying in their lanes very well. It's a 45 MPH road which also normally doesn't bother me (almost all of my commute is on 50+ MPH roads) but combined with driver distraction it does concern me.

The MUP I used last week was through the Don Valley, which is surrounded by trees, so you can imagine the leaves on it. Snow doesn't get cleared in the winter, so it's mostly impassable. The streets, on the other hand, are quite clear.

Need to add a 4th sound. Logging truck Jake brake

How MUPs work. Cyclists need to accept that a MUP is, by definition(name), not a bike path.

Cyclists yield to all.
Roller bladers yield to the below.
Runners yield to the below.
Walkers yiled to the below.
Families with small children yield to the below.
Equestrian trail riders.

See how that goes? Cyclists yield to all as they are the fastest and can cause the most harm.

You are absolutely correct. If cyclists feel the MUP is too constrictive, then they can ride on the road, which is what many members here choose to do. As a slower cyclist, I enjoy riding the MUPs, and I yield to other users.

+1 to the 2 above.

I guess I have to get my rant on. Riding on the MUP, I come upon a dog walker where the dog is not on leash. I slowed. The dog turned in toward me. I slowed more. The owner said, "don't worry, she isn't aggressive." The dog ran ahead of me and as I accelerated the dog turned again right into me causing me to quickly stop and nearly fall over.
I got going again, and yelled back at the owner, "dogs aren't allowed to be off leash on the trail."

She yelled back, "F-U." I turned around and asked, "What did you say?" She said, "You heard me!"

She yelled at me to "move to California where my type belong."

I said, "the rules of the MUP are posted at the trail head 200 yards away... go read them."

She insisted that there was nothing wrong with what she was doing as she got her dog back on the leash. I questioned her, "If there is nothing wrong with it, why are you carrying a leash and why are you putting the dog back on the leash?"

People know they are in the wrong, something happens, and they turn around are belligerent and rude to everyone else that actually follow the rules. Maybe it's time to stay off this MUP. It's beautiful but it seems to attract an unstable crowd. Last year, a cyclist was threatened by a knife wielding maniac. Last week a man was attacked with a machete. Lots of homeless live along the MUP that are trashing the area. A great community asset is turning into a liability.

I ring My Bell and the dog walkers move to the side of the MUP, single file, if walking side by side . and pull their leashed dog Back..

I'm Not trying to go quickly on the riverwalk, Our MUP.

I encounter this kind of stuff more often as a runner. And yeah, I've been referred as 'your kind' as well.

Whenever I venture onto an MUP I always ask myself, is it worth the hassle of having to deal with all these walkers who walk four-abreast, dog walkers who never think that their pets are aggressive, runners who are oblivious to their surroundings because they've got earbuds stuffed so deep in their ears with music blasting. Either that or deal with traffic.

I got around the dog walker without incident... but since the dog wasn't on leash...

The dog was fine, was not aggressive... I can't say the same about the owner. I don't blame the dog at all.

As a Californian I'm wondering exactly what this means and whether I should be offended or flattered.

Apparently nowhere near as wide as the ones you ride on.

Hardly. But when you have people who who are completely oblivious to their surrounding they become the hazard.

Considering the tone she used I don't think she meant it as a compliment, but since I was obviously confused, I went ahead and took it as a compliment.

Just be happy that the dog walker was not also pushing a stoller with 5 grocery bags hanging off it, and while talking on a mobile phone at the same time....