Not on ours. We have a right to be there, too.

Of course road bikes moving at fast speeds have a right to be there. The higher speed differential makes them the most likely to be involved in some sort of collision though.

If you're going to ride MUPs for fitness (unfortunately there aren't good alternatives in some urban areas), do it around sunrise before lazy people get up or during the work day when industrious ones are indoors.

Sharing the paths with other denizens you might do better with an "on your left" in tight spaces (still being prepared to slow or stop). With more room it may be most reasonable to give them a wide berth while passing so they're more likely to continue moving straight ahead.

As always, the answer is "it depends." It depends on the MUP, the time of year, the day of the week, the time of day. Most weekday mornings our MUP, the American River Bike Trail, is a bike highway and most of the users are commuting, training, or both. It's a pretty skilled and experienced group. There are a few early morning runners, but they know the drill.

But the same path on a summer Saturday morning is an absolute zoo: young families, marathon training groups, Cat 6 racers, dog walkers. I avoid it at all costs those times.

Agree it depends on the trail. That said, the vast majority of MUPs that I have ridden on are ok for tootling along at 8-12MPH but NOT SAFE for fast riding. The only thing that gets a workout on them are my brakes and my nerves.

YMMV.

We have a gorgeous MUP through Seattle that hugs a lot of coastline and goes by some lovely parks. The most congested part is divided into a bike path and a pedestrian path. They're very clearly labeled bike/foot paths. There are too many people with strollers and dogs on retractable leashes and groups of 10 walking shoulder to shoulder on the bike path. Even the runners use the bike path instead.

And then there's a hilly MUP on the south end with great views and switchbacks, and nobody ever uses it. I take that one every time, have it all to myself and enjoy better scenery than the nearby neighborhood roads.

Here is my bike path, not runners, kids, dogs, ect ect

Around here we have sawdust jogging paths and paved bike paths.

I haven't done much jogging lately, but the sawdust paths are MUCH nicer to jog on. Less knee impact. So, in areas where there are both, the joggers take the sawdust paths. Still walkers may choose paved.

In general that is true.

I am targeting a bikepath Strava KOM. I got it up to 27.7 MPH... and am only #3
I'll have to push it over 30 MPH to get KOM

But... that is only one short, straight, wide section of the path. In general, I'm down in the 10-15 MPH range on the paths. And there are several segments (most of them) that I am not interested in "racing" as I don't consider it the least bit safe.

Is biker #3 riding on the white line? WHY? Passing? A beautiful wide shoulder/path/buffer area, and the rider chooses to hang out on the edge of the road????

I could care less if they move right, left, or if one moves right and the other moves left.

I slow down for pedestrians and other trail users. Notify them of my presence, then pass in the opening they create.

I used to love MUPS when my kids were just learning how to ride a bike.

Depends on how stupid and ignorant the non-bikers are.

Yesterday on the Aurora Bridge (Highway 99) a "Ride the Ducks" bus hit a tour (?) bus and killed four people. The roads can be dangerous too. Just use common sense.

Not the collisions I've seen. Slow moving bikers with little experience are most likely to collide with foot traffic and other bikes. Most (not all) fast moving bikers are experienced and know how to brake and maneuver around issues. An experienced rider can stop a road bike in a very short distance, when needed.

That being said, the MUP is no place for TT training.

The experienced riders will judge a situation before getting to it. And, presumably mostly have control over their bike. Of course, there are young riders who may choose to ride far too fast in the wrong situations.

However, stopping distances increase with speed... non-linearly. So, a rider might be able to stop on a dime at 10 MPH, but it can take 30 or 40 feet at 30 MPH... on a good surface.

This is more or less theoretical for a car, but the idea is the same. The faster you go, the further it takes to stop, and it is non linear.



Physics / Conservation of Energy

There is also reaction time, which this doesn't take into account. Perhaps the experienced riders react a bit quicker (but still not instantaneously).

I will keep my bike under 100 mph on all MUPs. (sorry for the sarcasm, I'm just an a-hole)

30 to 40 feet... that is a very short distance. I have had the opportunity to bring my bike to a stop from speeds over 30 mph (on roads, with cars causing me to stop). It is shocking how little space it takes to stop a bike.

Experience goes way beyond stopping distance or stopping reaction. Other factors, looking up the road (not starring at your front wheel) to identify issues and blind-spots well ahead of time. Also maneuvering, you can steer your bike around an issue, in addition to braking. These are things many inexperienced riders are not doing. And "inexperienced rider" has nothing to do with age, I see far too many inexperienced riders that are baby boomers (old enough to know better)

I expected much more in-fighting when I started this thread, it's refreshing to see that not be the case. I'm not saying MUP's are a bad thing but there can be unexpected dangers on MUP's to the un-initiated and of course it depends on the MUP. I suppose in the grand scheme of things though, a collision with another cyclist or pedestrian will usually have a far better outcome than a collision with a car or truck. If one slows down and just enjoys the people watching on a busy MUP it's still fun. If you want to get somewhere quickly / keep a good pace, the MUPs I've ridden are not the place to do it.

Cyclists are an interesting study in self affirmation, or at least in the determination to believe what you want. Somehow, there's no instance where riding on the road is too dangerous, and we hear about how it's more dangerous to drive in a car or more likely you'll be eaten by a shark or something like that.... yet at the same time MUPs are the most dangerous things on this earth and heaven forbid if you ride on a side walk you're going to get cancer instantly and, by god, you'd have deserved it, too.

Around here, I believe it is just the opposite. But, it all depends on the person, place, and community.

15 MPH... cut through town. If the MUPS go where you want to go, they're the BEST way to go.

I'm not big on riding over 25 MPH on the MUPS, except for a few sections, but there are quite a few places where a vigilant rider could push it up to about 20.

Yeah, if you're out on a training ride, and want to average 25 MPH, then find a good country loop.

One of the things about the good MUPS is they avoid all the stoplights/stopsigns which seem to snag me far too frequently. So, unless I'm pushing it hard enough to hang with the cars, the MUPS are avoid all the waiting at lights, and can save a significant amount of time.

One has the danger to the cyclist, and the danger to everyone else.

I don't worry about getting taken out by a car on a MUP.
But, there is always the risk of wiping out a kid.

The risks can be minimized with using caution around others, curves, and intersections.

Of course, a different kind of caution also helps on the roads.

The two are different, but I see them as complimenting each other. I do welcome streetside bike paths, but they also seem to be glass magnets (not as much with the MUPS).

Feel better now?

Yes (other than my elbows hurting). I think it's hilarious, and a good laugh is always good for you!

Some of the MUPs here are basically poured concrete triple-wide sidewalks; others are asphalt. I don't know which is worse, the raised sidewalk seams (which foil the skateboarders), or the tree root ripples in the asphalt.

Since there are few roads around my house with shoulders and a primo MUP passes our development it's a no brainer. The pedestrians and people with helmet-less children have no brains. I fear the day that a swerving new 5 yr old helmet-less rider crosses my path at 5 mph and I crash and injure them or worse. 6 wide walking on the MUP why not?

My wife and I have Cardo headsets to talk to each other on the trail, it prevents us from needing to ride side by side, so we are able to pass others and minimize the risk to everyone involved.

I also like the walkers that complain about the bikers on the path (we're fat, people don't know we have about 1,000 miles on that MUP this year). They complain about getting yelled at, well heck lady, if you weren't listening to Taylor Swift and paying attention then I wouldn't have to warn you as I go by to grab your unleashed dog.

Complaining about fat people walking six abreast on MUP's with unleashed dogs and un-helmeted 5 yr. olds zig-zagging on bikes demonstrates where in some cases, the side of the road could be considered safer. I haven't seen super deluxe MUP's with separate walking zones in this state but who knows what the future may bring. This state does seem to be sinking a lot of money into MUP's. Some of the MUP's here suddenly end and you are dumped out on a sidewalk. Then the choice is the sidewalk or the road. The cars yell at you if you use the road and the pedestrians yell at you if you use the sidewalk.

Maybe it's a California thing. I spend lots of time up here in Sacramento on the American River bike trail, which is a MUP, but which is pretty close to deserted during the week. Yes, it can get to be a handful in certain areas on a nice weekend, but during the week I can ride a beautiful, car free, sixty miles at 20mph without ever leaving the trail.

Once the California govt. finds some money hidden away somewhere and manages to finish the Santa Ana Trail, I will be able to cycle from Big Bear Lake to Huntington Beach without ever leaving the trail-- just over 100 miles. As it is now, it's ~65 miles long and I have to navigate through beautiful (not beautiful) Norco for a dozen miles or so. And regardless of how many people are on it, I'll take the SART over rural Norco any day of any week.