As a new cyclist I don't really speak from a lot of experience but my wife and I bought bikes this spring and started riding... a lot.... At first we would load the bikes up on a trunk rack and go to a MUP that looked good in a guide book for bike trails in Michigan. The first few MUP rides were fun but after that I found riding MUP's to be a frustrating and often times dangerous experience. At our initial speed of less than 10mph things worked out o.k but when trying to ride at any speed above that it got dicey. We put bells on the bikes but often times ringing the bell would only alarm a pedestrian and they would often move LEFT instead of right? Skateboarders, baby carriages, wandering pedestrians, children on bikes with training wheels, e-bikes etc. etc. all made the experience a little un-nerving. Lately we've been staying on roads and have far less conflict and can ride faster and put on more miles. The book we read about Michigan's bike paths should be re-named and warnings should be given regarding who can and does use these paths. It's a free for all and not all that bike friendly for anyone doing more than a very casual site seeing ride at less than 10mph. Perhaps the MUP's should be wider with a separate lane just for bikes? The title of this post is a little extreme and in general I think the MUP's are a good idea as they get people outside and moving instead of driving a car but I have learned quickly that riding a MUP isn't a stress free experience and can be outright dangerous.

They're called Multi-Use Paths and are used by people of multiple manners of transport ...

Big park over here has separate paths for bicycles and runners. Guess which path most runners use.

MUP's are dangerous. Stick to the road.

A MUP is basically a giant sidewalk. You can ride a bike there, but if you want to ride a road bike, the road is the right place.

Everything is dangerous; even nothing at all is the most dangerous. Pick your poison.

Probably the bike path because there are too many walkers on the jogging path.

What do I win?

I use a variety of bike paths (MUPS) near me to get from A to B and avoid bad roads, but the behavior of people walking is inscrutable. Walk side by side, elbows akimbo, earbuds in so you can't hear me.... good thinking, ladies. No point in even trying to alert pedestrians half the time, they seem to be deaf.

I do a fair bit of riding on MUPs in Ottawa Ontario, and my experience has been sometimes similar, but it depends on the time and day you are riding. Sunday afternoon is hair raising, but Monday morning is thousands of commuters travelling at a decent speed. However, they are 'multi-use-paths', and bicycles are generally expected to give the right-of-way to other trail users. If I want to ride fast or long distances, I ride on the road.

Agree

Have you rode the Little Traverse Wheelway? People have forgotten it is two-way and often has approaching traffic to the rear.

Most users seem like....users. Of Hallucinogens. I've seen strange stuff in the typical 2 or 3 times a year use between Chx and Ptown.

Nah, the walkers, especially those with dogs, prefer the bike path even better than the joggers.

Most of the local MUPs are pretty decent for getting around, but you really have to be prepared to slow down and pay close attention. I try to assume that children and joggers are going to step out in front of me and I'll generally delay a pass until I can get safely and clearly around. Now it does depend on the time of day - I commute via one and it's fine in the morning. There are a number of other cycling commuters, but I can generally maintain a decent pace pretty safely. Things slow down in the afternoon, and on a sunny Saturday or Sunday it's going to be very slow going!

If anything, fast moving road bikes are probably the most out of place of all the 'MUP' users.

MUPs have their own unique set of dangers relative to roads. You have to adjust your riding to each. I ride a lot on roads -- including city streets while commuting -- as well as greenways. When riding on MUPs, I have a bell on my bike and use it frequently. If I get no reaction from the walker/runner/slower cyclist, I slow down and call out "on your left." MUPs are not the place for fast group rides, time trials and Strava record attempts -- although I will crank up my speed on trails when I can see a good ways ahead and the route is clear. I always keep my hands near the brake levers and watch children and people wearing ear buds like a hawk. The major advantage of MUPs, of course, is that you don't have to worry about cars (unless they cross roads) and that relieves a lot of stress. The greenways in my city and many places are also very scenic places to ride.

On the roads, I put a high emphasis on visibility -- on the theory that most drivers do not want to hit cyclists but often do not notice them. I use multiple head and taillights while commuting, and I wear high viz jerseys, jackets and vests most of the time. I choose my routes to avoid heavily trafficked and narrow roads with no shoulders or bike lanes. I try to be very aware and alert at all times, particularly looking for cars that might pull out or turn in front of me. I've been road cycling for 40+ years and I've never been hit by a car, but I have avoided a few potential hits through vigilance.

No but we did ride the heritage trail at sleeping bear dunes and we're still recovering from it. We won't do THAT again on a weekend

Driving your car at 60mph through a residential neighborhood is also a stressful experience for everyone involved. The same patience and self-control that drivers should exercise when sharing streets with other users, is what cyclists should exercise when sharing MUPs with old people, people with strollers or walking dogs, small children weaving back and forth on their bikes, etc. It's great that MUPs are a kind of free-for-all.

I hope they have those 30 foot long retractable leashes or better yet, let Fido run around off the leash. Nothing like a good dog chase to get the HR up!

Depends on the path... we have some around me that are 40+ miles long and pretty sparsely populated for a lot of the distance. you still have to give way to pedestrians and horses. Speaking of horses, why do people expect others to pick up after their dog but it's OK if a horse lets fly wherever he feels like it?

+ eleventy billion.

Good point. If there is no one feel free to dial it up to 400W.

I've seen some of the horses around here wearing some sort of bag to catch their ****.

In my limited experience, the worst users are the runners pushing double baby carriages. I've seen a couple of these and they were both running toward traffic in the bike lane with a 3 foot wide double baby carriage. A runner/walker is correct to go against traffic, but you add that baby carriage and you have a moving hazard that is difficult to avoid. They should move in the direction of traffic since they can't just step to the side to avoid a collision.

I'm starting to think MUPs are different outside Southern California. This is what I ride on, the Santa Ana River Trail-- this picture is of a section just north of Anaheim. If my roads were in better shape than this, I would stick to them exclusively. I average right at 19mph on the trail, no problem. 99% of the non-wheeled occupants stick to the dirt shoulder anyway.

Horses, HAH!.. we ferried over to Mackinac island where no cars are allowed period. It's all bikes and horses. The majority of the days riding was spent dodging horse poop. We got good at it fast, a must unless you have fenders.

those babies grow up to pay into your Social Security retirement Fund so you can get paid.

That just looks like a road.

I ride roads and MUPs, depending on where I'm going and who I'm with. However, Minneapolis has some of the best MUPs in the US, and with so much bike traffic, everybody understands the rules of the MUP.

Here's the Cedar Trail (best in class), one lane for eastbound bikes (Lisa is on this lane), to the left you see a rider on the westbound bike lane, and hard to see in the distance on the right is the trail for foot traffic in both directions:



Here is the Midtown Greenway, picture of the yeti at the Winter Bike Expo. You'll see three stripped lanes, eastbound bikes, westbound bikes, and foot traffic.



Here is the typical MUP in town, mixed use eastbound and westbound:



edit - after thought, I've been biking long enough to remember when people around here would piss themselves when you sounded a bell or announced "passing". This almost never happens any more, the typical response to sounding your bell is a person on foot will lift their left hand to signal that they heard you, I will normally say 'thank you' as I pass. People do get used to it, it just takes time and respect.