an unfortunate incident

[Irulan]

What ever happened to training a dog to walk at heel on a fixed length leash? I swear it's a rare sight when you see a human taking a properly trained dog ( slack leash, heel) for a walk.

[ny biker]

NO!!! On pedestrian thoroughfares INCLUDING ALL SIDEWALKS cyclists must dismount and walk. This is a HUGE pet peeve of mine.

Now, I won't deny the rare instance of cheating when there are NO pedestrians on the sidewalk. But as soon as I see someone on foot coming the opposite direction, I dismount to pass them. Early enough that they don't have to adjust their pace and wonder whether I'm going to. No exceptions. Bikes don't belong in pedestrian lanes.

This is not true where I live. There is a specific area in downtown DC where bicycles are not allowed on sidewalks. Elsewhere in DC cyclists are allowed to ride on sidewalks. They are supposed to yield to pedestrians but they don't have to dismount. Same in Virginia and Maryland - some localities might have similar no-bike areas to DC's, but in general cyclists are allowed to ride on sidewalks. However the safety of riding on sidewalks is debatable.

As for the OP, I'm finding more and more that riding on multi-use trails is more dangerous and frustrating than riding on the road. Between the people who are just plain not paying attention and the ones who are downright cranky and mean, it can be pretty stressful. I wish I knew the solution.

[JaneE]

I've had just about exactly the same experience on one of our local, well-used MUPs. This despite signs all over the place *reminding* people that it is a MUP and to keep right at all times, control your dog, etc. I don't understand what's so difficult to comprehend about "keep right; pass left only."

More often than not, too, when I've approached walkers or in-line skaters and announce (in as nice a non-startling tone as possible) "on your left" the people actually move to their left...right in front of me.

People can be funny (but not ha-ha funny ).

[dachshund]

Well I'm glad everyone was OK. Sheesh.

In my last "muffy" experience, a woman had four dogs on retractable leashes. I just stopped and waited. By the look on her face, she could have been juggling cats. What a sight. What a way to not control any of your pets.

A prior "muffy" was someone with a bunch of little dogs on leashes. I slowly crawled by and noticed that one of the dogs was running free. This little guy wouldn't get out of my line, and meanwhile one of the leashed dogs started growling and bearing its teeth. I thought, please let me out of this before Killer starts chewing my ankles.

(Apologies to anyone with pets named Muffy.)

[gnat23]

...I've approached walkers or in-line skaters and announce (in as nice a non-startling tone as possible) "on your left" the people actually move to their left...right in front of me.

I changed my phrase to "CYCLIST on your left" and that seems to help a bit.

I've been really annoyed with dog owners on the path who just let the little buggers run around without ANY control. I've yelled at some "Training or a leash, I don't care which, but USE ONE."

-- gnat! (There is the one guy whose dog is so well trained that he can tell it to sit from hundreds of yards away, and the pooch goes off the path and plops his butt down perfectly until I've gone by... this guy and dog gets my respect)

[7rider]

...so based on his logic, I suppose that there's no jogging allowed either?

I agree. That guy's comment was one of the stupider (is that a word???) things I've read (other than perhaps "stupider"). Besides...he wasn't walking. He was standing....and creating an obstacle with his dog, who also isn't walking.

[7rider]

This is not true where I live. There is a specific area in downtown DC where bicycles are not allowed on sidewalks. Elsewhere in DC cyclists are allowed to ride on sidewalks. They are supposed to yield to pedestrians but they don't have to dismount. Same in Virginia and Maryland - some localities might have similar no-bike areas to DC's, but in general cyclists are allowed to ride on sidewalks. However the safety of riding on sidewalks is debatable.

As for the OP, I'm finding more and more that riding on multi-use trails is more dangerous and frustrating than riding on the road. Between the people who are just plain not paying attention and the ones who are downright cranky and mean, it can be pretty stressful. I wish I knew the solution.

+ 1 from a Marylander....

[beccaB]

I'm probably preaching to the Choir here, but ever since I saw a dog come after me and get hit by a car, I tell people who are in their yard when their dog chases me, how dangerous it is and what happened to me. I'm actually amazed that I've only seen it happen once, as much as people don't control their dogs.

[Thorn]

Gee, how spoiled am I? The MUP I use a lot has a mix of fast and slow cyclists, runners, joggers, walkers, skaters and dogs. All of the dog owners are amazing. Some have very obedient dogs that are right next to them on the grass, others pull their dogs over and practice "sit" and, like gnat's, one or two have the right tone of whistle. One whistle and plop that doggie sits--very cool to watch.

Of course, this trail also has well-behaved bikes, too. Rarely do you get a pair that won't single file when passed or when there is oncoming traffic. Parents actually teach their kids to ride to the right.

I won't, however, get started on ipods with the volume cranked.....

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

What ever happened to training a dog to walk at heel on a fixed length leash? I swear it's a rare sight when you see a human taking a properly trained dog ( slack leash, heel) for a walk.

Trying to remember the last time I saw a child in a restaurant that wasn't running all over the place too.

[sfa]

Trying to remember the last time I saw a child in a restaurant that wasn't running all over the place too.

They're there. You just don't notice them because they're sitting and behaving themselves. As with most things, it's the loud and ill-behaved that get the most attention. Same as drivers who think they never see cyclists to follow the rules of the road--it's only that they notice the ones who don't.

Sarah

[shootingstar]

-- gnat! (There is the one guy whose dog is so well trained that he can tell it to sit from hundreds of yards away, and the pooch goes off the path and plops his butt down perfectly until I've gone by... this guy and dog gets my respect)

To match your example of a positively well-trained dog, I was cycling to get onto a multi-use path from road. At the corner, a walking dog-owner yelled at her dog (on leash): "BIKE".

And the dog stopped and moved over aside to let me through.

Something so rare as that, deserves a videotaping for the record!

[shootingstar]

Where I live I can't totally ignore multi-use paths sine it sometimes involves going on one for less than 1 kms. to switch onto a road route.

We live in a high rise building amongst a forest of more high rise buildings with some pleasant green space areas with ...several paths for pedestrians and walkers.

And in this highrise density area (not that horrible, believe me. Touted as an example within international urban planner designers as an example of livable, walkable and bikeable neighbourhood) ...there are ALOT of dog owners/walkers. Must be dog cabin fever that brings them and owners out too.

Visiting cyclists to our area would be amazed by the number of dogs prancing through our area.

HMMM...one day a dog count on the path might be worthwhile..

Quite scary to me as a cyclist are inexperienced roller-bladers. ANy area with alot of tourists renting roller-bladers and bikes can add to the chaos on MUPs.

Certainly the MUPS in Stanley Park and Coal Harbour Area, are scary during day because there are alot of tourists/inexperienced roller-bladers wobbling along.

I do use the entire length of MUPs in our area....very early in the morning. Or during colder seasons. Very pleasant when no one is around and rolling by the waterfront on bike.

Right now there is a MUP that runs through the Olympic athletes village that's being built for 2010. It's fine now but one wonders after construction what will happen.

[OakLeaf]

to follow up...

I've read that anything over a 15% differential in highway speed is dangerous. I've always assumed that's why the de facto speed limit is 63 when it's marked 55, 75 in a marked 65, etc.

MUPs expect people to interact safely with a speed differential of 1000% or more. That's crazy. Even on country roads, cars are rarely going more than 4-5 times the speed of bicyclists.


And... my dogs are gone now, but we used retractable leashes without incident. The key is paying attention. If you reel your dog in long before another person approaches, or ahead of a blind curve, then there's not a problem. Unfortunately, it seems that paying attention is a lost art

[ilima]

Those retractable leashes are a menace. Maybe you could speak to someone in your town and ask that they be banned from the trail. Their invisibleness and the fact that the dog can get many feet from its owner is a big problem.