Why cyclists avoid pathways | Multiuse pathways debunked |

[@dougwedel9484]

Lighting. They need to be lit up at night.

[@3of11]

Ours are technically CLOSED at night.

[@Lunavii_Cellest]

Here in the netherlands a lot of cycle paths and walking paths have sensors to see when someone is there, if there is no one they turn of

[@andyc9902]

No... Use headlights

[@keisreeman]

No. They don't. Get headlights.

[@dougwedel9484]

Cars have headlights but streets are lit with lamp posts anyway. Light up trails and they will be more popular.

[@jeffmcilroy7081]

The big reason I don’t use pathways is because of walkers, so many people walking take up the entire path.. I’m constantly dinging my bell and some people think that’s rude of me, like I’m honking a horn at them. Plus most of them have earbuds in and don’t hear my bell anyway so I scare them on the way by. I’ve been yelled at by way more walkers than motorists

[@rcranes2227]

Agree with this. Even if they're not blocking the way, the fact that they're wearing earbuds and can't hear me when I warn them, makes me nervous. So I slow down when overtaking walkers and runners. The result is, it takes me longer to use the route with the cycle path than being able to go full speed on the bike lane. Another thing, people walking dogs on 15 foot leashes, and people with little kids. They both have a tendency to dart out in front of you and not be aware of what might be coming up behind them. I don't want to run them over, so I slow down a lot for them too. The end result is that the multi-use paths are great for a leisurely ride with the family, but are not great for commuting if you want to travel at consistently higher speeds. I think more than 10mph on a multi use path is inconsiderate and dangerous, and so I've cut them out of my commute with the exception of a small section that gets me across a highway.

[@MsScowling]

Yes! This is also a huge problem with dogs/small kids - it's often difficult to pass them either because they are oblivious and all over the path, or you're unsure whether they're going to randomly dart out.

[@MultiCose]

I just yell share the trail bad manners. There are joggers, bikes and other people walking!

[@SethCX5]

ELECTRIC CAR HORN

[@cdgonepotatoes4219]

Is it taboo to say "pedestrians"? Know it has multiple meanings but I don't think with context anyone would be offended for being called a pedestrian.

[@TravisYouman]

tl:dw - Cyclists use the most appropriate route for their journey, just like cars use the most appropriate roads for theirs. Cyclists will avoid a path because it doesn't go where they are trying to get to, the other users are going too slow, it's unsafe, closed, etc. May as well ask why motorists don't use side streets when there's an arterial roadway that they can use.

[@johngorman7729]

I really wish we could get to Dutch standards of riding.

[@KandiKlover]

Those are low standards that suck.

[@yemmohater2796]

@@KandiKlover Even if that's the case it's still leagues ahead of the US and Canada

[@katharinasei.1807]

You can, first you change your standards for building transportation networks, get rid of the stroad than you wait 30 years for old stroads get replaced by streets and roads and highways. Done. It's not rocked since, I does not costs a lot of money either. You just replace old infrastructure when it needs replacement and build a better infrastructure. The basis for this just just changing the rules for how this infrastructure gets build.

[@CommissionerManu]

@@KandiKlover they suck compared to what though? I honestly want to know where in the world is doing it better than them

[@lidge1994]

@@CommissionerManu You really think they have anything to offer to the topic besides disagreement?

[@Eeeusers]

It's also worth mentioning that there's the 20km/h (12 miles/h) speed limit on pathways. And there's 400CAD fine for speeding (going over 10 km above the limit) in Calgary. Which makes pathways less usable for bike commutes.

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Great point. These new fines feel very disproportionate, and I can imagine them encourage cyclists back onto the roads.

[@amyworley6221]

i never knew this, that is so sad!

[@kurtkarbide]

$400 fine?! Driving over 10km/hr isn't even a $400 fine

[@aidanmattson681]

Eeeusers you guys get fined for speeding on a bike? Remind me to never use one of your bike paths.

[@tonyk8368]

That's insane. 12 mph is an appropriate speed only for going against a headwind or up a hill.

[@luisa219JB]

I love how security is not a concern in Canada, here in Colombia it's a major problem and those pathways are the perfect place to get robbed.

[@idromano]

Same here in Brazil (maybe not in smaller and safer towns).

[@sephirothjc]

Peru here, same thing, it's probably like that in most of Latin America

[@doriandouma]

it's so true, your compliments and criticisms, exactly my experience here in Toronto as well... it's one of those catch-22s: they're recreational, but the municipality will pretend it's transportation, but not in a way that makes it usable as transportation, and then the anticycling crowd gets to pretend cycling just isn't popular

[@BenDurham]

North York/Toronto here - agreed!

[@boldvankaalen3896]

4:10: In the Netherlands there would be a concrete wall between the cycle path and the water, keeping the cycle path dry. There are even paths that are permanently lower than the water level in the waterway directly next to it.

[@RobMacKendrick]

Well, yeah. Walling out water is kind of your national sport, eh?

[@donder91]

@@RobMacKendrick true ;) Mexico keeps sending their water to us, but we build higher and higher walls to stop it! (this is actually true google Gulf Stream)

[@keisreeman]

Bike paths often force bikers to compete with pedestrians, the worst being those with dogs on a 20 foot leash. The speed limit is often 10 mph. Thanks for limiting me to barely more than running speed. Then the need to go up and down curbs every 500 feet. Cars coming from parking lots aren't looking for you because you are not in a regular automobile lane. Then the path changes lanes all the time so you constantly need to search for the correct place to ride. I completely agree with this video. I'm from Minneapolis and honestly, as bike friendly as it is, I think most people resent bicyclists.

[@smitajky]

One reason why I can't use them is in our country they have a 10 km/hr limit. As a fraction of my normal riding speed this is like putting a 30km/hr speed limit on the M1. And if you exceed that? Well a car doing 120 km/hr in a 100 zone gets a 300 dollar fine. A bike doing 20 km/hr on a shared pathway is given a $1600 fine. Some of the shared pathways contain chicanes that are difficult or impossible to navigate. They are only suitable for mum dad and the kids at walking pace.

[@enjoyslearningandtravel7957]

What country is this? It has such a low speed limit for a bicycle and such high fines?

[@Kevin15047]

10 km an hour? I could do twice that easy on my freaking omafiets.

[@tiaxanderson9725]

We have these in the Netherlands too, often when the main route takes you through a park or something. The difference is, that they're designed to be part of the main cycling and walking networks and basically help you to get where you want to go. For instance, I used to live in Amsterdam North and to get to work in the Sloterdijk neighbourhood I could take the bus and train, or I could cycle to one of the free (at least for pedestrians and cyclists) ferries and cut through Westerpark. The main pathway is super wide and almost straight. After cutting through it I'd be dumped on separated bicycle lanes until I finally have to make a real turn not 250 meters from the office (of course, even turning kept me on separated lanes which take me literally to the bike shed build into the office building).

[@chrisguevara4476]

Totally agree with you. Wished you have mentioned the failure of cities to clear snow from these paths or the failure to clear snow from them in a timely manner. I live in Des Moines. Iowa, and we have a wonder network but all the same issues as you have. Flooding is a major issue for us.

[@rokulus7910]

Another problem with multi use paths the way that they're generally designed in Canada is intersections. They're where proper protected cycling infrastructure is needed the most yet there's very little thought given to designing them with safe cycling in mind. Cyclists are often expected to get off and walk across the intersection, which defeats the purpose of cycling in the first place. Dutch style protected intersections are slowly starting to appear in Canada but they're extremely rare.

[@MsScowling]

Also, (as both a cyclist and driver) motorists get angry if you don't dismount, but I would like to see how they would react if we asked them to randomly exit their car in certain areas. Ridiculous.

[@fearsomefawkes6724]

On the safety note, they're often unlit and isolated. Which means a lot of folk don't feel safe using them after dark. The nice trees block line of sight, so you don't know if someone is there. And if something happens, you're to far away from anything else for people to hear you if you call for help.

[@MsScowling]

I was waiting for this point to be brought up in the video as well. People who don't bike think bike infrastructure only needs to work at 2pm on a perfect summer day. In a real biking city, it would be safe to bike at any time of day or night, just as it is to drive your car. There's no way you would catch me biking through a park after dark.

[@leathandris6734]

Over estimated how long my planed ride was. Light battery died, was able to get enough charge from a street light i stopped over to use it for the really darks spots. If I diden't I would have never noticed the downed tree across the path, untill I hit it.

[@qolspony]

@@MsScowling Unfortunately, the pathway is generally less used by pedestrians at night.

[@barvdw]

Agreed. It's not just safety, but also the perception of safety that matters. Especially to women, who will almost instinctively avoid lonesome trails after dark. Even when they're lit... Chances for something to happen may be slim, but it's an understandable reaction...

[@JustaGuy_Gaming]

It doesn't even have to be super late at night, in my area in the winter it gets dark at like 4pm. Which is basically the time most people be commuting back from work/school. And yes these kinds of paths are just asking to get mugged or worse. It's also super easy to just put a broom or something across a bike path and catch a cyclist going by for a mugger.

[@KellyS_77]

It’s wonderful to have options :). I have two routes I can choose to get to the grocery store and back. One is surface streets, the other is a multi-use pathway. On the weekends the pathway is very busy with pedestrians, joggers, and kids riding bikes. On those days I take the streets, because I’m ok with riding with traffic of the vehicular kind, but more worried about accidents with pedestrians, dogs or small kids. The multi-use path is also at an incline, so sometimes if I’m feeling lazy I’ll ride the path “downhill” to the store and then take the level surface streets back instead of cycling uphill with 40 or 50 lbs of groceries (I ride a cargo bike).

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Great points -- I often have multiple routes that I use in different situations.

[@merendell]

My bigest gripe about MU pathways is there is always some group of 5-6 people all walking side by side takeing up 90% of the path. I normaly come up on at least 3-4 of these groups from behind every time and I have to slow down to nearly walking speed ringing my bell till they move over enough to pass. Second bigest is the dog walkers who walk on one side of the path and let their dog wander over to the other side with that wonderful tripwire between them (also called a leash). I hope whoever came up with those extending reel leashes is cursed to stub their toe every time someone clips one on to their pet.

[@alexengland-shinemercy]

I think this is a thing that can be fixed by culture and familiarisation. I live in Germany and we have loads of MU pathways, with all these problems, but because cycling is a common form of personal transport most dog-walkers respond to the bell-dings by looking to their dog and making sure they're both on the same side of the path. Likewise (most of) the groups of pedestrians. I have no solution for the headphone people though.

[@Guessmynameification]

Just need an eardrum-shattering freehub to sonic blast em out of the way

[@InventorZahran]

@@Guessmynameification I've heard some BMX freewheels that are very loud!

[@barvdw]

@@Guessmynameification I'm a cyclist, and you'd get my lock in your face if you blew a horn at me. If you want to scare people, don't be surprised if people react to that threat. EDIT: I misunderstood freehub. I do not intend to use violence on someone with a defective bike.

[@Guessmynameification]

@@barvdw am also a cyclist who’s found that coasting with a loud freehub (or freewheel, the tick tick tick sound my rear wheel makes) often works as well as a bike bell to alert pedestrians I’m about to pass

[@scotthalland]

A couple additional points. Paths are... - often unlit. - often more vertical. - not cleared of snow (at least not quickly), or simply closed in winter.

[@OneLessCar]

Once you do get used to riding on the road you realize it's not as dangerous as it looks or first seems. Especially if you are assertive with your position. Recreational paths/shared use paths are really frustrating on busy routes, pedestrians and cyclists riding for transport do not mix well. I'm pretty shocked that a speed limit could be enforced on a vehicle that doesn't have an odometer I would love to see this challenged in court. Using these paths to try to get across Calgary when I cycled across Canada I got lost numerous times when there was a gap between the bits of the path.

[@KandiKlover]

No it definitely is as dangerous as it seems. You just become complacent and delude yourself into thinking so and since a good portion of people don’t win that accident lottery and get hit they continue to believe fantasy.

[@Ifindoubt_flatout]

@Kandi Klover You are not wrong when you say that we are just getting used to it, but I would say it depends on the road. Of you have a road that is 30km/h anyway, or mostly congested and therefore has a slow flowing traffic as well, then you can pretty much keep up with the cars, which in my experience leads to being seen as an actual part of traffic and respected as such. The problems occur when you are on a fast street or going uphill, etc. Anything that widens the velocity delta between you and the cars and forces them to overtake.

[@michaelstanton297]

"It's not as dangerous as it looks .... especially if you assert your position". Good luck with that - I'm sure that huge B double that didn't notice you being assertive will react predictably lol

[@OneLessCar]

@@michaelstanton297 if you don't assert yourself you will get close passed regularly. Taking the lane at pinch points and when you don't want a car to pass means YOU make the decision no the driver behind you, many of which are pretty bad at judging when it's appropriate to pass. Once I learned this cycling in London became much more pleasant. Riding too close to the curb means you have no wiggle room and drivers will think there's room to SQUEEZE past which is really uncomfortable.

[@OneLessCar]

@@KandiKlover you do get desensitised yes but riding assertively reduces close passes quite a bit. I commuted in London for years and it took me about 5 months to learn to be more assertive rather than let drivers think they could squeeze past and it made a big difference. Also statistically cycling is safe, so it really isn't as dangerous as it looks to be.

[@amyworley6221]

my dad is visually challenged but LOVES cycling. his eyes have gotten worse and worse so he no longer rides, but one thing that gave him troubles was those little poles at the edges of the pathways. in my town, they are a yellow color up against a beige gravel path, meaning they are virtually invisible to him.

[@tompaah7503]

Cyclists and pedestrians share little in common other than they both are non-cars. In a car-centric society it's kind of logical to bundle them up on a shared pathway. From another perspecitve, it's as logical as to make high-speed trains share the highways with cars; it sounds like a stupid idea since it wouldn't end well for either cars or the trains, but nonetheless this is exactly waht is being done when mixing pedestrians and cyclists. Two different sort of traffic.

[@TimpBizkit]

More like cyclists and sport motorcycles

[@BartAnderson_writer]

Good points. For me, the biggest challenge is pedestrians. You need to be alert and I don't like making them feel nervous. Still multi-use paths are a great boon.

[@JustaGuy_Gaming]

Yeah popular area's can have large groups, which are hard to get around on the more narrow paths. The more "scenic" routes tend to have a lot of blind turns where bushes or tree's block the line of sight and can easily lead to you turning a corner into a group of Pedestrians. Basically you either risk hitting some one, or have to ride very slowly while on the path.

[@dougwedel9484]

The pathways need to be cleared of snow in winter. It's like the city waits for demand to build up before they do any changes in their priorities for routes. A city needs to be prepared with a proactive plan that actually works, to encourage cycling and year round cycling. The alternative is for an activist group (or more) to do this planning and oversee their activities.

[@Galactipod]

No demand means no snow clearing means no demand means no snow clearing...

[@dougwedel9484]

@@Galactipod yes, the vicious cycle of a trail not getting used doesn't get serviced. But the trails are serviceable in summer. That's the time to demonstrate the demand. There is a lot of weather which might be considered winter weather where the trail is still passable. It sure is not easy getting this established but that would be how to get it done.

[@tomlais5336]

Thanks!

[@Shifter_Cycling]

I'm so grateful for the support. Thank you very much!

[@Liphuysen]

I'd also add that pathways tend to be much hillier than roadways which can be an additional deterrent.

[@hahamasala]

That's interesting because here in Minneapolis, the roads are usually steeper than the paths next to them.

[@KandiKlover]

@@hahamasala yeah it’s actually the reverse. Pathways generally are actually a lot less hilly than roads.

[@austingriffith3598]

@@KandiKlover ours were all constructed from retired railway lines so they’re definitely generally flat where I am

[@bearcubdaycare]

Yes, I've seen that a number of places. The highway is nicely graded, cutting through ridges and filling low areas, while the adjacent pathway goes up and down over everything...like the pathway that I cycled today. Alternatively, of course, rails to trails can be quite flat (though sometimes they go up and down because the railbed was too narrow to actually put the trail there, so just the right of way was used, or the bridges weren't deemed safe, so down into every drainage and back up), likewise pathways in riverside parks. It's a bit of a mixed bag. But the design mentality seems to be to spend freely to moderate slopes (and bends) for cars, on anything above a residential street (and even many of those), but no such bounds on a pathway. Given the recreational mindset, that's a bit understandable, but Calgary did have a lot of bicycle commuters when I lived there, many using the multiuser pathways.

[@Lathaire]

The problem in my city is that bike infrastructure outside of the main pathways is nonexistent. Like most roads surrounding the pathways have little to no bike lanes and people always drive around 50 mph (nearly 100kmh) on main roads. So you’re essentially forced onto the sidewalk most times or to the gutter if there’s no sidewalk.

[@simonkraemer3725]

Where I‘m from (Berlin), the cycling network kind of connects such paths with sidestreets and bike paths. I personally like to use these paths because they are way less stressful than cycling next to a road. The problem with these are in my experience: - usually they aren’t directly; this kind of wears off the further my destination is away, and then I also accept a more comfortable route when I don’t have to be stressed about traffic. - there are many more turns and detours than on the main roads, which is annoying and slow - some of them are very crowded with pedestrians and this isn’t very comfy - they aren‘t sometimes well maintained and the asphalt isn’t in a good shape - there aren‘t enough to exclusively go to every point in the city I think such paths make very well main cycling network, but solely relying on them brings you nowhere. Main roads need protected bike infrastructure, but you also need such paths to ensure a comfortable and unstressed experience. In my city they built 100km cycle highways, they are just for bikes and very directly. This is very good, but it’s like with a highway: if there aren’t any roads that connect to them, they are useless.

[@tearlach61]

Interesting. Commuter cyclist here and my route to work has paths parallel to my route for a 50% of the way to work but I still opt for the shoulder except where there is no shoulder. A number of reasons for this. One is that the path is well offset from the road which means cars on side-streets cross the path before stopping and waiting to get onto the main road. You have to ride substantially slower just to be able to stop in time for the cars popping out of nowhere from sidestreets. Pedestrians, especially those with dogs on long leashes are also an issue. Also for certain stretches, the path is only on side side, which makes the issue of cars popping out from side-streets even worse because they are looking in the opposite direction from where you are.

[@IlyaBasin]

Safe covered parking where I would be comfortable leaving an expensive bike. Many time, I will drive instead of ride to a grocery store, drug store, or to get a haircut because there is no safe place to leave my bike.

[@5mattcolour]

My town (in the UK) was designed and built in the 1960s/70s when I believe multi-use pathways were all the rage. Subsequently it’s absolutely covered in them. They’re amazing. The only issue they have is not being maintained as critical transport infrastructure, the vegetation alongside the path rarely gets cut back in the summers so can narrow the paths at areas, surface repairs take months to get done, and they’re only ever ploughed or gritted in winter if they happen to run parallel to a main road.

[@bearcubdaycare]

Yeah, I saw a bit of that when I lived in the UK. Also poles in the middle of a cycle path (holding a sign for an adjacent road). My current tiny mountain city has gone to plowing pathways, not just roads.

[@InventorZahran]

Multi-use paths are yet another symptom of North American planners' view of cycling as a sport rather than a transportation mode: they literally lump cyclists together with other forms of athletic mobility (skating, skateboarding, running, and recreational walking) and make them all use the same path, even though these various travelers cannot safely share a right-of-way without making some inconvenient compromises.

[@jeffreylee5770]

That is a great point about pathways being shut without any detours or warnings or timely repairs. When I ride to work, there are sometimes obstructions due to construction, trail damage after a storm, or river flooding etc. and there are no detours.

[@frankhooper7871]

"Hold on - there's a duck" - LOL; are ducks that unusual to see?

[@xcrack6364]

We have a very lengthy pathway along the oklahoma city river. I absolutely love using the pathway. Provides me a good mix of straight road and small hills. Plus I can just casually ride and enjoy the scenery, and being able to easily stop and take pictures. Good video as all these things definitely do happen. Thank you.

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Sounds like a great place to ride.

[@theepimountainbiker6551]

I love the multiuse pathways here in Sudbury (Ontario) mountain bikers have made a lot of bike trails off them, theyre a good detour and a lot of fun. I just wish the city winter maintained them. Sure dog walkers squish down the poofy snow so we can bike on it but running over 500,000 frozen boot indents isnt exactly the most enjoyable experience. So many of them connect together well enough to get across the city but more often than not you need to go down roads without bike paths to join them together.

[@Effect-Without-Cause]

The biggest problem are blind and deaf zombies taking up the whole road, and thinking everyone else is a nuisance.

[@evanswinford7165]

Other negatives about multi use pathways are the idiots that use the middle, people pushing a pram often right down the middle, joggers and dog walkers often with several dogs. Punters are a problem too. On the Golden Gate Bridge I once saw a father with his kid riding and the kid had a lollipop sticking out of her mouth. Tourists stop at the towers and take phots blocking the lanes and take offense being told to get the hell out of the way.

[@jasonfrance1706]

Thanks for your videos. I live in Calgary too and have been commuting by bike for 10 weeks now. Gonna try it out through winter. Best thing is it takes half the time as the bus and it's free!

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Have fun!

[@Kefford666]

Where I live we have these bike lanes on the pavement/sidewalk, separate from the road traffic, but there’s lots of side roads and dropped kerbs for entrances to car parks or gateways. It means you have to ride along looking over yourself shoulder regularly, speeding up and slowing down, going up and down things all the time. Riding on the road is much faster and smoother but also safer because you aren’t going to T-bone a car emerging from a gate.

[@3of11]

I agree a mixed bag. Some other pros and cons 1) here at least some will separate people from bikes in two different parallel paths Smart! 2) scenic. Better to see nature and rivers rather than another late capitalist strip mall 3) meet people (by the way. I meant scenic in more than one way) 4) roadies avoid them so less judgement or unsolicited advice. 5) lined with water fountains and trash cans and plenty of trees where you can sneak off to take a #1. Other cons: 1) often every single road crossing is a stop sign and can be hairy to cross. You’d think they would have the deadly vehicles be the one to yield but nooooo. 2) they often don’t go anywhere. If a path happens to take you to a useful point A to B that is pure coincidence (due to they are often built from old rail road or utility corridors) 3) around here. They are unlit and technically closed at night. Now sometime I enjoy night ride by moonlight but I’m weird. 4) pedestrians do not pay any Fing attention. If they got headphones they cannot hear you coming. Bonus points they have a poorly controlled dog or child. 5) they like to build the bridges out of wood here (great idea in the lightning capital of the world occasionally one does burn down!) which when coated with wet leaves is slick AF.

[@a_mustache_of_great_repute]

The occasional bike cop on the trails wouldn't suck

[@stevec3872]

I ride in bike lanes and MUP paths all the time when I ride with no problems and I won't ride on a road unless it's a side street because I don't have a death wish.

[@renegademedicine7344]

Awesome videos man!!! These are great for people looking to start commuting to work. Will be passing these on to friends. Thanks for the great videos

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Glad you like them!

[@Pannekoek.]

Shifter starts a serious explenation about safety on pathways... Hold on There is a duck!!! I love this guy!

[@sashaisgod2309]

Dog walkers with leashed 🐕 are more of an issue ironically than when the dogs are doing their own thing. Dogs are much quicker to adjust if needs be and not be in the way. And of course all those walkers who are invested in walking the middle path.

[@klumze9911]

Where I live there are two multi use pathways that run parallel to each other about 7 miles apart from each other. If you want to ride without cars you need to at least ride for several miles before you can pickup on one of these. Also one is pretty much right next to a car lane so I'm not even sure if it counts. The other one is closed for five months now due to construction right in the middle with a detour going thru the city.

[@ollegrane4654]

With the rising popularity of electric bikes comes higher speed and longer reach for a larger population of cyclists. Therefor the need of a more dedicated bike lane system - in towns but also in suburbs and even the close to town countryside. If the “average Joe” would consider cycling within i a mile or two, with electric bikes that range is tenfold.

[@andythurman2390]

My biggest problems are two things you didn't even mention: Dogs and people with ear buds in.

[@danieldaniels7571]

I use pathways as much as possible for walking, cycling, and riding my electric scooters. I find they’re always the best route when they’re an option. If they’re not, then they’re not being built in the right places.

[@keithmcmanus2406]

Does Calgary maintain mixed use trails for winter?

[@HweolRidda]

York Region in Ontario keeps proposing multi-use paths running beside major roads, allegedly for recreation and transportation. It seems like failure is guaranteed. These are noisy unnatural settings, so they are unlikely to attract many recreational users. If one were to be a success as recreation, there would be too many pedestrians for safe cycling at a speed suitable for cycle commuting. The proposals do not connect places people would walk for transportation. A couple of existing multi-use paths beside roads are almost completely empty. The lack of pedestrians might attract cyclists, but design discourages them. Although the paths follow dead straight roads, the paths zig-zag dangerously around poles, trees and other obstructions. I once asked about design speed and got a blank look. Every road has a design speed but it never occurred to the engineers that the principle also applies to bicycle infrastructure.

[@georgeemil3618]

Bikeways have too many signs telling cyclists to get off and walk.

[@metal87power]

Multiuse pathways are a bad compromise. Better than no bike lanes at all, but still not good enough. Pedestrians and bikers don't mix.

[@qolspony]

Pathways are similar to sidewalk. But the payment is much smoother. Rollerbladers love pathways. I almost hit one several times. They take unpredictable directions directions, so I actually felt a little more comfortable with cars for this reason. I also hate going around groups of pedestrians especially children. So bike lanes would be better. Yes! Pathways are not straight. But if no one is using them, you can cut some real time. Reason? There usually no lights. So I take the park's path to avoid lights. But there is a real hill section, because they wanted to make the park more scenic. So I took the down hill as fast as I could to make that steep hill. Paths can also be shortcut to certain areas. So I use it to get to the other side. Unfortunately, the lead to stairs. But if I used the sidewalk or streets, I will be like walking like a "L" The parks department manage these path very well. But sometimes they do get flooded. So compare to sidewalks and bike lanes, they are generally better. The sidewalks and bike paths are rarely maintained. Sidewalks come up in certain places. And bike lanes are often place where sewer drain are. Vehicles oil waste often ends there as well. Sometimes garbage, which eventually leads to cracks. Sidewalk to street don't always have a disability section. You have to slow down or stop for vehicle right turns. They are not expecting a bike. Some who see a bike feel they can maneuver that turn fast than that bike. They do it with pedestrians, but they can stop suddenly. A bike can't, making a bike on a sidewalk almost as dangerous on the street. They are also private driveways to consider, which is why bike speeds must be slower on the sidewalk vs bike lanes or pathways. No one is expecting a bike to show up out of nowhere. At least when a bike is in a street, pedestrians know. Because they looking for cars that travel faster. But cars don't like bikes, because they move much slower than cars. Some drivers make sudden moves to get away from bikes for this reason, which could cause an accident. Anyway, Pathways are best to use when pedestrian traffic is lower, which is out of season.

[@HorzaPanda]

As a (formally) frequent pedestrian I'm pretty sure I'd be frustrated by these pathways too. I mostly walk to get places, I'm not doing it for recreation, I'm doing it because I want to get to places. That said, I now live in a city that's much less walkable, it sucks ^^"

[@mex55]

The "bike" paths in my city is about a little noodle lane in the middle of a 50mph highway

[@JustClaude13]

An odd thought, but speaking as an American, I just noticed that you aren't wearing a helmet. Is that normal in Canada like it is in the Netherlands or is it a personal thing?

[@notthegoatseguy]

When I was struck by a car, my helmet didn't help me at all. I wasn't hit in the head nor did I hit my head on the way to the ground. What saved me was the bag of clothes I had on my back, which cushioned my fall. I'm not saying don't use a helmet. I think they're more needed for lengthy journeys and on rural roads. But for urban cycling where you're rarely going more than 15mph and going for a trip of less than 10 miles total, it really isn't as needed. Especially if most of your route are on straight paths or protected bike lanes.

[@JustClaude13]

@@notthegoatseguy Except my neighborhood doesn't have protected bike lanes. We have bicycle gutters where pickup trucks whiz past your elbow at 40 mph while the "driver" updates his Facebook post. in any case, hitting your head at 15 mph is just as fatal three blocks from home as it is 20 miles away. Even in cars, most fatalities occur on surface streets within a few miles of home. So you look at the chances, figure your risk allowance and dress accordingly.

[@101gameingcheats]

Another limitation is when the pathway is full of people, it becomes so slow that you might aswell walk. I ended up riding on a busy road instead of a safe parallel pathway as the pathway was just so slow and full of people on my commute.

[@amandajane8227]

My partner won't ride to work because the bike path route is double the distance. It's so frustrating. I ride to the shops on bike paths and am slowly getting to the point where i will choose to use the roads because it is time wasting to do double the distance. All your comments were so true.

[@swedneck]

In my city, and i think sweden in general, multiuse pathways are actually treated as traffic infrastructure, though since my city only has bike paths that are shared with pedestrians (though often segregated) i can't really compare how they feel to fully separate bike paths.

[@Ourfortheday]

You don't need a bike Helmet in Calgary?

[@onebackzach]

My city has some very narrow, busy multi-use pathways near a college, and they are virtually unusable for cyclists on weekends and afternoons. They are meandering like you mentioned, and the shear number of people, often walking slowly shoulder to shoulder makes it extremely difficult to pass safely. Of course it doesn't really lead anywhere useful, so it's not like anybody uses it for anything other than recreation.

[@shirleyarias8356]

I live in airdrie/Calgary area. glad I found your channel. one great thing about this covid-19 issue is there are more cyclist for the better. it's great to know the bicycle shops and stores are busy. wondering too if you would do a video of the rotary/Mattamy greenway. would like to know if it really goes around Calgary. thank you.

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Thanks for the comment. I ride the greenway a few years ago and it was lacking in wayfinding, but I’m told it’s improved. That sounds like a good summer video to do! Thanks!

[@matthewbrown2037]

I always appreciate it, when there's a dedicated cycle route, to any destination. Unfortunately, whilst getting much better, certain parts of London seems to be so far behind other world cities, when it comes to the cyclist, and I often have to ride on roads in heavy traffic, which can be pretty terrifying at times!

[@Tykeonabike]

Matthew. London is a cycling haven compared to most of the north and midlands of England. I seriously suggest taking a trip to a city like derby or Halifax and you will understand how privileged London is.

[@melbutterworth7976]

We have lots of these in the uk and they typically come in the form of closed railway lines. this makes them function like highways in many places. Fantastic for getting between towns or from one side of the city to the other but rubbish for shorter trips due to the lack of exits and the distance from shops and services in places

[@indigowendigo8464]

With my hardtail 29er I will always make my own detour lol

[@daniel_comaduran]

I just found your channel, I know this is an old video and you might not see the comment, but it is very true. I cycle from dowtown Calgary to UofC and sharing the pathway with pedestrians is always difficult. Specially in the sections that the paths divide and the pedestrians remain on the bike lanes instead of using the appropriate one

[@InventorZahran]

Am I being unrealistic, or would grade-separated bike paths fix a lot of the problems urban cyclists currently face?

[@notthegoatseguy]

I live in Carmel, Indiana, which has a huge system of pathways that run alongside most major roads as well as a major rail-trail with the Monon. Unlike greenways and pathways/rail trails which can be a bit windy, because these are alongside the roads, they generally are pretty straight. Or if they are windy, it is because the road itself is windy too. One of my big safety issues with pathways and greenways is tree roots. These can cause a lot of sharp bumps in a paved pathway which can be dangerous for people on two wheels and make it an accessibility issue for those in wheelchairs, using strollers, etc... Another issue with pathways is with roads, bridges, and general intersections. Often the pathway and the road, bridge, or intersection aren't lined up or don't "ramp up" well causing a sharp bump which can definitely be a flat tire danger. Finally, detours are a pain. The Monon Trail in Indianapolis recently got a bridge over 38th St. Great! But during construction, the detour dumped you onto a neighborhood street which probably hadn't been repaved in a decade or two. A very, very bumpy ride which could cause a flat tire if not careful.

[@carlosrestrepo8525]

Maintenence is awful. City of Calgary, with empty pockets forgot to repave many many sections. I got a rim cracked last year plus two flats. Very sad, Calgary pathways used to be famous, let's see if a new mayor gets the work done .

[@OnYourLeft]

I tried something similar to this once. It was literally impossible to get to work and back home without getting on some kind of main road. I'd love to have more of these paths, but where I live, they merely connect parks together.

[@cookingGuitarist]

The path to my job has me almost there when I have to go on a road with cars!

[@River-zo6ve]

Pathways also go through parks that close at night :-/

[@markandreessen3218]

The soundlevels between music and speech are annoyingly different.

[@lb2791]

I hate mixed use pathways. Pedestrians tend to have no awareness of their suroundings, changing direction without looking and not noticing bikes approaching from behind unless they use a bell. Even small groups can clog up the whole width of a path - I've had single persons block a whole path that was at least 4 meters wide by walking in the middle and constantly changing directions at random without looking back more times than I can count. Bonus points if they wear headphones so even using your bell doesn't help.

[@samspade4050]

Don’t forget dog owners with long leashes or no leashes and have no common sense or consideration for anyone

[@toseteire]

The flooding on a lot of the MUPs in Ottawa, the capital of Canada, is not "just happening". They were all actually aplanned and built in lower, known flooding areas. In contrast, all the roads for car drivers were carefully and thoughtfully raised and built further away from the river. The MUPs are unusable by cyclists for a good month or more in Spring (April- May), as I'm sure you were able to.experience in 2018-2019, 2 consecutive years of "once in 100 years" flooding in Ottawa-Gatineau.

[@segalasudut]

Wow, your city is beautiful. Those scenery pathways and extensive network of bike lanes make me feel like I Iive in shitty city 😅

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Calgary has a great multi-use pathway system, and, even though it's often inefficient for transportation because it was built for recreation, I'm grateful for it.

[@paxundpeace9970]

Pretty decent for Americans Canadian standards.

[@paxundpeace9970]

@@Shifter_Cycling Even as a European i have to admit pretty decent piece of infrastructure

[@DozyBinsh]

I dunno, this might be a Calgary thing. My city's cycle network needs some work, but the pathways are working really well. We have a north/south pathway that runs the length of the city and connects to a few east/west paths that run the width. Just that barebones arterial network of three or four trails does soooo much for bikeability. Now we just need to get the on-street network where it needs to be...

[@GMiller75]

Another problem where I live is household bins are left out on the pathway so you can't get past and some barriers are not suitable for tricycles.

[@AmbachtAle]

I used to ride along the Charles River in the Boston Metro Area. It ran along the River but that means the bike path crossed the bridges which crossed the river. There was no special bike signals. One day I was crossing one of these bridge roads, I could see the road had a red light (I couldn't see the light for the road parallel to the bike path) and half way across the road the light changed. Well a car stepped on it and knocked me over. Fortunately they didn't run me over. Not the best design though.

[@texabara]

We got like 2 of those here in Puerto Rico. One of them goes from one municipality into other 2. But they do not connect into roads so you can use it for transport.

[@clarissaanderson8623]

In my town there is one pathway that curves along the northern part of town going through a park and the zoo , but it's for recreation, not commuting. If you are going to the store or any public building you either have to choose the road or the sidewalk along main street. It's not technically legal to ride on the sidewalk, but it's safer than the street. Its awful how there just isn't any safe bike infrastructure in my town.

[@lightdark00]

You forgot the one way that even gets people killed taking multi-use pathways. When the pathway must cross a side street, often visibility for drivers is poor, so they get run over. And that's how someone got killed.

[@radiohobbyist13]

And of course there needs to be a safe and clean place to use the bathroom.

[@danalcantara4721]

Thank you for the great video. May I know the brand and model of your bike? Thank you

[@merlinthebikewizard4392]

Also a lot of the time, they are "closed" during times when I would be potentially be commuting. In a lot of places they are considered "parks" so they keep a "Dawn til Dusk" schedule which usually means they organization was too cheap/lazy to light the path. Not an issue for me because I have really good lights. But yeah I know people who have been stopped by police for using the path at night. Really dumb.

[@bearcubdaycare]

One advantage of many multiuse pathways, including many in Calgary when I lived there, can be fewer road crossings per kilometer than if cycling city streets. In jurisdictions that have adopted the Idaho stop for cyclists, this is less of an issue than it used to be, but it's still nice not to have to cross roads as often, where that's the case for the pathway.

[@roberthogue5138]

My big reason for not riding on mixed use, are the rude dog walkers that think its ok to let there pet wander across the path, and therefore block everyone else with those damn long leashes. And it really irritates me to see a sign telling us that bikes must yield to pedestrians, but do not tell dog walkers that there dog should yield to me!

[@juliebrooke6099]

In my city I’m sometimes forced to cycle on the road with the traffic when the shared use path is too crowded with pedestrians, dog walkers, joggers, mums with prams and wayward toddlers. Also I don’t want to have to give way at every side road which our local council seems to think is acceptable.

[@m.r.6264]

I hear you. We have a number of pathways in Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs. But they are all disconnected. Honestly, if we did treat these are transportation like we do motor vehicles, I could live pretty car-free. Hope Calgary and the rest of North America will finally embrace other modes of transportation soon

[@kibbee890]

I'm in Ottawa and so much of what you say in this video also applies here.

[@danieldaniels7571]

The bulk of the problems you mentioned are not a problem when the pathways don’t suck. The pathways in the city where I live are usually a more direct route than taking streets, are never closed without a detour or flooded, and go very long distances with good connections to places and other transportation infrastructure. Many of them also have overpasses and underpass at major roads. 100% better and safer than biking on the streets.

[@DarkVideogamer]

"hold on, there's a duck" me everytime i'm out and about biking.

[@TheNiteinjail]

Just like a racetrack (recreational roadway) doesn't replace the need for normal roads. :)

[@davehaggerty3405]

I never ride anywhere but on MUP’s. Ohio has an extensive system. A couple small towns have pedestrians. There are a couple of riding stables. But it’s basically a bicycle network. Town to town. City to city. I’ve ridden it all. A piece at a time. I really don’t like traffic.

[@t0nymack100]

Here in Warsaw, Poland, the city council has built hundreds of kms of cycle pathways. Some are great with smooth asphalt, but others were built many years ago and were made with red brick. These latter types of paths are really uncomfortable for those of us on road bikes, so I use the road and, of course, encounter verbal abuse from some drivers who couldn't tell the difference between different kinds of bikes if they jumped up and slapped then in the face. :)

[@bradleydawson9043]

A problem that I have had on pathways is with other cyclist passing without a clear line of sight such as a hill or curve. The other one of course are pedestrian trail hogs. Often walking four abreast like their off to see the wizard. Mostly, I feel safer on a multi-use path than on a stroad or paint-lane. Sidewalks and parking lots are VERY dangerous. I actually feel pretty good on back roads through neighborhoods, but as always, one must be very wary of cars or oblivious peds. Maybe the best are rail to trail paths because of width and line of sight. But boring.

[@weldonyoung1013]

Tom, many of those multiuse pathways were built in the 1970s. So how are the frost heaves? Where I live in Canada those paths don't get much maintenance. So is the main danger of bicycling on a multiuse pathway the other users? Say, dog walkers & their dogs, unhabituated cyclist, wandering children - boy it must help with those very short sightlines. At least when a pedestrian gets hit it will be recreation and not motor vehicle related. Isn't part of that what your research found. On multiuse pathways your experience was 12km becomes 16km. Gee, that's only about 30% longer. Anyone know where 30% longer fits into transportation?

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Yes, there's absolutely a danger when uses are mixed. These pathways get really busy. They were built for recreation, not transportation, so rarely are they the most efficient route somewhere.

[@jasonhutton4802]

I agree with you completely.

[@jackdimmock]

Can we follow you on Strava?

[@123moof]

Our pathways seem to intentionally be twisty with many blind curves, so you can't carry speed without risking clobbering some other biker/walker/runner.