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If there are pedestrians it’s a sidewalk, not a bike path, and a bike should not be on it at all unless the rider has dismounted.

ben-schaaf 6y ago
Almost all cycling paths around my area are mixed bicycle/pedestrian.
- closeparen 6y ago
  So there are no cycling paths in your area.
  - mulmen 6y ago
    That's completely irrelevant. Some cycling paths in my area are mixed pedestrian and cycle. Mostly they are mixed car and cycle. There are a handful of dedicated bike paths but those often have pedestrians on them anyway. Good luck changing that. The semantics of "bike path" are not interesting here. I ride my bike at around 8mph. I don't pass many conventional bicycles. I don't get passed by conventional cycles much either. When I do it is often by someone on an e-bike going twice as fast.
    - closeparen 6y ago
      I think we were raised in very different cycling cultures. I was taught to be embarrassed at much less than 15mph under my own power. Being lazy, I usually rode closer to 11-12 when alone, and the only slower bikes I encountered were small children. Many athletic cyclists zoomed by at 20-25. I was also taught to assert my right of way when I have it, and be deferential when I don’t. So the designation of the path does matter.
      - t-writescode 6y ago
        It also sounds like you guys exist in different areas. The situation you're completely against is the status quo in Seattle.
      - mulmen 6y ago
        Yeah see, that's why there are bike lanes in the street too. If you want to travel at traffic speeds join traffic. Ebikes are great for this. Instead people ride ebikes at 20+mph within feet (or inches!) of pedestrians. While hardcore cyclists are in the street dodging cars. You're describing fantasy.
mulmen 6y ago
This is ignorant. My local bike path is combined and separated and alternates between the two. There's also a bike lane in the road. There's also the practical fact that people walk in bike lanes anyway. Riding a motorcycle in that environment is going to increase risk.
- closeparen 6y ago
  Spaces where bicycles have right of way and spaces where bicycles are permitted to tread gingerly around other, higher-priority users are completely different things. Calling such a pedestrian path a bike path is like calling a bus lane or a truck loading zone with sharrows in it a bike lane.
  - mulmen 6y ago
    You’re ignoring reality. There is a dedicated bike path that I ride every day with painted bicycles on the path and a separate sidewalk next to it with grass between. There are always people walking on the bike path. This is even understandable with covid, people are trying to keep their distance. There are also people on ebikes going faster than everyone, swerving between the bike path and the sidewalk.
    - closeparen 6y ago
      It’s unfortunate that people don’t respect bike paths where you live, and I hope it improves. The dedicated cycling spaces where I live see only occasional intruders and, while I would never hit one, neither do I feel obligated to make them feel welcome where they aren’t.
      - mulmen 6y ago
        Yes, it is unfortunate. But my city is very bicycle friendly so there is a lot to be thankful for. Also even with pedestrians on the bike paths everything mostly works out fine. Assuming speeds are human powered. I am optimistic that if we embrace ebikes as motorcycles and advertise their ability to keep up with and even get around traffic we can enjoy the benefits provided to the rest of the high density world. Amercian cities are incredibly wasteful with space. Single individuals in cars, it’s ridiculous. In Asia I have seen mothers with children on scooters. Everyone rides a motorcycle. We need that in our cities and I think ebikes can help get us there.

ben-schaaf 6y ago

Almost all cycling paths around my area are mixed bicycle/pedestrian.

closeparen 6y ago
So there are no cycling paths in your area.
- mulmen 6y ago
  That's completely irrelevant. Some cycling paths in my area are mixed pedestrian and cycle. Mostly they are mixed car and cycle. There are a handful of dedicated bike paths but those often have pedestrians on them anyway. Good luck changing that. The semantics of "bike path" are not interesting here. I ride my bike at around 8mph. I don't pass many conventional bicycles. I don't get passed by conventional cycles much either. When I do it is often by someone on an e-bike going twice as fast.
  - closeparen 6y ago
    I think we were raised in very different cycling cultures. I was taught to be embarrassed at much less than 15mph under my own power. Being lazy, I usually rode closer to 11-12 when alone, and the only slower bikes I encountered were small children. Many athletic cyclists zoomed by at 20-25. I was also taught to assert my right of way when I have it, and be deferential when I don’t. So the designation of the path does matter.
    - t-writescode 6y ago
      It also sounds like you guys exist in different areas. The situation you're completely against is the status quo in Seattle.
    - mulmen 6y ago
      Yeah see, that's why there are bike lanes in the street too. If you want to travel at traffic speeds join traffic. Ebikes are great for this. Instead people ride ebikes at 20+mph within feet (or inches!) of pedestrians. While hardcore cyclists are in the street dodging cars. You're describing fantasy.

mulmen 6y ago

This is ignorant. My local bike path is combined and separated and alternates between the two. There's also a bike lane in the road. There's also the practical fact that people walk in bike lanes anyway. Riding a motorcycle in that environment is going to increase risk.

closeparen 6y ago
Spaces where bicycles have right of way and spaces where bicycles are permitted to tread gingerly around other, higher-priority users are completely different things. Calling such a pedestrian path a bike path is like calling a bus lane or a truck loading zone with sharrows in it a bike lane.
- mulmen 6y ago
  You’re ignoring reality. There is a dedicated bike path that I ride every day with painted bicycles on the path and a separate sidewalk next to it with grass between. There are always people walking on the bike path. This is even understandable with covid, people are trying to keep their distance. There are also people on ebikes going faster than everyone, swerving between the bike path and the sidewalk.
  - closeparen 6y ago
    It’s unfortunate that people don’t respect bike paths where you live, and I hope it improves. The dedicated cycling spaces where I live see only occasional intruders and, while I would never hit one, neither do I feel obligated to make them feel welcome where they aren’t.
    - mulmen 6y ago
      Yes, it is unfortunate. But my city is very bicycle friendly so there is a lot to be thankful for. Also even with pedestrians on the bike paths everything mostly works out fine. Assuming speeds are human powered. I am optimistic that if we embrace ebikes as motorcycles and advertise their ability to keep up with and even get around traffic we can enjoy the benefits provided to the rest of the high density world. Amercian cities are incredibly wasteful with space. Single individuals in cars, it’s ridiculous. In Asia I have seen mothers with children on scooters. Everyone rides a motorcycle. We need that in our cities and I think ebikes can help get us there.