Social Distancing and Cycling

[lisamamot]

We live in MA and it has been in the mid 40s with no snow....frankly, that sounds like most of our winter this year!

My college-aged daughter and I have gone on a couple bike rides around our town; We have hybrid bikes and are just getting out for the exercise and not trying to achieve any sort of goals so we ride at moderate speeds and are quite careful. We did have one road biker pass us so closely I could have reached out and touched him - I was not pleased with that, but others have passed with much greater distance. Most cars have been very courteous.

We definitely pass walkers with plenty of space and everyone has been very friendly and says hello or waves. I do find some people are not walking on the proper side of the road, but that is nothing new....when we come up behind someone I try to call out something to my daughter to make sure they hear us coming. Would be so much better if they were consistently facing us so we could all see each other, but we make do.

 

[skibob]

We live in MA and it has been in the mid 40s with no snow....frankly, that sounds like most of our winter this year!

My college-aged daughter and I have gone on a couple bike rides around our town; We have hybrid bikes and are just getting out for the exercise and not trying to achieve any sort of goals so we ride at moderate speeds and are quite careful. We did have one road biker pass us so closely I could have reached out and touched him - I was not pleased with that, but others have passed with much greater distance. Most cars have been very courteous.

We definitely pass walkers with plenty of space and everyone has been very friendly and says hello or waves. I do find some people are not walking on the proper side of the road, but that is nothing new....when we come up behind someone I try to call out something to my daughter to make sure they hear us coming. Would be so much better if they were consistently facing us so we could all see each other, but we make do.

If I pass somebody walking on the wrong side of the trail (while riding my bike), I'll call out "its safer for both of us if you walk on the right". I try to do it in the friendliest voice possible. Not always easy when passing at speed, but I try.

 

[cantunamunch]

If I pass somebody walking on the wrong side of the trail (while riding my bike), I'll call out "its safer for both of us if you walk on the right". I try to do it in the friendliest voice possible. Not always easy when passing at speed, but I try.

New England is weird - they have MUPs that require you to be in the left lane of two if you're on a bike.

When my nephew comes down from MA it takes at least three days of me yelling at him to stay right before he listens - sometimes I think the bike would listen better. Especially on side roads with fast downhills.

 

[lisamamot]

New England is weird - they have MUPs

I'll bite....what is a MUP? I get the gist from context, but when I google I get:
Minimum Unit Pricing
Most Unusual Place
Middle-aged Urban Professional
Multiple User Personality
Master of Urban Planning

lol....

 

[cantunamunch]

Multi Use Path - not my term; officialese down here for shared trail.

For whatever legalopolitical reason, down here that always includes horseback as one of the allowed modes - though training the pedestrian gaggle to yield right of way to a horse is a lost cause.

 

[Jwrags]

I'll bite....what is a MUP? I get the gist from context, but when I google I get:
Minimum Unit Pricing
Most Unusual Place
Middle-aged Urban Professional
Multiple User Personality
Master of Urban Planning

lol....

Multi use path.

 

[lisamamot]

Multi use path.

Multi Use Path - not my term; officialese down here for shared trail.

For whatever legalopolitical reason, down here that always includes horseback as one of the allowed modes - though training the pedestrian gaggle to yield right of way to a horse is a lost cause.

Thanks! Just looked up in MA - ours appear to be called Shared Use Paths and the lanes going in one direction are called Treadways. Must learn my lingo and rules! I have spent little time on such paths.

I started perusing our regulations for building said paths...interesting stuff:

https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2016/08/nq/ch-11.pdf

 

[Analisa]

Yep! I have a super heavy commuter hybrid that is quickly becoming one of my prized possessions through this, especially after the stay at home order.

I’m pretty lucky that bike paths near me aren’t busy, since I live in a neighborhood in transition and cuts through more industrial areas to get to connect with other trails. I’ve been hitting the more popular/scenic trails on colder and greyer days, which seems to be working out.

 

[AmyPJ]

Yep! I have a super heavy commuter hybrid that is quickly becoming one of my prized possessions through this, especially after the stay at home order.

I’m pretty lucky that bike paths near me aren’t busy, since I live in a neighborhood in transition and cuts through more industrial areas to get to connect with other trails. I’ve been hitting the more popular/scenic trails on colder and greyer days, which seems to be working out.

View attachment 97995

You are very close to my brother's house, it appears. He lives about right off the end of the West Seattle bridge.

 

[Analisa]

You are very close to my brother's house, it appears. He lives about right off the end of the West Seattle bridge.

Small world! I'm about 4 miles south of the bridge, just north of the city limit.

 

[AmyPJ]

Small world! I'm about 4 miles south of the bridge, just north of the city limit.

In W Seattle? He's in W Seattle, about a block above the Luna Park Cafe.

 

[AmyPJ]

We’ll get back on the bikes when more snow melts. In the meantime, we have been snowshoeing. We did 3 miles today and climbed up to the Strawberry lodge at Snowbasin. I want touring gear so badly! 30 inches of fresh snow made for a beautiful hike.

 

[KevinF]

I've been riding around my neighborhood; short rides, just an hour or so. I see a couple pedestrians around, but I only rarely see other cyclists.

Concord, Mass (the place the Revolutionary War began unless you're from Lexington) is a medium-length ride away; that town seems to be at the crossroads of a great many road rides here in Massachusetts as it's always swarming with cyclists. Haven't made it up that way yet though this year.

 

[cantunamunch]

Cops are now enforcing National Park closures

 

[graham418]

Went for the first ride today on the paved path in the valley. Trails still too wet for a while . First nice warm sunny day. Surprised (not really) how busy it was . Runners, bikers, dog walkers. Everyone was out. (maintaining their space of course. It is Canada after all). It was like a Saturday or Sunday in June.
I can hardly wait until the trails dry out!

 

[scott43]

Went for the first ride today on the paved path in the valley. Trails still too wet for a while . First nice warm sunny day. Surprised (not really) how busy it was . Runners, bikers, dog walkers. Everyone was out. (maintaining their space of course. It is Canada after all). It was like a Saturday or Sunday in June.
I can hardly wait until the trails dry out!

Don or Humber?

 

[graham418]

Don or Humber?

Don. I live at Taylor Creek. Went to the lake and back. Plenty for my first ride!!

 

[scott43]

Don. I live at Taylor Creek. Went to the lake and back. Plenty for my first ride!!

I suspect the Humber would be similar. I ride down from Humber Heights. I usually do a few laps of the Old Mill hills for a bit of work. Not sure how the legs will be this time around.. If it's too crowded I'll just do residential streets there and back. Way less people.

 

[cantunamunch]

Either of you ever looked at the ATV trails over east as a gravel ride?

 

[scott43]

Either of you ever looked at the ATV trails over east as a gravel ride?

More info please.. Are you thinking Ganaraska?
We have lots of dirt roads up at the cottage so I usually just hit the MTB (29er) and ride for a couple of hours. Big lack of MTB up there so gravel is the next best thing. Less traffic, more fun roads..