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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I frequently commute on Beach Drive which is a bike path.  It is a 2 lane road, speed limit 25 mph with many curves.  I drive the speed limit.  Frequently, I will be behind a cyclist, trying to give ample room even if driving slowly.  And frequently, they will signal for them to pass me - but I often don't want to.  Because of the shape of the road, it can be difficult to judge oncoming traffic.  They are in front of me, so can see more, but I still would need to speed up and safely pass them.  Is there a polite way to say thanks, but no thanks? I know they are annoyed, but isn't this part of sharing the road?[/quote]

Actually, Beach Drive is a road for cars, with a bike path right next to it but cyclists don’t seem to get that[/quote]

I run on that path and it's for walkers and pedestrians.  There is no room and it's unsafe for a biker to be going fast on the path.  They should use the road.  Beach is not meant to be a commuter street.  If OP doesn't want to pass, then they can take the Pike.  [/quote]

You are saying the paved bike path in Rock Creek can’t be used by bikes? That’s a new one. [/quote]

As someone who uses that paved path at least twice a day walking dogs (and rides a bike on occasion) I can assure you that path isn’t usable by bikes of the type typically ridden on Beach Drive.

The path is about 7-8 feet wide in most sections, and it IS paved, but it’s lumpy and bumpy, not smooth like a road surface. Also, most of it is heavily shaded by trees, and a very thin film of moss grows on the pavement in many places, and when wet with morning dew or damp from rain or humid weather, it’s every bit as slippery as ice when it comes to bicycle tires, especially the very thin tires that go-fast road bikes have. Mountain bikes, with more contact patch from their larger tires, do  better, but only if they keep their speeds down. Bottom line, the trail should be regarded as a foot path primarily, with use by bikes only if they go slowly to avoid slipping and crashing, and avoid the typically dozens of walkers per mile.

As a dog walker, I’d prefer the MAMILs (middle aged men in Lycra-Spandex) stay on Beach because who wants one of them wizzing by you 2 feet away at 20 mph when you’re trying to bag dog poop? And as for the MAMILs, I’m sure they’d like to go more than 50 yards at-speed without skidding and crashing. Not too mention how bumpy the trail is.

So yes, bottom line, the trail is unsuitable for riding higher speed roadbikes of the sort that avid cyclists typically ride. [/quote]

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