Hazardous Obstacles on the Sunset MUP

[wsbob]

"...The Sunset MUP needs to be brought up to the standard for mid block crosswalks..." q`Tzal

I suppose parts of it should have better illumination or illumination that's consistent with the rest of the illumination along its length, but considering this MUP doesn't have motor vehicles on it or crossing it all, it seems to me, questionable whether it needs lighting that meets MUTCD standards for streets that motor vehicles travel.

I say this noting that I don't ride the trail regularly, and usually not in the dark. Riding the darker portions of the trail tonight, I felt safe and comfortable with the level of illumination provided by a relatively low power headlight. I could see the pavement ahead of me just fine traveling 10-15mph. Other people that use the trail may feel differently. More of them offering their opinion on the subject of possibly improving illumination on darker portions of the trail could be helpful.

It's good that people are riding the trail, and maybe better lighting would encourage more people to ride it. Tonight though, which was a decent night to ride by almost any standard, there wasn't many people riding the trail a little after 5.

Personally, though the illumination on other parts of the trail is better, I'm not enthusiastic about it. It's brown and makes things look ugly. Since this isn't a route requiring illumination that offers protection from motor vehicles to people walking and biking, perhaps lighting color and beam pattern could depart from that used for standard street lights, allowing it to be more aesthetically pleasing yet still functionally effective, for the people walking and riding on the MUP.

q`Tzal...those visualizations you put together before were slick. Maybe you've got some in mind to show how the dark sections of the MUP might be lit up?

[q`Tzal]

Originally Posted by wsbob

"..., but considering this MUP doesn't have motor vehicles on it or crossing it all, it seems to me, questionable whether it needs lighting that meets MUTCD standards for streets that motor vehicles travel.

I'll concede that because there is no automotive traffic there that there does not need to be as much lux on the path as would a crosswalk BUT most of the same hazards still exist:

• pedestrians with un-legislatable paths and behaviors
• high speeds (once I hid with a stop watch I found that 25-30 MPH down hill here is common)
• poor lighting

I counter that some of the MUP specific conditions on the noise wall adjacent part of the path make it more hazardous:

• extremely low light levels
• narrow (8 foot wide) MUP width versus preferred design standard (12 foot wide)
• inaccessibility to police cars makes enforcement of ANY traffic laws unlikely to ever occur
• inaccessibility to police cars and public view makes this area more prone to criminal activity

Originally Posted by wsbob

I could see the pavement ahead of me just fine traveling 10-15mph. Other people that use the trail may feel differently.

Other people's night vision may suck. Damningly, my vision has noticeably declined ... to 20/15; it used to be much better. Despite having "eagle eyes" my night vision has an odd anomaly: almost ZERO depth perception - not really a lot better during the day. I can see all sorts of dark level detail but it is much harder to pin down where the target is without some light.
With ninjas often the only part that can be seen is the bare metal zipper or an ear bud. Without depth of field info that same angle of field of view could be a large hazard in the distance, small insect up close or a ninja who has jumped out of the bushes after relieving himself.

Originally Posted by wsbob

q`Tzal...those visualizations you put together before were slick. Maybe you've got some in mind to show how the dark sections of the MUP might be lit up?

Patience.

[wsbob]

Heads up on the status on the south side Sunset MUP lamp post the state mounted reflectors to last year to overcome its low visibility: the reflector on the east side of the pole has somehow been broken away from the clamps that were holding it to the pole.

Bits of it remain, but probably 80 percent is gone. I stopped into the office of the DOT yard at Sylvan, and passed the word on; guy said he'd tell the division responsible. Anyone with contact info wanting to make sure, might want to give them a buzz.