Call for cycling speed limit on Taff Trail

I have cycled, run and walked on the Taff Trail regularly. The problem is people with no consideration for others. I disagree that pedestrians should have priority over others as this reinforces their capability to be inconsiderate and dumb. I am not singling out pedestrians, but many wander around spread across the path with no idea where anybody else is or their dogs! I say this from personal experience. I have been accused of speeding when as an experienced cyclist I know I was doing 10mph at most. The accusation came from dog owners who were all huddled together talking to each other face to face blocking the path, whilst their dogs, approx ten of them, ran around without direction or supervision, into my path. As you can guess, if they were talking to each other quite how they knew how fast I was going is beyond me! Some cyclists treat the taff trail like a motorway and afraid that any delay would dent their Strava time, get a life! So you see it is not more rules that would solve the problem but application of tolerance, respect and losing the prejudice.

Cycling is not a slow paced activity. To have it in the same space as pedestrians on a transport route is a really big compromise.

A shared use path without shared responsibility is just a stupid idea.

May sound a bit dull here, but how would you enforce such a speed limit? speedometers are not fixed to cycles (yes I know some people have a Garmin). So how would a cyclist be able to ensure they are abiding by any such limit?

If you need to get to your destination quickly cycle on the road, if you want to amble use the trail. The trail is a pavement that you can cycle on. Families and children use it, I wouldn't cycle around my own children at  speeds of 25kph so why would I do that to other people.

The Taff Trail sounds like its fine for cyclists riding recreationally but no good for people who actually need to get somewhere by a specific time (who come into conflict with other Trail users).

I'm not sure about this. If you have to be somewhere by a time, set off early enough so that you can slow down or stop when you need to. (I realise this is sometimes easier said than done). We'd say the same thing to the 'must get past' motorist who overtakes when it's not safe.

And it's not as if we all go slowly when we're cycling for recreation.

I guess this illustrates that a shared use route can't please all of the people all of the time. The Taff Trail sounds like its fine for cyclists riding recreationally but no good for people who actually need to get somewhere by a specific time (who come into conflict with other Trail users). Similar problems bedevil the Bristol & Bath Railway Path.

I use a shared path quite a lot.

It's true that not everyone follows the rules perfectly. I think the solution is all users doing their best to be considerate, and being tolerant and calm when other users don't follow the rules exactly. Getting aggravated doesn't help. 

On a bike, there are places and times of day where you can go faster, and others when you have to expect to slow down or stop regularly.

I agree that ideally, we'd have separate cycle and footpaths, as in the Netherlands, but it's probably not going to happen in our lifetimes.

I don't believe complaining to the council, or setting speed limits, will help.

There's a few paths near me with a 10 kmh speed limit, what a joke, I can run faster than that. If I have to ride to work at 10 kmh i may as well just leave the bike at home and walk or otherwise just drive and fill the roads up a bit more. As it is driving to work takes longer than cycling but this would change.

The only thing these limits are good for is giving me amunition for arguing with dickhead drivers who tell me I should be using the stupidly designed cycle path rather than delaying them on their oh so important journey.

It is clear that pedestrians and fast bicycles don't mix particularly well. I notice that on trails in the Netherlands you find a Cycle Road (tarred) alongside a walking path (which could be a softer surface) alongside a bridle path (sandy/dirt path). Sustrans always produces only one path and then asks the three groups (or a subset) to share. It works when the path is too muddy for any of the groups to use properly. It doesn't work on tarred surfaces or where the usage is high.

It's interesting as there are very rarely any issues cited by dog walkers outside of Hailey Park itself. I've seen at least two cyclists down at Blackweir with dog owners attendant (I confess I have no idea what happened).

One of the bigger issues to address here is that Cardiff City Council rely on the Taff Trail to do very little to promote active travel elsewhere in the City. It's arguable that, as good as it is, it prevents a wider uptake of cycling because linkage to it is so poor. It's also rarely known that northerly entrance to the city is either the Trail or a complex set of underpasses at Coryton. There is a cycling prohibition on the A470 and the Coryton roundabout. 

To be honest 25kph can be a tad fast on a shared path. I tend to go 15kph because then i can stop on a dime if needs to be.
That said its not the solution. Pokemon catchers still jump in my wheels, eyes on the screen with zarro awareness. Or dogs, too, of course.

I don't think shared path work anymore when you get a large amount of peds and cyclists. Like you said, you can't police people into it.

Where i live parts of the path that are faster are split which helps though some peds take the bike path even thus its parallel and clearly indicated. I suspect it almost needs a flashing sign or be separated all the way, cuz ppl are bad at following directions

While I don't dispute that there are some dickheads on shared paths, this is not the solution.

Who is going to police it? Ridiculous.

I was accused of going to fast last night after I kicked up a fuss of the (unattended) dog that came out of the verge. I was apparently doing 25mph, and he should know as the owner wqas also a cyclist.

I was in fact doing around 25kmh as I was warming down and had just passed a group of people.

This is just a small example of bigger problems we have in society.

Dog walkers can get away with dogs being of their leads and/or crapping everywhere.

People are allowed to walk 4/5 abreast on the path, basically blocking it and woe betide not having a bell to warn them. No sir, an audible (like what it says in the Highway Code) isn't good enough.

It's a shared path yet pedestrians don't see the need for taking responsibility for their own safety. It's always down to someone else and if it goes pear shaped, it's not their fault.

Blame the cyclists, it's the easiest solution.

EDIT: Get some of these angsty and shouty bike haters out on a bike, it should help them get rid of some of their aggression (and lard).

Why stop with cycling? What about the Park Run further along the trail organised every week that makes it impossible for anyone else to use it? It beats me why, in a park with loads of space, some park users  want to confine themselves to a narrow tarmac path when they could be enjoying the rest of the park.

I find it constantly bewildering that dog walkers choose a tarmaced path over the pleasant wide open spaces of Hailey Park to walk their dogs.  

I have lived in Cardiff for over a decade and  walk and cycle along parts of the taff trail regularly. In my opinion dog walkers are the truly dangerous group.

I have only once, as a pedestrian, encountered a dangerous group of cyclists.

Virtually every time I ride along the taff trail I have to take evasive action to avoid dogs running across the path. 

Most dogs are off the lead or, even worse, on those extendable leads.

I only ever take the taff trail if I'm planning a slow leisurely ride so I'm never going fast but have still nearly hit a few!

Doubtless there are incosiderate assholes among all user groups. But if a fixed speed limit were to be applied, then why stop there? How about a maximum length of dog lead? Or a decibel limit for screaming children?