Cyclist Road Safety

Bicycles don't ride on sidewalks because you want to maximize their visibility. Most deadly accidents between bikes and cars happen at intersections where bikes are getting right-hooked by drivers who forget to check their blind spot. Drivers don't expect objects traveling at 30km/h on the sidewalk, so they're even less likely to look. Sharing the road between bikes and cars is much safer. There would be almost no problem if cars respected safe overtaking distances and switch

You're less visible on the sidewalk than in a lane, and you pose a threat to others. I'd almost go so far as to say, "Cycle where you're supposed to, or don't cycle." Moving in unexpected ways in unexpected places is what leads to collisions.

Cycling on roadways with motor traffic is not for everyone...

When no dedicated bike lane is provided, cyclists are governed by the same rules as motorcyclists. That means that they can (and should) take up the full lane just as a car would, but actually doing that tends to evoke negative responses from car drivers. In jurisdictions that allow it, lane splitting is both faster and less likely to trigger road rage, though probably more dangerous.

Many bicyclists don't want to ride on the sidewalkSorry you're forced to slow down and pay attention occasionally

I obey traffic laws when it is safe to do so. There are some dangerous interections around here where the bike lane disappears then starts up again. If you ride with the traffic as you're supposed to, cars behind will try to pass in the middle of the intersection. In those cases, sometimes I will ride up on the sidewalk to bypass the dangerous part of the itnersection. I would feel better if there was a separate light in the bike lane that allowed the bikes to proceed first.

"Bicycles going on sidewalks" != "supposed to cycle along pedestrians"

Notice the danger does not lie in the bycicle itself, but rather in the cars surrounding it.

There are so much love for bicycles. I'll offer something from the other side that people who drive. What I really find it scary is that cyclists often take the road as they wish and then block dozens of vehicles, or do something else that might seem to be quite normal from their perspective, but nevertheless is dangerous from drivers' perspective (e.g. suddenly get into road from sidewalk, are you going to cross or not?)Basically, if the road you are cycling on are not reserved for

Biycling on the sidewalk is illegal in most places. And for good reason. In cities the differential between the speed of bikes and cars is smaller than between bikes and pedestrians.