In poorer times a bike was the only method of transpiration I could afford. Given my travels for basic things like getting to work were 20+ miles round, was I supposed to give up my job and starve death?
Also biking brings a lot of folks health, fresh air and happiness. You such a selfish jackass you expect people give up something they love so they don’t ever so inconvenience you?
How about the Amish? Should they give up their faith?
That’s why it’s dangerous and a hassle (for you) to ride on the sidewalk. People aren’t expecting a bike so they’re going to be in your way. Even if there’s “no one there” someone can unexpectedly step out from somewhere. Where I ride I find that pedestrians are more unpredictable than cars. I expect a car to potentially cut me off when I’m approaching an intersection, open a door if I’m riding next to a car near the curb, and so on. Pedestrians just obliviously wander all over the place even on mixed use paths and it’s worse if they’re wearing headphones and can’t hear you.
Also, due to the reflectors discussion on the previous page, just thought I’d link to this article about how reflectors don’t really work all that well and having actual lights are far more important:http://sheldonbrown.com/reflectors.html
Sidewalks are kind of useless for bikes. I used to ride on them when I was too ignorant to know better, in my defense it’s common around here. People generally consider bikes to be pedestrian traffic.
Thanks in part to these boards I know how dumb the sidewalk is, plus as you start moving faster the sidewalk is very bumpy.
In mixed traffic, three rules I’ve found for pedestrians, always assume they will do the worst possible thing, and give them a wide berth. If you must approach closely, speak up so they know you’re there, and slow down as you approach, if it’s a tight fit dismount the bike and walk it past them.
It’s a pain to lose your inertia, but I think the extra control of being on your feet and slow speeds makes it safer for everyone and less jarring for the pedestrian.
You’re still an idiot. I’m not a “pro” or anything close, but I do have some of the clothing. I have bike shorts because they have extra padding where needed. I have some jerseys because they are usually bright and easily seen by assholes like you. I have gloves because it feels better if I do go on a longer ride whether by choice or not. I used to have clip on shoes, but they finally wore out and I went back to my old peddles with cages.
Oh, and yes, you are a troll.
Okay, I’m holding my breath, waiting for someone to post:
“Damn the Amish–I hate them all! Especially those hats. Ooh, those hats just grate on my nerves and make me want to run an Amish buggy off the road… and then toss the horse into the back of my car. Watch for a cheap one-owner horse on Craigslist.com/Intercourse, PA.”
Plus, you know, the whole “illegal and dangerous to the pedestrians” thing.
If only. I’ve nearly had heart attacks many times from the bikes zooming past me from behind, barely going around me. A bike on a sidewalk is very quiet - unless they happen to change a gear within earshot, I don’t usually hear them, and I don’t tend to walk with earbuds in. And regarding the earbuds, pedestrians should be free to use their earbuds while walking if they want to - they shouldn’t have to worry about being able to hear vehicles on the sidewalk where they don’t belong. As for ringing bells - HAH! I can’t remember the last time a cyclist on the sidewalk rang his bell to let me know he was coming up.
We have mixed use bike paths around here and I always use my bell when approaching pedestrians.
Thank you. Not only for the safety factor, but they’re so nostalgic… they sound just like the kids back in the 50s on their trikes.
Now, if we could replace truck horns with “Ice Cream Truck bells”…
I totally agree. You have to be more watchful when you cross driveways too.
Sometimes it’s just the lesser of the two evils, that’s all.
BTW, this morning I saw a motorcycle cop who had pulled over a cyclist and was writing a ticket. I didn’t see the incident but based on where he was (in a major intersection near Porter Sq in Cambridge) I assume it was for running the red light which is often a long light. But there are bike lanes there and it’s not hard to wait with the cars for the light change.
I think a lot of that is general ignorance. Since I learned bikes don’t belong on the sidewalk I make it a point to tell other people, get the word out, ya know. People more often than not seem surprised by this fact. People think vehicle means it has an engine.
These days the only places I encounter pedestrians are either country roads, jay walkers, or parking lots.
I think you’re probably right. I’d really like to see my city doing some serious awareness raising of where and how people should be riding their bicycles (preferably before a pedestrian gets hurt). I think people would probably also be surprised to hear that a bicycle on the sidewalk can seriously hurt or kill a pedestrian - it’s just a bike! How much damage can it do? Well, a lot. This pedestrian doesn’t want to find out how much damage a bike riding over me can do. 
Its legal to ride on the footpath here if you’re with a child under 12 riding a bike.
Otara
I agree.
I rode my bike in to work today. I used the multi-use pathway and roads downtown, had my lights flashing, used my bell to alert pedestrians and other cyclists I was passing, stopped at stop signs and red lights, and stayed in line in traffic.
I also wore my cycling pants, shoes and jacket. Sorry. 
As a cyclist, can I complain about the idiot pedestrians on the cycling path instead of the walking path? Or the assholes on the multi-use paths that have thier dogs on a long line? Or the moronic group of eight that spread out across the multi-use pathway and don’t make space when I rang the bell, expecting me to go around them on the dirt/grass?
Here’s what I’ve been thinking about doing. Making a flyer with a picture of an old man, a child, and a dude on a bike on a side walk, with the title “One of these doesn’t belong. Which one?”.
Then under it, it would say, “Answer: the biker belongs on the road, so he doesn’t run over the other two” with a cite and quotation of the relevant law.
Yeah kinda of lame, but oh well.
I just keep practicing. “Oh, my neck! Oh, my back! Oh, my neck and my back!” 
“Brothers and sisters, can I get an ‘amen’?”
“AMEN!”
Hey, y’know what, fellow bikers? It’s a long wait for the light to change, especially when no one’s coming the other way… but you see those cars? They’re waiting, and it’s just as long for them!
Unless you’re in favor of cars getting to be as cavalier about stop lights as bikes are…
I do exactly that while walking. A collapsible umbrella, opened to length, carried perpendicular to my midriff. Failing that, a soft briefcase turned sidewise.
Some ass mouth monobrow cyclist will probably get his yardstick shoved up his ass by a right-thinking citizen, though – that’s a retarded idea unless you can wield the yardstick offensively and aggressively.