Originally Posted by
LowCel 
I almost ran over a "cyclist" last week that came off of a sidewalk. I checked the lane, started pulling out, next thing I know he was just there. He never showed up in my field of vision until he was almost hit.
Originally Posted by
cellery
OP, basically the above is a prime argument for not riding on the sidewalk.
No, not at all. It is an argument for not riding on the sidewalk IN AN UNSAFE FASHION. It is an argument against riding on the sidewalk and failing to check traffic when you enter a crosswalk or cross a driveway.
Originally Posted by
cellery
I almost hit a wrong way sidewalk cyclist driving to lunch a couple days ago. It's not as if I wasn't looking, but ask yourself how many right turning drivers take more than a wincing glance at the sidewalks (if they look at all) before making a turn.
So while I and most others here may not know anyone who has gotten hit in the sidewalk, common sense would dictate that riding where you are most visible is the safest place to be, which is obviously not the sidewalk.
Its a choice to ride a sidewalk safely or not. Many ride sidewalks in an unsafe fashion just as, or even more than, many ride the road in an unsafe fashion. I do not enter a crosswalk on foot or on bike if there is a car that is moving and would hit me if I am not seen. Prudence on sidewalks means a speed sacrifice depending on how closely spaced driveways and crosswalks are. I balance that sacrifice against street conditions. On certain Austin, Tx streets, traffic is very dense in rush hour with an unacceptable hostility level. Its all case-by-case for the observant cautious cyclist. It would not be possible for me to ride slowly enough to be comfortable on certain sidewalks in the nightclub area on Friday night when they are teeming with drunk pedestrians, and there are streets that I consider too treacherous to ride on during certain hours.
I just can't see a blanket condemnation of sidewalk riding because somebody rode on a sidewalk and did something stupid.
Don in Austin