You are absolutely allowed to ride on the road (with the possibly exception of controlled-access highways), and in fact may be *required* to (i.e. illegal to ride on the sidewalk). As others have said, you're often safer on the road than in a bike path and always safer on the road than on a sidewalk. If you're on a sidewalk, walk. Motorists aren't looking for a fast-moving object that's not in the road.....

HTH!