Originally Posted by
Drew Eckhardt
Riding on a sidewalk is a great way to get run-over because car drivers aren't looking there for vehicle speed traffic, especially coming in the opposite direction of travel.
Originally Posted by
jrickards
Drivers expect users of sidewalks to behave like pedestrians (speed primarily). Cyclists on sidewalks appear out of no where more quickly than pedestrians, drivers tend not to look far enough, ahead or behind, to include the distance that a bike would travel and would therefore miss a cyclist on a sidewalk.
Ok, I may not have the official training that comes with obtaining the licence for a vehicle, but I have been taught to ALWAYS look before crossing a road.
Whenever I'm riding and I see a road crossing coming up, I switch 2 gears lower, look behind me (or in whatever direction the cars may be coming from) and then break to slow down.
By the time I've done this, there should still be a good 7 meters until the road crossing, enough time for me to maybe look around once more or for a car to see me.
Still, there are always some ugly blind spots and 90 degree angles in every city, so I completely understand your point.