Originally Posted by
B. Carfree
..folks on bikes aren't fleeing to the sidewalks because they like the sidewalks so much, it's because of their reasonable perception that.. motorists.. create a deadly danger on our roadways.
Speaking of only my own behavior, I would mostly agree with this quote.
In addition, I think the lack of reasonable infrastructure ads to the problem.
I took inventory of the couple of spots where I use strip mall parking lots or a sidewalk instead of the street. In both cases, the street doesn't have any bike facilities, speed differential is high, with multiple lanes too narrow for sharing.
In both instances, I travel only a short distance and then make a left turn. If rode the street, it'd mean completely crossing a 5 lane (2 travel lanes plus turn lane) and/or a seven lane (3 each direction with a chicken lane in the middle). It's way less stress just to roll a block on a sidewalk or cut through parking lots.