I almost never fail to make eye contact, and that's because I am coming from the direction they are looking in.

There are very few exceptions where I will salmon, ride sidewalks or both. These are special circumstances in very familiar settings. I know the risks and manage them. There is one driveway approaching my workplace that I ride the sidewalk in front of. It is totally blind, shielded by a commercial building, and I come to a track stand stop and check around the corner before proceeding. I don't like riding that slow, so usually stick to riding on the street, with traffic.