Originally Posted by
VegasTriker
This has been discussed extensively in the Advocacy and Safety section. Look there to see what most people who respond - stay off the sidewalks.
One factor is that drivers who cross a sidewalk do not expect anything moving faster than a pedestrian to be crossing in front of them. I nearly hit a cyclist adjacent to the UNLV campus who was riding on the wrong side of the street, moving fast, and on the sidewalk. It is only by the grace of God that I didn't run him over because even though I had looked for peds, he came whipping across the street just as I was about to start out.
More like...drivers don't expect anything to be moving in the sidewalk
ever. Peds or cyclists. It is basically a given at every crosswalk I come to that a car is going to stop at a red light
right in the middle of it fully blocking it. I also expect right/left turns on red without checking for peds. It happens so frequently that is what normal is.
Only when the light turns red and their vehicle is fully impeding the crosswalk do the look and act surprised someone wants to use the legal facilities.