Here in Japan a law was passed in 2008, requiring cyclists to ride on surface streets. In Tokyo, what few bike lanes existed were largely divided sidewalks, one half for pedestrians, the other half for cyclists. Frequent collisions caused this system to be rethought, and most of these sidewalks were changed to pedestrian use only. Through much of Tokyo, the shoulders of surface streets were marked for cycling use, but they aren’t bike paths or lanes, they are mainly indicators that bikes should ride there, and drivers understand that bikes should ride there.
E-bikes have caught on pretty strongly in Japan, but they are causing havoc on the roads, and Japanese police have been clamping down on them. If they can move without pedaling, they require a license plate, and any vehicle with a license plate requires a licensed driver. As a “motor vehicle,” they must be used on the street, the fine for riding one on the sidewalk is expensive. And, unlike regular bicycles, they are not legal to ride either way on a one-way street.
Japan’s roads are quite safe for cyclists relative to other places. Drivers are more alert as the consequences for hitting a cyclist or pedestrian in Japan are severe. Any driver who hits and injures a pedestrian or cyclists is charged with a crime, any driver who kills a pedestrian or cyclist is arrested and jailed on the spot, and you cannot bail out while you await trial. Japan does see a lot of bicycle accidents, but when you consider that in Tokyo alone, as many as 2 million people ride a bicycle on any given day, the number of people injured, or worse, is remarkably low.