May I state once again how happy I am to be living in Portland?
I have two issues with the first cyclist's story:
I assume the bus driver didn't know he sideswiped me, but you never know!
Why didn't he know? Surely he informed the transportation authority of the incident, provided the time and place, and demanded an accounting? If not, why not?
Thank goodness I was as close to the curb as possible.
It's impossible to know exactly what he meant by this statement; it can be interpreted in more than one way. Visibility is key when riding the road, so I can only hope that the cyclist could addend his statement with the words "while maintaining a steady line of travel and ensuring that my position on the road was not obscured by vehicles parked along the curb or by other obstructions".
All this aside, if my only safe option on a route was on the sidewalk, I'd find another route. Sidewalks are for pedestrians.