Originally Posted by Brian Ratliff
Like I said, then the problem you have is not necessarily the safety aspect, but the speed limit aspect. There is no question you ride the different environments differently. This is a separate issue than absolute safety. Does anybody argue that you can ride at over 20mph without yielding at intersections on a sidepath?
Forester took issue with the blanket statement that sidepaths are safer for cyclists because they seperate bicycle traffic from motor traffic. A blanket statement like that implies that under any conditions, the sidepath is safer. He set out, albeit possibly not in the best manner, to prove that blanket statement false. You freely admit yourself that sidepaths are not safe above certain speeds, speed that many cyclists meet or exceed safely on the street.
It's similar to the argument about sidewalk riding. I would admit, that if one took into account all of the limitations of riding the sidewalk and rode accordingly, that sidewalks are safer than the roadway. The problem is that by taking into account all of those limitations, your progress would be pitifully slow (imagine stopping/slowing to a crawl at each and every driveway, commercial and residential, to check for traffic) negating the benefit of riding a bike over walking.