ok ok sorry for the "universal statement." I was just ranting. I know of the sidewalks you are talking about that are safer than the streets. they are not the ones in crowded urban environments. this friend's commute to work could be done faster and more conveniently and without pissing pedestrians off if he rode in the street. it would be easy for him to take roads with bike lanes the entire way. gah. there's no point in arguing this one case tho. I basically just wanted to say that in Philadelphia, where the sidewalks are crowded with pedestrians, cyclists should be in the street. After all, it is the law.