I've commuted to work on my Trek 800 occassionally and inconsistently in the past during good weather, but am making an effort to commute 50+% of the time now.

There are no bike lanes on the roads around here, and in many places there is very little distance between the gutter wall and cars (though all roads are two lanes each direction). I've always chosen to ride on the sidewalks as they are wide and there are few pedestrians (police said it is legal to bike on sidewalks here).

The downside is that I go slower on sidewalks, mostly because I have to slow down to check for cars coming out of hidden driveways. On downhill stretches where I can go close to the speed of traffic I get on the roadway.

The upside is that I feel safer.

I've read that riding on sidewalks is highly discouraged among bicyclists. I'd like to ask why? Today I went out on did all my riding on the roadway. I was quite nervous the whole time--just one inattentive driver and I'm toast.

What is the consensus on this subject?