To the OP, I am in agreement with you. I just don't feel safe on the road. The cars are whipping by at 60-70km/hr, and it freaks me out. I made a point one time to do my entire commute on the road... but its scary as drivers are not predicatable...will they swerve into me? will their car veer over to where I am? On the sidewalk..they are wide... no bushes hiding driveways...I can see everything, I am far away from the cars... That being said....intersections do become a problem and I have to stop or meander my way back onto the road. I see it as a minor inconvenience. I'm looking to get a road bike...if I can reach speeds up to 40km/hr, than i'll be on the road and take the entire lane. But until then, I can't really go that fast on my mountain bike.