yohannrjm

Where I am (Boston) the sidewalks are the last place you want to ride in the winter (or at any time, for that matter). While the roads are cleared very quickly, the sidewalks are largely ignored. You may have stretches where they are clear, but then you get to a driveway, and there's a pile of snow right across the sidewalk. There's also a lot of ice buildup. I find walking on the sidewalks to be very hazardous once there's been any snow, and I don't ever want to try riding on them.

Yes, I know that residents are responsible for their bit of sidewalk, but even when they do clear the snow, their interpretation of 'their bit' of sidewalk is lax enough to leave quite a bit of uncleared pavement. The only sidewalks that are well cleared are those in commercial zones, and the foot traffic makes those places really bad (and illegal, in most cases) to ride.