Originally Posted by
dynodonn
I'm with Chipseal on this one, peds wouldn't appreciate the speeds that I normally travel at, and traveling the necessary speeds to contend with motorist at driveways and intersections would add considerable time to my commute. Motorists anticipate higher speeds in traffic lanes than on the sidewalks, and act accordingly. Plus, being struck from behind has a considerably lower percentage than frontal impacts at intersections and driveways.
Yeah but as I stated it is very situational... not all sidewalks are filled with peds, some are quite wide and have few if any driveways or "furniture."
Near my home, that is not the case... and I would avoid the sidewalks here (yet there ARE many sidewalk cyclists as the only other choice is to take a lane)
Near where I work, there are wide empty sidewalks, and yet while a BL also exists, the road speeds are in excess of 50MPH... so the sidewalks are quite inviting.
In areas of Arizona I have visited, sidewalks were either non-existent, or were wide limitless stretches of concrete.
So I hasten to say, there are no hard and fast rules, except you are not likely to be seen on a sidewalk, but you
may be seen on a roadway. Ride accordingly.