"Mommy? How did my daddy die? Was he killed in a war?"
"No honey."
"Was he a fireman who died rescuing people from a burning building?"
"no sweetheart, he wasn't a fireman."
"Was he a policeman who got shot trying to catch a bad guy?"
"No honey, he wasn't a policeman."
"Well, if he wasn't a soldier or a fireman or a policeman, then how did he die?"
"Well sweetheart, your daddy rode his bike on the road with cars even though there were sidewalks he could have used. He insisted that because it was legal for bikes to be on the road, they should be able to ride on the road with cars."
"Didn't daddy ever learn about matters of dejure and defacto?"
"Yes, your daddy was very smart, he knew about those things, but he was stubborn."
"I like my new daddy. He's a Republican who drives a big gas guzzling SUV with W stickers on it. He'll never get run over on a bicycle."

If you wanna fight that fight, go right ahead man. I'll take my chances and stay alive for my kids. I don't think bicycle road rights is a cause worth dying for. I don't wear any commuter gear other than a backpack and for the .5 miles of sidewalk I use before I get to the bike trail, I slow down or stop for pedestrians if I do happen to encounter them. (I don't encounter any in the morning.)

I'm still alive after years of riding in the street. Chip is still alive as well after a fairly long time riding in the street. Your post is very short sided but who am I to judge how you choose to ride?

Yeah, I only got 35 years commuting in traffic...apparently I must be dead and just don't know it.

Seriously, it boggles me that the opinions are so black and white on this issue. WTF cares where someone rides as long as they are comfortable and safe to both themselves and others? We get these same black vs white BS debates concerning clothing, listening to music, and of course helmets...and those are just the cycling related topics. Is our society really this ignorant and closed-minded?

Let me think...... yes.

Personally, when I am in bib shorts and a jersey I complain about everyone who is not dressed like me.
When I am riding in cargo shorts and a t-shirt I complain about everyone who is not dressed like me.

Likewise with helmets when I am not wearing one. Or when I am riding my mountain bike instead of the roadie.
Or....

<--filled with contradictions. Danger...will explode at any moment.

"Yes, your daddy was very smart, having read Wachtel and Lewiston's 1994 study that revealed that sidewalk riding is 1.8 times more likely to cause an accident than riding in the road. He argued that point with people who told him he was doing something dangerous, because he actually had the facts to back up his point of view."

Maybe you should read up a bit on what's safe and what's not before you just make wildly incorrect assumptions. Sidewalk riding is much, much more dangerous than riding on the street. Why? Because it's not where car drivers are looking for you, sidewalks are not designed to integrate with traffic flow, and you have a lot more pedestrians to deal with.

try riding in the suburbs of chicago. They're the worst drivers in the world. I'm not reading any book about cycling. I ride my bike to get to work and for the record, that post was called humor. Are you a vulcan or something?
I'm reading at how nerdy some of these posts are, "uh, you should try reading the psychology of cycling to be healed of your phobia." wow.
I wonder if it's just the type of person of attracted to the "sport" or "hobby" or "alternative life choice" or if riding your bike suddenly makes one so smug and erudite.
I was riding the bike trail two days ago and there was a couple completely decked out in the full ensemble or roadbike gear riding side by side, so I slowed down and got over on the grass to make room for them and they started yelling at me because I was on the grass and not on the trail. I didn't yell back. I didn't give them the finger. I stopped and started laughing at them. "Oh My God Tiffany, I ride a bike and I'm saving the environment and now this Neanderthal rides on the grass and destroys nature."
"Yes, I know Blake, you are such a good living entity. Here honeysuckle, calm down and drink your green tea chai with soy protein, it will make you feel better."

Apparently your sense of humor does not translate well to the interwebs.

As your tag says 'newbie', your ignorance will be somewhat overlooked. What will you do when some old lady or child pops out of a store and runs under your front wheel? I hope your insurance covers that civil suit. Riding the roads isn't a political cause being fought, it's where we ride, because it's the safest place for everyone involved, not perfect but definitely the safest place. 1/2 mile on the sidewalk, slowing down and stopping for peds? Madness, get roller blades.

*edit* You move off trail to let two other cyclists pass? You are unclear on the concepts aren't you?
Humour? hmmm debatable.

Incorrect. The correct answer is "Joisey"

Everyone thinks their locals are the worst in the world...and they probably are, to you, until you move.
Chicago and its suburbs are about average.

Margo C, this morning I was one of those pedestrians. I stepped out of my children's preschool and was nearly run over by a young woman on a green Schwinn. God help her if I'd been walking out with my kids rather than having just dropped them off.

Agreed.

They're Freds each time right?

No. It changes. In bib shorts and a jersey I complain about the freds. In cargo shorts and a t-shirt I complain about the roadies.

No, but close: I'm an engineer.

So you're willing to share your uninformed opinion on the relative safety of cycling on the roads versus sidewalks, but you're not willing to read anything that might contradict this opinion? Fascinating.

Perhaps this has been proposed already, if so, please let me know.

Can we all agree to the following:

If you are riding on the sidewalk, you are - and should be - treated/behaving as a pedestrian?

If you are riding on the road, you are - and should be - treated/behaving as a vehicle?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T_KGHubIGo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KdmUSSCCJI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H0Pb_qjj6k

Then there are lots of us jerks out there!

I do about half a mile on sidewalks too, when I'm towing a child trailer. I'm on the granny gear, going as slow as a bike can go, being unfailingly considerate, not startling anybody, and stopping as needed. Anyone who can stand at Broadway and 179th and tell me my children would be safer riding on the street in a fabric-covered trailer as we make our way down to the bike path entrance is either blind, stupid, or blind and stupid.

There are no concerns about spry old people darting out of doorways. I'm traveling slowly enough that the arthritic little snail darters need not worry.

If I'm not towing them, I'll be on the street. If I am, you'll find us on the sidewalk, all the way down to the greenway entrance.

I doubt that anyone relatively sane would fault you for riding on the sidewalk with your kids in tow. Heck, most anti sidewalk laws make exemptions for children. I do the same thing while towing my son. For one thing I am going as slow as molasses.

Yeah, the shame is really being put on those could be doing the right thing but are too ignorant (or worse, arrogant) to get on the street. Around here it looks like the OUI crowd, and chicks on hybrids are the biggest offenders.

I would never shun someone towing a kid...! What's the difference between doing that and pushing one of those ginormous strollers?!?

Calf notch.

Towing kids in this argument is a moot point I think... nobody will fault anyone that.

for normal people, yes, but I think the commuting forum has been overrun by A&S one-size-fits-all nannies lately.