Ambrose and I recently had a lively discussion of this issue over at his blog. I’m pretty firmly against allowing sidewalk cycling, not just for reasons of pedestrian safety, but also because I see sidewalk cycling as propagating the attitude that cyclists do not belong on the road, which in turn fuels bad behaviour towards road cyclists from motorists.
I have also been looking up a few studies on the dangers of sidewalk cycling versus road cycling, and will post my findings soon.
Lively indeed, but I guess we were, for the most part, arguing past each other. Our assumptions differed greatly in the speed and range of bicycles, largely due to different assumptions of the purpose of this mode of transport. Either way I’m fine, as long as responsibility is exercised, be it bicycles on the road or on the sidewalk.
By all parties, I mean. Not just the cyclists.