[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

It’s actually at least twice as dangerous to ride on the sidewalk, than on the street. (Twice again as dangerous to ride against traffic, on the sidewalk.)

Unless you’re going very slow (walking speed) — stick to the street.

BTW, around here it’s illegal to ride on sidewalks, or across crosswalks. If that’s the case where you ride, you could be asking for some hefty fines.

http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/health/risks.htm (scroll down)

[Paladin2]

Catch me if you can.

Riding on the sidewalks in urban areas , it is a given that one doesn't try to go > 1.5x mean pedestrian speed. Besides, collisions with pedestrians are not lethal to bikers.