Antlers I have a direct question for you since you are such a proponent of bikes on the road. How come when available bike riders don't ride on the side walk?
People who put lots of miles on a road bike aren't tootlin' around the neighborhood like a lot of us did when we rode bicycles as a kid. We have specialized bikes that are made specifically for riding on the road, not sidewalks. The smoother the pavement, the better. We go long distances, even up to and over 100 miles during the course of one ride. And we often go as fast as our conditioning and the environment (hills, wind, heat or cold, pavement condition, traffic, etc.) will allow us to. Averaging 20 mph or more, and going well above that sometimes. Riding on the sidewalk is not conducive to any of that. And again, good road bikes aren't made for sidewalks, they're made for the road. I can see how it would be hard to understand for folks who aren't cyclists...especially endurance cyclists...but for those folks here who do ride, and especially those who like to go long on the road, they can verify my answer to your question.
One poster mentioned earlier about a State law where he lived that required cars to give bicyclists on the road 3 feet of room when they pass em'. If they're not able to, then they just gotta wait till they can. Oklahoma has a similar law. Cyclists should get over to the right as much as they safely can, but unless it's illegal for them to ride on a particular stretch of road...they have as much right to be on it with their bicycles as you do with your car or truck.
