I suspect, @
genec, that you are using your long years of experience to select the route that best satisfies your need to get to your destination in the safest (for you as well as those you encounter) and most responsible way. Good for you.
I have to say, though, that I feel a lot safer riding my bike on streets and roads as part of traffic than I ever did as a pedestrian on the sidewalk. I commuted by bike for many years in the late 1970s and 80s, then laid off cycling for many years, during which I commuted on foot. As a pedestrian, I had ten times more negative encounters with motor vehicles than I ever had riding my bike. When I resumed cycle commuting in 2012, a big motivation was that it was much less stressful than walking to work. You think that you're invisible to motorists on the road ... you're less than invisible on the sidewalk.