mschwett 

for very short distances, where the roads are extremely unsafe and there are no or few pedestrians, i'll ride on a sidewalk.

when i'm riding with my daughter, i'll allow her to ride on the sidewalk (particularly on a steep uphill) while i ride adjacent on the street. here it's legal for children to ride on sidewalks, a fact i've have had to point out to MANY grumpy AF old people and dog owners who seem to think that the entire public way is their purview to do with what they please and yell at anyone who uses it differently than they'd like.