Yes I agree with most of what you said. But the problem here is a collision with my bike and a 4 yr old, all fingers point in my direction with extreme prejudice. So like it or not, I give way to the senseless people taking up the entire width of path and grudgingly ride around them. I slow down when pedestrians are walking in the middle of the path.
Our paths have a set width and you can't ride off the path easily. Even if you slow down, if some dog jets across in front of you, regardless of you having moved as far left as you can, or a kid runs in front of you or (as recently happened to me) some idiot standing off path steps right in front of you without looking, there isn't much you can do. My job as a cyclist is to obey the law. I am NOT responsible for making sure others pay attention. As a result I will not endanger myself further to avoid a collision with someone who is not behaving in a safe manner. I won't ride off the path, I will no longer lay down my. bike and risk injury, etc. I've had it with people who think cyclists have to watch out for them but they don't have to be at all aware of their surroundings or behavior. Last week some idiot was jogging in the oncoming lane to me in the correct lane while looking at his phone. I stopped and sat there and sure enough he ran right into my trike. Ripped his pant leg. He was very upset and I just kept repeating "try watching where you are going". I'm so over it.