Originally Posted by
bbbean
Most of the US is two lane roads with speed limits of 55-70mph. People ride these roads tens of millions of miles each year without incident. Make yourself visible, control the lane, maintain awareness of your surroundings, and enjoy the ride. Stay off sidewalks and only use bike lanes when absolutely necessary - they add risks of their own.
You don't control the lane. You assume lane position in hopes of influencing driver behavior.
Sidewalks can be very useful in some cases for avoiding dangerous areas or conditions.
Not all bike lanes are created equally. Some are great..far better than the main lane alternative. Others are pretty bad.