Originally Posted by
gpburdell
livedarklions no apology needed, I didn't sense any negativity on your part regarding sidewalks and bicycles.
IMHO there are times and places where that may be the least-risk option in a particular rider's mind, and if we've not been in those exact situations it is unfair to cast aspersions (again, IMHO). They're also a mixed bag with their own inherent risks and challenges, such as driveway cross-traffic not looking for anyone faster than a walker as
himespau illustrates. (these and subdivision entrances are a danger zone, particularly when going against traffic, since drivers seldom look "downstream" before rolling / turning to the right).
Yeah, I wouldn't have volunteered my opinion if OP hadn't asked for it. I'm very big on situational awareness and a need to adapt to any combination of circumstances, so I have very few "always" recommendations. Announcing is one of the few exceptions because basically it has no downside. The driveway situation is exactly one of those "no fixed rule" things for me because there's so many variables involved. For me, I probably want to be about where the cars are parked before I approach a driveway like that, but that wouldn't be a hard and fast rule.
ETA: Oops got my threads mixed up--there was a picture in one of a driveway intersecting a bike lane that was between the curb and parked cars. My reference was to being about where that lane of parked cars was.
The picture:
