[yardie]

As a cyclist I hate travelling on the main road. Not only do I feel guilty for slowing traffic but all it takes is one inattentive knucklehead to end my life.

Yet, what choice do I have? Sidewalks are obstacle courses of pedestrians, trashbins, bus stops, sign posts, etc. Bicycle lanes are blocked by taxis/uber/lyft, delivery vans, double parked cars.

[kylec]

Not to be snarky, but have you considered driving or taking a taxi/Uber/Lyft? If you're going to spend a bunch of time on the main road, why not do it in a car?

[vec]

A cheap used car costs a couple thousand dollars up front, plus license, insurance, maintenance, gas. Plus even cheap parking rental in a city can run to hundreds of dollars a month.

Taxi/Uber/Lyft is, what, $5-15 per one-way trip? That's between $10 and $50 per day to commute. And that's before errands, weekend activities, and unexpected emergencies.

My spouse and I have a six-figure household income and I'd have a hard time finding an extra ~$10k/yr for transportation costs. It would be a complete nonstarter on minimum wage. Snarky or no, "be rich enough you don't have to worry about it" is a really shitty piece of "advice".

[yardie]

Because as a citizen I'm entitled to use the road as well. The city decided that cars and bikes can share the lane so that is what I will do.

Also, in my case, it takes the same amount of time to travel by bike as a car and costs a whole lot less.

[kylec]

If you have weighted the costs of driving vs the increased injury and fatality rate of cycling and have concluded that cycling is be better option for you, then that totally makes sense.

[Filligree]

Riding on the sidewalk probably isn't even legal; you might hit a pedestrian.

I know. I do it too, though I keep my speed down to a brisk walking pace unless I'm in an area where I know it's safe to speed up. Laws are laws, though... At least here in Dublin the cars are mostly good about keeping away, even if there aren't many bike trails.