@gcvsa tell it to the traffic Engineers, police, and drivers people have to deal with if they don't ride on the sidewalk. Most people on bikes are going to be careful enough that anybody using that sidewalk will be fine, but you can't expect people (especially not children) to "take the lane" under whatever conditions just for some absolute rule. Most state laws allow for biking on sidewalks with e.g. the same rights and responsibilities as a pedestrian. The rest is an infrastructure problem.
@enobacon Whether or not it is safer for bicyclists to ride on the sidewalk has nothing to do with whether or not bicycles belong on sidewalks. The proper solution is to fix the road. I'm not telling anyone not to ride on that particular sidewalk; it's my guess very few people feel safe walking on that sidewalk.
@DrTCombs Bicycles do not belong on sidewalks, period.