pwa wrote:... someone cycling on a pavement with pedestrians on it can be a hazard, especially to the elderly...
I think that this is exactly the point that the original article was trying to make. Cyclists tend to use pavements because they perceive the roads to be too dangerous. Whilst there is a risk to other pavement users the overall risk is almost certainly lower because the cyclist has a lot less potential energy than a car, and will still probably come off worst in many crashes with pedestrians because they have more speed. It certainly seems to be normal for the reasons why people cycle on pavements to be ignored in complaining about them.