The reason people run on the street with a perfectly good sidewalk three feet away is the diference in surface. If you aren't a runner, both seem like they would be hard, but the asphalt is super-soft compared to the sidewalk, and you can _really_ feel a huge difference. Not to mention the cracks! I had my absolute worst fall ever on a sidewalk, even counting the several times I've gone head-over-heels on a trail. Probably at a walking pace, it wouldn't matter as much.

Really better and easier on your body to stick to (dirt) trails, though.

The paved bike trails in Florida are nice and wide- rails to trails, usually plenty of room for everyone. Lucky, I guess.

Nanci