And maybe it's the lower potential for injury that ultimately makes people take bikes less seriously. If it was a car driving on the sidewalk, you'd both have called 911 as soon as you were safe, and the cops would've been there with lights and sirens. As it was, it didn't even occur to you, right? - and if you had called about a bicycle on the sidewalk before a collision happened, the dispatcher would've laughed you off the phone.