Hmm, in my neck o' the woods, Microspikes on icy trails where the teeth can dig in are far safer than pavement. And sidewalks scare the **** out of me. There are so many more edges and cracks to trip on. I don't know anyone around here who would run on sidewalks in the dark. Matter of fact, we had a long conversation with several people at the running shop about this just on Saturday. Lots of sidewalk horror stories, even daytime versions.