I ride on the pavement, ride through red lights, carry my daughter on my bike rack, ride with my dogs on their leads, pull my new bike trailer behind my bike because my bike is my main form of transport. I have never ran into anyone and I slow down if I am on the pavement and people are walking. I also appologise and give way, as pedestrians should have priority if it is not a cycle lane. I usually do most of my riding on the road, but if the road or junction is particularly dangerous or congested, I get on the pavement. Sitting in traffic is ok if you are in a covered vehicle, but you can get an injury if you are a cyclist and let your muscles cool down. I go through red lights because I need to let the traffic behind me see me as I have been hit by cars turning left who did not notice I was there, or to avoid the dangerous dash through the lights that occurs as soon as the lights change to green. I do not care that my actions are illegal, as I think it is more important that I stay alive as I have 4 kids and a granddaughter who would miss me if I got mown down by the nice people who become lunatic drivers as soon as they get behind a wheel.