I saw the same thing in Tokyo. It may have something to do with the common courtesy of the bikers to yield to pedestrians and not buzz past them. Here in NYC, I

I saw the same thing in Tokyo. It may have something to do with the common courtesy of the bikers to yield to pedestrians and not buzz past them. Here in NYC, I'm much more terrified of bikers who stick to the road (given that I occasionally have to cross the street) than I was of bikers on sidewalks in Tokyo.