Also, pedestrians have no choice but to cross the road. Sometimes this is made easier than at others.
It's not helped by traffic lights not working, or cyclists ignoring them anyway, or as someone pointed out, the growing number of nutters on Boris bikes who I am now very wary of after witnessing the way many of them behave near where I work. I dread their approach when I'm trying to get across the road now that roadworks have put most of the pedestrian crossings out of use.
So even the most cautious pedestrian will face a number of challenges and annoyances when simply trying to cross a road.
On the other hand, there is no excuse for adult cyclists to use the pavement for sustained periods.