Common Nonsensical Behavior: What is wrong with Sidewalks?

Short post today. On the way in to work this morning, I almost ran over several people who were walking in the street. What makes this very strange to me is that there was a nice, wide, well maintained sidewalk right next to them.

To all you people that refuse to use the perfectly good sidewalks and prefer to walk in the street where there are cars, WHY?! Why won't you use the sidewalks? The city spends a lot of money to give you a safe place to walk where you won't endanger yourself, where you won't endanger other people, where you won't cause traffic problems. What the hell is your problem?!

Really, please, someone explain this behavior to me. It seems completely nonsensical to me, very self-absorbed, self-centered, outright intentionally rude and inconsiderate, and rather stupid from a personal safety standpoint. Are you performing an experiment to see if people will really run you over? Are you trying to prove you are more important than anyone else trying to drive down the street where they actually have the right to do by doing something you don't have a good reason to do?

I could understand this behavior if the sidewalk was blocked, or was in such bad shape that it couldn't be walked on easily, or if it was too crowded to handle all the traffic. But tell me why people still do this when the sidewalk is perfectly good and no one else is using it.

What is so appealing about the road, where multi-ton vehicles are traveling, that make you people ignore the sidewalks where you are supposed to be walking? Why do we waste our money providing you with things that you ignore in favor of creating hazardous conditions for yourself and the people around you?

Do you have an answer? Are you just crazy? If you have a good, valid reason, I will gladly apologize, but right now, you people just seem crazy to me.

ADDENDUM: Someone gave me a couple of reasons for why they choose to walk in the street rather than the sidewalk, thank you. so I thought I'd share their reasons.

1. They don't like the up and down of going over the curbs at the side streets. This reason was given by some joggers. I thought I'd mention that because they are out there jogging on the streets for exercise, religiously pounding the pavement every morning. And yet they are unable to handle the up and down of 4" curbs. Oh, the horrors, the egregious unfair demands to actually raise their feet just slightly and get slightly more exercise.

2. They don't like having to stop at the sidestreets for other people. Their logic is that if they are running in the street, they have the right of way and people have to stop for them, but if they are running on the sidewalk, they have to stop for others. This of course is completely incorrrect from a legal perspective. Not only are they still supposed to stop, but they are committing a crime by running on the street in lieu of the sidewalk, so they are doubly wrong.

Congratulations, those who are running and walking in the streets have proven they are even more self-absorbed, egotistical, stupid and lazy than I thought before. After hearing the explanations of why these people are acting this way, my opinion of them is even lower than it was to begin with.