On a residential street like that there is zero reason not to be on the road, especially if there are cars on the pavement, but I don't really mind cyclists being on the pavement if it's a busy A road.

There's a road near me with a speed limit of 50 and I regularly see cyclists on that road. It's insane that they're risking their life to be on a road when there's a perfectly good pavement right next to them and there's never anyone on the pavement. No one wants to take a walk along a road with a 50 mph speed limit.

A kid on their bike on the pavement is not really a threat imho

Anyone who tells people not to bike on the sidewalk, and who owns a car, deserves to have it magically explode right then and there. And I hope they're driving it when they do.

I've been hit by kids on bikes. if you have average able bodied as per work safety regulations strength you can probably pick up the whole bike along with the kid. even if not its not much worse than slipping on ice. The one time I had a kid crash in to me and the parent was not combatative about it I picked up the whole bike and turned to put it on the other side of me and the parent just apologized and said he hopes the kid won't expect him to do that now. now if it was an electric fatbike then no, not happening.