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@gbj_tester
Technically, you can be arrested for riding on the footway, but only if the plod are not satisfied that you have given them your true name and address when they stop you. You haven't hurt anybody yet, but you will look a twat when you do, so why take the risk? You think you cause no problems, but cycling on the footway causes vulnerable pedestrians to be fearful of going about their lawful business - it's the kind of thing which makes old people stay in their houses and parents drive their children to school instead of letting them walk. It doesn't make things more fun; doing the right thing well is fun. Is that enough "bad part" for you?
If you're riding on the footway because you're scared of the carriageway, you need training, and you're being incredibly selfish by privileging your own needs over the lawful needs of others. By allowing motor vehicles to bully you off the carriageway, you're also contributing to their unjustified sense of entitlement. You're a young adult, apparently without any physical handicaps (mental, on the other hand...), so you should be in the vanguard of cyclists claiming their rightful place on the carriageway. Go out there and be a man.