I originally rode with Ofmega Sintesi pedals and Alfredo Binda straps. Being of the T-Rex build I always found reaching down to clip and unclip the strap cumbersome. When I started riding again 25 years later I initially went with SPD shoes and cleats but after a few months switched to SPD-SL and have never looked back. I did very nearly fall over the first day but after that I've been fine and I would much rather risk falling over at low speed than having it unclip at high speed.

In the transition I did run road shoes with SPD cleats for a few days. That was quite an adventure and definitely not recommended. If you're going to use SPD use MTB shoes, for so many reasons SDP cleats on road shoes is just plain dangerous.