I have a set of the M324's on my hybrid. I also run mountain bike pedals on my road bike so I can use the same shoes for both bikes.
You can adjust the M324s to clip in/out pretty easily (i.e. adjust tension). I've yanked my foot out in a panic (surprise! there's a mom, a stroller, and a dog hogging the bike path!) a couple times and it saved me from going over.
What I don't like about the M324s is that no matter what I'm trying to do, I always end up on the wrong side of the pedal. If I want to take off and clip in as I ride, I end up on the clip side. If I'm intending to clip, I wind up on the bear trap side. In theory one side always rotates down and you could train your foot to roll into it a particular way to flip the pedal over to the desired side, but I've certainly not mastered it yet. I am considering getting rid of mine for this season, or stealing the pedals from my Bianchi.