Shimano A530 pedals work well for me, but there is a learning curve. I've eventually learned how to flip the pedal in transit, usually by taking my foot off at BDC and then locking on at TDC once the pedal has flipped on its own.

In hindsight, I should have gone with a double-sided clipless system, because I got on my bike once for a quick 1.5 mile ride with regular shoes and a block and a half later seriously was not happy not being able to clip in. How the hell I ever managed without the damn things I'll never know. But single-sided clipless is not bad.