I tork mine down to the point that I got to loosen one when I approach a stop or an unsure situation where I might need to put a foot down in a hurry. Over the years the motion of reaching down and loosening the strap has become second nature to me. In an all-out emergency I could get my foot out if I had to but nowhere near as gracefully.

I am riding on a 22 year old pair of Nike cycling shoes with integrated cleats that have been worn down to nothing; the end is in sight. I do ride pretty hard and fall under what a previous poster referred to as a good candidate for clipless. I'm leaning in that direction, my thoughts are to Mtn shoes with recessed cleats as opposed to road as I will want to be able to walk a few steps in them here and there.