I've cycled on all manner of roads here, and never felt that it was unsafe. What is unsafe is painting a white line along the edge of a residential street and calling it a cycle lane, when the road isn't wide enough for cars to pass safely. This just encourages unsafe overtaking, and so I'd advise ignoring substandard bike lanes where you find them. Otherwise, using appropriate bike lanes combined with proper road riding at other times makes it generally very safe.