I find SPDs very easy to get in and out of - there is no effort required. I don't have much problem walking aorund with them and think they work very well for city riding. The clipless systems like the old Looks and Times were annoying as heck to commute with, but SPDs are just effortless and give you some of the advantages to being clipped with none of the downside. Everything is a compromise, but I think SPDs work pretty decently for most non-racing applications.