We are fairly experienced team and, as captain, I too sometimes get a little uneasy when navigating dicey situations (crowds, narrow passages, blind corners, etc.) and concur with a lot that has been said. I have combo pedals that are MTB SPD style on one side, and flat on the other (shimano makes them and Performance has a house brand version).

When approaching these conditions, I unclip and flat pedal it until we are past them then I clip back in. Knowing that if I have to come to a complete stop (and hold the bike/stoker up) in the matter of a second or two is doable when not clipped in.

If your captain is clipped in, try flat pedals as Paul suggests. If that helps, check out the dual function pedals and have fun.