I used toe clips years ago for commuting, occasionally with cleated rigid sole Detto Pietro cycling shoes for commutes, and always on longer rides or competition. Being attached to the pedals helped a bit with consistency when I was spinning fast and maybe a bit on hills. But you don't really pull up. That's a good way to injure a knee. Knees aren't designed to pull up that way.

For most situations it was superfluous and occasionally a distraction in heavy traffic. I usually kept my right foot strapped in and the left loose. But occasionally I had to dab the right foot down while dodging traffic or pedestrians in busy areas. Very sketchy with toe clips strapped in. Maybe not a big deal with clipless.

I use platforms now. As my conditioning improved, so did my foot stability on the platform pedals. Took awhile, but I quit losing my footing while spinning fast or riding on rough terrain. Just a matter of re-learning a smooth, consistent spinning motion.

I'd need to be in much better condition and riding a lot faster than my 12 mph average to get any benefit from toe clips or clipless. If anything I prefer to keep my feet free to catch myself from falling, with either foot. And it's saved me a few falls, or minimized the impact of other falls.

To minimize knee strain I prefer to be able to move my foot freely. I tend to center the ball of the foot over the pedal axle while spinning on fast flats and downhills. When climbing or mashing into the wind, I shift my foot forward slightly -- not quite with the arch centered over the axle, but 1/2" to one inch forward.

I'm considering something like the big Catalyst platform pedals. It appears to be about an inch longer than the fairly large nylon platforms on my hybrid. I like those pedals and plan to replace the cage type pedals on my Univega with something similar. However the Catalyst pedal developer recommends a foot position with the arch centered over the axle. I'm not sure I'd find that natural, and tend to place my foot with the pedal axle about midway between the ball of the foot and arch.