Originally Posted by Vintage_Cyclist

Even without the strap, you get a lot of the benefit you would from standard toe clips. They can usually accommodate any shoes, sneakers or even boots, including ones that might be a little too bulky for regular toe clips. If you're wearing shoes with a really aggressive tread pattern, sliding them back and forth, to get in and out of standard toe clips, can be challenging. With half clips you can just lift them off the pedal without any problem. I have a pair of Zefal half clips on my local schlepper bike. They work great and are very rigid.