VC works for me in the areas that I ride. "Works" as in gets me where I want to go safely with the least amount of issues. I know it works for others too, based on their comments here and in real life. I don’t dispute that sidewalks etc. can work in some situations also, but there are few opportunities around here for that to be the case for me. Maybe some areas have great bike infrastructure and wide shoulders. Sure, I'd ride them.

The thing I like most about VC is it gives one the confidence to ride more roads as they are today… roads that many untrained cyclists fear using.

Before learning of VC I used what I like to call the "Hug and Hope" technique. Hug the right edge and hope for the best. It seems a lot of cyclists do this. Yet I still had way more conflicts and close calls back then, even though I avoided more roads than I do now. The truly ironic thing to me is that some of the most strident VC detractors who rally against all things VC actually use it in their travels. The wise ones at least admit there's some positive in the techniques and training.