It has a lot to do with many people riding very aggresive geometry frames and the current fashion of riding bikes that are too small. I've got enormous feet and long crank arms (175mm) and my feet barely touch on my main road bike. Plenty of room on the touring bike, and the track bike has some overlap because of the tight geometry even with the shorter cranks.
It's not really a problem, even on the track bike where you have no control over crank arm placement during a turn.
But it would be a non-issue for most people if they quit trying to fit thier bikes like they're racing. Except, of course, for those racing.
Az