I am curious as to what other people's preferences are. My personal preference is to have platform pedals because I like to disengage my foot easily in a moment's notice, especially amongst rush hour Chicago traffic. Since commuting is not really a race or competitive, I don't see the point of having them. Although I like to ride hard on my commutes for fitness sake, but it's still no race. I see plenty of commuters with clipless pedals and have not seem them wipe out, not that it does not happen.

platform

Both - or ones that have a platform and the other side clipless. That way any of the family can ride it, or I can go in flip flops for a casual ride.

Toe clips 4 life

Clipless -- MTB variety.

I prefer clipless, and I can walk to my office.

I ride clipless now, but I used to be a staunch platform guy. Developed problems with my knees that are caused by tight hamstrings and generally poor tracking. The physical therapist who fit me on my bike recommended clipless so that I could get everything positioned correctly. I still have to do some exercises to keep my legs tracking straight, but now at least my feet stay pointed the right way so as to minimized knee problems.

All that said, since changing over I must admit that I much prefer riding clipless. Although you loose a bit of convenience and the cost is greater, i love the secure feeling, consistent power and the stability. Clipping in and out of SPD cleats hasn't been a big deal. I'd probably change again without knee issues, just experiencing the difference. But if you like platforms and they work for you, by all means don't fix it if it ain't broken.

clipless MTB, 4 bikes, 4 identical sets of pedals, one set of shoes.

Clipless pedals.

SPD Clipless

I like that my foot will not slip off if I step in gunk or wear smooth shoes. I personally find no difference, after learning to use them and getting used to them, in my ability to get a foot on the ground fast. The learning for me took only a few rides.

People are surprised I use them with my son in his seat also and the people who are surprised are experienced riders. I think that if my foot slipped off my pedal with my son it would be far worse when I lose balance; so I have one less thing to worry about when pedaling.

I did miss a clip in at a light today and had to pedal through the intersection with a weird position until I was able to get in properly. But really it was not an issue, just an annoyance.

In the end it is a comfort and personal preference decision.

Platforms on my primary commuter.

My touring bike has toe clips.

Platform
with powergrips

platform, Ergon or Campag BMX.

I commute into downtown chicago from the suburbs. When I'm not on my folding bike, I am on dual SPD/platform pedals (Shimano A530 on one bike, M324 on the other). The first 17 miles I'm clipped in. Once I get to about Wacker St in the Loop, I unclip at least one foot, because it's pretty stop and go the rest of the way in.

Clipless. It is what I got used to before commuting, I have never had a problem unclipping in time. Sure, every now and again they can be a pain but I would rather deal with them than not have them on. I am going to switch to mountain SPDs with a platform on one side, just to make errands easier. Best of both worlds, right there. Also, if I really got into a problem and had to start walking, it is easier in MTB shoes. I leave a pair of shoes at work (or I transport a pair in my panniers if I need to).

Clipless for a few years now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFyX...IoDLA&index=50

platform w/ or w/o toeclips

this plus i have same MTB pedals on road bike 1/2 of commuter and mountain bike. I use the same shoe for all. I am wondering about riding in platforms for winter riding though.

All of the above. Platforms on city bike (Globe Daily), Eggbeaters on the commuter (Kona Dew Drop) and platforms with powerstraps on the winter-commuter (Marin Nail Trail). If you want to ride clipless in a city environment with lots of stop and go, the Eggbeaters are nice since you can engage from all four sides. I can engage the Eggbeaters on the first try 95% of the time. I don't think there is a wrong answer, it's what works for you.

My commute is not much so and go. 12 miles of mostly just go. Clipless for me.

From 1973 to 1996, clips&straps; 1996 to 2011, SPD; 2011 on, platforms. After all that experience, I conclude it's mostly a matter of personal preference.

Clipless - SPD pedals and MTB shoes. I'm so used to riding clipless that I pull my foot off platforms and out of loose toeclips, when pedaling hard. I can disengage just as fast as I can get my foot out of a toeclip. However, I don't think there is one "right" answer - all depends on how you ride, what you're used to, if you can wear bike shoes to work, etc.

SPD clipless on non-rain or warm rain days.

BMX platforms with waterproof boots on nasty, cold rain or snow days.

If I hit the lottery I'll get some Giro Alpineduros and spd everyday!

I agree that you can decide what works best for you. If you don't want any foot retention, I'm fine with that. I started using toe clips when I was 14 and immediately swore I'd never go back. That was 39 years ago. I now primarily use SPD. When I occasionally ride with toe clips, I notice that I twist my foot out, from the habit of using cleats. I'm used to having my feet attached, so I have to use a little extra caution not to lose touch with the pedals. I know that if you're not used to cleats, you have to make extra effort to get in or out, but I'm long past that stage. I can get out extremely quickly, and I'm fairly fast at getting in, too. Sometimes, I get in on the first shot without even looking, but I'm not perfect. For what it's worth, I set my pedals to very low tension, because I don't pull hard while pedaling. I have had a few panic stops where I absent-mindedly pulled up off the pedals to get out. That was lucky, because I got out just when I wanted to. As such, I'm not inclined to tighten the tension, at least not much.

I have SPD-SL pedals on my track bike for extra security. SPD-SL are very much like Look cleats. I occasionally ride it on the street. It's hard to get in those. Until both feet are clipped in, I have to ride very cautiously.

On my main bikes, I've been riding with dual sided (platform/SPD) for a couple years now. For my folder, it came with platform, but I couldn't take it any more and switched that over to dual sided as well. I really don't like riding without clipping in. Just doesn't feel safe to me anymore (with my folder, it's got 16" wheels and is undergeared, so sometimes I really wanna spin - being clipped in makes a huge difference).

I used ATAC's and MTB shoes for a long time because I could walk in them easier and they were easier get in/out of and didn't click through cafe's. Switched to a Dutch city bike with platforms some time ago and never looked back. I have zero's on my road and track bikes that I really love.