Back in the day, we had downtube shifters and were used to reaching down all the time, and toe clips weren't as big of a deal as they seem now that we're not so used to that long one-handed reach.

Still, needing your hands to be able to get your feet out of the pedals isn't the "safest" way to go, now that clipless is available. Fine 99% of the time, not so fine in an emergency when you need both hands to brake and steer. Plus, if you intend to eventually go clipless, there's no point in going through two learning curves.