Do you have the option of getting out super early before the heavier traffic hits the road? I too, live in a high-traffic area...no such thing as quiet "country roads" around me...it is total suburban sprawl, so we have learned to just deal with it the best we can. We find that getting out early on the weekends (sometimes right as the sun comes up) is the best option for us to avoid traffic congestion on the roads we ride...at least for the first half of our ride. By the time we are starting to head back home (we like to get home by noon), traffic has picked up considerably and we are faced with congestion once again. My husband flat-out refuses to haul the bikes in the car, so we always ride from home. The only exception to that, was when we did an organized century ride that started 40 miles away from us. Aside from leaving at the crack of dawn, I don't have much else to offer in the way of suggestions for you. Good luck...and I hope you find a way to get to those coveted country roads.