Sarah in SC, I would ride in Mt Pleasant tomorrow if I lived there. I have yet to find a place where I could not ride. I would find the best roads I could, which exist everywhere. At the same time, I would work on building infrastructure as is happening in Charleston. (My original comment to XYZ was based on his moving to a place for bicycling. I would not like to move to a place that is behind the bicycling curve. That is what I was responding to. )
As a person who has worked long and hard on bicycling advocacy, Sarah in SC's point of view is unfortunately very common but unfounded. As more people bike, the safer it becomes because people believe drivers become use to seeing/anticipating bikes on the road. NYC is the most recent example of this. There were tons of miles ridden there since they introduced the bike share program. People were predicting the morgues would fill up. In fact, no deaths in the last 5 months. (What many people do not know is most bike accidents happen at intersections. It is an infrequent occurrence when a bicyclist is struck from behind which many if not most people who are not close to cycling believe.
Any one who is reading this and is considering bicycling in urban areas but does not feel comfortable, find a friend, club or go online for some of the great training tapes. If you can't find one, call your statewide or city bicycle non-profit. I think every state has one. I will be happy to direct anyone who is looking for information. Most trips from home are under 5 miles and the risk of not exercising is much higher than bicycling.
With all the benefits (health, financial & environment), it is a shame that many people have a fear of urban cycling.