If cycle lanes were safe and useable, as they are in much of Western Europe, I would use them. Stafford's are a joke, They are just put down to fill quotas and tick boxes. They make little sense, don't join up, frequently end in the middle of nowhere, and take you away from where you want to go. Add to that people parking in them, ie Tixall Road! swerving into them, Queensway! etc, I avoid them most of the time.
I confess I ride my bike like a maniac, and am probably cursed rotten by many a car driver. I take risks, and If you knock me off, I'll admit it's my fault if I was in the wrong. (assuming I am still able to talk). How can I justify this attitude...
Well I am keeping fit, thus saving the NHS money (I have yet to have an injury); saving the planet (even if you don't subscribe to human influenced global warming, I create little pollution other than the odd fart.), reduce traffic congestion; and finally brighten up many a maiden's day by wearing lycra shorts! I'll keep riding on the road, and in and out of the traffic, because it gets me to work in half the time, and reduces my stress levels considerably by not having to sit in Stafford's horrendous car queues!