City vs Countryside

I live in a small seaside town. I spend a lot of time in the big city though, and I am baffled by the difference in riding in the two places.
(When I say 'the big city', I should clarify. The capital city of a country that only has a population of three million. It's not exactly New York, but to a small town girl it's enormous.)
In my town, for example, I ride on the road. There aren't many cars, and I feel safe enough. The junctions aren't complicated, there are never any lanes of traffic to work out. There aren't even any traffic lights. I just jump on, pedal for a bit, then jump off.

In the city, however. Oh boy. I refuse to ride on Newport Road. It's insane. I did it once for literally about a hundred metres with my boyfriend right in front of me, and that was enough. There are so many cars, and shouty people, and people who are in a rush. I am not in a rush. I am unemployed. So on the really busy roads I ride on the pavement. I'm not the only one either, I go past people on bikes there all the time. I have to stop every five seconds because of pedestrians and it's really annoying. I'm sure I'm annoying them, too, but what can you do?
It's illegal, but the road is too dangerous. I've seen pictures of cycling infrastructure in Holland and oh my goodness, I wept with jealousy. If they want cyclists to not cycle on the pavement, they need to offer alternatives. Otherwise they're basically banning cycling and that's not going to help anyone now, is it?
Apparently there are plans for cycle lanes on Newport Road. Can't happen soon enough.
The pavement is brilliant in the rain, though.

Newport Road

Another difference is the cycle helmets. In my town I don't think I've ever seen someone wearing a cycle helmet. Why would they? For one thing everyone is about eighty and don't have many years left anyway, and for another it's just not dangerous enough to need it.
In the city though, it seems about fifty-fifty. There are people who go all out in their bright yellow waistcoats and their helmets and their Lycra. There are also people who look effortlessly chic, in dresses with loop frames as photographed on the Cardiff Cycle Chic blog.
I like to think I belong to the latter.
(Not that I am against cycle helmets per say, I just have never really been into them. Plus I only have 96p left in my overdraft, and even if I had money I think I'd replace my bald back tyre first.)

Another difference is security. When I go places in my town I only lock my bike about fifty per cent of the time. Usually I just put her in an out-the-way sort of place and she's fine. I will at night, or if I'm away for ages, or if she's in a really obvious place, but only round a lampost with my cheap cable combination lock. Which is the only kind of lock you can get at the LBS, which is also the garage. I googled bike theft in my town and there were literally no responses. And I often see bikes left unlocked all over the place.
In the city I use my D-lock and my combination lock through the tyres. I'm not taking any chances. And there are actual bike lock stands there to use, which I always do because lamposts are too fat for my D-lock. No-one leaves their bike unlocked, and I often see bikes missing their front wheel. It's mental.

I would rather cycle five miles in the country than five minutes in the city.

Porthcawl