I live in an area where most towns are 2,000 people and less. Roads are windy, hilly, and narrow. I've found that 30mph and down roads are just fine to bike on; traffic is light enough that they can get around with without issue. Some of the high speed (50+ mph) roads are just fine as they might have good sized shoulders. But some roads are awful, you know the sort, where there is the white line and maybe an inch of paved shoulder. Those can be dicey!
Next up is road condition. Potholes are bad but so are long vertical cracks. People can die from dropping a wheel into a seam...
Anyhow, no bike lanes where I live (that I know of) although there are some rail trails which are nice. I find it bike friendly enough.
I do a bit of riding while at work and manage to stick mostly to backroads, and it's fine. Manchester has some bike lanes but for the most part I avoid them 'cuz they just aren't where I go. I do avoid the city proper, it'd be fine off peak auto hours but during rush hour... I wouldn't want to be there. Don't like being there as it is in my car!