I much preferred riding before bike lanes were installed in our city. The same reasons as above. People expect you to be in the bike lane, for left turns for instance and the expect you not to be on roads without them.
In a snowy climate like my city, the lanes don't get plowed or salted until days or weeks of a snow event. In the past, the bike lane was traffic lane, cars would use the lane and their tire tracks keep the path clear of snow. I complain regularly to the city to get these lanes cleared.
We don't have shoulders on most of our urban roads, just usually 4 lanes. So when riding in the right tire rut of a traditional lane, the cars tire keep the path clear of sharp objects and gravel. With the bike lane, a bottle thrown on the ground in June remains there until the first snow plow hits it in the winter, or a street sweeper cleans his way to a auto collision.
Taking a lane away from the drivers just makes some of the drivers angrier and more arrogant as traffic flow slows. The street near my house lost 1 1/2 lanes due to two bike lanes and "traffic calming measures" jutting out to keep people from passing on the right. Now, when a driver stops to make a left turn from the narrow direction, people behind will pass on the right over the bike lane and up on the side walk to get around.
My preference if we had to have bike lanes is the bike symbol on the road showing drivers where a cyclist could be riding along with signage showing the three foot rule and share the road.
I think that education and awareness campaigns could work better than spending the money on lanes. Our city has never tried that. It seems that they are in a race for bragging rights with other cities as to the number of kilometres of bike lanes they create each year. Cyclists could also benefit from education as how to ride in traffic and handle themselves on a road. For the cyclists still afraid of traffic, there is always bike path or their car.