Hey gopher. Thanks for that info about bike lanes where you live - it sounds pretty good.
I am in metro Boston area, and protected bike lanes are still not common here. Most bike lanes are a painted strip between the travel lane and the parked cars. It doesn't exactly give one a feeling of safety.
I am fortunate enough to live near several bike trails created from former railway rights-of-way, and those are very popular with recreational cyclists like myself.