I am a fan of bike lanes, and thought I'd wikipedia it.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bike_lane_debate
How do feel about it, I'm a bit of a believer in the safety by numbers idea - however in London (I don't live there) I know that drivers really couldn't care less about the cyclists and their lanes [iirc Shiato has had quite a few run ins with bus and lorry drivers].