Damn! I never messengered, just commuted for a few years in a city. I've always had this kind of eye-roll reaction to the ever-growing number of bike lanes, especially poorly done ones now that they've reached the 'burbs, even though there was only a handful when I was seriously riding. I never fully reflected on why, apart from the obvious just-wide-enough-to-get-doored and having to do explicit lane changes to deal with double parking and other shit in the way. You put it really well! I mean, if you don't hear an ambulance approaching from behind and think "this is my ticket for getting through this traffic quickly and safely", are you even riding?