I'm extremely happy to have a Greenway multi-use path in my new home town, but I was confused as to why you couldn't access it from the bike lane. You have to know to get on the sidewalk early, stop and lift your bike over the curb, or simply ride on the sidewalk all the time. I prefer the bike lane, because people just don't check the sidewalk at intersections, often they do funny turns at roadways instead of continuing in a logical path, and in my old town they were littered with glass and had annoying dips constantly at driveways as well as mailboxes cemented into the middle of the concrete. Here the sidewalks are better, but I still prefer the predictable bike lane.

I've never had a separated bike lane. I did enjoy the very wide roads in the town I moved from- I felt very safe and cars were almost always courteous and passed safely.