This is as American as apple pie. In my city, they made the protected bike lanes so small that they can't get street sweepers in so they're filled with years is shit.
I mean, they do fit a car if you don’t mind only having a 1/2” clearance between the curbs. It’s pretty much a car lane with a line down the middle and those bars that can fold down, but lock in the middle to stop cars from entering.
Not sure I’ve ever seen an emergency vehicle in one.
We have practically no bike lanes in my entire county. But there are a couple sections about a hundred feet long in different parts of the county. It's a start I guess?