An unfortunate side-effect of the protected-lane type bike lanes is that pedestrians feel much safer there too. They are right next to the sidewalks, and as sidewalks become overcrowded and overflow (very common in NYC) the bike lane turns into a sidewalk extension. The result is a very dangerous mix of walkers, joggers, luggage carriers, hotdog cart pushers, strollers, and everything else crowding the bike lane, and creating a very dangerous situation.
Still, much less dangerous than pedestrians overflowing onto car lanes. I've hit a pedestrian who stepped in front of me (I was 2 feet behind him when he stepped out), but I'm not going to kill someone when it happens. We might get hurt, there could even be blood, but unless the person is very fragile, there's next to no chance of a fatality.
Also, as bicyclists fill the bike lanes, pedestrians (at least, non-tourists. Avoid Times Square!) learn not to blindly step into the bike lane. It's a learning process, but I have noticed even throughout the last year, with CitiBikes adding to the bike traffic, that walkers seem a bit more wary of jumping through the bike lane.
