I'm clearly one of the insane as I have biked up and down the completed section near VMC. The buffer marks make a huge difference in keeping an average cyclist feel somewhat safe. Overall, the bike lanes are pretty good in the summer and you don't really notice that cars/trucks are going 60 km/h faster than you, but they become useless in the winter as the plows pile the snow onto the bike lanes. The only nerve-wracking part of the bike lane is when the lane scoots to the left at the right turn queue, but gets easier once you get the hang of it. The bigger problem I see is that Highway 7 and Yonge aren't exactly flat so its somewhat of a deterrent for those who skipped leg day (hopefully e-scooters will solve this). Walking is much more pleasurable compared to before and, personally, it feels a bit more protected now that the hydro poles and planters sit between the sidewalk and the curb. A large section of Highway 7 in Woodbridge also only had a sidewalk on the north side before construction so already the pedestrian experience has been massively improved. Crossing intersections on Highway 7 or Yonge still feels like swimming with sharks given how wide the road has gotten, but I'm pretty sure the motorists and councilors would have put the brakes on the project even with just a mention of reducing lanes.
