I live and work downtown, and I think the bulb-outs are working well. But then, I'm used to seeing them in many other cities. We have the highest senior pedestrian death rate in the nation, and bulb-outs are a proven way to improve pedestrian safety.

For example, see http://www.pedbikesafe.org/PEDSAFE/countermeasures_detail.cfm?CM_NUM=5, https://nacto.org/publication/urban-street-design-guide/street-design-elements/curb-extensions/, and http://www.sfbetterstreets.org/find-project-types/pedestrian-safety-and-traffic-calming/traffic-calming-overview/curb-extensions/