I love it! Thanks for the flag comments, those were productive. Though also, the general sense of negativity towards the concept highlights the imperfections of the current state, which is, as stated before, a very early concept.
It seems this hasn't really been done before. Well I did find this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOU563OvpUY
which seems like a similar premise of keeping cars away.
The positive comments came from the people we spoke with while doing the ride, which included bus drivers, pedestrians, motorists and cyclists.
The PVC certainly did hinder the maneuverability and general ride-ability the bike. The hope with whatever future concept is developed would be no impairment, obviously. Also making it much less permanent and damaging is a goal as well.