In fact the layout seems to have gone through a number of changes. ASLs have been removed from the design, leaving instead an extended cycle lane "wedge" or "finger" that protrudes by the lights.
The cycle lane also seems slightly more narrow than expected. If traffic snarls up, and it often does along here, there is still no way to get past a slower rider. Not every rider is as fast, even I have my slow days and its nice to be able to let faster riders through. The lanes at the lights, coming off the Itchen Bridge and over from Central Bridge seem different to how I remember the original design. There are now two, and in practice buses struggle to fit in the left hand lane when traffic is waiting to turn right - having buses and even small lorries overhanging into the cycle lane is both frightening and dangerous.
The slight swerve towards the left as you approach isn't ideal, though riding through the actual lights feels a little more manageable from bridge to bridge.
Riding past the bus stops has been dealt with the provision of a channel and an island for the passengers to wait on. The idea being that they can treat it like a road before crossing to the bus' doors. However as I found when monitoring this today, yesterday and last weekend when it opened - pedestrians both stand and walk IN the cycle lane making it useless. This means cyclists either have to ask people to move, or use the main carriageway.
Yesterday afternoon several riders had to stop and divert from the mouth you see in the photo above as a man had chosen to stand there with his back to the traffic and shout down his mobile phone. He refused to move, or even acknowledge the existence of riders.
Another problem with this channel approach is the horrendous "speed bump" they have installed in the middle. My understanding is that the Dutch don't do this, they put in dropped kerbs instead. There is a potential for a big puddle and an accumulation of rubbish at the exit, too.
The green surfacing used feels a little loose and crunchy under both my racing tyres, and the more knobbly CX tyre I use on the other bike. If it is coming loose it wont last very long and will become bumpy like the surfacing on the underpass under Castle Way.
Forest Cyclist has made a short video testing out the new design here: