Is there a Windows 8 shortcut to display the taskbar?

Either hover it, or press WIN+T to activate the current application on the task bar.

There also doesn't seem a quick way to access the lock screen information,
I bet they might facilitate accessing the different things using hotkeys. Because it is indeed a pain...

You can press Alt+Esc (or Alt+Shift+Esc to reverse) to switch between windows (which also brings the taskbar to the foreground).

If you're using an external monitor, this combination only displays the taskbar on the windows' monitor, whereas Windows+T shows all taskbars, and doesn't switch the windows.

With Windows+Comma (Not the comma on the numpad), you can peek to the desktop (which will also show you the taskbar) - but only temporary.