I'll give that a try next time.

I wish I'd known to ask about the winter plowing yesterday! The Hennepin Bike Advisory Council was hosted at Best Buy, so I sat in. It's possible that I was mentioned but I have not yet mastered the art of staying focused through those meetings. My smartphone got my attention for the last half.

Ah, well, I will find out!

Heads-up, if you want to mix things up, Portland is now striped from Minnehaha Pkwy to 60th St. So Chicago and Portland are both good options to 60th. Regardless, you'd need to take Portland across the Crosstown Hwy and into Richfield.

The roundabout will add some excitement to your morning, though!

I actually biked home tonight that way! 76th to Portland, Portland to Minnehaha Creek. The new bike lanes were v. shiny. The roundabout does not seem optimally designed, but if I take the outside lane it seems ok.

The appearing/disappearing lanes around Diamond Lake road that you noted in the other thread are a little odd, but I didn't have any actual trouble with them, and kinda like the windiness around the lake. I may keep doing this, at least while it's light out. I think the Portland roundabout would worry me in the dark.

I am not sure how you could actually make a roundabout bike-friendly, unfortunately. The main things are to remember are to occupy the COMPLETE CENTER of the lane you need, and don't even let cars think about trying pass while you're approaching or in the roundabout. Installing BIKE MAY USE FULL LANE signs, and perhaps DO NOT PASS entering the roundabout might help. In any case, of course, keep a sharp eye out for cars entering the roundabout that might forget to yield to you. It's lit up like a Christmas tree, though; as long as you're wearing reasonably visible clothing, I think you'll be every bit as safe at night as during the day.

Glad you tried it out! I think Chicago Ave is actually a little bit more scenic, but the stretch around Diamond Lake is quite nice (the surroundings, not the bike lane configuration ).