u/Tokyo-MontanaExpress

In addition, or I should say subtraction, the city has not added a single crosswalk, "School Crossing" sign, or any traffic safety infrastructure at all around this school, *ever*. I guess bilingual children just don't deserve safe streets.

Did a loop around the lakes in this strip mall suburb with no walkable center: was 90% path, 8% intersections, including really wide ones (7 lanes across) and 2% quiet residential streets. Even on the worst stroads, you at least have one side with a path, others like Radio Dr have two, both sides have paths! Residential areas and parks are connected together by these paths, so these are actually less stressful than biking on urban residential streets because you don't have to worry about that asshole who eventually shows up going twice the speed limit. No motorists, just meadows, ponds, parks, and backyards. I was surprised how many just abut the paths directly, residents seem to not mind and even use the opportunity to show off a bit. There was even a lemonade shack at one.

There are also a few tunnels to bypass the experience of crossing several lanes of cars. The downside is that all of this disappears once you want to reach an amenity, then it's treeless and full of asphalt and cars. You have to be more cautious crossing major stroads to your strip mall of choice and navigating car traffic in the parking lots, but the path will take you there and I even spotted a bike rack at a gas station. People were actually using these paths too, mostly biking or walking, pretty much 50/50. I'm sure that's because they heavily invested in paths everywhere. I saw a few under construction and rode on a couple of fresh ones too. Also, the bike filter on Google Maps is woefully out of date. All of the main roads have paths and others aren't shown at all or only partially. Now if they could just connect that nature and narrowed the stroads to those strip malls with the paths going all the way up to the storefronts, it would be a big step above other similar Twin Cities suburbs and a national model for how to make it safer and easier to bike and walk around.

TL:DR Pleasantly surprised by the extensive bike infrastructure in what should be another typical suburban hellscape. Having to be extra cautious cautious going to destinations that are all in strip malls next to extra wide lanes of fast traffic, not so great. Still a major improvement that should be replicated nationwide.

I guess it's an improvement over the DZBL.

Some asshole motorist was free to bend this sharp metallic sign into the bike path because that little curb doesn't act as a concrete bollard which *should* have been there.

I was in Minnetonka checking out a different trail route and had to head east of Tonkawood to reach the trail at Jidana Park, but unfortunately the newer path on Minnetonka Blvd ends at Tonkawood and although it's only a couple of blocks away, I'd rather not ride in traffic and there are no sidewalks on either side, just narrow shoulders. As luck would have it, the north side of the street was closed off for construction that had yet to start and it mimicked a temporary bike path that continues east where the current one ends, so obviously I took that vs riding in high speed traffic. Just goes to show that if we *wanted* to install temporary bike paths vs wait years for permanent ones, we could just plop a similar setup down overnight. Bonus pic of one of the many meadows along the way if you head NE towards Ridgedale, there are some surprisingly quiet spots tucked away from all of the residential suburbia.