That used to be my pet hate on trips to the US - it definitely felt like active discouragement - finding the pavement would just stop with no warning, or being

That used to be my pet hate on trips to the US - it definitely felt like active discouragement - finding the pavement would just stop with no warning, or being able to see and almost touch the place I wanted to get to next block or lot, but getting there was a major hike. All that lovely California sun, why on earth would I want to be in the rental car for only a mile or two? :) Cul-de-sacs are fairly popular in current UK estate designs, but usually - not always - include footpaths to link the obvious places. Mostly goes with shopping areas too - if you have walked, you can usually shortcut most of the road routing. That said, UK cycle friendly is mostly tokenism - a few efforts, a few half hearted painted lanes, but it's inconsistent. Pedestrian friendliness is usually pretty good.