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Yes, cul-de-sacs are a design element that can help to reduce the negative impacts of cars - in the immediate area. Though if you build an area out of cul-de-sa

Yes, cul-de-sacs are a design element that can help to reduce the negative impacts of cars - in the immediate area. Though if you build an area out of cul-de-sacs with no bike/pedestrian shortcuts, you end up not being able to practically get around without a car, so the area around the cul-de-sacs needs lots of car infrastructure. (Which is not so great if your kids are unlucky enough to live across a wide arterial from their friends from school.) But ultimately yes, reducing through traffic can be a good thing, and there are ways to do that in cities too. There's a good video on this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqQw05Mr63E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqQw05Mr63E

ars 2y ago
This is such a weird take. Have you ever actually lived in a such a place? Because your description is NOT what it's like to live there. Suburbs designed around cul-de-sacs are amazing to get around in, very very easy, extremely bike friendly! One way to do it is you'll have a main road with shops, and no houses, and leading off of that tons of very quiet residential streets with barely any cars. Kids play in the street, people bike all over the place, and when you shop all the stores are in one place so you save on car trips.
- ryukafalz 2y ago
  Obviously I don't know exactly the type of neighborhood you're envisioning from that description, but what you're describing sounds a lot like the suburb just north of me, and at least here that main road with shops is not a particularly friendly place to be without a car. The residential areas may be bikeable if you're staying very local, but the moment you need to cross one of the arterials crisscrossing the area it gets significantly less so. Though I would have liked more nearby options, growing up I enjoyed being able to walk to nearby corner stores and such. Would you feel comfortable letting kids walk or bike to a nearby shop unattended in the places you're talking about?
jimmydddd 2y ago
Yes. My town is all cul-de-sacs and main roads with no sidewalks. It's great when you have 3-year-old kids, because they can play safely in front of your house. But when they become 10-16, they can't safely walk or bike to anywhere and have to be driven to school, sports practices, Burger King, the Quik Mart, everywhere. The middle school is only a half mile from my house and the high school is only a mile a way, but none of the kids can safely walk or bike to these schools. Everyone gets dropped off by their parents.
- nunez 2y ago
  And those pickup lines are embarrassingly long and tend to spill into main roads.
wonderwonder 2y ago
I'm lucky enough to have a cul-de-sac and the entire area has side walks and bike lanes. My 7th grader bikes a mile to school each day and my 5th grader will start this year. Only time I have to drive them is if there is rain. Its really an awesome perk to living in the suburbs, and my kids being able to just say "Hey. I'm going for a bike ride" and me not having to worry is a massive life upgrade for everyone involved.

ars 2y ago

This is such a weird take. Have you ever actually lived in a such a place? Because your description is NOT what it's like to live there. Suburbs designed around cul-de-sacs are amazing to get around in, very very easy, extremely bike friendly! One way to do it is you'll have a main road with shops, and no houses, and leading off of that tons of very quiet residential streets with barely any cars. Kids play in the street, people bike all over the place, and when you shop all the stores are in one place so you save on car trips.

ryukafalz 2y ago
Obviously I don't know exactly the type of neighborhood you're envisioning from that description, but what you're describing sounds a lot like the suburb just north of me, and at least here that main road with shops is not a particularly friendly place to be without a car. The residential areas may be bikeable if you're staying very local, but the moment you need to cross one of the arterials crisscrossing the area it gets significantly less so. Though I would have liked more nearby options, growing up I enjoyed being able to walk to nearby corner stores and such. Would you feel comfortable letting kids walk or bike to a nearby shop unattended in the places you're talking about?

jimmydddd 2y ago

Yes. My town is all cul-de-sacs and main roads with no sidewalks. It's great when you have 3-year-old kids, because they can play safely in front of your house. But when they become 10-16, they can't safely walk or bike to anywhere and have to be driven to school, sports practices, Burger King, the Quik Mart, everywhere. The middle school is only a half mile from my house and the high school is only a mile a way, but none of the kids can safely walk or bike to these schools. Everyone gets dropped off by their parents.

nunez 2y ago
And those pickup lines are embarrassingly long and tend to spill into main roads.

wonderwonder 2y ago

I'm lucky enough to have a cul-de-sac and the entire area has side walks and bike lanes. My 7th grader bikes a mile to school each day and my 5th grader will start this year. Only time I have to drive them is if there is rain. Its really an awesome perk to living in the suburbs, and my kids being able to just say "Hey. I'm going for a bike ride" and me not having to worry is a massive life upgrade for everyone involved.