editor Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...9032102248.htmlThere is a public benefit to increasing connectivity and eliminating what are essentially private roads plowed and maintained by state and local taxpayers, Dickens and other officials said."If a firetruck or ambulance is stuck in traffic on the Fairfax County Parkway, they just can't turn in to a subdivision and go through local streets, because they don't connect," said Nick Donohue, assistant secretary of transportation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorAggie Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Interesting. Charlotte did this about 8 years ago or so--at the behest of a Republican mayor (who unfortunately lost the recent gov's election there). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westguy76 Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 This is idiotic!Just because a road is publicly maintaned does make it a throroughfare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Good to see this. Hooray for grids! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talbot Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 I hate cul-de-sacs.. good for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rich Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 I hate cul-de-sacs..Why?If you live on one, it's very peaceful not having a lot of through traffic. No punks drag-racing. No short-cutters trying to find an alternate route to somewhere. No speeders to run over your children. There's no traffic except for those who live there. For the residents, that's a big benefit. I'm all in favor of cul-de-sacs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 There is a reason that GPS was invented. Surely the fire dept. can afford a $100 Tom Tom for each of it's units and can find a connector somewhere. Besides, I would think of it as piss poor planning buy the city management if their Fire Depts. are spaced so far apart that they have to take the Freeway to get to a call. I have never seen an ambulance hesitate to take the shoulder on a freeway either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talbot Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Why?If you live on one, it's very peaceful not having a lot of through traffic. No punks drag-racing. No short-cutters trying to find an alternate route to somewhere. No speeders to run over your children. There's no traffic except for those who live there. For the residents, that's a big benefit. I'm all in favor of cul-de-sacs.Well I guess hate is a strong word. I didn't fully think it out before I said it. Cul-de-sacs can have their advantages, I have enjoyed a few block parties in them. Just some subdivisions are out of control with them in their usage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeebus Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 There is a reason that GPS was invented. Surely the fire dept. can afford a $100 Tom Tom for each of it's units and can find a connector somewhere. Besides, I would think of it as piss poor planning buy the city management if their Fire Depts. are spaced so far apart that they have to take the Freeway to get to a call. I have never seen an ambulance hesitate to take the shoulder on a freeway either.ALL GPS devices are inaccurate in some way. My brother's GPS doesn't know that you can't turn left on Main St. downtown, and he nearly wrecked trying to follow said directions (he's from out of state). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo58 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Why is it wasnt for cul de sacs, we never would have got to know Valene Ewing and crew on a weekly basis! Not fair! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 A grid is efficient as a strategic approach to traffic management outside of an urban core; the important thing is that it is spaced in regular intervals that aren't too far apart. About 1/2 mile to 1 mile in between is reasonable spacing. In the rectangular tracts of land that are formed from a grid of major thoroughfares, it is actually preferential from the pedestrian's perspective to use collector streets that connect to the grid at a few signalized intersections rather than as streets spaced every few hundred feet. This way, pedestrians have a working crosswalk and more alert drivers approaching at speeds that are typically slower, and they don't have to be on a near-constant state of alertness. Realistically, these areas are more prone to recreational pedestrian use than commercial pedestrian use, and they tend to have a greater number of kids, so safety really is the priority instead of access to the greatest number of businesses.And because these areas are relatively low-density, even if the neighborhoods are all completely gridded out, that still doesn't necessarily mean that they're going to be especially walkable to the nearest shopping center. I can't think of many people who live in Bellaire, for instance, that walk into downtown Bellaire for their day-to-day needs, even though Bellaire is gridded and has all the essentials available in its downtown area.The other thing about cul-de-sacs in suburban areas that is actually nice is that the percentage of paved impervious land area within a subdivision tends to be lower. In Houston especially, that means that the ground can absorb more storm water instead of requiring larger flood control facilities on-site or downstream. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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