Virginia cracks down on culs-de-sac to save money
Filed under: Home
Growing up, I got to experience living on a plain old street to later moving to a cul-de-sac. The biggest advantage to the latter was the lack of traffic speeding through and you could use the big, round cul-de-sac as a skating rink or race-course for riding your bike. Yes, culs-de-sac are safer for children, who like to play out in the street with other kids in the neighborhood, but these little suburban havens also cost their communities a lot of money and lead to an increase in traffic congestion. The Washington Post reports that's why one state, Virginia, is cracking down on culs-de-sac in new developments.
Culs-de-sac are a desirable place to live not only for the inability for traffic to whiz through them, but they're also a crime deterrent by limiting escape routs for would-be criminals. Mike Toalson, executive vice president of the Home Builders Association of Virginia, calls them the safest places to live in America.
Regardless, Virginia is saying no more culs-de-sac. From the article, the problem lies with the "widening of secondary roads that are overburdened with traffic from the subdivisions, strip malls, schools and office buildings that feed into them. The system forces drivers to enter these traffic-choked roads to go even 50 yards or so to the neighborhood coffeehouse or elementary school." North Carolina and Portland, Oregon are also taking a second look at culs-de-sac.
Traffic seems to be the greatest argument against this token of suburbia. The Census Bureau reported that the longest commute in the country belonged to Linton Hall Road in Prince William, Washington, in a suburb developed using the cul-de-sac template. The state had to pick up the tab for widening Linton Hall Road into four lanes. The jams still continue at peak traffic hours.
Brian Goff, 42, a resident of Prince William, enjoys his cul-de-sac living but is concerned about the needed expansion to combat the gridlock, "There are kids in all these subdivisions. You put more traffic in subdivisions, it's a recipe for disaster."
Traffic jams and sucking up state funds, oh my. It was fun while it lasted, but as suburbia continues to grow with the population, culs-de-sac may become relics of a simpler time.
Culs-de-sac are a desirable place to live not only for the inability for traffic to whiz through them, but they're also a crime deterrent by limiting escape routs for would-be criminals. Mike Toalson, executive vice president of the Home Builders Association of Virginia, calls them the safest places to live in America.
Regardless, Virginia is saying no more culs-de-sac. From the article, the problem lies with the "widening of secondary roads that are overburdened with traffic from the subdivisions, strip malls, schools and office buildings that feed into them. The system forces drivers to enter these traffic-choked roads to go even 50 yards or so to the neighborhood coffeehouse or elementary school." North Carolina and Portland, Oregon are also taking a second look at culs-de-sac.
Traffic seems to be the greatest argument against this token of suburbia. The Census Bureau reported that the longest commute in the country belonged to Linton Hall Road in Prince William, Washington, in a suburb developed using the cul-de-sac template. The state had to pick up the tab for widening Linton Hall Road into four lanes. The jams still continue at peak traffic hours.
Brian Goff, 42, a resident of Prince William, enjoys his cul-de-sac living but is concerned about the needed expansion to combat the gridlock, "There are kids in all these subdivisions. You put more traffic in subdivisions, it's a recipe for disaster."
Traffic jams and sucking up state funds, oh my. It was fun while it lasted, but as suburbia continues to grow with the population, culs-de-sac may become relics of a simpler time.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
3-24-2009 @ 6:18AM
lulu said...
The proper plural is "culs-de-sac". at least that's what they said on Gilmore Girls.
Reply
3-24-2009 @ 8:02AM
BLOODYHELL said...
WELL IF THEY SAID IT ON GILMORE GIRLS...WTF STUPID.
I'M A DESIGNER OF ROADS AND SUBDIVISIONS, SOMETIMES THESE TYPES OF ROADS ARE REQUIRED. ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES, SHAPE AND SIZE OF THE ORIGINAL PARCEL, SECONDARY ACCESS POINTS ARE ALL LIMITING FACTORS. EVEN IF YOU CONNECT A SUBDIVISION ROAD AT TWO POINTS ON AN EXISTING STREET THE TRAFFIC STILL HAS TO GET THERE.
AND FOR THE ARGUMENT THAT THEY'RE A GREAT PLACE FOR KIDS TO PLAY IN THE STREET: CARS BELONG IN THE STREET, NOT KIDS. DUMBASS.
3-24-2009 @ 10:52AM
dakotabillg said...
Wow.
Bloody Hell - you need some anger management.
Also, I think it is culs-de-sac, but like so many things in English, usage determines the word and if most people say cul-de-sacs, then so it is.
And I think Virginia is just angry becasue they're a commonwealth and not a state like the rest of us.
3-24-2009 @ 10:54AM
allison said...
Yes, it is culs-de-sac, and yes on Gilmore Girls is where I first heard it too. There are also some typos in the article, typical of AOL articles though... "high-peek traffic hours" not only is that redundant (it should either be high OR peak), but peak is spelled wrong. Way to go AOL.
3-24-2009 @ 11:24AM
Buck said...
Man . . . I grew up in a cul-de-sac in the back of a quiet neighborhood. It was perfect. Just like the article says: Safe for kids. But the reality is that even the street was safe because traffic was low. I guess they just need to plan the neighborhoods better. Don't build a cul-de-sac off of a 4 lane highway! Put it in the back of a neighborhood where traffic is at a minimum.
3-24-2009 @ 11:52AM
jason said...
allison - Peak does not have to mean high in number or physically high. It means the highest point of something. That peak could be 2 cars in an hour if the other hours in the day see only 1 car. 2 cars in an hour would be a peak but not a high-peak. Also I am sure if all the English majors in the room wrote the article it would have some mistakes in it as well. Guess its fun and makes some people feel better to correct every letter someone types though.
3-24-2009 @ 12:58PM
dapsandrea said...
Well BLOODYHELL I think you need a new profession ass because lulu is correct. The correct plural of cul de sac is CULS DE SAC.
3-24-2009 @ 6:27AM
el said...
The problem is not the culs-de-sac, it is the widening of main roads and highways that lead to these plush neighborhoods. The two lane streets and roads are becoming a thing of the past. If you really want to gain better control of traffic stop building new neighborhoods, at least slowdown. The pace at which houses and urban development are moving, not even the wildlife can keep up. Leave some trees and plants around. We are consuming the earth way too fast. Slow down!
Reply
3-24-2009 @ 6:30AM
John S said...
Funny this should come up. Ex Pres. Bush just moved into a cul-de-sac in a Dallas suburb.
Reply
3-24-2009 @ 10:50AM
mike da bronx said...
It's all W's fault!.......AGAIN
3-24-2009 @ 6:58AM
Joey said...
I undarstand and sympatise with all the traffic woes created by cul-de-sacs. Conceptionally they are a great neighborhood tool which implements safety for childeren playing in the round street and friendship and networking amongst the close neighbors who reside in a cul-de-sac. However, a major issue in my community with cul-de-sacs is SNOW. I realize not all regions have to deal with this type of weather which makes things a little easier - but in my Iowa cummunity (one that has close to 300 cul-de-sacs) the snow becomes not only a traffic hazard factor, but a serious safety issue for the children out playing in it as well. Pending on how much yard space is in a cul-de-sac, which usually isn't much, we are sometimes left with no choice but to pile the snow in the middle of the cul-de-sac. We would hall it out if we could but we simply do not have the time and resources to do that as most of our operators are already tied up with cleaning up resedential, collector, and major arterial roadways.
Imagine the thoughts and ambitions that are going through those childeren's creative minds as they're watching the heavy equipment pile all that glorious snow into one big mountain right in the middle of their cul-de-sac! King of the Mountain, tunneling and caves, fortresses and snow huts...it's all right there. I myself would be drooling with ambition if I were that age again and were presented with such an opportunity, but on the contrary, that is one place a child should be no where near as it is still a very hazardous environment. The snow pile being in the middle of a cul-de-sec leaves it succeptable to more heavy equipment operation and snow piling. A large plow or end-loader may run over a child whose sledding off the bank and not even know it. Even worse a child may be inside one of their tunnels and get crushed by more snow being piled on top as the operator was un aware that there was anyone inside the snow pile. Fortunately my community has yet to endure one of these tragic related incidents as we as municipal operators are very adamant about checking the snow piles before we destroy or add on to them. It is somewhat time consumming but it's definitely worth it knowing that we're not endangering childeren's lives.
So once again, our two main issues with cul-de-sacs is where to put the snow and to beware of playing childeren while conducting snow removal operations.
Reply
7-25-2009 @ 1:37PM
Tracy Pence said...
Oh, Joey, kids in the cul-de-sac where I live became a nightmare, with busted mailboxes, broken windows, and flowers beat down, not to mention vehicles getting damaged. I don't know about Virginia, but in Columbus, Ohio it is against the law to play in the street (cul-de-sac). When you become the neighbor that does not want all the loud noise within 25 feet of your door and windows, as well as the destruction aforementioned, you become the "witch" of the neighborhood. According to my neighbors, "Hey, it's okay to allow our kids to break the law and play in the street." What are these parents teaching their kids? This is only the beginning of kids learning that it is okay to break the law and be disrespectful to others.
3-24-2009 @ 9:32AM
Patrick Tate said...
This is just plain stupid. Leave to some idiots to come up with this as a solution to problems they can't solve rationally.
Reply
3-24-2009 @ 7:29AM
Dave said...
Cities and suburbs are great as long as they are far away from me. Where to put the snow, where to park the cars. Trivial things that create such problems. How you urban and suburban dwellers do it is beyond me. I come down off my mountain every so often to browse the car lots or maybe hit the Red Lobster, but other than that the city has nothing for me except a headache. Where I live people friendly. I wave at the occasional car that drives by house. Haha, I have to catch myself when I go to town because I automatically wave and say hello...people think I'm nuts. Rude people, noise, smell, traffic jambs. Thank God I'm a country boy.
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3-24-2009 @ 10:59AM
DAVE P said...
Amen bro'!
3-24-2009 @ 1:02PM
Richard said...
Hey I do so agree, that is why I live way out in bumfuk west Texas, no neighbor for a mile and a half and everyone still waves when they meet another car on the back roads. Now that might be to show respect to another gun crazy Texan, LOL.
3-24-2009 @ 7:39AM
BigB said...
Funny how those streets acquire a fancy French name -"cul-de-sac" - when they're in the suburbs. Here in the city they're called "dead ends".
Reply
3-24-2009 @ 8:47AM
chuck said...
Now that thur was funny...and the truth!
3-24-2009 @ 11:39AM
Jed said...
I was once shown a house on a "wooded cul-de-sac". As we drove away, I mentioned to the agent that where I grew up, that would have been called a "dead end" and inquired as to the difference. The agent's reply? "Oh, about $50,000". ;-)>
3-24-2009 @ 12:44PM
anti cul de sac said...
It sounds like a fancy French word, but it isn't. In France, it literally means "hemorrhoid". Cul is a crude form of the word buttocks (as many cultures have such a term) and Sac means pocket. Pocket of the ass. Very chic.