chewybrian 

The cul-de-sac photo really hits home for me. This is the reality where I live. Huge neighborhoods have only one connection to a busy road without a sidewalk or bike lane. One dead-end pretzel of roads backs up to the next. They are separated by only back yards, but unconnected, so there is no walking or cycling between them in most cases.

For the people living in these neighborhoods, it means a 1/4 mile walk to the drug store becomes a mile and a half, including a dangerous and unfriendly stretch along the main road. They might literally hear the bus drive by on the main road from their yard, yet have to walk a mile to get to the bus stop! It's no wonder that they never consider going anywhere in any way but by car.

For me, it means I am continually forced back out into the last place I want to be riding. A few dozen patches of sidewalk, each only a couple hundred feet long, could connect all these roads and allow easy foot or bike travel accross the whole county. So, why wouldn't they build these connections?

I can only conclude that these people value their sense of security above all else. They have made a decision to keep non-residents out of their neighborhood at all costs. It's the middle class version of a gated community with a security guard. They'd rather be shut off from the rest of the world than have a stranger walk down their street.