Am I the only one who doesn't like cul de sacs?

[Anonymous]

Went to look at a house today on a cul de sac which I know a lot of people love. It was a really tight circle though and I kept thinking it would be pain in the ass to turn around in or to have friends try to park. There were a lot of cars parked there too and I'm guessing they're the neighbors cars. Anyway, I'm wondering if people on cul de sacs have these issues or if I didn't give it a fair shake. My wife didn't mind as much.

[Anonymous]

Do you mean culs de sac?

[Anonymous]

I kind of like the camaraderie of sharing a cul-do-sac. It's a little like "Rear Window". We talk to our neighbors more. The kids, though run back and forth across the street which isn't always safe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you mean culs de sac?

Yes, clearly I did. Thanks for the correction. I hope you understood anyway and will have something else to contribute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Went to look at a house today on a cul de sac which I know a lot of people love. It was a really tight circle though and I kept thinking it would be pain in the ass to turn around in or to have friends try to park. There were a lot of cars parked there too and I'm guessing they're the neighbors cars. Anyway, I'm wondering if people on cul de sacs have these issues or if I didn't give it a fair shake. My wife didn't mind as much.

They are desirable in suburban neighborhoods. Most people associate them with block parties and kids learning to ride their bikes or playing hoops.

If you don't like them, cool, but most people living on one will not have your issues.

[Anonymous]

I've never cared for them either. Then again, unless it's an old medieval European town, I'm more of a fan of simple grid street patterns. So much more logical and easier to get from point A to point B. I know and appreciate that many of the suburban developments were designed to keep traffic on the main avenues rather than cutting through neighborhood streets, but still don't like them.

[Anonymous]

I hate them. I actually refused to buy a house on one.

First of all, they're always filled with a bunch of cars parked on the street.

Second of all, I hate the idea of kids learning to ride their bikes or play hoops in the street.

I know lots of people who live on them, and not one of them have mentioned block parties. I'm inclined to think that, at least in the suburbs, that really doesn't happen as much on people on DCUM like to believe. I'm sure tons of posters will come on and say, "but we have one every month," blah, blah, blah. But as I said, IRL, I know lots of people who live on them, and none of them have ever heard of any block parties happening.

Third thing I hate, is that whenever I see a cul-de-sac, the houses seem to be very close together. I don't know if that's because of their popularity (builders try to fit as many in as possible), but it always seems like you have more neighbors close to you on a cul-de-sac than on a regular street.

Fourth thing, while people say they get less traffic, I've noticed (while visiting friends who live on them) that they get a ton of people who turn in to make a turn and go the other way on the road.

But yeah, most people and real estate agents think they're wonderful. So be it. I also hate neighborhoods that have a lot of them. It doesn't make for ideal traffic flow. And it makes the neighborhood seem disconnected. I guess people like that, but I don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've never cared for them either. Then again, unless it's an old medieval European town, I'm more of a fan of simple grid street patterns. So much more logical and easier to get from point A to point B. I know and appreciate that many of the suburban developments were designed to keep traffic on the main avenues rather than cutting through neighborhood streets, but still don't like them.

+1 And it actually creates more problems to keep traffic on main avenues, especially as they keep building more development. It means the main avenues get clogged up and there are absolutely no alternative routes. It causes more traffic problems. So while people have fewer cars driving by their house, they spend more time in traffic on the main roads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hate them. I actually refused to buy a house on one.

First of all, they're always filled with a bunch of cars parked on the street.

Second of all, I hate the idea of kids learning to ride their bikes or play hoops in the street.

I know lots of people who live on them, and not one of them have mentioned block parties. I'm inclined to think that, at least in the suburbs, that really doesn't happen as much on people on DCUM like to believe. I'm sure tons of posters will come on and say, "but we have one every month," blah, blah, blah. But as I said, IRL, I know lots of people who live on them, and none of them have ever heard of any block parties happening.

Third thing I hate, is that whenever I see a cul-de-sac, the houses seem to be very close together. I don't know if that's because of their popularity (builders try to fit as many in as possible), but it always seems like you have more neighbors close to you on a cul-de-sac than on a regular street.

Fourth thing, while people say they get less traffic, I've noticed (while visiting friends who live on them) that they get a ton of people who turn in to make a turn and go the other way on the road.

But yeah, most people and real estate agents think they're wonderful. So be it. I also hate neighborhoods that have a lot of them. It doesn't make for ideal traffic flow. And it makes the neighborhood seem disconnected. I guess people like that, but I don't.

IRL, in our neighborhood in Falls Church, we don't have them every month but we do have them 3-4 times a year. I guess we don't know each other "IRL"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate them. I actually refused to buy a house on one.

First of all, they're always filled with a bunch of cars parked on the street.

Second of all, I hate the idea of kids learning to ride their bikes or play hoops in the street.

I know lots of people who live on them, and not one of them have mentioned block parties. I'm inclined to think that, at least in the suburbs, that really doesn't happen as much on people on DCUM like to believe. I'm sure tons of posters will come on and say, "but we have one every month," blah, blah, blah. But as I said, IRL, I know lots of people who live on them, and none of them have ever heard of any block parties happening.

Third thing I hate, is that whenever I see a cul-de-sac, the houses seem to be very close together. I don't know if that's because of their popularity (builders try to fit as many in as possible), but it always seems like you have more neighbors close to you on a cul-de-sac than on a regular street.

Fourth thing, while people say they get less traffic, I've noticed (while visiting friends who live on them) that they get a ton of people who turn in to make a turn and go the other way on the road.

But yeah, most people and real estate agents think they're wonderful. So be it. I also hate neighborhoods that have a lot of them. It doesn't make for ideal traffic flow. And it makes the neighborhood seem disconnected. I guess people like that, but I don't.

IRL, in our neighborhood in Falls Church, we don't have them every month but we do have them 3-4 times a year. I guess we don't know each other "IRL"

We have them once a year on my street. Hardly anyone ever comes all the way to the end of the road (the cul de sac is actually a little bit past the last houses). It's awesome. When we consider moving one of the things we would hate to leave behind is our section of the street where the kids play together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hate them. I actually refused to buy a house on one.

First of all, they're always filled with a bunch of cars parked on the street.

Second of all, I hate the idea of kids learning to ride their bikes or play hoops in the street.

I know lots of people who live on them, and not one of them have mentioned block parties. I'm inclined to think that, at least in the suburbs, that really doesn't happen as much on people on DCUM like to believe. I'm sure tons of posters will come on and say, "but we have one every month," blah, blah, blah. But as I said, IRL, I know lots of people who live on them, and none of them have ever heard of any block parties happening.

Third thing I hate, is that whenever I see a cul-de-sac, the houses seem to be very close together. I don't know if that's because of their popularity (builders try to fit as many in as possible), but it always seems like you have more neighbors close to you on a cul-de-sac than on a regular street.

Fourth thing, while people say they get less traffic, I've noticed (while visiting friends who live on them) that they get a ton of people who turn in to make a turn and go the other way on the road.

But yeah, most people and real estate agents think they're wonderful. So be it. I also hate neighborhoods that have a lot of them. It doesn't make for ideal traffic flow. And it makes the neighborhood seem disconnected. I guess people like that, but I don't.

Don't live on one now, but when we did people rarely parked on it; we had regular summer block parties on it; we loved having the neighborhood kids playing in it; and it got very little traffic. So, yes, it was appealing to a lot of people (and we made a bundle when we sold to a younger family when we decided to move closer in).

Of course, our appreciation for it may have been deepened by the fact that we'd previously lived on a block of rowhouses in DC where our neighbors were noisy and inconsiderate and there was exponentially more crime. After that, living in a place with less than ideal traffic flow was not exactly a big worry, although it was kind of a pain to wait for the snow plows to clear other streets first when it snowed.

[Anonymous]

Do you also not like open floor plans?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you also not like open floor plans?

OP here. Nope, I love open floor plans.

[Anonymous]

I like that our street ends in a cul de sac, but I would NEVER buy a house that's actually in the cul de sac (we're about halfway down the street). Too many cars parked on the street down there and it seems like there's no privacy.

[Anonymous]

We are lucky. We live on a cul-de-sac and it is a HUGE circle. The houses are placed quite far apart as well so there is a huge amount of privacy. It is the social hub of the neighborhood and a place where kids play and neighbors congregate. Lots of parking as well.