Viva pedestrians! Virginia puts moratorium on new Cul-de-Sacs

From the Washington Post,

Virginia is taking aim at one of the most enduring symbols of suburbia: the cul-de-sac.
The state has decided that all new subdivisions must have through streets linking them with neighboring subdivisions, schools and shopping areas. State officials say the new regulations will improve safety and accessibility and save money [...]
Early 20th-century development was generally in a grid format, which spread traffic out. It also made for walkable, transit-oriented communities. (link)

What a victory for multi-modal, human-powered transportation!

Cul-de-sacs create dead-ends in development, forcing people out to major arterial routes to run short errands that could otherwise be walkable or bikeable on quiet streets. They also are inefficient no-go zones for public transit. These features contribute in a big way to the already heavily vehicle-centric design of subdivisions.

Hopefully this moratorium becomes widely adopted.

CC licensed photo from flickr.com/ableman