Hypothesis: Six-lane arterials do not belong in cities. They are inherently dangerous, uncomfortable, have a barrier effect, and antagonistic to any activity outside a motor vehicle.
Support: Walmart on H St NW going under.
https://dcist.com/story/23/02/28/h-street-walmart-dc-closing/
@bikepedantic As a shortcut for questions like this, I just wander around Utrecht in Google Maps. My conclusion on this question is that they are acceptable in a limited area as part of offramp and onramp management of a limited access radial highway at the edges of the city. Also, this intersection is hilarious. #utrecht #engineering #safety https://www.google.com/maps/place/Utrecht,+Netherlands/@52.0796164,5.142404,131m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x47c66f4339d32d37:0xd6c8fc4c19af4ae9!8m2!3d52.0907374!4d5.1214201!16zL20vMGQ5czU
@bikepedantic Note there are still protected bike lanes and sidewalks here, plus street #trees
@Lyle and in many places, any road that has two or more thru lanes in any direction is access-controlled, because they are so incompatible with non-driving.
@bikepedantic Correct, clear safety issue
@bikepedantic It was a shame that they built those buildings without having wider sidewalks in front of them. Sure, the building at N. Cap. is older, but it wasn't *that* long ago the rest of that block (including the Walmart building) was GPO surface parking, so it really is a missed opportunity.
@bikepedantic your hypothesis is that Walmart is incompatible with bad urbanism? Check your math king
@yfactr check your tone, stranger
@bikepedantic I agree with the hypothesis, but are you referring to h st or n cap here? I used to shop here several times a week, and I’m not sure the lack of pedetrianism at this particular spot is necessarily attributable to one street or another.
@Jerbaron its immediate frontage on H, but the fact that it's more generally in a somewhat dead intersection of downtown is probably helped along by being wedged between 395, N Cap, and H.
@bikepedantic agreed. It also doesn’t help that k will always be preferable for crossing n cap and accessing NE, Cobb park has been closed for like 5 years, and the gpo/Douglas buildings offer nothing for anyone else. If they start enforcing the new bus lanes on H, we’ll see
See also: Businesses have a nasty habit of dying on the west side of seven-lane N Glebe Road in Ballston, #ArlingtonVA https://www.arlnow.com/2021/09/29/glebe-road-divide-in-ballston-gets-renewed-county-attention/