Neighborhood Design Prompted Speed Hump Homicide

See Planetizen: Virginia Speed Bump Leads to Neighborhood Activist's Murder.

Was the homicide an extension of road-rage caused by the installation of the speed hump? Grist transportation reporter Sarah Goodyear notes that if the neighborhood was constructed in more of a grid layout, there would not have been a need for the traffic calming sought by the victim.

"A Google map view of Field Master Drive, where Carr (the victim) lived, shows a typical suburban pattern of cul-de-sacs and quiet residential streets, with a couple of major roads slicing through. Field Master Drive looks like a main route between two of those larger arterials...

It's a development style that has been shown to increase congestion on the main roads and speeding on the few side streets that provide some connection, rather than leading to a dead end. Streets like Field Master Drive.

Just last year, the state of Virginia announced it would not maintain streets in new subdivisions unless they were laid out with a design that links homes, stores, schools, and other destinations. The aim is to encourage a different style of development, one that would have fewer traffic jams, better access for emergency vehicles, and more walkable neighborhoods."

Thanks to Daily Grist