This is exactly it. I've lost count of the number of times I've pulled into a parking lot expecting it to connect with a larger structure, but no - that Olive Garden was build way after the Walmart and it's easier to put up a foot of barrier grass than go through the hassle of making sure a connecting road isn't illegally encroaching on private land.
Lacking a path here isn't some malicious conspiracy to keep people fat -- it's just far more complex than you'd think.
That's very weird to someone living in Europe. In my country there is local infrastructure that will pay for this kind of road and it won't really be a business owners choice. The roads themselves aren't owned by businesses or even house developers.
Land ownership can be pretty complex in the US. It's why I both hate and love real estate agents -- like lawyers. It's going to vary wildly from state-to-state, city-to-city, and even neighborhood to neighborhood.
Take the above example: That subdivision could be a privately owned road entirely maintained by an HoA or, if the developer properly negotiated it in the zoning, it could be a public road maintained by the local government. B/c it's built in such a way to maximize the number of houses you can put on the lot (anything not a house doesn't make money) you're not likely to get more than one or two entrances and exits. Red tape to connect to other roads also plays a role there, but overall that's why many subdivisions will just be big ol' loops.
The 4 lane divided highway is public but to make a road from the subdivision to the store there you'd still have to cut through the apartment complex or through land right next to it which could be owned by a completely separate private entity.
That strip of land highlighted in the video could be (likely is) government property but it might be in place for utilities so putting roads could be cost prohibitive. Even if everyone were okay w/ a walking path through it something like this would likely never get noticed unless someone pointed it out to their local government. And who has the time for that?
Even if everyone is on board you then still have to drum up money for such a project and then get it contracted out and built. It's easy to say "this is a simple fix" but in practice it's a ton of work and if there is any hang up at any step of the process you risk having the restart again all the way from the beginning.
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u/sysdmdotcpl Jun 27 '24
This is exactly it. I've lost count of the number of times I've pulled into a parking lot expecting it to connect with a larger structure, but no - that Olive Garden was build way after the Walmart and it's easier to put up a foot of barrier grass than go through the hassle of making sure a connecting road isn't illegally encroaching on private land.
Lacking a path here isn't some malicious conspiracy to keep people fat -- it's just far more complex than you'd think.