> It’s not a legality problem it’s a philosophy one.

This is not a dichotomy. The legal aspect comes from the "philosophical" one that comes for lobby money.

I agree, but I think for the purposes of this conversation it fits...laws emerge from the philosophy. simply making an effort to change the laws won't change the philosophy, it will just be an anachronism standing against the dominant philosophy.

This doesn't fully explain the phenomenon because stroads are terrible for drivers.

They cause congestion and are much slower than actual roads, while still being unfriendly to pedestrians and bikers. They're bad for drivers and bad for pedestrians.

This probably sounds pedantic but…they are terrible for drivers but they are good for cars. They are designed for cars not drivers effectively. They suck at vehicle throughout in a broad sense but they are theoretically more efficient than the other design options available.

The pramaterizarion is largely around the dynamics of the cars not human behavior. It’s the over algorithmization of decision making. It’s like YouTube radicalizing people by showing them videos that increase engagement. It’s not intentional in a strict sense, it’s just mindless adherence to a process without thinking.

They're cheap and they get land owners who want access to shut up. "there, you have your road, now stop telling us how to spend your tax dollars"

It's even worse. They're not cheap at all. They're cheap to build but expensive to maintain.

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2018/2/5/the-true-cost-o...