Longest distance by road between two adjacent residential roads?

[6637]

I noticed today that near Farnborough, Darby Close and Warbler Road (GU17 9FF) run onto each other, separated only by a fence, and it is possible to walk from one to the other in seconds, but by road the shortest journey from one to the other comes out at 2.9 miles.

Is there anywhere that tops that?

[Was92now625]

The one here https://www.instantstreetview.com/@56.4 ... CKmgyqTASw takes about 2.5 km to get across the gap shown. Slightly less than your one. I'm sure that there are other much higher ones but this is one I grew up near. The road USED to go across but not for quite a few years now.

[owen b]

I can get close. Bradgers Hill Road in Luton has a very short, steep, narrow, badly sighted and badly surfaced section in the middle which prevents its use as a through route by vehicles. According to Google Maps the gap which is not motorable is less than 50 metres. However it's a 2.6 mile drive by the quickest route, or 2.4 miles by the shortest. For many years there have been concrete posts physically preventing through traffic, but before that in the 1990s there were only no entry signs. I must admit, I did drive up it on just one occasion about 30 odd years ago.

If it ever had been upgraded it would be a very popular traffic route as it would be a short cut to / from north / east Luton avoiding the notoriously congested Stockingstone Road. There's substantial residential areas either side and Stopsley High School (a big comprehensive) on the upper (east) side so it's a popular route for schoolkids.

[Vierwielen]

It is 2.13 km (or 1.35 miles) to get to the road on the other side of this short (20 metre) footpath (Hook, Hampshire).

ANother one from Hampshire, this time in Fleet. This footpath is about 100 metres in length and leads to the end of Greenways. However, to drive it is a 2.81 km (1.75 mile) journey. Years ago, when I was a governor at an infant school, this path nearly casued a major probem: the school principal wanted to rewrite the school's admission policy and her draft included the wording "The school's catchment area comprises the area for which this is the nearest infant school". The draft did not specify how the word "nearest" was to be interpretted.

[tom66]

Closest I know of is in St Neots in the Loves Farm estate;
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/52.23 ... ?entry=ttu

1.9 miles on Google Maps. The road is supposed to be protected by rising bollards, though these seem to be broken in the most recent photos and a gate is in their place (I moved away from here a year ago). As far as I know, the local ambulance and fire service have access to these but otherwise the access is always blocked.

[ajuk]

This is always a good way to show how poorly they integrate modern cities.

[FosseWay]

Not in the UK, but my house and my neighbours' is separated by about 50 metres horizontal distance and 15 metres in height. There is a footpath with steps between our road and theirs. The driving distance is 4.5 km.

[Herned]

I noticed today that near Farnborough, Darby Close and Warbler Road (GU17 9FF) run onto each other, separated only by a fence, and it is possible to walk from one to the other in seconds, but by road the shortest journey from one to the other comes out at 2.9 miles.

Is there anywhere that tops that?

You mean by car, not by road. Those aren't synonymous

[Alderpoint]

In Tewkesbury Pansy Gardens to Rudgeway Lane is 3 miles by car, but only 20m in a direct line.

[Mapper89062]

If we're allowing bus gates then this less than 100m gap requires a 4.4km/2.7mi diversion by all other motor vehicles (and I don't think there are actually any buses that use this route at the moment).

[Rob590]

This is always a good way to show how poorly they integrate modern cities.

Why is it a problem though? Presumably there is no through route so that people accessing the university campus and business park don't take short-cuts through the housing estates, and to block-off a possible through-route when the M32 has congestion.

You would need to want to go from one that block of residential streets to the other, and be unable to make the short walk or cycle. Both residential streets are able to access facilities at Gainsborough Sqaure and Longdown Avenue, there are primary schools in both estates, and both have reasonable access out to the motorways, train station, supermarkets etc, so there is no-one 'cut-off' by there not being a through route.

The number of people needing to do that sort of journey would be extremely small, and in the event that there are people who do then the homes are still only a 10 minute drive from each other; this is much more preferable than creating a rat run.

[Alderpoint]

If we're allowing bus gates then this less than 100m gap requires a 4.4km/2.7mi diversion by all other motor vehicles (and I don't think there are actually any buses that use this route at the moment).

At the Claydon bus gate on the other side of Ipswich it's 3.8mls from one side to the other for non-buses.

[rileyrob]

The Bus Gate between Inchinnan and Erskine leads to some pretty lengthy detours by car. With a road closure on the A8 at present, it seems to be nudging 5 miles in places.

[wallmeerkat]

1.7 miles for houses that back onto each other

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/54.5474 ... ?entry=ttu

[Hrossey]

Broughty Ferry/Monifieth (east of Dundee) has some good examples of this around the new build estates at Panmuirfield. Numbers 34 Wyvis Avenue and 22 Vorlich Avenue back onto each other but it is a two mile drive between them. Presumably the council/developers didn’t want through traffic from Broughty Ferry being able to access the A92 and vice versa so all the possible rat runs are blocked off to motor traffic and used for shared cyclepaths only. It must be very frustrating for people living on the wrong side on the barricades.

[wrinkly]

Presumably there are some good examples in Belfast with the peace walls?

[ajuk]

This is always a good way to show how poorly they integrate modern cities.

Why is it a problem though? Presumably there is no through route so that people accessing the university campus and business park don't take short-cuts through the housing estates, and to block-off a possible through-route when the M32 has congestion.

You would need to want to go from one that block of residential streets to the other, and be unable to make the short walk or cycle. Both residential streets are able to access facilities at Gainsborough Sqaure and Longdown Avenue, there are primary schools in both estates, and both have reasonable access out to the motorways, train station, supermarkets etc, so there is no-one 'cut-off' by there not being a through route.

The number of people needing to do that sort of journey would be extremely small, and in the event that there are people who do then the homes are still only a 10 minute drive from each other; this is much more preferable than creating a rat run.

For some reason, the way they build them like this Lockleaze and Cheswick feel like they're miles apart as opposed to say Southvile and Bedminster. Obviously, you wouldn't actually want to drive that far, but I think it's indicative as to how poorly cities grow these days. I think the through route there would be helpful for the people of Lockleaze I think a better compromise would be to have it shut off at rush-hour times.

[wallmeerkat]

Presumably there are some good examples in Belfast with the peace walls?

Presuming Lanark Way gates https://www.google.com/maps/@54.6015541 ... ?entry=ttu are closed

Heres an example just over a mile https://www.google.com/maps/dir/54.6016 ... ?entry=ttu

[FosseWay]

This is always a good way to show how poorly they integrate modern cities.

Why is it a problem though? Presumably there is no through route so that people accessing the university campus and business park don't take short-cuts through the housing estates, and to block-off a possible through-route when the M32 has congestion.

You would need to want to go from one that block of residential streets to the other, and be unable to make the short walk or cycle. Both residential streets are able to access facilities at Gainsborough Sqaure and Longdown Avenue, there are primary schools in both estates, and both have reasonable access out to the motorways, train station, supermarkets etc, so there is no-one 'cut-off' by there not being a through route.

The number of people needing to do that sort of journey would be extremely small, and in the event that there are people who do then the homes are still only a 10 minute drive from each other; this is much more preferable than creating a rat run.

Exactly. The set-up where I live is like the veins on a leaf as far as four-wheel motor vehicle access is concerned: there is a central road giving access to side roads. But there are footpaths, which may also be used by cycles and (unfortunately) mopeds, linking the side roads to each other and, where relevant, linking to the next "leaf". The path by my house is an exception (not really negotiable by bike - I always walk it, anyway) because there happens to be a considerable height difference just there.

Quite often when these kinds of discussion come up, there is a group of commentators who seem to equate the lack of a through route from A to B as meaning that driving from A to B is not possible/allowed. The same goes for congestion charging. No-one's saying you can't drive from one to the other, or in the congestion zone; you just have to accept that it may take longer and/or cost more than walking or cycling.

[wallmeerkat]

Seperated by a field, 3.8 mile between them

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/54.6970 ... ?entry=ttu