Stroads are Ugly, Expensive, and Dangerous (and they're everywhere) [ST05]
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN links it constantly as the standard introduction to stroads and Strong Towns-style arguments about car-centric design.
What it is
Not Just Bikes introduces the "stroad", a street-road hybrid common in the US and Canada that fails at both jobs. He contrasts it with Dutch design, where each road has a single purpose, and covers cost, danger and ugliness.
Recommended by 12 HN commenters across 11 different months, 2021 to 2025.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec benrbray · 2021-07 · on “The Growth Ponzi Scheme”
The Not Just Bikes [1,2,3] YouTube channel also has an excellent series of videos based on work from Strong Towns. I link to these videos whenever a friend asks why I chose to leave the United States. :) [1] [LINK] [2] [this video] [3] [LINK]
Strong rec oblio · 2025-12 · on “Accepting US car standards would risk European lives”
Watch his video. Pick 2-3 at random, be a grown up and ignore the tone of voice and the snarkiness, and see what his points are. They're very solid. Try something like this: [LINK] [this video]
Recommends panopticon · 2021-06 · on “Kids need freedom, too”
> Well, the roads are safe (for cars). Not necessarily. Your risk of being in a fatal car accident is nearly 3x higher on suburban roads than urban roads. This is a good video on the deficiencies of suburbia road design if you're curious: [this video]
Recommends vinceguidry · 2021-08 · on “Culdesac Tempe: The first car-free neighborhood built from scratch in the US”
Lack of demarcation makes things safer by raising the awareness of the people around you. Making things 'safer' actually reduces safety. I've posted this video on another thread, but it really needs to be spread out more: [this video]
Recommends bodo11 · 2021-10 · on “Is Ford about to reinvent the bicycle derailleur?”
While I agree that more standardisation would be beneficial, especially regarding electronics(!), the rest of the bike is fairly standardized (wheel / bottom bracket / pedal screw / steering column diameter etc.) . Unfortunately, I think the introduction of electronics via ebikes and other "new" technologies for the bike are diluting that standardisation in my perception. For another view point of why biking may be shit in your area, I invite you to watch a few videos of this channel: [this video]
Recommends drivers99 · 2021-11 · on “The Stroad”
Cool seeing strongtowns here. Not Just Bikes is a YouTube channel that has helped popularize them recently, and has a lot of other videos about what makes living in the Netherlands so great (i.e. it’s not just bikes, although that’s a big part of it). Here’s Not Just Bikes’ video about Stroads: [this video]
Recommends throw0101a · 2021-12 · on “How do you fix a stroad?”
Except streets and roads are designed to solve different problems: > Streets: The function of a street is to serve as a platform for building wealth. On a street, we're attempting to grow the complex ecosystem that produces community wealth. In these environments, people (outside of their automobiles) are the indicator species of success. Successful streets are environments where humans, and human interaction, flourish. > Roads: In contrast, the function of a road is to connect productive places. You can think of a road as a refinement of the railroad — a road on rails — where people board in one place, depart in another and there is a high speed connection between the two. > Stroads: Stroad
Recommends gregors · 2022-01 · on “Ask HN: Best Talks of 2021?”
This is pushing it as far as "talk", but more of a presentation. The Ugly, Dangerous, and Inefficient Stroads found all over the US & Canada [this video]