>That's because Oslo, like probably most of the other European cities, wasn't really planned for this much of traffic. One way streets are only a half measure (pardon the poor pun). I've had the same experience driving through Budapest, Novi Sad and Belgrade, where I'm supposed to be more or less at home

When we were there last year, the traffic is Budapest was awful.

>>I agree with you about cul-de-sacs. FWIW, it's the local governments who tend to require the developments to be built that way. Supposedly, good traffic planning calls for dumping everyone onto the major roads and keeping them off the neighborhood streets, unless they live there.
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>Nice but now seems quite counterproductive. You get only local traffic, only the people who live here and their visitors, driving down the street - but then they do have to drive a lot, because there's nothing for a few miles, nothing but more houses (which are never sold - they sell homes only... is "house" politically incorrect now?), so whatever anyone wants, they have to drive to it. So you don't get a neighborhood, people walking by and saying hello, you get a long dormitory with just as long a parking line. And if you get to live close to the only entrance to it, you get all of the traffic, but still nothing much nearby - you too have to drive.

This is actually a different problem than the cul-de-sacs. It's the separation of homes from businesses and retail. There's been some movement in the last few years toward what are called TNDs, traditional neighborhood developments. My husband's company built one a few year ago: http://www.livingplaces.com/PA/Bucks_County/Doylestown_Borough/Lantern_Hill.html

But again, a lot of local governments won't approve them. They think people don't want to live right by stores and businesses.


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>I've heard that this single entrance policy is for security reasons. So any burglar or whatever on a motorbike could just run any other way, and would need to be chased around. Also, what happens with emergency response if the only entrance to the place gets blocked?
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>It may be bad if your street is the only shortcut between two neighborhoods - but if there are several, you get only your share. And that's still locals only; most people won't know about it and would drive where the signs show.

Yep. I live in a much older neighborhood (several houses on this block are about 100 years old), with a grid of streets. There are a few place where people drive too fast, so now and then, the police come along and give a few tickets. Seems to work in the long run.

Tamar