The road that killed Legend Jenkins was working as designed

System design and POSIWID framing

• Several commenters apply “the purpose of a system is what it does” to US road design: if roads consistently endanger or kill pedestrians, that reveals the real priorities.
• High-speed arterials through neighborhoods are seen as intentionally prioritizing car throughput, often historically routed through politically weaker communities.
• Debate over the article’s line that the system “worked as designed”:
  • Critics say it’s misleading to imply anyone designed roads to kill children.
  • Supporters respond that no one needed child deaths as an explicit goal; they’re a predictable side effect of favoring cars.

The specific road and crossing choices

• Commenters inspect the Gastonia location via maps/street view: wide, fast “stroad,” narrow sidewalk on one side, few signalized crossings, dangerous median.
• Some emphasize a marked crosswalk ~300–350 feet away and argue it was reasonable to expect kids to use it.
• Others counter that such detours are long in practice, that the crosswalk itself appears poorly designed, and that many locals likely cross at the median because that’s where life actually connects (apartments ↔ shops).

Legal culpability vs systemic failure

• Strong disagreement over charging the parents with manslaughter:
  • Some see obvious parental negligence in allowing a 7‑year‑old (even with a 10‑year‑old) to cross a quasi‑highway.
  • Others argue escorting by an older sibling is reasonable care; if a 10‑year‑old can’t cross safely, the environment is at fault.
• Multiple comments stress that sidewalks imply “fit for walking”; if a sidewalked road is lethal, that’s a design failure, not user error.
• “Jaywalking” is criticized as car-supremacist framing that shifts blame to pedestrians and historically enabled selective enforcement.

Car‑centric urban form and impacts on children

• Many describe US suburbs as fundamentally hostile to pedestrians: wide, straight, fast roads; sparse crosswalks; large retail blocks; mandatory driving for basic errands.
• Links and anecdotes reference US pedestrian death crises versus cities that have reached or approached zero traffic deaths.
• Several parents say cars are their primary fear for children, above water or crime, and tie kids’ reduced outdoor independence and even falling fertility to car-dominated environments.

Proposed fixes and constraints

• Suggested interventions: narrower lanes, traffic calming, roundabouts/“traffic beans,” bollards, more and better crosswalks, or even car-free areas in dense neighborhoods.
• Grade-separated crossings (bridges/tunnels) are noted as declining due to cost, maintenance, perceived crime, and homeless use; some argue they’re the wrong fix versus making streets inherently crossable.
• One thread proposes civil liability for unsafe road design; critics warn that blanket liability plus grandfathering could freeze new development.
• Cost and politics recur: vast existing car-centric infrastructure, voter attachment to driving/parking, and fragmented incentives make change slow and contentious.

Lived pedestrian experience and international contrast

• Commenters who walk in US suburbs describe it as “frogger”: missing sidewalks, hostile arterials, dead ends, and dangerous improvisation just to reach nearby stores.
• Visitors from more pedestrian‑friendly countries express shock at how aggressive US suburban design feels toward people on foot and ask why pedestrian needs are so ignored; the thread offers partial answers but no consensus history.