Talk:Dead end road

Distinguished from Cul-de-sac

A Cul-de-sac is a road with only one outlet. A dead end road is a road that ends suddenly or awkwardly, often with little opportunity to turn around. Cul-de-sacs are platted, offering ample opportunity for entering and exiting. The characteristic awkward end of dead end roads is why caution signs are posted at their entrance. User:Fred Bauder Talk 12:05, 31 May 2012 (UTC)

British English doesn't make that distinction. While roads described as cul-de-sacs are almost always planned as such with sufficient turning space, they are just a sub-set of all dead ends and are just as frequently described as such. Accordingly, a "dead end" is any road that has only one entrance for vehicular traffic and/or pedestrians (depending on context), regardless of how it ends. Thryduulf (talk) 08:26, 24 June 2012 (UTC)

Exactly, American English seems to make that distinction. A cul-de-sac means a sort of street found in land developments, I think. Not sure I'll ever find any source for that though. A Cul-de-sac is planned; the essence of a dead end is not planned. User:Fred Bauder Talk 09:08, 24 June 2012 (UTC)