Car dependency and its consequences have been a disaster for North America. They have greatly increased the parking lots for those of us who live in "advanced" countries, but they have destabilized public transit, have made life unfulfilling for adolescents, have subjected pedestrians to hazardous conditions, have led to widespread over-reliance on fossil fuels (in the Third World to regimes based solely on selling crude oil) and have inflicted severe damage on local economies. The continued development of stroads will worsen the situation. It will certainly subject pedestrians to greater hazards and inflict greater damage on local economies, it will probably lead to fewer public transit options and more parking lots, and it may lead to increased suburban sprawl even in "advanced" countries.