Garages along alleys in Dallas area (Houston, Plano: house, neighborhoods, new construction)

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Aggielina

I moved into my first rear garage house 3 years ago. I won't say I love it, but it's not as bad as I thought. And instead of seeing all my neighbors from the front, we just happen to meet them in the back!

I agree that the garbage cans in the back makes the neighborhood look nicer. We had to put ours out front last year for about a month while the city was reconstructing our streets and the garbage trucks couldn't access the alleys. It really did look bad.

For me, the worst thing about back alleys is worrying about my kids running into them. The fences block the view, so you can't see if a car is coming. I've been very tempted to get a gate across the driveway. A friend told me about a 6 yo she knew who ran into the alley to get a ball and was hit and killed by a car. Now I'm super vigilant when I'm out back with my kids.

The overwhelming majority of people in my neighborhood with an alley entry to their garage have built gates for privacy/safety. I know of only one family who lets their kids play in the alley; they even put out orange cones which I think is a bit obnoxious.

[Soccernerd]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

I know of only one family who lets their kids play in the alley; they even put out orange cones which I think is a bit obnoxious.

My God. I love hearing about crunchy parents. Do they totally block off the alley?

I let my kids play in the backyard, walk to their friends house, play kickball/soccer/whatever in the cup-du-sac (they know to get out of the way when a car comes though) so probably somebody will say that's wrong.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Soccernerd

My God. I love hearing about crunchy parents. Do they totally block off the alley?

I let my kids play in the backyard, walk to their friends house, play kickball/soccer/whatever in the cup-du-sac (they know to get out of the way when a car comes though) so probably somebody will say that's wrong.

Yes, they block the alley. That's why it's obnoxious. Kids playing outside is great...I like seeing that.

[pharpe]

No sure why this is obnoxious. Actually sounds like a good idea. Gives a little more visibility that there are kids playing and, with the way people are on their phones all the time, every little thing helps. Do they not move out of the way if someone needs to get to their driveway? It's not like it's a through street. Should only be neighbors going in and out. A few seconds to move a cone every once in a while is not a big deal.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by pharpe

No sure why this is obnoxious. Actually sounds like a good idea. Gives a little more visibility that there are kids playing and, with the way people are on their phones all the time, every little thing helps. Do they not move out of the way if someone needs to get to their driveway? It's not like it's a through street. Should only be neighbors going in and out. A few seconds to move a cone every once in a while is not a big deal.

It keeps people from getting to their driveways and they do it almost every day. The alley isn't theirs to block. It's actually illegal without a permit, which I assure you they do not have.


I don't complain about it because it's not my alley but I certainly would if it was. That family has a front yard and a back yard for the kids to play in, plus there's a park less than a mile from the house. Why block the alley? It's stupid.

[UnfairPark]

I was one of those parents whose kids played in their yard, neighbor/friend's yards or walked to neighborhood park, weren't allowed to go in the alley. So many people have no regard for speed in alleys and are too distracted or careless even on right speed.

Is it even legal to block an alley. Isnt it a safety hazard?

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by UnfairPark

I was one of those parents whose kids played in their yard, neighbor/friend's yards or walked to neighborhood park, weren't allowed to go in the alley. So many people have no regard for speed in alleys and are too distracted or careless even on right speed.

Is it even legal to block an alley. Isnt it a safety hazard?

It is not legal, and yes it is a safety hazard.


When we're working in the yard we always try to make sure that we do not obstruct the alley. We could be fined if someone complained, though more than likely we'd just get a nasty letter in the mail from the city first.


The city is strict about sight lines in alleys. You can't even build fences at right angles where alleys intersect. They have to be built at an angle to maximize the sight lines.

[TheOverdog]

My garage is in the back. I dig it.

[stan4]

Originally Posted by Soccernerd

Why do most of the houses in some of the north suburbs have attached garages that back up to alleys? Older houses by me have detached garages that are accessed by alleys. Subdivisions of all ages in the northern suburbs have them. Other locations in DFW do not. What are the reasons for having them? They seemed kind of interesting, but it seems like it'd promote a lot more on street parking (which I do not really like). They ultimately don't seem to make any difference.

My brother lived in Preston Hollow (old homes) and there were entire streets with alley parking, so I don't know what you're talking about.

[dhakaia]

With the amount of crap people store in their garages now a days, regardless of it being in the front or back... most end up parking on their driveways or streets anyway.