Amazingly sometimes city planners get things right. Take a look at this residential area laid out many decades ago, long before "safe streets" or any modern complete streets concepts.

Looks pretty typical, just as you'd see in any suburban area. Note the location of the school and imagine the plight of a child living on the lower part of Normandy or Broadmoor to the south. Like any cul de sac neighborhood, you'd expect the child to walk all the way around by way of Weaver, or mom to play taxi driver so the child doesn't have to walk on a busy road.

Now the cool part. Where Normandy ends, a 4' wide pedestrian right of way cuts through the next 2 blocks to the rest of Normandy lane. Likewise there's a cut at the north end of Broadmoor. This type of pedestrian shortcut exists all over the area, creating neighborhoods free of through traffic, yet eliminating the drawbacks of classic cul de sacs. Here's what it looks like looking from Broadmooor to Meadow

Of course this was done many decades ago, when children actually were expected to walk to school, and adults would actually walk to neighbors more than 3 houses away.