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Why are suburban roads so wide?

Admiral Beez

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I drove around Whitby and Oshawa today visiting retail shops for work. What I noticed is that in new subdivisions the roads are very wide, at least eight cars wide. Older 1980s subdivisions nearby were perhaps five cars wide. Why so wide now? These weren’t through roads but twisty residential streets. It seems like such a waste where many more houses could have fit.
 
If I remember correctly, some regions such as York Region and perhaps also Durham have decided to construct at least minimum 6-8 lane roadways for all future roads. It's one of those uneducated urban planning decisions that takes it's lead from the Transportation Departments who only focus on automobile travel. Under the false premise that expansive roadways will lead to greater capacity, totally ignoring the cost-of-diminishing-returns.
 

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