100 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION 



necessary for the use of a house. Instead of having the land subdi- 

 vided so as to give them space at the rear of buildings, it is laid out 

 so that they have to acquire frontage areas, with the result that they 

 probably have to pay twice as much for local improvements as is 

 really necessary. In order to get straight streets, when easy curves 

 would be preferable from a traffic point of view, streets are often 

 made in deep cuts or on high embankments with the result that 

 valuable building lots are spoiled. Illustrations of the bad effect of 

 this kind of planning are given on plate X showing building lots in 

 Prince Rupert, B.C. 



When we come to consider bridges and culverts, we have 

 often to face unnecessary difficulties owing to lack of planning of 

 lines of roads. The dust nuisance arises largely from making 

 unnecessary width of street. Who that has studied the enormous 

 cost of maintenance but has been forced to recognize that half of the 

 trouble is in maintaining more surface than the community can find 

 capital to construct properly at the outset? 



The issue before the engineers and administrators of this country 

 is not only to have good roads in the sense of having them properly 

 constructed, but to endeavour to foresee and adequately provide for 

 agricultural development and the future expansion of our towns by 

 planning these roads. We want to save cost on unnecessary length 

 and width of minor roads, to lay down main radial roads of adequate 

 width, and of good alignment and grade, and to connect up these 

 radial roads around towns by good ring roads. The question of direct- 

 ness of route cannot be considered in isolated streets or areas, but is 

 largely a provincial, county or city problem. It is not generally prac- 

 ticable to have curved roads in the old settled areas of Canada, owing 

 to our rectangular planning, but curves are often an advantage, subject 

 to a view being maintained of not less distance than 100 yards. It is 

 more important to avoid sudden deflections, steep grades, and collision 

 points than easy curves. Curves are often a physical necessity to 

 avoid the removal of enormous quantities of material. Moreover, 

 we should not be indifferent to the value of giving some aesthetic 

 effect to a road if this can be done without loss of utility. Some 

 regard has to be paid to beauty, to the preservation of trees and to 

 architectural effect and, as it has been stated elsewhere, relief of traf- 

 fic is not inconsistent with relief to the eye. (Figure 32). 



Where wide roads cause development to be scattered and sim- 

 ultaneously cause building congestion on building lots; and where, 

 by reason of their cost to construct and maintain, they lessen the 

 amount that can be spent in securing durable construction of build- 



