RURAL PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT 227 



In regard to harbours and railways, it is unlikely that a develop- 

 ment scheme will deal with more than the approaches and with the 

 linking up of these approaches with the industrial or residential areas. 

 A scheme should not be permitted to interfere with the line of railway 

 or any land or building used in connection with the railway, but it 

 might impose restrictions upon the use of land owned by a railway com- 

 pany and intended or likely to be used for purposes of development 

 other than those which had to do with the railway. Railway com- 

 anies having real estate interests and owning tracts of vacant land 

 in rural or urban areas should be compelled in their own i at erest to 

 co-operate with the local council in regard to the development of 

 these tracts. 



Perhaps the most important object of convenience in a develop- 

 ment scheme is in respect of highways and streets. To secure con- 

 venience for traffic as well as economy and efficiency from a municipal 

 standpoint it would be essential in a scheme to permit roads to be of 

 varied width. The absurdity of the present by-law standard of width 

 has already been dealt with. Under a land development scheme roads 

 should be planned to suit the needs of traffic and not to follow a stereo- 

 typed rule that fixes a minimum standard without regard to these 

 needs. The 100-foot road should be complementary to the 40-foot 

 road — and even the narrow carriage drive of less than 40 feet leading 

 to a few isolated residences should be permitted. (Figure 41.) 



Next to highways, and having a relation to their width, considera- 

 tion has to be given to the fixing of building lines so as to secure 

 that there would be ample space for future widening if such were ever 

 deemed to be necessary, without having to demolish or remove the 

 buildings. Buildings would thus be set back from the boundary line 

 of the road without waste of land and street construction, the distance 

 of the set-back being fixed according to the class and width of road. 

 The density of buildings on the lot should also be regulated with due 

 regard to the width of road or street, as this has an effect on the traffic 

 requirements. The character of construction could, if necessary, be 

 determined in a scheme and, if so, would be regulated to suit dill, nut 

 classes of road. The apportionment of the cost to be incurred by 

 the province, the municipality and the owner would also be proper 

 matters to be dealt with in a scheme; as well as questions relating to 

 stopping up unnecessary highways and diverting others which may 

 be improved as regards position and alignment. These matters 

 would be largely settled by co-operation between authorities and 

 parties interested in the land affected by the scheme. 



