The following observations are being made, after having discussed many of the existing municipal design standards with municipal planning and engineering staff.
- Standards for roadway construction, are based on the requirements of the vehicles that maintain these roads. Roads must be wide enough so that the large plows the municipality uses in winter can clear the street and cul-de-sac without having to back up . This being the case, it would seem that the use of smaller maintenance vehicles would permit roads to be built narrower and thus more economically. On street parking could easily be limited to one side only.
- Considering the topography of undeveloped areas within the Halifax Regional Municipality, it is unrealistic for the municipality to prohibit the construction of retaining walls on public roads. In some cases, no other option is available, especially on sites that have only one vehicular access. In the past, retaining walls were required to be designed by a professional engineer, the same as any other component of a serviced roadway that would be conveyed and accepted by the municipality after construction and final inspections are complete.
- The minimum standards for a local road should reflect the size and nature of the development. Currently, the standards for a road which services 100 lots on a crescent with two access points, are the same as for one which services 10 lots located on a short cul-de-sac.
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This document was last modified on September 30, 1999.