Lithgow City Council - Road Naming

In the naming and re-naming of roads and streets the following guidelines should be observed.

1.1 Name duplication within a local government area should be avoided. If possible duplication of names in proximity to adjacent local government areas should also be avoided.
1.2 However, roads crossing council boundaries should have a single and unique name.

2.2 Names should be appropriate to the physical, historical or cultural character of the area concerned.
2.3 The origin of each name should be clearly stated and subsequently recorded.
2.4 The local Aboriginal Land Council should be consulted when choosing Aboriginal names unless council already has an agreed list of appropriate name.

3.1 Names of living persons should not be used.
3.2 Names, which are characterised as follows, are to be avoided.

4.1 Names should be reasonably easy to read, spell and pronounce in order to assist both service providers and the travelling public.
4.2 Unduly long names and names composed of two or more words should be avoided.
a given name should only be included with a family name where it is essential to identify an individual or where it is necessary to avoid ambiguity. The use of given names should generally be avoided.
whilst street and cul-de-sac names should have only one word it is recognised that some roads require a two word name because of their geographic relationship eg; New England Highway.
roads with double destination names should be progressively renamed.

5.1 Where it is intended that a road have the same name as a place or feature with an approved geographical name, then particular care should be taken to ensure that the correct spelling is adopted. Place names shown on Central Mapping Authority topographic maps are approved names unless specifically excepted in the map legend or in exceptional circumstances where the name has been changed subsequent to the publication of the map.
5.2 Where names have been changed or corrupted by long established local usage, it is not usually advisable to attempt to restore the original form; that spelling which is sanctioned by general usage should be adopted.
5.3 Generally road names proposed or approved should not contain abbreviations: eg, the "Creek" in "Wallaby Creek Road" must not be abbreviated. There is, however, one exception -"ST" should always be used in place of "Saint"

6.1 The apostrophe mark ' must be omitted in the possessive case eg. "Smith's Road" should be "Smiths Road".
6.2 It is further preferable to delete a possessive "S" unless the euphony becomes harsh eg. "Smith Road".
6.3 The use of hyphens should be avoided.

Road Type

Proposals for road names should include an appropriate road type suffix. Assistance to both the motoring and pedestrian public should be a big consideration in making this choice. When a type suffix with a geometric or geographic connotation is chosen ensure that it generally reflects the form of the road; for example:

Road types specifically associated with the NSW main road network are recognised but have not been listed.
The following list of suitable road type suffixes is included for convenience. The list has been sourced from Australian Standards AS 1742.5 - 1986 and AS 4212 - 1994 with input from some councils.

In most instances the connotations are clear but where necessary definition can be checked in a dictionary.
Alley
Arcade
Avenue
Boulevard
Bypass
Chase
Circle
Circlet
Circuit
Circus
Close
Court
Cove
Crescent
Drive
Esplanade
Fairway
Garden(s)
Grove
Lane
Mall
Mews
Parade
Parkway
Place
Plaza
Promenade
Quay
Ridge
Ridgeway
Road
Row
Square
Street
Terrace
Walk
Way

No Prefix or Additional Suffix

The use of a compass point prefix or an additional suffix such as "north" or "extension" should be avoided.

The Roads Act 1993 - Section 162 - provides the authority for the naming of roads.

The Roads (General) Regulation 2000 (Government Gazette No 112) Part 2, Division 2 - Sets out the procedures to be observed when naming roads.