Street Talk: What’s in a name?

Have you ever wondered why we have different names for our streets? Why Lincoln Road not Lincoln Avenue? Why Colombo Street not Colombo Road?

It turns out there are rules around street classifications which, while not always followed, generally are.

The primary purpose of a road is to connect two points - such as one suburb to another. Streets meanwhile have buildings on either side.

Avenues often have trees and buildings on both sides and they run perpendicular to streets, sometimes with a median through the middle.

Central Christchurch is made up mainly of streets and bounded by the famous Four Avenues – Fitzgerald, Bealey, Moorhouse and Deans.

While streets, roads and avenues are the most common, here are some other definitions commonly found in residential areas:

Crescent: A winding, curved road that typically attaches to another road at each end.

Drive: A long road that winds around a geographical feature such as a river or mountain.

Place: A road or street with a dead end that’s not a loop or circle.

Lane: A narrow road that typically leads to a residential zone. Lanes are often found in rural areas, however Christchurch’s central city lanes, once home to early warehouses and factories, now host entertainment and retail precincts.

Court: A street ending in a loop or a circle, also known as a cul-de-sac.

Terrace: A street following the upper portion of a slope.

When it comes to naming new roads, subdivision developers submit names to the Christchurch City Council as part of their consent application.

In Yaldhurst Park the names have links to horse racing such as Stud Road, Gallop Lane, Furlong Street and Reins Lane.

They’re encouraged to put forward several options for each proposed road or right of way – in case of rejection. If there’s more than one road, a common theme is recommended for the names so there’s a sense of unity.

The suburb of Cracroft for instance has streets named after rivers and sheep stations in North Canterbury, such as Hurunui Street, Opihi Street, Pahau Place and Waiau Street.

And in Sydenham famous English writers are remembered with Shakespeare Road, Coleridge Street and Thackeray Place.

Personal names are discouraged unless there is an historical connection to the property. For example Len Lye Place is on the site of famous New Zealand sculptor Len Lye’s childhood home.

 Christchurch City Council looks after 2,439 kilometres of streets, each one of them unique. Check our Newsline platform for more stories in our Street Talk series.