Margaret St Merrylands: Council’s request for name change rejected
Requests to rename a Merrylands street in an effort to avert life-threatening situations and make navigation easier for paramedics has hit a setback.
Parramatta
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Requests to rename a Merrylands street in an effort to avert life-threatening situations and make navigation easier for paramedics has hit a setback.
In April, Cumberland Council requested the Geographical Names Board to add a north and south before Margaret St, which the M4 runs through, to make it easier for drivers to locate.
The request came after a patient was forced to wait longer for an ambulance to reach him because paramedics drove to the wrong half of Margaret St.
After corresponding with the council, the board stated that, under rules introduced five years ago, north and south in street was ruled out in street titles.
Councillor Eddy Sarkis questioned the board’s decision and outlined the difficulty navigating Margaret St.
“To get to the other portion of the street, it’s a good eight-minute drive to get out, get back down to Burnett St and get back up to Hilltop Rd, then get back …’’ he said.
“The reason why this was brought to our attention was because of one person who almost lost his life because when the ambulance came out they went to the wrong portion of the street.”
Cumberland Council environment and planning director Daniel Cavallo said it could not overturn the board’s rules, which also prohibit titles such as north, south, old and lower to be incorporated into street names.
“My understanding is, irrespective of whether that’s a new street or an existing street, the manual applies to all circumstances,’’ he said.
However, a new name will now be considered for the two halves of Margaret St.
The council deferred the matter while names are being investigated.
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