Kneehill County council approved a new policy during the regular Tuesday, March 23 council meeting which will allow rural residents to redesignate unnamed roads to ensure better service for deliveries, and emergencies.
The policy followed a request from a rural ratepayer who was experiencing difficulties receiving deliveries to their rural address due to living off one of these unnamed roads, and concerns this could lead to difficulties in emergency situations.
“The benefits of this policy is residents who currently live on an unnamed road will have better servicing to their property, which could include emergency vehicles and delivery services,” Manager of Planning and Development Barb Hazelton said during the presentation.
Hazelton noted at least 14 of these unnamed roads, which are not part of the existing township and range road grid, were identified throughout the county. Applications to redesignate these roads will be brought before council individually for approval.
Road signs will be purchased and installed once these redesignations have been approved. Kneehill County will also work with Alberta Transportation for any signage required along primary highways in the area.
“This project won’t have any impact on the operating budget as road signs are already budgeted,” Hazelton noted.
These newly named roads will also be added to future editions of the Kneehill County map.
Division 6 Councillor Wade Christie questioned whether renaming these roads will impact the rural addressing system for some rural residents.
Hazelton noted there may be some potential impacts; in the case of the original ratepayer request, “there would be two parties” required to update their rural address signs.
She added the policy will help to “clean up” some “problematic” roads.
Going forward, developers will be asked to name any roads “added or left when divisions happen” during a development. To avoid further concerns, renaming of these roads will become part of the regular application process for Country Residential developments.
Division 7 Councillor Kenneth King motioned for council to approve the new naming of county roads; the motion was carried unanimously.