City Council voted unanimously today to approve new rules for street numbering and addressing in the city of Pittsburgh. The new rules are designed to aid in the delivery of emergency response services by creating a systematic and public-safety oriented approach to street naming and addressing. The ordinance establishes a process for address change requests and for the assignment of new street names. Only street names and numbers that pose a direct threat to public safety will ultimately be affected.

"Many people helped make this legislation a success. Ray DeMichiei, of the City's Public Safety Department, first approached me with the idea of this legislation, and my colleagues, Darlene Harris, Bruce Kraus, Rev. Ricky Burgess and others, worked diligently to address Council members' concerns and brought an improved version of this bill to the table," Councilman Dowd said. "Our primary concern in this legislation is to make public safety a priority in the creation and revision of street names and numbers."

The new rules follow the guidelines of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), the standard-setting organization for 911 communications. The newly created Street Addressing Review Committee will use NENA guidelines to approve street names in new developments as well as address concerns from residents of existing streets whose street names or numbers are confusing for 911 operators. The Committee will then send its recommendations to Council for final approval.