Street names

I refer to the letter on Wrong Translation by Joe Busuttil (August 7) about Ross Street being referred to as Triq ir-Ross on a local website. I was immediately reminded about a street in Cospicua originally named after someone connected with the area surnamed Bongiorno and hence the name Strada Bongiorno. Under the Labour government this street was renamed Good Day Street.

Similarly the street in Valletta, Strada Cristoforo, named after a grandmaster of that name, was changed to S. San Cristoforo as also a street in Sliema, originally named Henry Street, was renamed Triq San Neriku and Henry in this case was a surname...!

I would like to ask why a street was originally called Blanche Street? Now it has been changed to Blanche Huber Street to remember the first female doctor in Malta. Who was it named after originally, just Blanche, not Blanche Huber?

I think street-naming officials need to concentrate more when naming streets. There are many Borg Olivier Streets, one replacing Grenfell Street in St Julians where Dr Borg Olivier had indeed no connection. One can accept Victoria Avenue being changed to Gorg, or to be more exact should be, Giorgio Borg Olivier Street. Far too many Dun Karm Psaila streets too, even a motorway.

Just keep the one in Zebbug, where the poet originated from, as also the one that replaced Lower Victoria Terrace where he resided in summer... but no more. History must be respected and streets with English connections, e.g. Prince of Wales (which incidentally is still referred to as such by many elderly Sliema people) as also Strada Rjali in Valletta should never have been changed.