Some roads in Surrey will get fresh names if the city's transportation committee has its way.

The committee met Thursday morning to discuss some options, and came out recommending several.

Among them, the committee is recommending that the King George Highway be renamed King George Boulevard, at least in the north.

That name could extend the entire length of the thoroughfare right to 8 Avenue if city council decides as much.

It hasn't been a provincial highway in 10 years, says Coun. Marvin Hunt, adding it's time to give the road a name that reflects its new look. The city has spent years and millions of dollars building treed medians along most of King George.

"What do we do with the King George, it's not a highway?" Hunt asked Thursday. "In the bigger text, a boulevard is a treed, inviting sort of place. And that's what we want to convert it to, instead of a freeway."

Hunt said it stopped being a highway when the NDP downloaded it onto the city in about 1999.

"Some year in there, they gave it to us as a famous Christmas present," Hunt said.

The committee is also recommending changing the name of West Whalley Ring Road to University Drive, in keeping with the presence of Simon Fraser University. And keeping a sense of historical attachment, it's being recommended that East Whalley Ring Road be named to East Whalley Drive.

The proposals to rename some of the streets began two months ago as part of city attempts to rebrand Whalley to the next downtown core in the region.

Ideas floated in August suggested renaming the Whalley Ring Roads to City Centre Ring Roads, which drew some criticism from Pete Nichols of Whalley Printers, who believes the community name is just fine.

He's pleased with the committee's new recommendations as it keeps some of the historical significance in East Whalley Drive.

He'd like to see the road rebranding go to a public consultation process.

Council will decide on the proposal in the next few weeks.

kdiakiw@surreyleader.com