The City of Edmonton is asking residents to put on their thinking caps for a new contest to name the four current and future LRT lines.

The LRT lines haven’t needed official names yet because there are two lines, but once the northwest line is built – currently dubbed the NAIT line – more confusion is anticipated said Bob Boutilier, general manager of transportation services for the city.

The city is skipping over outside consultation firms and heading straight to the source – the riders.

“The best people to decide how to do way-finding on the LRT are the people who currently use it,” he said Monday during the contest launch.

Instead of the names changing every time a new end station is added, the city wants to see unique names given to the separate lines that are less about destination and more about the journey.

“This is a lot bigger than just naming a particular location. It’s identity for the city. It’s identifying the entire LRT line,” he said.

“When you think of where we are today, people think of the Clareview line, the Century Park line and the NAIT line. That will be a challenge to get out of people’s heads.”

Boutilier suggests looking at names that include unique Edmonton traits, non-commercial landmarks and provincial animals.

The contest, which starts Monday, will likely wrap up by fall. A shortlist of suggestions will go to the naming committee before heading to city council.