Safety audit urges speed hump for remaining half of Christchurch’s divided Deans Ave crossing

Tuesday, 14 July 2026

A safety audit has recommended installing a second speed hump on Deans Ave to match the existing traffic-calming measure on the opposite side.

A busy Christchurch road where only half the street has a speed hump, after two community boards disagreed on how to keep pedestrians safe, may get its other hump.

The Deans Ave hump kerfuffle, concerning a courtesy crossing between Hagley Park and Al Noor mosque, was considered “worthy of Monty Python” when the conflicting votes were cast in March 2025.

As Deans Ave is split down the middle between the central and west Christchurch community board areas, each board independently has control over its side of the street.

This section of Deans Ave between Hagley Park and Al Noor mosque has a speed hump on only one half of the road.

Central city representatives agreed to a hump for southbound traffic with ease, but after leaving the joint meeting, the Waipuna Halswell/Hornby/Riccarton board voted to keep its side hump-free.

City councillor and Riccarton representative Tyla Harrison-Hunt expressed discomfort at the time, saying he’d seen a near-miss with a toddler trying to cross the road, but as a compromise the board agreed to review the decision in a year and keep money aside in case it changed its mind.

A year on, a safety audit, seen by The Press, has recorded confusion and inconsistency at the courtesy crossing and the report authors recommend that Waipuna install a hump after all.

If a speed hump was not approved, the report said the council could instead encourage slower speeds by narrowing the traffic lane and improving road markings.

Auditors observed motorists were far more likely to slow down or let pedestrians cross on the side with a speed hump. However, there had been one non-injury crash between vehicles that was potentially linked to the hump.

The report authors said although the likelihood of pedestrians being hit by a vehicle was low, the risk of such an incident being serious or fatal was significant, as northbound traffic speeds remained 50kph on average compared to the other side’s 30kph.

Harrison-Hunt said it was not guaranteed the board would accept the recommendation.

Since the layout of Deans Ave outside Al Noor Mosque was changed, cars are less likely to park on the kerb and pedestrians can cross easier. (File photo)

Deans Ave was not just a suburban street, he said, but a busy arterial road where the flow of traffic needed to be consistent.

There were also heavy vehicles that used the road, and the braking and accelerating of trucks had become the subject of noise complaints, he said.

He hoped to find alternative measures, but said, “if speed humps are the be-all end-all, then I’m comfortable voting for them.”

The new road layout widened parking spaces, successfully stopping people from using the kerb. (File photo)

Fellow Riccarton representative Joseph Fullerton wanted to hear more about resident concerns, but said the audit seemed “persuasive”.

“It's irresponsible for council to encourage high foot traffic volumes without providing a safe environment for crossings. Installing a speed bump on the opposite side seems to address that,” he said.

Helen Broughton, another Riccarton representative, wanted to hear from locals before forming an opinion.

Cody Cooper, who represents Hornby but sits on the same board, wanted to explore the possibility of a zebra crossing.

He said pedestrians were not crossing the road at all hours of the day either, and variable speed signs might be a good option if the government’s speed setting rules allowed it.

The recommendation to add a speed hump was no surprise, he said.

“The report clearly outlines that it’s inconsistent between the two sides, and I think that was probably the thing that people had an issue with the most,” he said.

A vote on the issue is expected at a future community board meeting.