Concerns about pedestrian safety near Al Noor Mosque on Deans Ave have been raised for years, prompting calls for a safe crossing to be installed.
The decision-making process was split between the Waipuna Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton and Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central community boards, each in charge of one side of Deans Ave.
After a joint meeting on March 27, a new pedestrian crossing was approved near the mosque, with only Waipapa supporting the installation of speed humps.
The final decision was to have speed humps on the southbound lane but not on the northbound lane of the $590,000 crossing.
Community board boundaries are set in the middle of roads based on statistical data from Stats New Zealand, according to city council head John Filsell.
The Local Government Commission does not see any benefit in drawing boundaries on one side of a road and suggests resolving differences through memorandums of understanding between councils.
The next opportunity to change ward boundaries will be during the representation review in 2027, but Mayor Phil Mauger suggests seeking advice on split jurisdiction issues during the next review.
Some members believe split decisions should be automatically referred to the council table for resolution.
Issues arose at the joint meeting, with some members feeling that an in-person meeting would have been more effective.
Construction on the safety upgrades is set to begin later this month, coinciding with the resealing of Deans Ave.
Riccarton Ward city councillor Tyla Harrison-Hunt supported the safety measures and secured approval for a pedestrian and traffic study by the Waipuna board.
While Waipuna did not initially approve speed humps, they agreed to design their side of the crossing to accommodate humps in the future.
