This action plan sets priorities to make Bromley neighbourhood streets safer and more accessible for all.
Bromley Street upgrades to begin
Construction work to make Bromley’s streets safer and more accessible will begin on Monday 23 June 2025.
These upgrades are part of the first phase of delivering the Bromley Transport Action Plan(external link), as this work has been identified in community feedback as a priority.
Bromley residents have raised concerns about fast, heavy traffic in the area, particularly on Keighleys Road and Bromley Road. In response, Council staff have worked alongside elected members and the community to identify how streets in the Bromley area could be improved. Further background information about this work can be found in the sections below.
The planned upgrades include 12 new speed humps, 12 new signs, upgraded asphalt in five areas near pedestrian crossings, tactile paving at six crossing points, one new pedestrian refuge island, and refreshed line markings across six work areas in Bromley.
These treatments aim to reduce traffic speeds, limit heavy vehicle use, and improve safety for people biking and walking, especially outside Bromley School.
Our six work areas
- Work area 1: The intersection of Keighleys Road and McGregors Road.
- Work area 2: The intersection of Keighleys Road and Korora Street.
- Work area 3: A section of road between 25 and 39 Keighleys Road, opposite Bromley School.
- Work area 4: A section of Keighleys Road, opposite Cypress Garden Reserve/Bromley Cemetery .
- Work area 5: The intersection of Keighleys Road and Bromley Road.
- Work area 6: A section of road at 42–50 Bromley Road, opposite Bromley Community Centre.
We’ll start at work area 1 and continue southeast, towards work area 6.
Traffic impacts
- This work will take approximately 2 to 3 weeks and is weather dependent.
- Temporary traffic lights will be used to establish a ‘one-way at a time’ system through the worksites, during work times.
- The temporary traffic light system will be packed up at the end of every day, reinstating two-way traffic after 7pm.
- On-street parking will temporarily be restricted during this time.
- Pedestrians may be detoured at times.
- Some delays can be expected. Please allow more time when travelling through this area.
- A suggested alternative route to the industrial area for commercial vehicles is via Linwood Avenue – SH74.
Isaac Construction Ltd are the contractors delivering this work. They can be contacted via phone on 027 323 0056 or email at communications@isaac.co.nz, 7am to 6pm Monday–Friday.
Residents of the east Christchurch suburb of Bromley have told us of problems caused by traffic in the area. This action plan reflects the issues reported by the community, proposes a range of solutions and sets priorities to make the neighbourhood streets safer for all who use them.
Addressing these issues has been a priority for the Waitai Coastal-Burwood-Linwood Community Board, which states:
“The community have strongly advocated to the Community Board that they do not feel safe on the roads in the Bromley area and that they have tragically experienced loss of life, making this a significant priority.”
Waitai Coastal-Burwood-Linwood Community Board Plan 2022.
The Bromley neighbourhood borders an industrial area and includes several cemeteries, a primary school and a kindergarten.
Over time, it has transitioned from a largely rural area in the 1940s to a residential and developing industrial area through the 1950s. From the 1960s to today, both the residential and industrial areas have intensified.
As land-use has changed over many years, road-use has also changed, to the extent that they are not being used as intended or as designated in the Christchurch District Plan. This is a problem particularly where ‘local’ roads, intended mainly for residential traffic, are being used as ‘collector’ roads or ‘arterial’ roads, which are intended to carry more traffic and more heavy vehicles. The map below shows local, collector, and arterial roads.
People report feeling unsafe using the streets, especially as pedestrians and cyclists, and have asked for measures to slow traffic on roads through the suburb and make them safer for everyone, whether travelling by vehicle, by bike, or on foot.
Wide carriageways, sweeping corners, poorly aligned intersections, and the number of heavy vehicles in the area all contribute to an environment that makes residents feel unsafe.
Keighleys Road – Bromley Road
The concerns:
- Vehicle speeds.
- Too many vehicles.
- Too many heavy vehicles.
Local roads, such as Keighleys and Bromley roads, are designed for residential use, not for high volumes of traffic or heavy vehicles. However, many drivers use these roads to cut through Bromley to get to the neighbouring industrial area.
Keighleys Road – Bromley Primary School
The concerns:
- Vehicle speeds.
- Pedestrian safety.
The community identified speed as the main issue on the stretch of road outside Bromley Primary School, as the road is being used as a shortcut for drivers wanting to avoid the busier arterial roads.
Hay Street
The concerns:
- Vehicle speeds.
- Too many heavy vehicles.
- Not-in-service buses.
- Poor road seal condition.
Hay Street is a collector road, intended to carry more traffic than a local road, but not designed for high volumes of traffic or for heavy vehicles.
It is an older, wider road, and this can tempt drivers to increase their speed – a significant issue raised by residents.
Hay Street – Linwood Avenue to McGregors Road
The seal on this section of Hay Street is in poor condition. Our data shows that significant sections of the road foundations are nearing the end of their life. When this renewal work is done, the deep-dish channel and road drainage issues will also be addressed to resolve issues raised around accessibility and flooding.
Hay Street – McGregors Road to Ruru Road
This section of Hay Street is a bus route (155 Eastgate to Lyttelton). While the road here is in better condition, speed is an issue identified by the community.
Traffic and heavy vehicle volumes
This map shows the main roads through the Bromley area, and the uses they were designed for (as designated in the Christchurch District Plan).
While most drivers use these roads as intended, some roads are carrying more traffic and heavier vehicles than they should be.
Data shows this is a particular problem for the route along Keighleys Road, from Linwood Avenue and into Bromley Road, to Maces Road.
Vehicle speeds
This map shows the speed data gathered on streets in the area.
This data supports the concerns of residents that speeds are too high, contributing to the fact that many feel unsafe using roads through the area.
Throughout Christchurch, we have used various traffic calming measures.
In Bromley, we plan to use a mix of speed humps, intersection narrowing, pedestrian refuge islands, and clearer road markings.
The first suite of Bromley works was approved by the Community Board on 9 December 2024 and will be completed by the end of July 2025.
Work includes the installation of speed humps to slow traffic along Bromley and Keighleys roads.
Other work in Bromley will be scheduled as funding becomes available, through our annual planning and long-term planning processes.
It will be similar to work completed elsewhere in Ōtautahi Christchurch.
Traffic calming – Speed humps
Safe speed humps (as shown in the photo below) are used throughout the city as a cost-effective way to reduce speeds and improve safety for everyone.
Intersection narrowing
In some locations around Christchurch, we narrow intersections to make it safer for everyone to use. Sometimes, like in the photo below, this includes using pedestrian refuge islands and kerb buildouts.
We will complete traffic calming work on Bromley and Keighleys roads by the end of July 2025.
This work has been identified in community feedback as a priority.
It will reduce traffic speeds, limit heavy vehicle use, and improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians, especially outside Bromley Primary School.
Future works
The Community Board will need to advocate for funding in the annual plan and long-term plan for this to progress, and we urge Bromley residents and people who visit or travel through Bromley to get involved in any resulting community consultations.
If you think the works are important and want to see them completed, make sure you let your Community Board know(external link).
As funding becomes available, we will continue to work with the Community Board and residents to prioritise other works to improve safety for people living in or travelling through Bromley.
This table shows how the Bromley Streets Action Plan [PDF, 76 KB] might work.
