ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – It’s been over a year since the speeding machine was installed, but the progress has been very encouraging, with three more to be installed in Albuquerque.
City officials say they plan to install one new camera on the Coors Bypass, one along Coors between Montaño and the Paseo, and a third along the Paseo just west of Louisiana.
The new cameras will be installed this summer, bringing the city’s total to 20.
“We started the program on April 25, 2022 with three cameras. Today we have 17 cameras,” said Valerie Herman, City of Albuquerque Public Works Strategic Program Manager. Mr Song said.
After a year of significant growth, the city of Albuquerque now says it hasn’t slowed down thanks to speed cameras.
“We’ve had nine installations for almost a year and we’ve seen a drop in average driver speed,” Hermanson said.
There are also fewer speeders going 16 to 40 mph over the speed limit on busy roads like Gibson and Montgomery.
“Even a 1 mph reduction in driving speed could reduce fatalities by 17 percent,” Hermanson said.
City officials hope to further lower the fatality rate by adding three new speed cameras, this time on busy state roads such as Coors and Paseo.
“I don’t know if more cameras would really help,” said Thomas Simich of the Lead Coal Safety Brigade.
Mr Simic said the surveillance cameras the city installed in his neighborhood last year did little to deter dangerous drivers, and he couldn’t even plant trees in his yard.
“Someone came up onto the sidewalk and another tree was knocked down,” Simic said.
Simic said it quickly picked up speed as the second driver passed the cam. That’s why he believes mobile cameras are more effective than fixed ones.
But mobile cameras have their problems.
“It could be stolen, it could be stolen like last time. I think it was last year when I was at Yale,” Simic said.
City officials say nearly 77,000 speed camera summons have been issued since April.
“We’re not playing around, we’re not trying to be mischievous. You know, we’re not trying to make money,” Simic said.
They say they’re just trying to make our streets safer.
According to the city, they are compiling data before each camera is installed. Once the camera reaches his three-year mark, it will be able to collect data to really see if there is any change in the driver’s behavior.
