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BikeABQ Candidate Survey

Heather Berghmans

1. Do you bike in New Mexico? Describe your experience biking for transportation and/or recreation.

I bike in Albuquerque recreationally. While I was a college student at UNM I biked around the university area, and would sometimes take the north diversion channel path from UNM to my apartment on Montgomery and Carlisle. I wish it was still realistically possible for me to bike to my workplace now. I previously lived in Berlin, Germany for many years and commuted around the city by bike. I developed a great love of European cities because of their walkability, bike-ability, and reliable public transportation, and I want that for all cities in the United States, especially Albuquerque.

2. Describe your vision of a healthy, safe, equitable transportation system for the Greater Albuquerque Region and the roles walking, biking, and public transportation play in that vision.

My vision includes a vibrant community where residents can easily bike and walk to grocery stores, restaurants, schools, and other common areas. I hope for a public transportation system that everyone feels they can utilize. We must have a system that is strategically designed to be efficient and worthwhile. As a legislator, I will advocate for strategic investments in systems that help build better and safer walking and biking options, and public transportation initiatives. The state must also have smart e-bike policies that do not hinder the use of such bikes.

3. What are the biggest barriers to getting people to choose walking, biking, and public transit instead of personal vehicles for daily trips, and what would you do to address these impediments?

Albuquerque was a city designed for personal vehicles. There are very few areas of town that are considered dense enough for walking or biking. This is one major barrier. Albuquerque’s public transportation system has also not been designed to succeed across the entire urban sprawl. To address these impediments, I would encourage municipalities to encourage density more strategically, as well as develop connected bike lanes to allow for safe street biking. State legislators can also coordinate with city and county-level officials on capital outlay funding to enhance bicycling options.

4. New Mexico consistently has the deadliest streets of any state in the US, with approximately 400 people killed by vehicles each year while walking, biking, or driving, and another 12,000 people injured. What should New Mexico, and in particular the New Mexico Department of Transportation, do to improve traffic safety?

New Mexico municipalities and counties need to improve roadway design to include bicycle-friendly and pedestrian-friendly options. The NM DOT should more consistently consider all aspects of safe roads, including speed limits and median design. Most importantly, driver education in New Mexico needs to improve. We cannot expect better drivers if we are not educating people on proper safety to begin with. Traffic safety laws also need to be better enforced.

5. The New Mexico DOT is currently pursuing a pair of projects related to Interstate 25, following the South I-25 Corridor Study that calls for the widening of Interstate 25 in Albuquerque from Sunport to the Big I, to 8 lanes from the current 6. Do you support urban freeway widenings, or how would you prefer NMDOT enhance transportation options in this corridor?

I believe that the busy S-curve of I-25 is extremely dangerous, and the city and state must redesign this section to be safer, especially for out-of-state visitors going to and from the Albuquerque Sunport. While I understand the basic issues with freeway widening, I believe this section is dangerous enough to warrant change. As a first-time candidate, I am also eager to learn what groups such as BikeABQ support regarding urban freeway widening and redesign. I pledge to listen and learn.

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