1. Do you bike in New Mexico? Describe your experience biking for transportation and/or recreation.
From 2008 – 2016 I lived in the south valley and was a daily recreational biker along the Rio Grande. I biked an 8-mile path. Since I moved from that location, I have found biking to be difficult and dangerous along the bike paths. Bike paths are not wide enough and there are frequent traffic light stops. A higher level of alertness is required for biking safety. It was too difficult for me to adjust so I stopped.
I appreciated the Bike police and they were frequently seen in the areas. More police presence is required because the homeless seek shelter and build encampments. This is highly unsafe due to potential fire in the scrub brush and the physical danger to walkers and bikers if they are alone.
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.
Many people tell me that the homeless population who ride on the ART buses are scary and dangerous and that they would ride more if they were guaranteed a safe ride. I believe that law enforcement or traffic police should be required to ride public transportation to ensure that riders and bus drivers are held accountable to public safety standards and enforce public transit laws and rules when necessary. Public transportation must be shared by all. We need more ordinances and enforcement to ensure safety. This includes a plan for the homeless who access public transportation.
In District 19, we have the situation along Central that has a large homeless population. Without proper and regular enforcement, walkers have begun to jaywalk and multiple people are darting through traffic which is dangerous for the walker and drivers who must watch for non-compliant pedestrians who ignore and will not comply with the crosswalks.
I am greatly concerned about drivers who drive under the influence of recreational drugs and alcohol. The potential for accidents and death is heightened when substance abuse is involved with a moving vehicle. This requires enforcement. This also requires pedestrians and bikers to maintain added vigilance to ensure they and their loved ones are safe.
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?
Lately, we have a new population of drug addled and drug dependent pedestrians who need drug screening for addiction who meander in a stupefied condition which is dangerous and unpredictable. They pose a danger to citizens especially the aged, disabled, youth and children who rely on public transportation. They also pose a danger to drivers.
We need a police presence and enforcement of rules to combat lawless behavior. We must prevent tent cities by immediately disbanding encampments of shopping carts and tents to prevent our streets from becoming semi-permanent encampments. The shopping carts are the property of businesses and must returned to the owners. We must enforce trespassing laws and property theft to protect residents and business owners. These tent city areas are creating zones that are unsafe and predictable. These zones deter and discourage riders from enjoying the public transportation experience.
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?
To act in a safe manner is a personal decision for the welfare of your person and the welfare of others. When a person willfully acts in an unsafe manner swift action must taken to stop unsafe behaviors and if necessary, remove the person to a safe distance from the area to a safe location. We must have safe locations established for people to de-escalate or risk a penalty or fine when any person continues to act in an unsafe manner. This is for the good of the individual and the good of the residents and businessowners.
We must enforce our panhandling laws and enforce penalties for jaywalking. Safe streets will be the result when law enforcement can execute their job. This requires a city and county to prioritizes public safety and ensure that they are providing the resources and staff to enforce the law.
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?
We must find good solutions for the residents who will experience stress from added traffic congestion. I would like to see the studies for myself. I believe that any studies must available for public comment. It will take time and create considerable congestion while the NMDOT are making those changes. This will affect traffic to and from the international airport and affect thousands of people who access Kirtland AFB and the national lab.
District 19 borders and hosts the thorough fare traffic for the base. Businesses and residents must have a say on how road expansions will affect their livelihoods and neighborhoods.