[Neighbors] Zuni

Sun Jul 17 19:58:45 MDT 2016

Thank you for the explanation.

K

From: Davis, Pat [mailto:patdavis at cabq.gov] 
Sent: Sunday, July 17, 2016 1:33 PM
To: Karen Green; neighbors_nobhill-nm at mailman.swcp.com
Subject: Re: [Neighbors] Zuni

Karen,

Thank you for asking about the new road striping on Zuni.  I hope you'll
allow me to share a little more about why this was done and how it was
designed.  Here is the project summary and announcement from my office last
month: 

Dangerous Albuquerque Road to Get Major Facelift with Road Improvements
<https://www.cabq.gov/council/find-your-councilor/district-6/news/dangerous-
albuquerque-road-to-get-major-facelift-with-road-improvements> 

One of Albuquerque's most dangerous roadways is getting a major facelift
this week to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety.

Zuni Road in Southeast Albuquerque is one of the city's most heavily
traveled urban roadways and the location of a disproportionate number of
pedestrian casualties.  A
<http://www.cabq.gov/planning/documents/ZuniRoadStudyPart11111.pdf> 2011
study of traffic data found that the rate of pedestrian and bicycle
accidents along the route were more than twice the area average.

"Just since I took office in December, news reports have chronicled at least
four pedestrians being struck by vehicles on this short three-mile stretch
of road, including one fatality," says City Councilor Pat Davis whose office
is funding the majority of the project. County Commissioner Maggie Hart
Stebbins' office  has also committed funds towards the project. 

*	May 9, 2016:
<https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&uac
t=8&ved=0ahUKEwiMx_-gvZTNAhUB4mMKHXr_B1YQFgg-MAU&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.abqjou
rnal.com%2F771317%2Fman-in-critical-after-crash-at-zuni-and-san-pedro-se.htm
l&usg=AFQjCNFY4LsS8W-33plz3O03pjBn4riv5Q> Updated: APD: Man in critical
condition after being run over in SE ABQ (ABQ Journal)
*	9, 2016:
<https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uac
t=8&ved=0ahUKEwiMx_-gvZTNAhUB4mMKHXr_B1YQFggdMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fkrqe.com%2
F2016%2F02%2F09%2Fzuni-rd-se-closed-due-to-pedestrian-accident%2F&usg=AFQjCN
Ggthp2SjiioWE8WrA8hydACKXqFA> Zuni Rd SE closed Tuesday night due to a hit
and run pedestrian ... (KRQE)
*	31, 2015:
<https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uac
t=8&ved=0ahUKEwiMx_-gvZTNAhUB4mMKHXr_B1YQFggjMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Faccidentda
tacenter.com%2Fus%2Fnew-mexico%2Falbuquerque-santa-fe-nm%2Falbuquerque%2F15%
2F12%2F31%2Fpedestrian-dies-after-collision-car-zuni-road-and-san-mateo-boul
evard-albuquerque-nm&usg=AFQjCNHGqggQA6OSCiSD677QkJYpzC4cmw> Pedestrian dies
after collision with car at Zuni Road and San Mateo ...
*	5, 2015:
<https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uac
t=8&ved=0ahUKEwjjktDivZTNAhVMw2MKHc9CDtUQFggdMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.abqjou
rnal.com%2F687539%2Fpedestrian-critically-injured-in-crash-apd-says.html&usg
=AFQjCNH2WJi_pl0iEITVyCQrvItmF9WXZA> Two pedestrians struck by vehicles in
separate incidents, APD says ...

In 2011, City Councilor Rey Garduno began the planning and fundraising
process to improve the road design to include the addition of a center turn
lane, bicycle lanes and mid-block pedestrian crossings at locations most
often associated with pedestrian/vehicle collisions.

Garduno provided the first round of funding necessary to secure matching
federal funds for the project, but those funds are not anticipated to be
available until 2018.

The tab for work this phase is $1.1 million, $900,000 of which for design
and striping is funded by bond funds allocated by former Councilor Garduno
and Councilor Davis. County Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins supported this
effort by providing matching county road funds to the project. Remaining
funds for road sealing work come from city street maintenance funds.

"No one would design an urban roadway like this today," says City Councilor
Pat Davis who succeeded Garduno in representing the SE Albuquerque district.
"When I came to office I asked staff to reevaluate the project based on
funds we already have available.  We found a way to utilize existing funding
to complete roadway improvements that will make this stretch of roadway
drastically safer now rather than wait to do these improvements along with
the intersection improvements coming in 2018," Davis added.

The roadway improvements will include new bicycle lanes, a center turn lane
and improved pedestrian crossings at highly trafficked intersections.

The new design, conceived in 2011/2012 through a series of public meetings
provides 1) dedicated traffic lanes for vehicles traveling East/West, 2) a
dedicated turn lane to get slowing and turning vehicles out of thru traffic,
allowing thru traffic to run without sudden interruptions, 3) dedicated
bicycle lanes with buffers between cars and bicycles and 4) better and more
pedestrian crosswalks.

The new design was on hold for more than three years as the City waited on
Federal matching dollars to arrive. Since then at least 4 people have died
on that 3 miles stretch of road. That delay was unacceptable to me.

When I came to office last year, I directed City Staff to reimagine the plan
as two phases: using money we had now to restripe now for safety and better
vehicle flow, and use federal money when it comes online (maybe in 2018) to
do improvements at intersections and sidewalks.  That's what we did this
summer.

And - I also wanted this done before ART construction began so drivers were
not forced to endure construction on both at the same time.  

I do appreciate your concerns about the change, but I'm sure you'll find
that the new configuration makes travel east/west smoother and lest fraught
with accidents and unexpected challenges.

--

Pat Davis

Albuquerque City Councilor, District 6

505.768.3100 | patdavis at cabq.gov 

From: Neighbors_nobhill-nm <neighbors_nobhill-nm-bounces at mailman.swcp.com>
on behalf of Karen Green via Neighbors_nobhill-nm
<neighbors_nobhill-nm at mailman.swcp.com>
Reply-To: Karen Green <fgreen38 at comcast.net>
Date: Saturday, July 16, 2016 at 11:30 AM
To: "neighbors_nobhill-nm at mailman.swcp.com"
<neighbors_nobhill-nm at mailman.swcp.com>
Subject: [Neighbors] Zuni

I have driven down Zuni all the way to Louisiana (newly striped).  I have to
admit, whoever made the decision to stripe this road with the new
configuration, doesn't use these streets.  And, for a bicyclist, this street
now should rank #1 as the most dangerous to ride in ABQ.  What are these
people thinking!

K Green

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.swcp.com/pipermail/neighbors_nobhill-nm/attachments/20160717/ff680bfe/attachment.html>