Walking is New Mexico is much more dangerous than it has been in years, with the state reporting the highest number of pedestrian deaths in a decade.
With that as the backdrop, Albuquerque began taking steps to improve pedestrian safety, launching Vision Zero 2019.
“Well, I think there’s always room for improvement and that’s one of the reasons that Mayor Keller took the pledge to implement Vision Zero in the City of Albuquerque,” Patrick Montoya, director for the Department of Municipal Development, said in a KRQE report.
Vision Zero’s goal is to reduce the number of pedestrian deaths to zero by 2040.
The state reported 99 such fatalities in 2021, the highest number in 10 years and up more than 20% from 81 the previous year, the report said.
Part of the Vision Zero plan calls for designing roads and signage to reduce the likelihood of motorists striking walkers. Other considerations include the installation of flashing crosswalk signs and elevated crosswalks, Montoya told KRQE.
The safety plan has a budget of $4 million to develop safer roads and crosswalks, according to the station.
