by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
A campaign is under way to encourage Albuquerque drivers to slow down.
It only took two days to give away 500 lawn signs which read "Slow Down Albuquerque: Lives May Depend On It," said Karen Fisher, campaign organizer. The campaign is part of the Albuquerque Police Department.
The signs are meant to remind citizens not to speed in residential neighborhoods, said Trish Hoffman, spokeswoman for APD.
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"It's a campaign to help Albuquerque citizens be more aware of their driving habits," she said. "People are always calling and asking if there's anything they can do about speeders in their neighborhood, and we thought this was a good idea."
In 2004, there were 195 deaths caused by speeding in New Mexico, according to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The program is a nice idea but may have limited results, said student Marian Anderson.
"People will speed if they're going to speed. One more sign probably won't stop them," she said.
The signs are not meant just to remind the people who see them to slow down - people who take the signs are essentially pledging to watch their driving habits more carefully, Fisher said.
"I think it's one of those issues where when somebody speeds through my neighborhood, it makes me angry, but then I'll go and speed through someone else's neighborhood," she said. "When you take one of these signs, hopefully you'll think about it next time you start to speed."
The signs are a good step to help with speeding in Albuquerque, said student Jerome Baca.
"I think it's a positive program," he said. "You have to start somewhere."
The signs will probably put a dent in speeding, but will not solve all of Albuquerque's traffic problems, Baca said.
"It will work somewhat, but it's probably not the final solution," he said.
Hoffman was surprised how fast the first batch of signs, which became available in early December, were taken, she said.
Because of the success of the signs, the city ordered an additional 1,500, which should be available in the next week, she said. The signs are available at police stations throughout the city.
Anyone interested in getting a sign for their lawn should call the nearest police station to make sure it has signs available, she said.
Hoffman said the first batch of signs cost about $4 each, and the second batch cost about $3 each.
Fisher said various law enforcement grants and funds paid for the signs, not city money.
She got the idea for the signs while on vacation.
"I was on vacation in a small town in southern California that had signs like this," she said. "And I thought, 'Oh, that's a great idea.'"
Kate Burgan, who lives near Montgomery Boulevard, said speeding is a problem in her neighborhood. The signs might help speeders to slow down, she said.
"I think the message is simple and clear," she said. "It's not offensive. Nobody is pointing a finger at you. I think it's a really positive approach."
She said the signs will send the message to speeders that speeding is not just a concern for police, but for everyone.
"I think it's helpful that people notice there's a large concern," she said.
Hoffman said the campaign does not target specific neighborhoods.
"Each area command got the same amount of signs, so I think they're pretty evenly distributed," she said.
