On Wednesday, Sept. 25, Bernalillo County’s automated speed enforcement cameras began sending citations to drivers caught speeding.
The cameras were installed nearly a year and a half after Bernalillo County commissioners passed an ordinance to bring a software company to the county to curb speeding, according to the county website.
When the cameras first started operating in August, warnings were sent through the mail to drivers caught speeding. The county was not yet charging fines or sending citations for speeding caught on the cameras, according to the website.
Now, drivers caught speeding in these zones will face a $100 citation or have the option to lower the fine to $25 if they complete four hours of community service with the BernCo Clean Team, the website reads.
The cameras have been placed in the most dangerous intersections in Albuquerque using government data, according to the website.
During a Sept. 23 press conference, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said the city has seen a “dramatic impact” from the speed cameras.
“We really appreciate that the county is joining us and filling in some of the gaps outside city limits,” Keller said during the press conference.
In 2021 alone, 12,330 people in the United States died in crashes where speed was a contributing factor, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
According to KRQE, Albuquerque has seen a 90% decrease in speeding 10 mph or more over the speed limit in the zones where cameras are installed.
UNM first-year student Nicholas Moralez said this choice could be beneficial, depending on where the community service option is located.
“It’s a good thing. It would just depend on where you’re going, like if they put you in an unsafe environment,” Moralez said. “I’m not from here, so if I was to have to do community service here that I don’t feel comfortable in, then that would be an annoyance.”
Moralez said he feels that police officers should still be the ones to hand out the citations because they can use their discretion when citing.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
“I understand (the officer) can’t catch everybody speeding, but from that standpoint, I feel like an officer could catch the ones that are doing it bad,” Moralez said.
UNM senior Carldon Pascual said he does not mind the cameras.
“It’s better to just have cameras to track people instead of having an actual officer tracking the traffic,” Pascual said. “I feel like it’s a better use of resources for the officers.”
Every mile-per-hour speed reduction by drivers is a 17% reduction in fatal crashes, Keller said during the press conference.
“This is about safety, and people need to go the speed limit,” Keller said.
The cameras are installed in the following zones:
Northbound and southbound
- Isleta Boulevard: between Montrose Place and Arenal Road — northbound
- Isleta Boulevard: between Brother Road and Sunbeam Road — southbound
- Golf Course Road: between Sutton Street and Congress Avenue —- northbound and southbound
Eastbound and westbound
- Paradise Boulevard and Radcliffe Road — eastbound and westbound
- Bridge Road: between Old Coors Drive and Atrisco Drive — eastbound and westbound
- Arenal Road: between Isleta Boulevard and Tapia Boulevard — eastbound and westbound
The county has plans to install more cameras at the following locations pending approval from the New Mexico Department of Transportation:
Northbound and southbound
- Coors Boulevard: between Gun Club Road and Rio Bravo Boulevard — northbound
- Coors Boulevard: between Sage and Tower Road — northbound
- Dennis Chavez Boulevard: between Condershire Drive and Coors Boulevard — northbound and southbound
- Tramway Boulevard: between Tramway Terrace Place and San Rafael Avenue — northbound
Eastbound and westbound
- Alameda Parkway: between Rio Grande Boulevard and Guadalupe Trail — westbound
Maria Fernandez is a freelance reporter and photographer for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
Marcela Johnson is a senior reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
Marcela Johnson is a senior reporter for the Daily Lobo, and the editor-in-chief of Limina: UNM Nonfiction Review.
