Phone Apps Help Travelers Find Their Way Around New Mexico

TRAVELING N.M.? THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT: Ray Herne of the New Mexico Department of Transportation says this month the department “is releasing mobile apps for both the Apple iPhone 4 and Android smart phones. You’ll be able to take “NMRoads” with you, wherever you go, throughout the state.”

That means drivers on the go will have hands-free access, in English and Spanish, to: the statewide network of live video cameras and electronic message boards; road conditions and any restrictions or closures statewide; travel-time information for Interstate 25 and Interstate 40 in the metro area; traffic congestion information statewide; locations of NMDOT-maintained rest areas; bike routes; park-and-ride locations; Rail Runner commuter train schedules and station location information; and NMDOT’s toll-free 511 travel advisory service.

The apps are free, Herne says, and available through the appropriate software supplier or via a link on NMRoads.com. The site also has a free web-based version for older smart and Blackberry-based phones.

WINNER, WINNER CHICKEN DINNER: The app is part of the state’s Summer Roadtrip Adventure” and will help users explore 40-plus landmarks throughout the state. Find four of the sites in July and send in photos, and get a chance to win prizes including a hot-air balloon ride, a getaway at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort, a gift card to El Pinto or Baillio’s or a Garmin GPS. Details are on www.usermanual.nmroads.com; click on roadtrip on the left.

IS IT TOO EASY TO GET A DUPLICATE TITLE? Fred Breslin has a question based on a recent television news story he says that had a thief stealing a vehicle registration card, using it to get a new title, then giving the new title to a lending company and getting a loan. He says the real owner is now getting pressure from the lending company to pay off the loan given to the thief.

“My question,” says Fred, is will “MVD really give out a new title based only on a registration card?”

No, not according to its policies.

First of all, according to Taxation and Revenue spokesman S.U. Mahesh and the MVD website, if the vehicle is titled in New Mexico, there should be an original title on file, and the only information that can be altered from an original title for a duplicate title is the title number and address. No name changes allowed.

Second, only the registered owner, successor in interest or legal representative can apply for a duplicate title, and you have to present identification when applying, such as a birth certificate or driver’s license.

Third, thieves would have to target registration cards for vehicles owned outright or forge a Release of Lien, otherwise any duplicate title would be sent to the lienholder.

Fourth, if there is no original title on file, the thief would have to bring the vehicle in or arrange for a V.I.N. (Vehicle Identification Number) inspection.

That doesn’t mean crafty criminals aren’t finding ways to beat the system, but the system does not “give a new title just based on a registration card,” Mahesh says.

WEDNESDAY THE DEADLIEST FOR DRIVERS: If that Wednesday is the Fourth of July, that is.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released a new analysis of crash data that shows July 4 “is the deadliest day for teens on the road and is just as deadly for the motorists that will be driving alongside them.”

A news release from insurer Allstate says “IIHS reports that more than 800 people were killed on July 4 from 2006-2010. And if the projections remain true this year, an average of 140 people will lose their lives on July 4 due to car crashes.”

According to the state’s numbers, 41 people died on just New Mexico roads last July.

Allstate recommends targeting distracted driving and setting a positive example for younger drivers by being calm, courteous, buckling up and following the rules of the road.

WHAT’S THE BIG PROJECT AT WYOMING AND HARPER? Rosalie asks that question.

Mark Motsko, who handles information for the city’s Department of Municipal Development, says it’s the “Wyoming widening project, Phase 2.”

“Phase 1 was from Academy to San Antonio/Harper. (Crews are now) adding a travel lane and bike lane from San Antonio/Harper to just south of Paseo del Norte.”

The construction will cost around $3.7 million and is being paid for with money from general obligation bonds and the 1/4-Cent Transportation Tax. Motsko says “crews are working 24/7 for the concrete work in the intersection of Wyoming and San Antonio. Northbound lanes are almost done as we’re scheduled to switch traffic from the southbound lanes into the northbound lanes on (Friday). The intersection work should be complete a few weeks after the traffic switch.

“We expect to complete construction by the end of the year.”

Assistant editorial page editor D’Val Westphal tackles commuter issues for the Metro area on Mondays and West Siders and Rio Ranchoans on Thursdays. Reach her at 823-3858; road@abqjournal.com; P.O. Drawer J, Albuquerque, N.M. 87103; or go to ABQjournal.com/traffic to read previous columns.
— This article appeared on page D1 of the Albuquerque Journal