City May Test Faster Buses On Central

IS BRT RIGHT FOR ABQ? Alphabet soup aside, that means is bus-rapid transit right for Albuquerque commuters?

The city wants to find out. So it is kicking off a series of six public meetings Tuesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Mesa Verde Community Center, on the corner of Marquette and Pennsylvania NE, to gather input on test-driving the system on Central.

Rick De Reyes, the public information officer for ABQ Ride, says “at the heart of it, BRT is still just a bus (but it) would travel Central at a higher average rate of speed than the current Rapid Ride by more easily getting through the traffic bottlenecks buses currently encounter along that avenue, especially at rush hour.”

You might wonder, how would it do that? De Reyes says by using:

♦ Dedicated lanes, at least for a portion of the route.

♦ Station platforms level with the floor of the bus, allowing more rapid boarding and exiting.

♦ Off-bus fare collection, allowing more rapid boarding.

♦ A smart traffic-signal system, reducing bus delays at traffic lights.

Central would be the test run, De Reyes explains, because it “currently make(s) up about 45 percent of our ridership.”

And unlike “other rail-based transportation systems, it would cost pennies on the dollar.”

Additional public-input meetings (all from 6 to 7:30 p.m.) are planned Nov. 27 at the Manzano Mesa Multi-Regional Center, 501 Elizabeth SE; Nov. 29 at the Alamosa Community Center, 6900 Gonzales SW; Dec. 4 at the Loma Linda Community Center, 1700 Yale SE; Dec. 11 at the Old Main Library/Special Collections, Botts Hall at 423 Central NE; and Dec. 13 at the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, 2000 Mountain NW.

WHAT’S WITH THE TRASHY INTERSTATE? Michele Koffler emails, “I live in Placitas so I drive Interstate 25 regularly. I am appalled at the litter that seems to grow exponentially. Shouldn’t it be picked up on a regular basis by the organizations that adopt a portion of the road?”

It should, and it is. But those efforts clearly are not enough.

Phil Gallegos, who handles information for the New Mexico Department of Transportation’s District 3 office, says, “Litter is a constant problem on most of our highways. A road that has been scoured by our crews or the city’s one day can look almost as bad (exponentially) within a very few days. The cause can be attributed primarily to uncovered loads and gusty winds that are frequent in our area.

“The organizations that adopt portions of the highway and pick up litter are a huge help for us, but they are only required to perform this operation two times a year. Some organizations pick up litter more frequently than twice, but that is still not nearly enough. This is a good time to remind everyone that the loose debris in the back of your vehicle now becomes unsightly litter on the roadway later. Please cover your loads and help to keep our community clean.

“In the meantime,” Gallegos says, “I will request our NMDOT patrol for this area to make a pass through this portion of I-25 and pick up litter and debris.”

AND CAN WE GET THAT GUARDRAIL FIXED? Michele has a second observation. “A portion of the guardrail on the northbound side (of Interstate 25) just south of exit 240 has been damaged for at least two months. Three orange barrels were placed there months ago, and one is now on its side and poised to roll out into the highway. (In mid-October) I called the Department of Transportation to report my concerns. I was assured that the person taking my call would inform the Albuquerque office since it was their responsibility. There has been no action. Can you help?”

NMDOT’s Albuquerque office is on it. Gallegos says that section of I-25 “was part of a recent project that had not been closed out completely and as such the contractor was still considered liable for repairs to the guardrail. The NMDOT has re-visited this issue and decided to make the repairs ourselves and seek to recover the costs from the contractor if deemed appropriate.”

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, NM 87103; or go to ABQjournal.com/traffic to read previous columns and join in the conversation.
— This article appeared on page A6 of the Albuquerque Journal