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RIO BRAVO/ISLETA SIGNAL TOO LONG: Alexx Gallegos emails “the stop lights at Rio Bravo and Isleta have recently been re-timed, and I would love to know why. I drive eastbound on Rio Bravo each weekday morning between 6 and 6:10 a.m. The light turns green for westbound traffic — which is not much at that hour — and more than 2 minutes later it turns green for eastbound traffic. Why? Why? Why? It is backing traffic up on eastbound Rio Bravo.”
Alexx asks “why do they have a longer green light? It makes sense late in the afternoon for westbound traffic to have a longer light, just not this early. I noticed the difference in the timing around the 3rd of this month. The first day I thought it just seemed long. The next day seemed even longer, then I started timing it, and it really is almost a 2-minute difference. Please help!” It wasn’t longer on purpose. Robert Baker, Bernalillo County’s signs and signals expert, says, “The westbound detection camera is bad, which was causing the westbound-to-southbound left-turn arrow to max out. “Unfortunately, we do not have any more cameras in stock,” Baker says. “I have some on order, but it usually takes about four to six weeks. I reduced the green time for this movement for the time being. It was reduced from the max of 55 seconds to approximately 12 seconds. I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.” GHOST BIKE MEMORIALIZES TEEN: Last week, the Duke City Wheelmen Foundation installed a ghost bike at Montaño and Taylor Ranch Road for Reece Nord. President Jennifer Buntz says in a news release that Nord, then 15, “died in 2002 while cycling home. … Reece is still missed by family and friends who have requested this ghost bike.” And she explains that “the ghost bikes that Duke City Wheelmen place serve a two-fold purpose. First, they remember a person who’s life ended in a very tragic way. They help family and friends mourn and recover from their loss. “The second purpose is to remind all of us that taking some simple steps as drivers can prevent another unnecessary death. Slowing down, actively looking at the road, obeying traffic laws and focusing only on the job at hand will help keep us all safer.” 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 and join in the conversation.
