Vendors On Tramway A Distraction

SWERVING AROUND A DANGEROUS TRADITION: That’s what Wallace E. Anderson says drivers are required to do on Tramway.

Wallace emails that roadside vending “is extremely dangerous to drivers as it is a distraction, especially when driving at 50 mph. These venders have wood, plants, trees stacked for sale along the shoulder of this major road.”

Wallace says the result can be “I almost caused an accident by a wood seller pulling off the shoulder with no tail lights at dark.”

And while there are “many excuses including it is a New Mexico tradition. (That) it is legal, and the latest is that if they are 10 feet off shoulder they are within the law,” Wallace asks “HOW CAN THIS BE? Does this mean I can have a garage sale on Tramway?”

“Who is responsible for ticketing these people who choose to use a major highway for selling their wares?”

And just what is the law?

Phil Gallegos, spokesman for the New Mexico Department of Transportation’s District 3 office, says “The statement below is straight from our traffic folks who have the difficult task of trying to monitor and discourage those vending from the highway.”

“The New Mexico Administrative Code states no vending on highway right-of-way shall be permitted and that it could be deemed as criminal trespass (NMSA 1978, Section 30-14-1). Article 14 Trespass states that whoever commits criminal trespass is guilty of a misdemeanor. The law enforcement authority having jurisdiction would be the Albuquerque Police Department or Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, depending on the location along N.M. 556 (Tramway).”

Gallegos also provided a copy of the letter given to vendors. It cites the state administrative code, 18-NMAC 20.5.10, and says in part “vending/parking is not permitted in the highway right of way and must cease immediately. If the vending does not cease immediately, the department representative may file a complaint of criminal trespass with the law enforcement authority having jurisdiction.”

CAUGHT IN NMDOT’S WEB: Bob asks in an email “is there a codification rationale for the order of listing of the sites for web cams on nmroads.com?”

He explains that “at the website, click on the tab for ‘View Cameras.’ Am I just looking, but not seeing? Seems like it might be especially helpful to folks like tourists/guests who are on the road and fretting poor driving conditions that might lie ahead, i.e. not being from these here parts, if there was some organization to the list.”

Bob recommends putting “all of Interstate 25 sites … listed together starting from north to south, much akin to the orientation of a map; then all of Interstate 40 … listed from east to west or vice versa.”

NMDOT’s Ray Herne says Bob is “correct about the View Cameras menu. Unfortunately, there is nothing our web development team can do at this moment to modify the program and bring about the sense of order which you suggest.

“However,” he adds, “locating any specific camera within the NMRoads system is easy, whether you are a local or a traveler. Each camera image contains a ‘header’ at the top of the frame showing location and the last time that an image was updated. So the best and most practical way to see what the cameras are seeing is to either hover over a particular camera on the map page, or click the image to bring it up.”

Finally, Herne explains, “We consider the NMRoads application to be more of a process than a program. It is under constant development and refinement. A more logical View Cameras list is something our web team should certainly consider. Thank you for your suggestions.”

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.
— This article appeared on page A6 of the Albuquerque Journal