New paint guides cars onto Paseo

NORTHBOUND I-25 RAMP TO WESTBOUND PASEO GETS NEW STRIPES: Mary Kennedy called to say the stripes on this triple left-turn movement are faded, leading drivers to drift into adjacent lanes.

And while the big multimillion-dollar rebuild of the interchange is in the works, she wonders if there’s some paint lying around to help keep folks on the right path in the interim.

Phil Gallegos, who handles information for the New Mexico Department of Transportation, said early last week “it will be scheduled ASAP.”

And he wasn’t kidding. Crews re-striped the puppy tracks — the dotted lines that guide vehicles through an intersection — on Wednesday.

MVD TESTS ONE EYE AT A TIME: Fran emails that “at MVD Express, to do a vision check they did one eye first — which I did not pass — and then the other eye after asking if it was a better eye — and I passed.”

Fran asks “why do they check eyes one at a time? I use both eyes (and) I don’t cover one up when I am driving.”

S.U. Mahesh, spokesman for the Motor Vehicle Division’s parent department Taxation and Revenue, explains “a customer taking an eye test for a driver’s license must have 20/40 vision in at least one eye. So we test the eyes individually and then together, as long (as) a 20/40 test is passed.”

BIG RVS TAKE A SPECIAL DRIVER’S LICENSE: Susan emails “we recently purchased a new motor home. My husband wondered if there was a special driver’s license to allow us to drive it. Lots of confusion there. People who already own RVs say no; the dealership where we bought it told us they didn’t know of any special license; our insurance company wasn’t aware of any license requirements; but after checking on the Internet, my husband found a section that refers to the E stamp to drive a recreational vehicle over 26,001 pounds.”

She says “after stopping at MVD Express and after placing a call to Santa Fe MVD, (it) turns out there is a requirement for the E endorsement. The form is MVD-10414. There is no driving test, no publication to study, just this form and the requirement to purchase a new driver’s license.”

Mahesh says “if the RV is in fact over 26,000 lbs and it is not in fact a commercial vehicle, it can be driven with a Class E Commercial Driver’s License-exempt license. The form referenced is the Vehicle Certification Form.”

MVD’s Driver Procedures Manual, Chapter 2 Section E, explains “Class E — CDL-Exempt — Issued only to individuals who are exempt from the requirements of the New Mexico Commercial Driver’s License Act, including drivers of recreational vehicles — a vehicle licensed and used as a recreational vehicle.”

MVD HAS AN EXPRESS LANE FOR SENIORS: I hear from many drivers over age 75 how unfair it is that they have to renew their driver’s license annually and in person. MVD has explained in the past this system is one of self-selection, helping older drivers determine on their own if they want to go through the hassle and thus if they really should continue to drive.

This month, I visited the MVD on Montgomery in Albuquerque, and though the waiting room was filled with drivers grousing they had been there for hours, I watched my mother join other seniors in line at window 12 and get served and sent on their way within an hour.

Mahesh says “we have express lanes for the elderly and the physically disabled customers in our state-run MVD offices. It is very successful, especially in the larger offices. Most regular customers welcome this service to these special customers using the express lane.”

And as the clerk at window 12 explained, each of these drivers has patiently waited in the same line each time they renewed over the past 60 years or more. They now show up every year in person. They have earned a break.

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