Curbing the need for speed: City report says speed cameras make drivers slow down

In the year since the City of Albuquerque bought and installed 17 automated speed enforcement cameras, almost 95,000 citations have been issued to speedsters around the city.

City officials say that drivers are starting to take notice and hit the brakes.

The cameras are located on 15 arteries throughout the city. One of the cameras with the longest tenure on city streets — located on Gibson between Carlisle and San Mateo — saw up to an 88% decrease in the number of speeders. Drivers slowed more than 7 mph, on average, since the camera was installed.

The 10 cameras first installed clocked decreases between 18% and 88% in the number of drivers speeding by 10 to 40 mph. The other seven have not been installed long enough to have long-term data, the city said.

The automated speed enforcement program was implemented last year as part of the city’s Vision Zero plan, which aims to decrease the number of traffic fatalities.

However, the long-term impact of the camera program on traffic fatalities will not be seen for several years. Vision Zero coordinator Valerie Hermanson said the most recent data report the city has is from 2021. The locations of the cameras were selected using traffic fatality data going back five years.

Data from the New Mexico Department of Transportation and the University of New Mexico showed that 467 people died on New Mexico roads in 2022. Of those 467, 111 were in Bernalillo County.

“Our whole town was driving too fast, most of the time,” Mayor Tim Keller said at a press conference. “Even if it seems sort of casual, because we’re just going ‘Well, we’re late dropping off our kids to school’ — that can be very dangerous. And it can cost lives.”

By the end of this year, three more cameras will be installed in the city. Cameras cost $7,900.

Albuquerque Police Department Lt. Christopher Patterson called the program a “force multiplier,” explaining that typically, it would take more than 100 officers to staff the 17 intersections 24/7 — and officers would only be able to stop one driver at a time.

“It’s a huge benefit for us, allowing us to focus more on the higher-speed drivers,” Patterson said.

Of the nearly 95,000 citations, approximately 60% of the $100 fines have been paid. Starting this fall, the city is planning to give the boot, literally, to scofflaws who have been ignoring their tickets. Legislation passed in March gives the city the authority to boot cars registered to drivers with multiple outstanding tickets and parked on city streets or properties.

Drivers can also complete four hours of community service in lieu of a ticket.

The money gathered from the citation goes first to covering the costs of the program. Half of the remaining money goes to the state, and remaining funds go toward researching traffic safety.