Of mandatory mud flaps, Paseo spouts and a missing dragon

MAKE MUD FLAPS MANDATORY? That’s a request from Lisa Muzic, who along with many friends not only has had to replace multiple windshields but has drawn a link to the high number of high-profile vehicles including “lifted trucks, Jeeps and commercial vehicles like tankers, gravel haulers, truck/trailers carrying large loads. Many have more than 8-inches clearance between the road and the start of a mud flap, or no mud flap at all. Many have wheels that extend past the frame of the vehicle. These become dangerous when there is no protection from gravel, stones or objects being thrown by a tire spinning at 75 mph. These projectiles can be compared to a bullet once the gun has been fired.”

And so glass repair/replacement shops “have a booming business in New Mexico, the land of rocks. I value their American entrepreneurship, but protecting New Mexicans is first and foremost. It is not good practice to allow the irresponsible choices of drivers who own unsafe vehicles to dictate our safety or lack thereof on N.M. highways and byways. Currently, there are only 11 states with laws making mud flaps mandatory. This law not only protects the vehicle with the mud flaps but especially those who drive behind this vehicle. ... Make New Mexico No. 12. Make mud flaps mandatory in New Mexico.”

Lisa says no state lawmakers have answered the request. We’ll see if any take up the challenge in the 2024 legislative session.

WHAT ARE THE SPOUTS ON THE PASEO FLYOVER? LD emails “I’ve wondered about the things on the entrance to Paseo del Norte on-ramp from (northbound) Interstate 25 heading west. They look like faucets and intrigue me. Can you explain what they are and how they’re used?”

The New Mexico Department of Transportation can. Spokeswoman Kimberly Gallegos, who handles the metro area’s District Three, explains “the faucet looking things on PDN are fire hydrants.”

N.M. 126 GETTING REBUILT: Starting next week, July 31, and scheduled through November, “NMDOT and Star Paving will begin reconstruction of a portion of N.M. 126 east of Cuba at mile marker 10.”

Phase 1 will run through mid-August, and traffic will be restricted to one lane during work hours by a flagging operation. Phase 2 will restrict traffic to “one lane, 24 hours a day/7 days a week, with traffic being controlled by traffic signals.”

When Phase 2 wraps up, N.M. 126 will be “returned to two-way traffic during the winter suspension.” More information is at nmroads.com.

POOF THE MONTGOMERY DRAGON IS GONE: Lori Floyd asks in an email, “Do you know what has happened to the little metal dragon that was on the north side of Montgomery, between the light on Marla and the light on San Pedro? I remember a while back his tail was stolen, and the artist created another one for him. Now the dragon is completely gone.”

Tanya Lenti, marketing manager for the city’s Arts & Culture department, found out “the dragon in question is/was not a part of CABQ’s Public Art collection. From what I’ve been able to find out, it was a citizen installation.”

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