Teen was third employee of city bike safety center to die in bike crash

Two weeks ago, Kayla VanLandingham was riding her bike home, as she had done many times before.

Yellow lights flashed on a pole above — fixed alongside bicycle and pedestrian crossing signs — as she biked off the Hahn Arroyo trail and across Carlisle, south of Montgomery, in Northeast Albuquerque. A driver in a blue car slowed to a stop for the 19-year-old as she rolled into the northbound lanes that afternoon.

An SUV in the next lane screeched to a halt, nearly hitting her.

But it was a black Ford Fiesta, in the far right lane, that slammed into VanLandingham — sending her and her bicycle flying through the air.

VanLandingham became the third employee of the city of Albuquerque’s Esperanza Bicycle Safety Education Center to die after being struck by a driver while cycling in the past two years.

On Tuesday, the city renamed the center the “Chuck Malagodi Esperanza Bicycle Safety Center” to honor the 64-year-old man fatally struck Jan. 19 while riding home from the center after spending hours fixing bicycles. During a news conference on the renaming — a week after VanLandingham was killed — Parks and Recreation Director Dave Simon said, “It’s a bittersweet day.”

“Not only because of the fact that we lost Chuck in such an untimely way, but we’ve lost three members of the Esperanza family to tragic accidents over the last two years,” he said, mentioning VanLandingham and Rosanna Breuninger, 40, who was killed after being hit by a driver in 2023.

Both VanLandingham and Breuninger died on July 22 — two years apart.

The Albuquerque Police Department said no charges are expected to be filed against the woman who crashed into VanLandingham.

Sgt. James Burton of APD’s Fatal Crash Unit said, “She’s not speeding, she’s not intoxicated, she’s not driving recklessly. We have no proof that she was doing anything distracted in the vehicle, so even if she was, I can’t prove it.”

Burton said the woman was driving 28 mph in the 35 mph zone and told police she didn’t see the flashing yellow lights — although they don’t require drivers to yield, either, according to state statute. Only flashing red lights require drivers to stop and yield to those walking and biking.

“There’s no signage that says that requires a driver to slow, stop, yield right of way — anything,” Burton said of the crossing used by VanLandingham. He said drivers they spoke with had different interpretations of the crossing: some said the lights are always flashing, even with nobody there. Others said they slow down if they see the lights flashing.

The crossing is not considered a marked or unmarked crosswalk despite the signs and lights and, according to the statute, drivers “may proceed through the intersection or pass such a signal only with caution.”

According to a 2024 Albuquerque Bikeway and Trail Facilities Plan, the Hahn Arroyo path at Carlisle was listed as high priority for an upgraded crossing like a HAWK (high-intensity activated crosswalk) signal or Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB).

The city of Albuquerque Bicycle and Trail Crossings Guide recommended making the crossing a marked crosswalk and replacing the overhead flashing lights with an RRFB activated either through a push button or sensor. The RRFB has been found to result in driver yielding rates as high as 98%, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

There are four such yellow-light crossings spread across the city, installed in the early 2000s. At that time, city spokesperson Dan Mayfield said, they exceeded federal guidelines. Mayfield said a plan is in the works to replace them with “marked crosswalks, modern beacons and signage — each costing approximately $500,000.”

Mayfield said the planned upgrades for the crossing “are pending funding” and no timeline was given. He said Carlisle is listed on a database of crashes as Tier 3 and 5, meaning less dangerous, while current Vision Zero efforts “are focused on Tier 1 corridors.”

“Other segments will be assessed as staffing and funding allow,” Mayfield said. Vision Zero Coordinator Valerie Hermanson was not made available for an interview.

Since 2023, according to fatality reports compiled by the University of New Mexico, nine cyclists have been killed in Bernalillo County, including three this year.

The death toll pales in comparison to the number of pedestrian deaths in the city, for which the state has been ranked worst in the nation several years running. But the deaths of VanLandingham, Malagodi and Breuninger, who dedicated much of their lives to cycling and bike safety, are front of mind for those on two wheels.

BikeABQ President Theresa Dunn said in an interview that she wondered how many bicyclists have to die until the city does something about their safety.

“Once a month? Once every three weeks? Once a week?” she said. “I don’t get it.”

VanLandingham had been employed at the bicycle safety center since 2022 and worked with Malagodi and Breuninger up until they died. Those who knew VanLandingham said cycling, much like her late colleagues, had always been a part of her life.

“The idea that she was killed with her bike ... is not how this story was supposed to end for her,” said former Rep. Tara Jaramillo, D-Socorro, and VanLandingham’s preschool teacher and longtime family friend.

‘She had so much love’

VanLandingham, who was born in Socorro on Nov. 3, 2005, started riding bikes when she was 4 or 5 years old. As she grew, so did her range, taking to two wheels in places like White Rim Road at Canyonlands National Park in Utah.

“She just loved bikes and what bikes mean to people in terms of freedom and fun,” said Melinda Montoya, VanLandingham’s mother. “You just have joy pedaling your bike.”

VanLandingham and Montoya traveled together and shared an Instagram page called “twogalsontheroad” documenting their adventures. Some of her favorite places they visited were Hope Lake in Colorado and the Butler Wash Ruins in Utah, Montoya said.

Aside from biking and traveling, VanLandingham also relished Southwest art. She was most recently studying to be an art curator at the University of New Mexico.

While pursuing her degree, VanLandingham continued to do what she loved: working at the Esperanza Bicycle Safety Education Center.

“The ability to fix people’s bikes so they can get out, ride, and have a source of transportation makes me happy,” she said in an Instagram post from September 2023.

“She had so much love for people,” Montoya said. “From a stranger at the grocery store to the homeless person she worked with at the bike shop, she saw the humanity in everyone. She was a really bright light in this community.”

Montoya said she wants more people to be aware of bicyclists on the road, so more families won’t have to grieve the loss of a loved one.

“I don’t think it’s about bicycle safety; it’s about motorists’ awareness,” she said. “We really need to change the narrative on how people look at these things.”

Montoya said her heart also breaks for the driver who killed her daughter.

“For the rest of her life, she gets to carry with her the fact that she took away the potential for somebody to do some amazing, beautiful things,” she said.