D'Val Westphal: Bus safe until it's not; flyers trashing ABQ; work on I-25 starting

D'Val Westphal, Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
·4 min read

Oct. 10—BUS A GREAT, Safe. ALTERNATIVE — Cameron has a response to the item in the Sept. 26 column in which a reader recounted the illegal activity he saw while waiting for the ART bus from the State Fair. "I ride ART with some regularity and while I believe it could be improved, I also think it's incredibly helpful. In fact, I rode it to the State Fair and found it to be quite convenient. No parking hassles or fees, no traffic, and less air pollution for everyone around."

Cameron adds "our bus system is very important to a lot of people in this city, myself included" and simply "dumping on public transit" doesn't help address pollution, climate change, DWIs, pedestrian deaths, obesity and the myriad problems that can be linked to driving.

And Kevin Elder emails "I took the ART bus Monday through Friday for eight months when I worked a contract for the Department of Health. I got on the Old Town stop and got off at San Mateo and Central. I was only ever bothered once. I was wearing a pink mask and some guy called me a (epithet) under his breath. While that is totally uncalled for and really sad, it doesn't have anything to do with the bus. It was one person's unfortunate lack of education and empathy.

"The bus drivers and the occasional bus security are all hard-working, decent, ABQ folk — just like the vast majority of the passengers."

EXCEPT WHEN IT'S NOT: But another reader echoes the original concern, and adds to it:

"As a 69-year-old woman living one block off Central SE and San Pedro, your letter by the person who had the experience at the bus station and walk to it is everyday life. Neighbors and I do not take ART or No. 66; we carpool to the store or the lucky ones take Sun Van who qualify.

"We knew that tourists who got to the State Fair by buses would have a bad experience. People smoke sticks long and thin with drugs on them or a pipe, they pass out sitting at the transit station. Nothing's done by the Albuquerque Police Department, no patrols, no removing drug addicts that have passed out or not. Murders happen practically every weekend, four to 10 blocks from the San Pedro transit station."

ILLEGAL SIGNS ADD TO TRASHY CITY: Teresa Carroll has something to add to the Sept. 19 column on cleaning up our "trashy city."

"As I drive around, I can't help but notice all the signs that are attached to power poles, light poles, stop signs, you name it," Teresa emails. "These signs are affixed to any surface where these signs can be nailed to, zip tied to and even taped to."

"Once in the middle of the day at Comanche and Tramway, a gentleman drives his white pickup truck onto the sidewalk on the southwest corner, took his ladder out, then proceeded to attach his sign up high to the power pole. It was this event that got me to notice all the signs. I've lived in quite a few cities such as Denver, Lake Tahoe, San Diego and Phoenix. These cities do not allow signs to be put up wherever people feel they should go. Why Albuquerque allows this to happen is beyond comprehension. Talk about a trashy city, these signs certainly do add to the trash."

City ordinance 14-16-5-12 states "Illegal signs improperly placed on traffic signals, traffic signs, arroyos/bridges, sidewalks, utility poles and other public right-of-way areas may be removed and disposed of by the Department of Municipal Development.

Illegal signs located within landscaped and non-landscaped street medians may be removed and disposed of by the Solid Waste Management Department. Illegal signs placed in parks, within city limits, may be removed and disposed of by the Parks & Recreation Department."

Scott Cilke of the city's Department of Municipal Development says when folks report such illegal postings to 311, the city "will dispatch folks to remove" them.

I-25 NEAR ALGODONES GETS REFRESHER: Gary E. Cordova emails the interstate "north of Algodones and south of the hill leading to Black Mesa casino is very uneven and very rough. I understand it was 'stabilized' recently, which did not improve the very difficult driving conditions. When will it be raised and resurfaced, as is being done on NM 68 north of Espa ñ ola (which) had similar problems with unevenness and rough surface?"

Kimberly Gallegos with the New Mexico Department of Transportation District 3 office says "crews will be out in Algodones starting this week for the next month for a mill-and-inlay (paving) project that will take place at night in this area."

Editorial page editor D'Val Westphal tackles commuter issues for the metro area on Mondays. Reach her at 823-3858; dwestphal@abqjournal.com; or 7777 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87109.