D'Val Westphal: Do NM plates fade faster? Plus, no pave for MLK/Oak

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

Sep. 12—DO NM LICENSE PLATES FADE FASTER?

Kent Argubright emails they sure seem to.

"New Mexico seems to have a unique problem with UV sun-faded license plates. Adjoining states seem to have solved this problem despite similar environmental exposures to intense UV including Arizona — sun and heat, Colorado — altitude increased UV, and Texas — sun and heat. Why can't this be fixed?"

There's a lot that could be unpacked here — upon sale our plates go with the owner, not the vehicle, so they can in theory stay in circulation for a lifetime; perhaps we keep our cars longer; maybe fewer of us garage our vehicles so they are in the elements more; etc.

But as for the plates themselves, they are supposed to last as long as that new-car loan. Charlie Moore of the state Taxation and Revenue Department, which oversees the Motor Vehicle Division, says "I'm not sure what the basis is for the idea that our plates fade more quickly than in other states, but nearly every state uses the same 3M lamination that our plates have. Some still make their plates in prisons. Our vendor is Waldale, which provides a five-year warranty that starts on delivery."

ALAMEDA LANDSCAPING CLOSES LANES: Donn called to report a backup from construction on Alameda from Louisiana all the way to Jefferson.

Scott Cilke of the city's Department of Municipal Development says "there is new landscaping and irrigation, as well as concrete, being installed along this section of road."

NO PAVING FOR MLK/OAK INTERSECTION: Patricia Gregory says the Sept. 5 column on the state removing northbound Interstate 25's off-ramp at Martin Luther King didn't address how bad the pavement is on Oak.

Specifically, "as someone who occasionally uses the on-ramp to north I-25 turning from MLK going west onto Oak, I have noticed that Oak is seriously torn up going around the corner. This situation can only become worse since this right-hand turn off MLK is used extensively by traffic leaving UNM, and during the de-construction of the MLK exit from I-25 — which I consider about time, as it was a dangerous merge situation — will now be used by traffic going north on Oak back onto I-25."

She points out in her email the column only mentioned "paving on Oak from Central to MLK, not on Oak to the north of MLK to the on-ramp. Will this part of Oak be addressed as well?"

Nope.

Dick Rowles of Star Paving says "the project does not include new pavement north of the southern curb line on MLK. (The reader is) accurate with their assessment of the pavement in the intersection, but it is beyond the scope of the current project."

WASHINGTON/COPPER SIGNALS MISSING: Clark Brown reports "on my early morning walk around my neighborhood I noticed new four-way STOP signs installed at the intersection of Washington and Copper. The traffic light was set as a flashing red for both directions. I was just wondering the reason for the change."

Cilke explains "due to the low traffic demand at this intersection, the city has decided to convert this signal to a four-way stop, hence the installation of the stop signs. The lights will flash red for one month before being shut off and bagged. The intersection will then be reevaluated in one year."

CALL 311 TO REPORT ISSUES: William Ledford says in an email "at the corner of San Francisco and Louisiana, facing east, a large landscaping bush blocks enough of southbound Louisiana that a person must ease out into the southbound bike lane to see if oncoming traffic allows one to proceed north or south safely. How does one get the city to check this out and possibly have the (property) owner trim the boxwood back?"

Cilke says "311 is the best and easiest way to provide feedback to the city."

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.