Village Begins Implementing Plan to Address Speeding

Mayor Jim Fahey doesn’t think speeding on the streets of Corrales is as big a problem as people make it out to be.

“The evidence from the speed report doesn’t support it,” he said in an interview with the Comment on Aug. 18.

But several citizens and village councilors at the July 25 meeting of the governing body insisted there is a problem with drivers going too fast. At the end of a long discussion, the mayor consented to having the village administration develop a “plan” to address the issue.

The same day as the interview with the mayor he sent out his weekly “Mayor’s Message” email in which he revealed the first steps the village is taking, including an inventory of streets to assess the length and width of each public road and determine whether it has striping or not.

“Once an inventory has been completed, the village will begin restriping public roads to have lanes 10 feet wide with a center stripe. Outside striping on the shoulder will be done if there is a shoulder," he declared.

Fahey told the Comment the inventory of roads would be conducted by Public Works Director Michael Chavez and shouldn’t take more than a few weeks. He noted, though, that the village doesn’t own the equipment to stripe the roads. That would have to come from an outside source at an unknown cost to the village. The work will continue as long as there is funding available, he said.

The mayor also said the Corrales Police Department will continue monitoring speeds on problem roads and issue citations to speeders.

The “evidence” the mayor referred to that he says shows speeding is not a big problem in Corrales came from speed monitoring data CPD collected this summer. While there certainly are people exceeding the speed limit, the data shows a vast majority are following the rules of the road.

“Our next step may include further traffic calming methods where a speeding problem is identified,” he wrote.

The mayor didn’t mention any specific traffic calming methods, but some discussed at the July 25 meeting included more signage, electronic signs that display your speed, radar, speed humps and roundabouts.

Fahey said increased signage displaying the speed limit is already in the plans. “... so that excuse of ‘didn’t know the speed limit’ that our judge reported will not be supported by the evidence on the ground,” he wrote.

Municipal Judge Michelle Freschette told the governing body at last month’s meeting that the excuse she most often hears from speeders in her courtroom is that they didn’t know the speed. 

The mayor pleaded with all Corralenos to follow speed limits. “It is safer for you, your children, and your neighbors,” he wrote.

Village councilors also suggested conducting a campaign to increase awareness at last month’s meeting.

And at Tuesday’s (Aug. 22) village council meeting, the governing body passed a resolution committing the village to a "road awareness" campaign in the village through the rest of the year (see story page XXXX).