If you don’t mind, BB is taking a break today from writing about bike rides in the middle of nowhere to ask you to consider attending today’s meeting of the Greater Albuquerque Active Transporation Committee (GAATC). I know…not NEARLY as much fun as riding in the middle of nowhere.

Nevertheless, today’s Zoom-only meeting (why Zoom-only…I dunno) might be of interest, as there’s a scheduled presentation by City folks regarding the sweeping Traffic Code changes implemented last November. And despite how enervating reading and considering the previous sentence might have been for you, these Code changes are pretty impressive and important (possibly). Really!

So important that your humble (and very lazy) blogger got off his proverbial butt and wrote an email this morning to some GAATC members and City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn, sponsor of the Traffic Code change legislation. For background on that legislation, and to further prove how lazy I am, here’s a screenshot from the City’s page about it:

The Code changes are extensive, and you might be interested enough for the dive required to uncover them all. If you’re lazy like me, I’ll curate the changes for you and subjectively posit that the most important change is (as lazily copy/pasted from the City webpage)

Motorists Must Stop: Drivers are now required to stop for a VRU using a marked or unmarked crosswalk.

In case the City page is too blurry above, “VRU” stands for “Vulnerable Road users,” i.e., anybody not driving a steel box. Yes, it really says “unmarked crosswalk.” I know, that is an interesting change!

So yeah, you might want to Zoom-attend today’s meeting, and/or keep track of how the new Code changes are implemented. The changes could be significant, IF the City really enforces the details/ramifications. To that end, and to further show how lazy I am, here’s a full copy/paste of the email your humble blogger wrote to GAATC/Councilor Fiebelkorn this morning. City answers to the questions posed at the bottom would certainly be helpful in determining whether we’re serious about these Code changes, or if this is just another “safety in words, but not in actions” situation.

Enjoy your Monday, whether you attend today’s meeting or not. Here’s that email:

Councilor Fiebelkorn and GAATC Chair/Member Carver and Applegate: Good Morning!

As one who has followed and advocated for what we’re now calling “Vulnerable Road Users” (VRUs) for quite a while, I’m genuinely excited that the City has instituted such broad changes in traffic code to help make life safer for VRUs. Thank you, Concilor Fiebelkorn for leading that effort! I also note that it’s been just over five months since the new Code was unaminously passed.

So it’s beyond timely that today’s agenda for the Greater Albuquerque Active Transpration Committee (GAATC) meeting includes a presentation on the new Code and the City’s “Traffic Safety Campaign.” In anticipation of attending today’s meeting, I’ve put together a few questions for those presenters, and anyone else interested, reflecting my understanding of the new Code and possible ramifications.

I post the questions below prior to today’s presentation, understanding that some/all of these questions might be addressed in the presentation itself. In a more perfect world, sessions like today’s GAATC get-together would be more like a public meeting in which folks could ask presenters such questions, but GAATC meetings don’t provide such direct participation. I sometimes wonder why that is the case.

So here are my questions. I actually have more, but will stick with these five as starters. Any help you could provide in ensuring such questions are heard, and most hopefully answered, either today during the meeting or subsequently, is hugely appreciated.

1. Given the very significant change in policy concerning VRU rights at unmarked crosswalks, will the City/APD institute a widespread warning/education campaign that includes police stops and direct warnings of offenders at time of offense, even in cases in which no crash occurs, in addition to the City’s overall education strategy?
2. As driver hit-and-run in VRU cases is already such a huge problem, is the City planning to substantially beef up its crash investigation effort to solve and prosecute such offenders, particularly given the increased responsibility of drivers with the new traffic code changes?
3. Will APD generally change its crash reporting policy heretofore automatically assigning VRU blame (“pedestrian error”) in crashes involving VRUs crossing at unmarked crosswalks?
4. What is the current status of the mandated “Vision Zero Dashboard”? (Note: I couldn’t find it online)
5. Will the Vision Zero Dashboard’s mandated quarterly updates include information on revenues collected from Automated Speed Enforcement Cameras and can that revenue be tracked by those interested in terms of where the money goes (specific roadway improvement projects)? 

Thanks as always for your service, specifically your work to make walking and rolling ABQ’s roadways safer!