Albuquerque residents voice roadway safety concerns along east Central

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Another deadly crash on an Albuquerque road this weekend is highlighting the dangers.

Earlier this week, KOB 4 shared new stats that ranked Bernalillo County as one of the most dangerous in the nation for road safety.

One of the areas we focused on was a stretch of Coors, where millions in federal funding is set to spark improvements.

Clear across town, city leaders say they continue to work on solutions on east Central.

But after the latest pedestrian death in that area, KOB 4 spoke with people who see these situations regularly.

“Up there I don’t know, it’s a whole different city, a whole different town,” said Elias Andazola, an Albuquerque resident. 

Andazola is talking about Central and Wyoming, where he’s seen all kinds of things. 

“Couple days ago I was up there to get some stuff, and there was naked homeless people just running across the street, and I’m just, what the heck is going on?” said Andazola. 

And as strange as that sounds, it’s just as dangerous. 

On Saturday night, Albuquerque police say a pedestrian was killed just two miles away near Central and San Mateo. 

Last week, KOB 4 reported 29 pedestrians were killed between San Mateo and Eubank along Central in the last five years. 

A study done by the New Mexico Department of Transportation in 2021 says New Mexico has ranked consistently high for its number of pedestrian fatalities per capita.

“I think it’s a serious issue in the city, and I think people need to understand that pedestrians are just as important,” said Nikita Rader, another Albuquerque resident. 

Rader say’s he’s had some close calls himself, saying he’s had people walk across the road in front of his car.

KOB 4 crews spent some time along Central Sunday afternoon from Wyoming to San Mateo. 

Here’s what we saw: people getting off one bus and having to cross the street to an ART bus stop, usually not in a crosswalk.  But we also saw a lot of faded crosswalks. 

According to the NMDOT study, the top three factors in pedestrian crashes are: 

• Pedestrian error 
• Drugs or alcohol 
• Distracted drivers 

APD says the most recent crash on San Mateo and Central was caused by the pedestrian running across Central. He was not in a crosswalk.