ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Community members continue to raise concerns and take action on what can be done to make the Central corridor safer in Albuquerque.

“Albuquerque is the second-deadliest when it comes to pedestrian injuries and fatalities in the country. We’ve had more deaths than any other city except for Memphis. New Mexico is the number one with pedestrian injuries and fatalities,” said Christopher Ramirez, the executive director of Together for Brothers.

Ramirez and his group mainly works with young men and boys of color. Now, they are launching a new project involving the Central corridor that aims to help the entire community.

“Recently, we started a Central Avenue project that connects several of our projects — food access, outdoor access but also mobility so we can safely be in our neighborhood. We’re looking at the three communities most impacted — Downtown, Westgate and the International District,” Ramirez said.

Together for Brothers and their community partners set up at a library near Central and Unser to hear from the community Saturday. They wanted families, especially, to share their thoughts.

“Tell us what would make your community safer. Walk around and tell us. Some of the things that we’re talking about are wider sidewalks, better street lights, raised crosswalks, protected bike lanes. Things that would make it safer to be mobile on Central,” Ramirez said.

Safer people who live and work on the corridor, like Bernadette Hardy who is with the International District Healthy Communities Coalition and Naeva. Hardy sees these issues every day.

“A lot of the streets are not safe. They’re more car-friendly than pedestrian-friendly. There are examples from other cities that could make our city more walkable and pedestrian-friendly, more bikeable, ADA-compliant. And we’re just not at that point. I take the bus all the time if I’m close to Central but there are buses that don’t run anymore in certain areas, like San Pedro. It’s not an equitable system. It needs to be updated,” she said.

Together for Brothers plans to bring their findings to city and county leaders. They are holding another gathering for the Central Avenue project. That will take place August 3 at Bennie Hargrove Park.

To learn more about Together for Brothers, click here.