The City of Santa Fe Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) on Sept. 11 opened a multi-pronged review after the recent death of cyclist Steven Ballinger, hearing more than a dozen public comments and passing a motion to invite police leadership to a future meeting, commission research on driver education and prosecutor charging practices, and form an ad hoc committee to produce a white paper on bicycle and pedestrian safety.

The motion, offered by Chair Michael Garcia, directs BPAC staff to invite the police chief or a designated representative and to refer several research topics to BPAC subcommittees, including current driver education, penalties applied in collisions involving cyclists or pedestrians, and the training police officers receive on such incidents. The motion also creates an ad hoc committee, to be chaired by Member Helen Wang, to develop a baseline white paper. The measure passed on a roll-call vote.

The item followed extensive public comment and testimony from BPAC members who urged stronger enforcement and clearer charging decisions in fatal collisions. "The driver who killed Mr. Ballinger received a citation for careless driving, which is really pretty minimal," said Member Schiff Miller during the committee discussion, urging prosecutors and police to consider reckless driving and, where warranted, homicide-by-vehicle charges under the state statutes.

Public speakers recounted personal injuries and near-misses and urged both short-term measures and long-term cultural change. "When a driver runs a red light, disregard[s] traffic law, and somebody ends up injured or dead, that is a crime," said Jennifer Weber, identified in public comment as from Council District 1. Irina Oslala, who described surviving a life‑threatening collision, said the low penalties she encountered after her crash—"$150 is what the man received," she told the committee—underscore the need for different enforcement outcomes.

BPAC members proposed parallel local actions and state advocacy. Chair Garcia said the committee could recommend training, public education and potential amendments to the city's legislative priorities for the next state session. "At minimum, invite whether it's Chief Joy or DC Valdez to come to our next meeting… to really understand why certain charges were filed," Garcia said. Several members suggested targeted training for first responders, better evidence collection at collision scenes, and outreach to driver education programs.

The committee identified next steps in its motion: 1) invite police representation to a BPAC meeting focused on these issues; 2) ask subcommittees to research driver education, penalties applied in collisions with cyclists/pedestrians, and police training; and 3) form an ad hoc committee to produce a white paper that collects baseline data and recommendations for the BPAC and city governing body. The motion passed on a roll-call vote with all present members voting in favor.

The BPAC chair asked community members to take part in the ad hoc committee and to continue submitting evidence, locations and other materials the committee can use. The committee also discussed the timing for adding any legislative priorities to the city’s formal legislative agenda, which is typically finalized in November or December.

The committee recorded broad public support for immediate and long-term measures — from visible signage and targeted public-awareness campaigns to training and prosecutorial review — while noting that infrastructure changes to separate cyclists from traffic will take years to implement.

Votes and formal actions from tonight’s discussion are recorded in BPAC minutes and will be the subject of the invited police representatives’ appearance at a future meeting.