Albuquerque council updates traffic code, adds protections for pedestrians and cyclists and orders education campaign

The Albuquerque City Council on Nov. 5 unanimously approved an update to the city's traffic code and sidewalk ordinance intended to strengthen protections for pedestrians, bicyclists and other vulnerable road users and to direct automated speed-enforcement revenue toward Vision Zero traffic-safety initiatives.

Councilors said the ordinance updates decades-old code language so it matches current infrastructure and nationwide practice. The bill was introduced by Councilor Brook Fiebelkorn and passed after several floor amendments clarifying definitions for people using personal-assistive mobility devices, altering the language that governs where vulnerable users may cross a roadway, and directing a public-education campaign and a crosswalk/beacon inventory.

The ordinance requires the administration to run a public education campaign about the new code and related traffic-safety practices. The council amended that requirement to direct the…