Pedestrian Safety
Albuquerque is one of the deadliest cities for people walking and biking. Many of the most dangerous spots are near highway ramps cutting through our most walkable neighborhoods. Read below to learn about the deadly effect of high-speed highway access through our neighborhoods, and what we can do to make them safer.
The four intersections
All highway I-25 crossings in the project's study area are hostile to people walking or biking.
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MLK @ I-25
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Central @ I-25
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Lead @ I-25
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Coal @ I-25
Dangerous by design
These intersections are dangerous and uncomfortable for those outside cars:
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up to 5 lane frontage roads: maximize conflict points where people and cars share the same space.
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large curb radii: increase crossing distance & enable high-speed right turns
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wide lanes: encourage high speeds
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over 400 ft crossing distance: creates a high-stress environment that is uninviting to people outside cars
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. @ I-25
Fatalities and injuries
The High Fatality and Injury Network (HFIN) shows the roads and intersections where deadly or high-injury crashes happen at a rate higher than the city's average.
Over 2x deadlier
All these intersections are deadlier—for both pedestrians and cyclists—than the city's average. Many of them are more than 2 times deadlier than the city average!
Click to enlarge
The 2nd deadliest city in the country for pedestrian deaths
The HFIN is relative to the city's average, but Albuquerque's average is already over twice as large as the national average! This makes these intersections over 4 times deadlier than the national average!
Pedestrian activity
The Pedestrian Composite Index (PCI) shows the road sections with the greatest potential for pedestrian activity. It is based on density of jobs and housing, and proximity to destinations.
Just a very small area of Albuquerque—covering greater downtown and the university area—has a high potential for walkability.
Combining high potential for walkability with dangerous highway access points results in some of the the deadliest intersections in the city!
Interactive: zoom and pan
The plan:
deadlier intersections
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increases the number of lanes at most access points—up to 6 lanes at some locations
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keeps large curb radii and wide lanes
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adds new frontage roads
Click for full plan
Designing for walkability
Read our plan for a better way to design these intersections for walkability
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eliminate some of these dangerous intersections altogether
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use modern engineering tools, such as pedestrian level of traffic stress
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incorporate modern designs such as protected intersections
