ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Albuquerque says its 40 speed cameras have helped reduce speeding across the city.
City officials told state lawmakers Wednesday that Albuquerque issued more than 845,000 citations between May 2022 and July 31 through its automated speed enforcement program.
The city placed 40 speed cameras in what officials describe as crash hot spots, where speeding has put drivers, passengers and pedestrians at risk.
“We look at data around the city where there are crashes and speeding,” said Jennifer Turner. “Unfortunately, where people are dying and getting hurt tells us where in the city we need to adopt additional safety countermeasures.”
Turner said the city shared data with lawmakers this week and that the cameras are working.
“Looking at 2022 to 2025, we’ve seen a decrease in drivers exceeding the posted speed limit by 10 mph,” Turner said. “The decrease ranges from 54.7% to 96.2%, which means people are slowing down, which is what we want to see.”
The city said 70% of drivers who received citations have been ticketed only once. Turner said the city has seen a significant shift in driver behavior, especially on Unser Boulevard, Coors Boulevard and Gibson Boulevard.
“Gibson was one of our first camera locations, and we have four years of data,” Turner said. “The speed limit was 40 mph. We actually recorded speeds up to 150 mph, which is terrifying and shocking.”
Turner said the city saw a 90% decrease in drivers speeding between Carlisle and San Mateo on Gibson Boulevard.
She also said the city saw a 74% decrease in speeding on northbound Coors Boulevard between Montaño Road and Paseo del Norte Boulevard, where more than 67,000 citations were issued.
As citation revenue increases, the city said it first pays vendor and internal program costs before sending a portion of the revenue to the state.
“We first pay our program costs, including the vendor and our internal city costs,” Turner said. “Then 50% of the remaining revenue can be sent to the state, and the rest is used for traffic safety projects to create safer streets for everyone.”
City leaders said they measure the program by how many drivers slow down, not by how many tickets are issued. The city also said drivers who cannot pay the $100 citation can choose community service instead.
