Bicycle Coalition of New Mexico

BCNM Board members met with Gary Girón, Secretary of the New Mexico Dept. of Transportation, and Max Valerio, NMDOT’s Deputy Secretary for Programs and Infrastructure, in Santa Fe on July 7, 2010.  The meeting came in response to a follow-up inquiry from BCNM Board President Diane Albert to the Office of Gov. Richardson.  It was noted that BCNM’s letter to the Governor on the topic of improving paved shoulders on state highways was already a year old and, despite clear direction from the Governor’s Office, there had been no action to date on NMDOT’s part.  Central to the discussion as usual was NMDOT’s practice of “partial paving” – not fully including paved shoulders in construction and maintenance overlays.  As pointed out in BCNM’s letter of June 26, 2009, this now-standard practice has led to a statewide proliferation of pavement edges within the very space that is most needed for safe and convenient bicycling on New Mexico highways.

After some discussion of the shortcomings of earlier proposals by NMDOT, Sec. Girón proposed that maintenance overlays be routinely extended to the edge of pavement on all highways throughout the state, not just on designated “State Bike Routes” as had been previously proposed.  The only exceptions may be Interstates and other highways with very wide paved shoulders, very high-speed traffic, and little need or interest on bicyclists’ part to cross the edge line between the shoulder and motor vehicle travel lanes.  Sec. Girón’s latest proposal brings NMDOT far closer into line with decades-old federal and state policies mandating the routine accommodation of bicyclists throughout the transportation system.  This may be a big first step in making “Complete Streets” a standard practice in our state.

BCNM will closely monitor what comes out of this promise by Sec. Girón and will continue to work with NMDOT to improve conditions for cyclists in New Mexico.  You can help by letting us know about new maintenance overlays you see happening in your area: Is the pavement smooth from the travel lanes out to the far edge of the shoulder, or do you still have to contend with a lip?

As board members discussed with Sec. Girón, next steps to ensure that NM cyclists get the clear shoulders we deserve on our state highways will be to stop “partial overlays” in road construction as well, and to implement a more bicycle-friendly rumble strip policy (for more details, see letter to Governor linked above).  These efforts are underway with a focus on key highway segments under construction, such as the “High Road to Taos,” but with the goal of establishing better construction practices across the board.  Let us know if you are aware of another critical highway construction project under design in your area, and we can work with you and NMDOT to check the project’s status, the sufficiency of the paved shoulders being proposed, and the possible need for action on BCNM’s part.  Not sure what’s coming up?  Call your NMDOT District Public Information Officer (see your District web page under Transportation & Highway Operations) to see what projects are under design or close to starting design.  If you are truly adventurous, take a look at the latest Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).