Drivers in Bernalillo have likely noticed the new digital speed-monitoring signs on Camino del Pueblo and Camino Don Tomas, which are part of the town’s effort to reduce speeding and improve safety in speeding hotspots.
Installed Oct. 7, the signs were purchased from two vendors by the Bernalillo Police Department to track vehicle speeds and traffic volume. Early data reveals a significant number of drivers reducing their speed after passing the signs.
“We’re hoping that this would deter people from speeding because once they see the signs, they usually slow down,” Bernalillo Police Chief Chris Stoyell said.
According to Stoyell, the initial data, though from a small sample size, indicates that about 56% of drivers reduced their speed after being detected by the signs.
“That’s exactly what we’re trying to accomplish,” he said.
The signs were purchased through funding from the Law Enforcement Protection Fund, a state fund that distributes money to law enforcement departments to improve their efficiency and effectiveness.
The town purchased the signs from two companies to compare their effectiveness and determine which best suits the needs of the BPD. They acquired two 12-inch signs from All Traffic Solutions for about $10,200 and two 15-inch signs from Stalker Street Dynamics for $8,200. Both sets are solar-powered and come with a two-year warranty covering the signs and all related equipment.
In addition to tracking vehicle speeds and counting the number of vehicles passing through, the signs include GPS tracking for theft prevention. If a sign is tampered with or struck, it will capture a photo of the person responsible and send an immediate notification, along with the image, to both the police chief and the lieutenant.
According to the chief, the signs were placed on Camino del Pueblo, near the high-traffic area by the Range Café, due to safety concerns.
“We do get a lot of complaints because some people think — ‘Oh, my goodness, the vehicles are really speeding,’” Stoyell said.
According to the chief, the average speeds in the 35 mph zone of Camino del Pueblo show that northbound traffic averages just 24.42 mph, while southbound traffic averages 29.41 mph. While some drivers were speeding, the issue was not as widespread as initially anticipated, with peak speeding incidents on Friday and Sunday evenings.
“There’s this perception that I have that people are just flying, and I don’t know if they were and this slowed them down that much, or if it just seemed like people were driving super, super fast,” Mayor Jack Torres said during the Oct. 14 council meeting. “But either way, if it slowed traffic, or if it was already slow, at least we have the data now.”
One data point that surprised the mayor and the chief was the number of vehicles traveling on that stretch of Camino del Pueblo.
According to Stoyell, in a single day, the signs recorded 10,987 vehicles, which would total nearly 77,000 vehicles over the course of a week.
“That’s a lot of traffic coming through a smaller area like this,” he said.
Stoyell said the next set of signs will be installed on Camino del Pueblo, near Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, just past the Family Dollar. Installation will occur once the New Mexico Department of Transportation approves the new signs.