Reader has ideas for improving traffic flow on Isleta
ISLETA TRAFFIC NEEDS STREAMLINING:
Reader paulsilva 46 has several suggestions for improving “the poor traffic flow on the first mile of Isleta (from Rio Bravo) going south down to Gun Club.” Those include:
Setting the traffic signals at Camino de Ville and Gun Club to favor Isleta traffic during peak times because “both lights cause traffic to back up.”
Installing right-hand turn lanes for southbound traffic at both of these intersections because “many vehicles turn west from Isleta to Adobe Acres, Valley Gardens and use Gun Club to Coors.”
Encouraging traffic access to businesses via side streets because “there are way too many entries/ exits directly onto Isleta. The charter school and strip malls are the biggest problem,” with the former “contributing to many near-misses for drivers and pedestrians.” Let’s take them in order. Robert Baker, Bernalillo County’s traffic control administrator, says Camino del Valle and Gun Club “are currently timed to favor Isleta, but they are not coordinated with the rest of the corridor to the north. These two intersections run manually or ‘free’ so they’ll adapt to traffic up to a certain maximum green time.”
Baker adds that he plans “on updating the coordination plan for the entire corridor beginning at Gun Club and ending at Arenal ... sometime early (this) year and will definitely look at the timings at Camino del Valle and Gun Club and increase the Isleta green time if needed.”
However, that’s not as simple as making the green lights on Isleta longer. Baker says “the main problem along this stretch are the two closely spaced 15 mph school zones and the split-phased timing for east and west Camino del Valle. Split phased means that only the eastbound green and green arrow will service simultaneously, then the westbound green and green arrow will service. This takes twice the amount of time to service both the eastand west-bound directions.”
As for adding dedicated right-turn lanes, Operations and Maintenance director David Mitchell says “Isleta has not seen an increase in traffic flow” based on annual traffic flow counts, is considered a “stable arterial” and any request for investment in road infrastructure would have to compete with “other areas that are experiencing significant growth.” That said, he adds “there is nothing that can’t happen with enough groundswell of public support. Also, if there ever turns out to be a high accident rate at one of these turns, a Highway Safety Improvement Program grant could be sought for turn lanes, etc.”
Regarding business access from anywhere but Isleta’s through lanes, Mitchell says “back when the Twister’s restaurant was built at Valley Garden (originally as a Dairy Queen), we had the developer add a ‘taper’ at that corner, which allows right-turners to get out of the way of the through traffic, and insisted, against some political pressure from Valley Gardens residents, to allow the Valley Garden traffic to enter that business from the side street, so they would not contribute more left turns at the Isleta intersection.”
More recently, he adds, when the county re-did the Isleta/Rio Bravo intersection, “the county did insist ... that the ‘free right’ from northbound to westbound be preserved with all those little white markers preventing the filling station driveway access. It was originally planned to be a conventional signalized right turn, and then he really would have seen back ups.”
In addition, prior to upgrades traffic “flow ... consisted of reckless speeding and passing in the two-way center turn lane around the city buses that stopped, and people driving around other cars on the sidewalk to the right at the Camino del Valle intersection despite a leftturn lane. It was a mad house. We installed central islands and curbs to stop that behavior by a relatively small percentage of drivers. The traffic does flow, albeit a little more slowly and orderly, which is what the majority all want.”
A TIP-OVER TWEAKING: After the New Mexico Department of Transportation explained that a sign on the new Paseo flyover is meant to warn against high-profile vehicles tipping over if drivers don’t observe safe speeds, Michael Fried pointed out “when traveling North on Interstate 25, two of the same ‘tip over’ signs indicate the turns onto east- and westbound Interstate 40 (but) have left-or right-curving arrows in their proper directions and indicate the tip over in the direction dictated by physics, (i.e.) outside the turn.”
“Having a sign (on the Paseo flyover) pointing in the opposite direction generates confusion and creates an even more hazardous situation. There are actually two signs on the Paseo flyover warning us of the upcoming ‘right-turn’ tip over.”
And Kristy emails she’s seen the confusion in action. “I was riding with someone recently who was confused by the sign and caused him to quickly exit the turnoff, only to discover we missed it after all.”
Phil Gallegos, who handles information for NMDOT’s District 3, took another look and says readers “are exactly right and (the signs) are being replaced as soon as is possible. Thank you!”