Residents call for traffic light at South Valley intersection
Posted at: 10/04/2012 10:05 PM
| Updated at: 10/05/2012 7:55 AM
By: Joe Vigil, KOB Eyewitness News 4
Bernalillo County leaders say they are now studying whether to put in a traffic light at the intersection of Raymac and Isleta in the South Valley.
This after residents renewed their calls for a light after a fatal crash near the intersection on Isleta.
A 15 month old girl was recently hit and killed nearby. Residents say the stretch of road has been a deadly one over the years.
Longtime resident Larry Barela said there have been at least 18 fatal wrecks in the area since he moved there in 1968.
"That's too many. That's too many," Barela said.
A teenager was killed in August at Raymac and Isleta. The boy's vehicle rolled onto Larry Ortiz's yard. Ortiz tells KOB4 one of his tenants just moved out of his home.
"He hears screeching tires at night and turning real sharp," Ortiz said. "He freaked out and moved."
Bernalillo County officials now have a radar unit near the intersection that is gathering data on the number of vehicles that travel through the area, along with their speed.
Officials said a traffic light is not meant to slow down traffic, but are instead used to control what happens at an intersection. Officials said while data may indicate that a traffic light is not needed, information may point to a need to slow down traffic.
County officials say traffic circles and electronic signs that show how fast drivers are going have been used effectively to slow down vehicles.
The data from the radar is expected to come back next week.
KOB Eyewitness News 4 will stay on top of this story and let you know whether the study points to a traffic light at Raymac and Isleta.
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