Albuquerque, PNM working to improve street lighting

The utility company is replacing 11,000 street lights with LED bulbs.

Gina Naomi Dennis, president of the District 6 Coalition, is happy to see more lighting in the International District.

“You literally cannot navigate the darkness,” Dennis said. “You cannot see what’s going on at night.”

Mayor Tim Keller believes there is a link between low lighting and high crime.

“This represents the fact that we need to address public safety from all sides,” Keller said. “That includes lighting.”

In areas off Trumbull, the city is also going to add about ten new lights.

“They're located in places also where there are appropriate electric infrastructure to put them in,” Keller said.

Despite the improved lighting, Dennis wants more lights in areas where the infrastructure is not in place.

“We live here, so we deserve to get lighting infrastructure,” she said. “We deserve to feel safe when we go to sleep at night.”

Dennis said she will continue to push for more lighting in her community.