Busy Albuquerque intersection raises concern

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Fourth St. and Lomas Boulevard is home to the popular Bumblebee statue standing tall in downtown Albuquerque. 

The tall metal giant Iron Man, who came before Bumblebee, came toppling down in a car crash in February.  

Now, one resident is raising concerns over the dangers of this intersection. 

“I, like many of the many other people in this building, are aware of how incredibly dangerous this intersection has been, and still remains to this day,” Blane Wamsley, a concerned resident said. 

Wamsley used to work right on the corner of this intersection for years. 

“I’ve worked at the district court, this building right here for 23 years,” Wamsley said. 

Wamsley’s seen a lot in this area in the last two decades.  

“It’s jurors attorneys, court staff, and I’ve seen many pedestrian accidents all caused by the same obvious problem,” Wamsley said. 

His main concerns are centered around the traffic lights and something they’re missing. 

“The simple solution would be dedicated left turn arrows left on green only and that would allow safety for the pedestrians crossing safety to avoid T-boning,” Wamsley said. 

A map from the Mid-Region Council of Governments shows data from the time Wamsley worked downtown from 2011-2015.  

This study reported 64 crashes and 13 were deadly. 

With so many people working in this area or stopping by to gaze at the giant metal Transformer, Wamsley hopes some change can happen before it’s a person who is hit next time and not just another sculpture.  

“My concern is my friends, my ex-coworkers and just the general public trying to get across the street safely,” Wamsley said