ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Westside residents are calling the intersection of Ladera and Unser a dangerous one, saying drivers’ actions in the area have them gripping tighter onto their steering wheels.
“I have seen people almost crossing, almost get hit. I have seen people go through red lights, and they don’t stop,” said one Albuquerque driver. People who live and work near the intersection and use it daily say car crashes in the area are an all too common occurrence. “I live close to here, and I see quite a few wrecks there. Not just here and there; I see it like every once a month, almost,” said Chris Lucero.
Photos captured earlier this month show just one of the many crashes Lucero says he has witnessed since living near the intersection. However, on Sunday morning, fragments of what appeared to be leftover debris from a crash remained scattered throughout the roadway. “I don’t know if it is the way the intersection is designed or the lights. I have no idea, but I don’t know why there are so many wrecks in one intersection like that,” Lucero said.
While the city has road signs placed throughout the intersection with the rules of the road, drivers familiar with the area agree speeding is a top problem. “I am really extra careful when I hit that intersection because I know there are so many wrecks. I am careful when I get to that intersection,” Lucero said.
On Sunday, along the Unser corridor, KRQE cameras captured several drivers going well above the 45-mile-an-hour speed limit – some drivers clocked in at more than 20 miles per hour above the limit. “I don’t know what you can tell these guys because I don’t think they care enough to change,” added one Albuquerque driver.
A spokesperson for the Albuquerque Police Department says that while this intersection is on their radar, the department does not have plans to conduct operations at the intersection until after the state fair.
