New Mexico ranks 44th in the country for bicycle friendliness. A new study by the Santa Fe Police Department looked at 110 bicycle crashes that happened in the city in the last three years and the factors surrounding them.
One of the things the study laid out was the city’s most dangerous area for cyclists. A third of the analyzed accidents happened in the massive intersection of St. Francis Drive and Cerrillos Road, where some 15 lanes meet and train tracks go right through.
Jennifer Wellington is with the Santa Fe Bike and Trail Advisory Committee.
“We need more bicycle infrastructure that is separated from the roads,” she said. “There are a lot of people who don’t cycle who have been cyclists in the past because they are fearful because they’ve had a close call.”
The report found a majority of the recorded accidents happened on weekdays from 3 p.m to 6 p.m. And more than 80 percent of the cyclists were men. None of the crashes in the study were fatal.
The report didn’t include any recommendations, but Wellington said the city should install new signage about sharing the road and that police should better enforce laws created to protect cyclists.
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KUNM’s Public Health New Mexico project is funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the McCune Charitable Foundation, and the Con Alma Health Foundation.
