Corrales council tackles unsafe roads, parking crisis threatening pedestrian safety

Corrales residents pressed village leaders to act after a village council meeting where Corrales Road was described as dangerous and unsafe for children riding bikes. Public comment at the Feb. 10 Corrales Village Council meeting focused on pedestrian safety, a risky crosswalk on Corrales Road used by the village evacuation route, and a shortage of marked parking that has funneled drivers onto informal lots.

The village administrator’s report included an update that the village is working with the New Mexico Department of Transportation to find solutions for Corrales Road. Councilors and residents said engineering or signage changes are needed because Corrales Road functions both as a daily travel corridor and as an evacuation route that uses a crosswalk there.

Multiple residents recounted near-misses at that crosswalk and urged the council to prioritize child safety. An unnamed male commenter said, “Corrales Road is not a safe place for any kids. My kids were so upset with me. My daughter was the same age as that little girl got run over at that time. Never let them ride on Corrales Road. Sorry, man. Sometimes you got to be a hard ass.” The same speaker also warned against the crosswalk’s hazards: “It's a dangerous crosswalk. I've almost gotten hit there many, many times directing traffic at Harvest Festival.”

Teresa Lopez questioned overall village security during public comment, with meeting coverage noting, “Here Teresa Lopez asked if Corrales is the safest place to be.” Another account in the meeting record summarized her remarks as: “One woman, Teresa Lopez, questioned how safe Corrales is now,” and Lopez cited an incident in which a neighbor was “tackled by homeland security outside his house.”

Council members debated how to respond to both traffic dangers and parking scarcity. Councilor Burkett asked how the village is supposed to distinguish residential roads from commercial ones and observed, “there are homes on every street in Corrales, even Corrales Road.” Councilor Mel Knight directly linked parking policy to safety and said the village is “partially to blame” for failing to develop safe, accessible public parking. Knight noted she had “seen people use a ‘mud pile’ on the Gonzales property, across the street from the Village Administration Complex, as an impromptu parking lot,” adding, “I’ve seen cars park there and use that, but I don’t think everybody knows if that’s available,” and “I think the village has a responsibility to identify areas where people can park and have it not just be a mud pile.”

On enforcement, Corrales Police Chief Victor Mangiacapra warned that lack of posted restrictions limits policing options: “unless there is a sign, people generally just don't know where they are allowed to park.” Mayor Fred Hashimoto reminded the council that businesses must supply on-site customer parking when applicable, and a speaker identified as Stout said, “Businesses hoping to open in Corrales are supposed to identify parking areas on their site plans.”

Councilors left the Feb. 10 meeting with a clear list of issues to reconcile: working with NMDOT on Corrales Road safety, formalizing or marking ad hoc parking such as the Gonzales property across from Village Administration Complex, and improving signage so Chief Mangiacapra’s department can enforce no-parking areas and protect pedestrians.