New Mexico Department of Transportation asks Legislature for speed cameras in highway work zones

The New Mexico Department of Transportation’s acting secretary told state lawmakers on Tuesday that he has one big ask of them for the upcoming legislative session: authorizing speed enforcement cameras in highway construction zones.

Acting Secretary David Quintana spoke before the interim Transportation Infrastructure Revenue Subcommittee to present his department’s four legislative priorities for the lawmaking session beginning in January.

In addition to the speed cameras, he asked lawmakers to craft legislation that would increase the education needed for certain commercial licenses; rename one of the department’s bureaus to show that it’s no longer under Public Regulation Commission control; and transfer the responsibility of crafting ambulance safety standards to the state Department of Health.

“The safety of our workers at DOT…is No. 1,” he said in reference to the speed enforcement cameras. “If we do nothing else this legislative session, that’s the one thing I would love to see get passed.” 

While Quintana was crafting his department’s annual budget request in July, he recalled, a motorist struck a state Department of Transportation worker on a highway near Hobbs. While no one died as a result of the crash, he said one injured person required an airlift to Texas for medical treatment. Episodes like that illustrate the need to discourage speeding and reckless driving in work zones by using enforcement cameras, he said.

One state lawmaker, Rep. Raymundo Lara (D-Chamberino), cited recent controversies over automated license plate readers from companies like Flock, and said he would want to closely review a camera and its capabilities before pursuing any legislation to that effect.

“Will they only be identifying speeders, or anybody and everybody that goes through that zone?” Lara asked Quintana, who said he’d investigate the question and follow up with Lara.

Earlier this year the Legislature adopted a law known as the Driver Safety and Privacy Act, which prohibits law enforcement agencies from using the cameras for general surveillance.

“If it’s mainly targeting speeders, then that’s awesome because it’s so important for the safety of the workers,” Lara said Tuesday. “At the same time, I’m very curious as to whether it’s going to be collecting everybody’s information, taking pictures of everybody’s license plates.”