City Councilor Stephanie Telles Announces $200,000 Allocation to Transform Homestead Circle and Advance Vision Zero for Safe School Zones
Councilor stresses community collaboration and partnerships to address vulnerable road user safety.
ALBUQUERQUE, NM — Reaffirming her commitment to prioritizing the transformation of properties near schools to increase safety for all road users, City Councilor Stephanie Telles has announced a $200,000 allocation in District 1 set-aside funding for critical safety enhancements at Homestead Circle. The announcement was made during a community meeting on September 3, 2026, at Marie Hughes Elementary, highlighting collaboration and partnership as the foundation of her traffic safety initiatives.
Central to Councilor Telles' efforts to improve the Homestead Circle area is a deep collaboration with the Kayla Project: Safer Together. The Kayla Project: Safer Together was created in memory of Kayla Regan Vanlandingham, a 19-year-old art student at UNM who was killed while riding her bicycle home on July 22, 2025. Emphasizing community-driven advocacy, the initiative focuses on creating immediate, life-saving changes for vulnerable commuters.
During the September 3rd community meeting, Kayla’s grandmother, Diana Zomora, represented the Kayla Project. Diana’s moving remarks stressed the urgent importance of safeguarding cyclists and pedestrians navigating the areas around local schools.
“No loss of life on our roads is acceptable, and with the right design, we can prevent these tragedies," said Councilor Stephanie Telles. "That's what the Homestead Circle improvements and our Vision Zero commitment are all about. The Homestead Circle improvements are quick-build changes that use traffic-calming measures, such as speed cushions and widened bike lanes, to make our streets safer. This project is textbook Vision Zero in action.”
The community gathering also featured the promotion of the Walking School Bus program. Introduced by Nikki Baum of Marie Hughes Elementary, the program provides a supervised, safe, and active commuting alternative for students, perfectly complementing the new infrastructure enhancements.
By combining $200,000 for Vision Zero quick-build infrastructure upgrades with grassroots initiatives like the Walking School Bus and the Kayla Project: Safer Together, Councilor Telles is taking decisive action to eliminate traffic fatalities and ensure that neighborhoods surrounding our schools are safe, accessible, and secure for everyone.