This speed van was on Northern Boulevard Wednesday afternoon. (Michaela Helean/the Observer)

 

Speed vans are everywhere in Rio Rancho and some residents are getting tired of adjusting their driving routine every other day to fit the speed van schedule.

According to the Safe Traffic Operations Program with the Rio Rancho City website, speed vans do what cops can’t when they don’t have enough men in the field. It takes a picture if someone is speeding and then a $100 fee gets sent in the mail.

One local man was so tired of this that he created a Facebook page called “Where’s The Damn Van?” where people can warn others where speed vans are in the city. 

“I originally started the page in 2017 for friends and family who travel in or through Rio Rancho to be aware of the location of the speed vans,” creator Jose Martinez said. 

The page has accumulated over 3,500 members since then and is gaining more daily. People post van locations every day.

“We average about 10-15 posts a day from members sharing the locations of the vans,” Martinez said.

People have been able to avoid the $100 fee thanks to “Where’s the Damn Van?”