The speed of vehicle traffic through the center of Madrid without sufficient sidewalk space for pedestrians is a major safety concern for residents and visitors. New Mexico Highway 14's speed limit is 55 MPH approaching Madrid and slows to 20 MPH in town where it serves as Madrid's main street and the primary commercial corridor Through Madrid, NM-14 is a 24-foot wide thoroughfare with unpaved shoulders and the roadway has limited on-street parking and lacks a sidewalk for local shops. Noted in  a 2021 traffic study conducted by NM Department of Transportation  is that "Of the observed pedestrians walking on NM-14, 73% walked on the roadway instead of the shoulder." More often than not the study found people walking on the roadway due to the lack of pedestrian space to park and walk along the main road to reach commercial venues, including visitors on their way to restaurants and galleries.

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Of particular concern is the right-of-way at the north end of town where NM-14 wraps around the hill. Coming from the north, the road narrows, the speed limit decreases and visibility is limited at the corner. These conditions combined with pedestrians on the narrow shoulder next to a guardrail creates a dangerous situation for drivers and pedestrians.