Until the virus recedes, no to downtown street closures
COVID-19’s latest infection surge — in New Mexico, as well as other states that never took the virus as seriously as we did — should put a temporary kibosh on plans to close downtown Santa Fe streets to vehicle traffic.
The street closure idea has been OK’d by the mayor and City Council, over objections from many longtime Santa Feans, in an effort to create lively pedestrian zones with open-air dining, busking musicians, and shoppers ducking in and out of retail shops in spaces free of car traffic.
Downtown merchants and restaurateurs proposed the idea as a way to boost business amid the disastrous economic times caused by COVID-19 closures. Outdoor dining would be safer than serving inside and probably be more attractive to customers still worried about getting out.
But as the pandemic has evolved and grown anew in the past few weeks, the last thing Santa Fe needs — inside or outdoors — right now is anything intended to attract crowds, be they tourists that downtown businesses depend on or locals. Santa Fe residents are already wondering if visitors from nearby states with recordbreaking COVID outbreaks are helping to increase infection numbers here.
The City Council, while approving the idea of street closures in the Plaza area, left the specifics up to the city staff. The staff needs to say no for now, to support public health.
But what should happen with street closures longer term, when and if the virus recedes or is beaten back enough to support more re-opening of public society?
It’s a difficult question, another of Santa Fe’s unique issues that pits what former City Councilor Ron Trujillo calls “true locals” against people who moved here from elsewhere or those who cater to tourists.
Cruising the Plaza in cars — be they low-riders, souped up with loud engines and window-shaking sound systems or just run-ofthe-mill sedans — is a cultural tradition here. It’s probably true that cruising the Plaza may be the only reason for some locals to come downtown, except for work or special events. And creating pedestrian malls, which one supporter compares to those in European cities, would stop the cruising.
The timing of this fight isn’t the best. It is colored by another recent controversy — over racial justice — that spurred the mayor to remove the statue of conquistador Don Diego de Vargas from a downtown park, to the chagrin of Trujillo and other Santa Fe natives.
But no one should blame the downtown business community for looking for a way to fight back against economic collapse, provide an attractive experience for customers and — who knows? — maybe create a pleasant and fun urban experience that even “true locals” might enjoy. In any case, tourism — like it or not — is a cornerstone of the local economy.
Both sides could at least tone down their tactics as a way to find a compromise.
Trujillo’s nativist “true locals” crack raises the age-old issue of whether anyone without 400 years of family history here can ever be a “real” Santa Fean, no matter what he or she has done for the community. Saying someone was born in St. Louis, like Mayor Alan Webber was, shouldn’t be thrown out like a slur. Cities can change and grow in positive ways as they open up to world.
The business owners’ reference to making Santa Fe, proud of its own traditions, into something like Europe didn’t help. And the writers of letters to the editor need to quit clamoring about every burst of car noise they’ve ever had to endure while visiting the Plaza. Santa Fe is not the “resort” that some think it is. It’s a real city of many cultures and subgroups layered over one another. People who like flamboyant cars are part of this town.
The measure approved by the City Council allows for “designated cruise nights” when pedestrian zones are created. That might work, if the cruise nights are regular and often. Two or three nights over the summer isn’t enough to be seen as more than a patronizing political move.
Cruise nights also could be promoted as celebrations of car culture and an opportunity to come downtown to experience some rolling thunder or to see low-riders, which are always a major attraction when displayed en masse on the Plaza. Downtown business owners could make it much clearer than they have in the past that they actually want local crowds downtown.
Again, decisions on street closures need to be postponed, providing time for various options on street closures to marinate. For now, fighting the coronavirus trumps (sorry, but the word fits) all other considerations.