Rail Trail will make ABQ’s Downtown safer
We began organizing the Friends of the Rail Trail in 2022 because we are excited about the opportunities that this trail can provide for our city. The Rail Trail will not only offer a new recreation opportunity for our friends and neighbors, but a place to view public art, honor our history, access restaurants and cultural attractions, and experience the heart of our city in new ways.
The Albuquerque Journal recently raised important questions about public safety Downtown, but unfortunately, the Journal (Editorial Board, Aug. 2 Journal) chose to raise these concerns without even inquiring about safety plans. Had they asked the city or those of us involved, they would know the entire project centers on safety, from design to programming to enforcement. We believe the Rail Trail will transform our Downtown for the better, making it safer and more inviting.
The first phase of this project is the crossing at First and Central. For decades, this pedestrian underpass has been a sore spot for Downtown. It’s dark, dingy, and unwelcoming. The proposal for this crossing in the Rail Trail design gives us an opportunity to finally eliminate the troubled underpass, taking pedestrians and bikes right over the tracks. The new crossing will link east Downtown with the rest of Downtown for tourists and residents alike, connecting areas that have been cut off from one another for years because of a pedestrian underpass people avoid. This is just one example of how design can actually help invigorate communities and make them safer.
We see the trail sections between the Railyards and Mountain Road as an opportunity to leverage the investments we’ve already made in the area. Fusion Theatre, Villa Myriam Coffee, Novel Point Coffee, and future businesses will all benefit from increased bike and pedestrian traffic along the trail. We also see the benefit in connecting the greater Downtown area with our existing Bosque Trail network, keeping cyclists and pedestrians away from vehicles and literally saving lives.
Much of the Rail Trail is still in the planning and design phase, but safety is being centered in that planning. We have discussed with the city security measures along the trail that include overhead lighting, cameras, call boxes and other safety technology. They are willing to look into pursuing all those measures. As Downtown business owners, we know the challenges of homelessness and crime, but we also know the solution lies in amenities like the trail that bring more people Downtown, not in continued disinvestment.
We believe that the Rail Trail has the potential to be a statewide attraction. It’s time for us to do what many other cities have done to reinvigorate Downtown by adding major attractions, creating reasons for folks from all over to visit and enjoy. This is a big project, but we believe that our city can and should dream big.