Life, food, events, and community in Albuquerque, NM
Service Interruption due to the Special Event "Nob Hill Stroll" - Again
Ok, I went through the last "stroll" experiment and I was left with the impression that things would be better the next time.
Besides the problems with parking, traffic, and heat; the lack of bus service for the residents was a killer. All three routes are discontinued from Girrard to San Mateo yet again with no substitute stops.
I just checked the ABQRIDE web page. At least there is a mention of the "service interuption", however this is the same problem from the last time. Though there is supposed to be some sort of shuttle along the route, I guess NOT provided by ABQRIDE since it is not mentioned ... residents are left clueless again. ABQRIDE signage did not help any the last time.
The service interuption extends for about 1.5 miles. For elderly residents, handicapped residents, and others with difficulty walking for any reason ( small children for one ) I find it unacceptable to totally eliminate regular bus service instead of providing temporary stops along the route change. What if someone's destination is other than the activities in NobHill or they need to take the 766 to the Mall or Albertson's or just the 66 locally?
Again the focus of the organizers are to provide parking for vehicular traffic with out regard to the impact on the local residents who use or are dependant on transit.
I made a comment on today's Morning Fix as well.
Besides the problems with parking, traffic, and heat; the lack of bus service for the residents was a killer. All three routes are discontinued from Girrard to San Mateo yet again with no substitute stops.
I just checked the ABQRIDE web page. At least there is a mention of the "service interuption", however this is the same problem from the last time. Though there is supposed to be some sort of shuttle along the route, I guess NOT provided by ABQRIDE since it is not mentioned ... residents are left clueless again. ABQRIDE signage did not help any the last time.
The service interuption extends for about 1.5 miles. For elderly residents, handicapped residents, and others with difficulty walking for any reason ( small children for one ) I find it unacceptable to totally eliminate regular bus service instead of providing temporary stops along the route change. What if someone's destination is other than the activities in NobHill or they need to take the 766 to the Mall or Albertson's or just the 66 locally?
Again the focus of the organizers are to provide parking for vehicular traffic with out regard to the impact on the local residents who use or are dependant on transit.
I made a comment on today's Morning Fix as well.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Don Pizzolato on -
I'll second Phil's comments. We did brunch at Nob Hill Bar and Grill (still somewhat iffy) and then wandered around. There crowds were thin, but much improved over last time.
This kind of event is exactly what Albuquerque needs to evolve towards. A big thank you to the Nob Hill Business association for taking a chance. And a special thanks to Duane for putting up with all the public transportation nonsense spewed in this forum.
To those of you miffed by the bus schedule irregularities I say pound sand. But please keep the conspiracy theories coming. Lunacy never fails to entertain.
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Permalink Reply by bonnie on -
I actually took the 766 from Tingley Beach to the Fairgrounds today during the closing. The driver stopped the bus on Monte Vista before heading to Lomas and asked if anyone needed to get off before San Mateo. She was very courteous about the detour. The bus then re-routed along Lomas and then rejoined at San Mateo, skipping only 1 stop (at the Coop).
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Permalink Reply by Jason Goldbarg on -
And isn't it nice to hear that people who actually took the bus/went to Nob Hill had positive experiences!
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Permalink Reply by hettie on -
we enjoyed our afternoon, although we do wonder about the timing weatherwise. it'd be great if the event started later and went into the cooler evening hours. and I appreciate the inclusion of shuttles and pedicabs this time around. the addition of vendors and carts would be nice, as there aren't too many places on that stretch of central to grab a quick, cheap snack or a bottle of water. the friendly folks at the A store put out a bowl of water for all the strolling dogs, which made me wish I could afford to buy something from them. a friend who ran one of the farm tents today mentioned that there will be another event around the balloon fiesta, which sounds like it'll be lots of fun. the thing that seemed to be lacking the most today was a really big crowd of people filling the street.
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Permalink Reply by Brendan on -
Some post-event observations:
Bus service was, as far as I can tell, excellent. I hope every naysayer will give Duane an apology and a little credit next time. Evidently the information was posted at all the affected bus stops in advance, too. My hat's off to him for working on the issues raised during the first attempt and making real progress on the second. It bodes well for #3.
There's still a lot of space unused, particularly east of Nob Hill. Filling it with more local businesses and neighborhood interests would be fantastic. Thoughts on how to do that follow.
Nob Hill is actually a very big square- getting more of the the business involved who aren't along the Central corridor would do wonders for taking up more and adding interest to the event. Lin's Martial Arts Academy, the businesses on Monte Vista, Hurricane's, Segio's Dulce Vita- they're all in Nob Hill proper. Reaching out to every nook and cranny would be a big win.
Speaking of which, is there any insurance or permit reason that businesses must be inside the NHNA boundary to be present? If there are other sections of town who are doing something similar (or want to do something similar), try bringing them in. I don't know about you, but I often think of our Old town as being for tourists/holidays and Nob Hill being for locals- a little cross pollination there can only make both places better.
On another note, if this is just a Shop'n'Stroll you can only go so far. If it's a community based street fair, which I think is where they're going with this, it needs community involvement outside the business community. I'd suggest organizers visit the billboards of La Montanita (etc) and contact everybody who's made a posting that might want to present what they're doing. Martial artists, yogis, hair stylists, model airplane enthusiasts, musicians, dancers, this is a great way to meet people who live or venture into the vicinity- start sharing your stuff.
And if anybody else has ideas on what would be great, post them here. Organizers are reading DCF regularly- even if you don't have the time or resources, you could inspire somebody who does to take the initiative and make it happen.
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Permalink Reply by Martini Mike on -
The Shop and Stroll was great! I didn't hear anyone whining or complaining. I also didn't see anyone looking for a bus.
Read all about it!
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Permalink Reply by Duane W Bargar on -
First off, thanks to everyone that came out today!! From all the comments I received first hand (many) and second hand (many more) there was an overwhelmingly positive response by those who attended and those who live near by. It was very nice to see people on the streets having fun, genuine fun with children, family, friends, and pets.
A few last points before I retire from this discussion.
Thanks to all of those who have contributed ideas, as with the last time, I will take these to all of those involved in the process of putting these together and ideally implement the ones that are agreeable and do-able. And there were some very good ones - thanks - its helpful!
Anyone that is interested in being involved, community organizations, performers, charities, etc. Please feel free to call me or email me - we would love to have more involvement - and this includes those who's base isn't in Nob Hill. I mentioned this before and I will again ... "Shop & Stroll" the name was used due, primarily, to a lack of creativity on my part to come up with something that encompassed the idea of a street festival and community event. Yes, Nob Hill is a large area, this is the nature of a city that was primarily developed in the time of the automobile, there is lots of space to cover and we would like vibrancy from end to end.
Second to lastly, there are only so many avenues to use to inform people about said events, if we've failed to use a legitimate one let me know, or let people at ABQ RIDE know - its useful for them to hear your feedback as well (negative and positive.)
Again thank you to everyone who came out, all the performers that attended, and everyone who helped organize this. Hope to see everyone again soon in Nob Hill.
Duane
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