近距离内射合集

SANTA FE 鈥� After contentious public comment and an intricate amendment process, the Santa Fe City Council voted Wednesday night to close the streets surrounding the Plaza to motorists and mounted cyclists from late spring through early fall starting in 2027.

The resolution will effectively make the historic square pedestrian-only from Memorial Day through Halloween or D铆a de Muertos, whichever comes earliest, and contains an amendment clause requiring the council to vote on its renewal in 2028.

Mayor Pro Tem Lee Garcia and District 3 Councilor Pilar Faulkner cast the two nay votes in the 6-2 decision to close East San Francisco Street to motorists on the Plaza鈥檚 southside, restricting the last road in the Plaza to remain open to cars, trucks, motorcycles and bicyclists outside of special events.

Plaza sections of Old Santa Fe Trail to the east, West Palace Avenue to the north, and Lincoln Avenue to the west were already closed to vehicles in most circumstances following years of policymaking aimed at improving pedestrian safety in the 400-year-old square.

A total of six amendments were added to the resolution before Wednesday night鈥檚 vote, including three introduced at Monday鈥檚 finance committee meeting.

Mayor Michael Garcia sponsored three others on Wednesday in advance of the council鈥檚 regular meeting, where the vote was taken and many members of the public appeared to voice their opinions on an enduringly sensitive topic in the City Different. 

Councilors voted to nix a mayor鈥檚 revision that would have kept one lane of East San Francisco Street open as a concession to motorists and bicyclists, whom he said would have to lawfully to dismount and walk their bikes on Plaza roads when the new law goes into effect late next spring.

Mayor Garcia said he would not support without the inclusion of the one-lane amendment if required to cast a tie-breaking vote before the majority decision was made Wednesday night.

Councilors did pass a mayor鈥檚 amendment that allows the new law to be revisited after a one-year period ending Dec. 31, 2027. The city plans to review public feedback on the closure and assess its effects on activity in the Plaza.

At least a dozen Santa Fe residents voiced strong opinions on the resolution Wednesday night. Their comments evoked longstanding philosophical divides in the city about catering to the needs of locals versus those of tourists, preserving cultural tradition versus adapting to Santa Fe鈥檚 rapid growth since the 2010s.

Supporters of closing Plaza roadways to traffic argued doing so enhances safety for the thousands of visitors and locals the square draws each year.

Meanwhile, opponents said the law would unfairly exclude Hispanic cruiser culture and could thwart first responders in the event of an emergency.

While proponents noted that many Plazas in Europe, for example, have been closed to vehicle traffic, others countered that other famous squares in northern New Mexico remain open to traffic for much of the year, including the Town of Taos and Las Vegas.

John Miller is the Journal鈥檚 northern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at jmiller@abqjournal.com.