Group seeks to quiet Santa Fe streets

Jun. 13—A newly formed group called the Speed and Noise Coalition is looking for solutions to a problem they say is just growing louder and louder: cars roaming the streets of Santa Fe.

At a meeting Sunday at the Inn on the Alameda, a group of eight people gathered to discuss ways to quiet local streets. Participants pointed out there already are city and county laws intended to keep noise to a minimum but said little action is being taken to address loud cars with ill-maintained mufflers — an issue that has long troubled some residents and business owners.

Pam Parfitt, who has hearing loss and sits on the Mayor's Committee on Disability, said a failure by city and county governments to rein in noise could be a violation of disability protection laws.

"The disability community is disproportionately affected by the lack of enforcement," she said.

The committee is in the process of drafting a letter to the Mayor's Office about traffic and entertainment noise, which for people with disabilities like hearing impairment or post-traumatic stress disorder can create issues, Parfitt said.

Parfitt said she has had to skip nights on the town due to unchecked noise at concerts, which makes it difficult for her to hear at all and subjects her to further hearing loss.

For Jennifer Reed, who lives near Zia Road and St. Francis Drive, noise is a livability problem. She said as she tries to sleep the sounds from cars can erupt through her open windows as many as eight times a night.

She said the problem has only gotten worse in the last couple of years.

"People are jaded," Reed said.

The group is interested in exploring ways to stop the sound, from collecting data on complaints and citations, to investing public dollars into more automated technology that could catch noise levels or record the speeds of vehicles, to having safety aides cite those driving vehicles that are louder than legally allowed.

Reed said the group, established in May, meets every two weeks.

In 2020, the Santa Fe Police Department launched a "Slow & Quiet" campaign, which spanned 30 days on popular streets within the city, after hoteliers complained noises from drag racing were disturbing their clientele.

For Cindy Cornelsen and her husband Kale Blackmon, who live near 5th and Hopewell streets, the noise is near-constant and associated with the repeated running of their street's only stop sign.

"If you don't have resources for basic traffic enforcement, we have a bigger problem," Cornelsen said.

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