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What does Santa Fe have in common with the following cities: Los Angeles; Arouca, Portugal; Bangkok; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Nuuk, Greenland; and Indianapolis?
Well, Time lists them all as among the magazine’s 100 Greatest Places of 2021.
The name of the list is misleading, though.
When you designate something as simply the “greatest,” the word is supposed to have a broad meaning, as in “New York is the greatest city in the world” or “Willie Mays is the greatest baseball player of all time.” Greatest means you’re the best of the best, beyond category. When you assert that New York is the greatest city, you aren’t just claiming that the Big Apple is a great place to visit, but that it’s the best example of humanity’s tendency to gather into giant urban centers, with the best mix of culture and diversity and enterprise that can happen in such places. You’re asserting
An ABQ Ride Sun Van Journal file
Faced with a shortage of drivers with commercial licenses to drive the big city buses, the Transit Department is substituting Sun Vans, with drivers who are not required to have a commercial license, for some less busy routes. Voila!
Problem solved for now, at least. But it’s an idea that might be of merit even after “normal” returns.
The pandemic has contributed to a shortage of drivers for regular established routes. But ridership across the city for both regular and Sun Van service is about half of what it was before the pandemic kept many people home except for critical trips. In an attempt to restore bus service to pre-pandemic levels, officials put their thinking caps on and decided that some Sun Van drivers could shift into driving routes that have low passenger usage. Sun Van service t
(City of Albuquerque photo)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. The next ride pulling up to the city bus stop might actually be a van.
With about a quarter of its bus driver positions unfilled, officials say the city of Albuquerque Transit Department is using Sun Vans to pick up passengers on some routes.
Sun Vans typically provide on-demand rides to those with impairments that make it impossible to use the city’s fixed-route bus network. But with ridership for that service only half of what it was before the pandemic and the city actively working to restore bus schedules to pre-pandemic levels, officials have shifted some Sun Van manpower.
Some people are concerned violence is increasing.
Santa Fe had its fifth homicide of the year in April during a shooting at the Rail Runner station.
In 2020, Santa Fe had three homicides.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that there were eight homicides in 2019.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff s Office said it did not want to discuss crime trends while their deputies are under investigation for Wednesday s shooting.
Santa Fe city officials and the Santa Fe Police Department did not respond to KOB 4 s request for an interview.
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