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    Home » Sedona Traffic: Boon or Curse?
    Tommy Acosta

    Sedona Traffic: Boon or Curse?

    August 24, 20149 Comments3 Mins Read
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    By Tommy Acosta

    As part of my work I drive up and down 89A numerous times during the day. Sometimes the traffic is light, other times medium and not-too-often heavy.

    photo_tommyacostaWhen the traffic is slow I get to look at the beauty surrounding us. When it’s not heavy I catch a glimpse here and there and get to where I need to go.

    When I hear some people in this town consider the traffic situation in Sedona a near “crisis” I got to scratch my head and ask why.

    As a business owner whose business is tied to the success of other businesses in Sedona, it gladdens me when the traffic is heavy because that means there are visitors in Sedona using our hotels and resorts, buying things, spending money, eating out, etc.

    20140824_Trolly-Dog2Traffic congestion in a resort town or world-destination point tells you they are thriving. Traffic congestion tells you people want to be there. For a town like ours that survives on taxes generated from people spending money here, traffic congestion is our way of knowing our budget for police and the operation of this city remains intact.

    So no, I don’t get upset or frustrated when I’m behind a slow-driving tourist gawking at the red rocks of Sedona. Rather, I get a kick out of the kick the tourist must be getting seeing the formations for the first time.

    I understand there are those living here for whom congestion is an annoyance but for those making a living congestion means visitors and visitors mean money, and of course, money means survival.

    When I know there are major events happening in Sedona that will draw heavy traffic, I arrange to limit my need to drive all over town and work from home.  Why?

    Not because I fear traffic but because it’s one less car out there making a difference. I leave the streets to the tourists and the locals that must be out.

    There are those who say long lines of tourist-filled cars winding their way into Sedona on S.R179 discourage them from coming back. I differ.

    Have you ever driven into Las Vegas on a busy day; Jones Beach in New York in the middle of the summer or any real tourist hot-spot? There is always a traffic back up because everybody wants to be there. People want to be where everybody else is because that tells them it’s a great place to be.

    They will come back again and again, provided they are not caught speeding or violating any traffic laws or get a ticket uptown for parking too long in one spot.

    Empty streets are bad news for destination points whose survival depends on visitors. Think about it.

    We can do our best to mitigate the inconvenience of traffic to our residents but don’t worry about our tourists. The reward of being in Sedona is worth every minute they spend on the road getting here.

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    9 Comments

    1. Russell on August 25, 2014 8:48 am

      People reside in Sedona for different reasons. Many, indeed, a significant number, are retired and came here to relax and enjoy their remaining years instead of trying to “survive”. Having lived here for awhile, I’ve witnessed the shift from Sedona being a quiet small unincorporated town to being hawked internationally, all in the name of making a buck. Your article implies that accommodating more tourists may be more important than what many local residents ay prefer . . . less traffic. People who come here to “survive” financially might want to reconsider their motive for being here.

      • Sandy C. Schore on August 26, 2014 9:00 am

        Hi Russell:

        Tommy never implies. He makes clear there would be no place for those of us who came here to get away from it all to eat without tourists. That’s bad. But if there were less city bureaucrats, police, code enforcers, city services and a trimmed down city council, I guess it would not be so bad after all. Let’s borrow some armored vehicles from our neighbors in Verde Valley and block off all entry into Sedona. I’m sure that would end our traffic crisis pretty darned quick.

    2. Rick Sperry on August 25, 2014 10:16 am

      Tommy,
      It is a matter of perspective. I agree with you 100%. The only issue I have with tourists is some don’t use common sense when driving. I don’t know if they are so taken by the landscape or just don’t care. I have seen every sort of driving infraction come from a tourist. My biggest peeve is when they stop in the middle of streets such as Soldier’s Pass and take a picture!

      I retired here from Southern California and there is no amount of traffic that I deal with in Sedona that would ever meet the volume of what a driver deals with in CA.

      On a normal business day, it could take me 45 minutes to drive 7 miles to work in CA. In Sedona, my biggest concern is will it take me 3 minutes to get to the restaurant or 5 minutes? Even a drive into VOC or Cottonwood is pleasant compared to just getting 1 mile to the freeway from my previous California home.

      I remember my wife speaking to a native Arizona resident about widening a road and the Arizona native said “Spoken like a true Californian!”

      So, for those who come from rural areas and never dealt with city traffic, your perspective is probably a tad different from mine! I love it here and couldn’t be happier that tourists come and spend time and money in our fantastic community.

    3. Josh Violette on August 25, 2014 10:36 am

      Tommy…I have disagreed with you in the past, but this time, I’m all in. I don’t see the crisis and can’t see what it would take to resolve what anyone might think is the crisis. We have bottlenecks that cause back ups on busy traffic days. We can’t build roads that won’t ever reach overcapacity. Any resolution of bottlenecks will mean major expenses. Mass transit doesn’t seem practical as a traffic solution. Keeping cars away from the area will mean many people will go home poor.

    4. Ernie Strauch on August 25, 2014 2:47 pm

      Traffic?? I agree with Tommy. It’s almost an inside joke. If you’re running for office, you have to say it’s terrible and you’ll do “something” about it, but as many of us know, there’s nothing that can be done!!!!!!!!!

      SR 179: After spending approx. $70 mil. on SR 179, and finally realizing during the Needs-Based Implementation Plan, that nothing is going to fix the bottleneck caused by tourists going uptown or up the Canyon, (“we’ve gone as fur as we cun go”) during high volume weekends and holidays, there’s no “fix” coming here…ADOT still owns and controls 179 (4-lanes into 2-lanes remains the definition of a “bottleneck).

      89A North from the “Y”: The City owns about a mile of 89A in uptown (after a turnback) because an ADOT policy against diagonal parking on a State Route threatened to remove virtually all parking from uptown. Anyone want to revisit that decision? The screams would be heard in Cottonwood. Adding lanes going up Oak Creek Canyon? You’ve got to be kidding me! See any political will in Phoenix or Washington to spend half a billion to “fix” Sedona’s week-end traffic problem?

      89A Southwest from the “Y”: The community already decided by a huge majority that they don’t want local control of traffic or options for the West Sedona stretch of 89A. Having just repaved, made ADA compliant, and fixed some areas on Cooks Hill, ADOT is not about to come back and tear it up for some other “great idea” already rejected by the citizenry. We’re stuck with what we decided we wanted for the next 15 years (the next repaving project).

      Non-existent Alternate Route through Red Rock Crossing: This idea is resurrected about every 10 years, because of either short memories or enough new folks have moved to town. Back in the 2004 era, the Sedona City Council thoroughly investigated the options (including 3 different routes). Roads on both sides of Oak Creek are Yavapai County roads, and Yavapai County would be responsible for the construction. Since last there was a “crossing”, federal highway safety standards (local jurisdictions violate at your own liability risks) have set new requirements for the radius of curves, slopes of hills, width of lanes, shoulders and drainage ditches. The cost to construct in 2004 dollars was estimated between $35-40 million; $8-10 million at the time, just for the bridge. There is no way that Yavapai County, with most of its population on the other side of Mingus Mountain is going to spend that kind of money on a minor, and perceived traffic problem in Sedona. Want a real laugh, ask Chip Davis! Want a bigger laugh, ask the other County Supervisors!

      Non-Existent Schnebly Hill, Canyon Bypass: Besides making the construction of the Alternate Route above appear like a “walk in the park” in a comparison of the construction challenges, this project is also way beyond the control of a 100% united Sedona City Council. Now we’re dealing with the U.S. Forest Service, whose funding continues to be cut and subject to the Budget Sequester. The annual maintenance costs of this highway would be unbelievable. And, think how happy the uptown merchants and all the businesses in Oak Creek Canyon would be to have all future GPS systems in autos, reflect that the fastest way to Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon, is to take Schnebly Hill Road, and never enter uptown at all. Want to see a revolution in our tiny town?

      So, I am at a loss to figure out what these brave souls running for Mayor and Council really intend to do to address this “huge” issue of traffic in Sedona.

      Ernie Strauch

    5. Art Supporter on August 25, 2014 3:46 pm

      Not to mention that ADOT has probably put Sedona on its “Do Not Call” list after all the whole debacle on the 89A take back and the lights we didn’t really need…

      Seriously, Ernie is spot on, and he knows more about traffic and roads than anyone else I’ve heard speak on this issue. Ernie for Traffic Czar of Sedona!

    6. Harry on August 25, 2014 9:48 pm

      I’m originally from Chicago. Talk about rush hour traffic! My wife and I had a home here for 18 years that we used for vacations and were planning to retire here and move in full time. All those years of talk about fixing 179 traffic problems and just when we move here full time, they start construction! Great timing! But compared to a Chicago construction project it wasn’t bad. There are two seasons in Chicago… winter and construction! So now that the project is done, things are great. Those three day holiday weekends still cause a problem on 179 to the Y, but that’s far and few between. What I think is funny are those people who think that a drive from The Village to Cornville is such a long, overwhelming drive that it is to be undertaken only once in a great while. Its takes 15 minutes! There’s only one stop sign on the way and the roads to get there are mostly 50 to 55 mph roads! And its a beautiful drive. My wife and I would drive for an hour back in Chicago one way to go out to dinner! Peoples driving mind sets are all different. I use to get frustrated when I got behind a slow driver, tourist or local. I’m sitting up in my Dodge Ram 1500 truck with a 5.7 litre Hemi engine and I want to get where I’m going as fast as legally(?) possible, not 5 or 10 miles an hour under the speed limit. So I did a lot of passing. Now that I have a Chevy Volt, I’m more concerned about my driving style efficiency rating! So now I’m the guy that gets passed up! And that’s OK! Traffic is not a problem around here.

    7. David on August 27, 2014 10:06 am

      Traffic not a problem around here? I guess if your standard is driving time from point A to point B, and compared to a major urban center, there is no traffic problem. For many of us who do perceive a problem, we may be responding more to an unpleasant feeling of congestion and overcrowding, especially on the 89A corridor. Leave the car in the garage and take a walk or ride the bike to run a few errands? Sounds great in a city council campaign flyer. But you’ll almost certainly find yourself on 89A or 179, with traffic noise, exhaust fumes, curb cuts every 50 feet, and be dodging vehicles darting into and out of side streets through the tiniest gaps in traffic flow.

      Perhaps many of the complaints about traffic arise from a feeling that there is seemingly no end to further development, at least in West Sedona. Three new hotel proposals, expansion of two existing hotels, a big-box drug store? That just in the past six months.

      So, in that light, perhaps Sedona does have a “traffic” problem.

      • Ernie Strauch on August 27, 2014 12:13 pm

        “…we may be responding more to an unpleasant feeling of congestion and overcrowding, especially on the 89A corridor.”

        “Perhaps many of the complaints about traffic arise from a feeling that there is seemingly no end to further development, at least in West Sedona. ”

        David, you make some valid points that must be considered part of the discussion. It may not be the critical issue of whether it takes 7 minutes from Dry Creek Rd. to Airport Rd., or 12 minutes, That 5 minute difference is hard to make into a “federal case”.

        The quality, or lack thereof, of the 12 minute experience, is perhaps the way more significant issue. That “experience”, or put another way, “Quality of Life” my friend, was meant to be addressed in the new Community Plan.

        One aspect that has really never been addressed (and offers a great challenge to our new mayor and council) in the future implementation of the Plan, is … what is the true “carrying capacity” of the City of Sedona? It’s a physical space/flow/turnover-rate calculation. How many parking places exist; how many hotel rooms, how many restaurant seats, how many vehicles can move through uptown or West Sedona per hour, etc. Calculating the maximum does not produce a “livable community” however, far from it!

        So the question will always remain, what percentage of “maximum carrying capacity” is acceptable for Sedona to remain a “livable city”? Good luck to us all with that decision.

    Paid Political Ad Paid For by Samaire for Mayor
    Paid Political Ad for Samaire Armstrong
    Paid Political Announcement by Samaire For Mayor

     THE MOMENT IS UPON US

    Dear Sedona,

    The moment is upon us. The time for a united effort to shift the focus back to our community is now.

    The ability to thrive in our community, our environment, our workforce, and the tourist industry, is entirely possible because we have all the resources needed for success.

    Still, we need a council that isn’t afraid to ask the hard questions, that makes decisions based on data and facts, and through discussion, rather than moving and voting in group unison as they so regularly do.

    This is my home. I have been a part of the Sedona community for 28 years. I witnessed the road debacle, the lack of planning, the city circumventing the local businesses ability to thrive, while making choices to expand the local government and be in direct competition with private industry.

    I am a unique candidate because unlike the incumbents, I don’t believe the government should expand in size, nor in operations, nor would I attempt to micromanage every aspect of our community.

    City government should stay in its lane and allow the competitive market of local private industry to prosper. And it should defend our community from corporate takeover and infiltration of our town.

    I do not agree that we should sign onto International Building Codes and regulations by signing Sedona up to the ICC. It is imperative that we remain a sweet, rural community.

    Where are the arts? Where is this organic thriving element that we allege to be animated by. Where is our culture? Where is our community?

    The discord between the decision making process and the desires of the community have never been more clear. It has been nearly a decade in the making.

    It is time for a new era of energy to take charge. An energy that is reflective in the ability to succeed rather than be trapped in out of date consciousness.

    It has been a great honor meeting with each of you. I hear your concerns over the insane and out of control spending and I echo them. A budget of $105,000,000 in a town of 9700 residents is completely unacceptable. A parking structure (that looks like a shoe box) originally slated to cost 11 million, now projected to cost 18 million, is incomprehensible. Especially, considering there is no intention of charging for parking.

    For those who are concerned that I lack the political experience within our established system- that is precisely what Sedona needs… Not another politician, but instead a person who understands people, who listens to the voices within the community, and who will act in service on their behalf with accountability, for the highest good of Sedona. What I am not, will prove to be an asset as I navigate the entrenched bureaucracy with a fresh perspective. Business as usual, is over.

    Creative solutions require new energy.

    Every decision that is made by our local government, must contemplate Sedona first.

    • Does this decision benefit the residents?
    • Does this decision benefit the local businesses?
    • Does this decision actually help the environment?
    • Will this decision sustain benefit in the future, or will it bring more problems?

    What we have now is a city government that expands to 165 employees for 9700 residents. Palm Desert has 53,000 residents and 119 city employees. Majority of our city department heads are not even in town. I find this problematic.

    Efforts towards championing in and courting new solutions for our medical needs are imperative. We are losing our doctors. We must encourage competition with other facilities rather than be held hostage by NAH, who clearly have their own set of dysfunctions.

    We must remember that so many move to Sedona for its beauty, hiking, and small town charm. Bigger, faster, and more concrete does not, in broad strokes, fit the ethos of Sedona.

    The old world must remain strong here in balance, as that is what visitors want to experience. Too many have noted that Sedona has lost its edge and charm.

    As Mayor I will preserve the rural charm of our community, and push back against the urbanization that is planned for Sedona.

    As mayor I will make it a priority to create opportunities to support our youth.  After school healthy, enriching programs should be created for our kids, and available to the Sedona workforce regardless of residency and regardless of school they belong to.

    As Mayor, I will create an agenda to deliberately embody the consciousness of our collective needs here, allowing private industry to meet the needs of our community rather than bigger government.

    I hope to have your vote on Aug 2nd. I am excited and have the energy to take on this leadership role with new eyes, community perspective, and the thoughtful consciousness that reflects all ages of the human spectrum.

    Thank you deeply for your consideration.

    Sincerely,

    Samaire Armstrong

    Sedona elections
    Armstrong vs. Jablow: The Main Event
    Ready to Rumble

    By Tommy Acosta
    In the Blue Corner stands Scott Jablow and in the Red Corner of the ring stands Samaire Armstrong, ready to rumble to the bitter end in their fight to become the next Sedona mayor. Jablow weighs in with 1,137 primary election votes (36.13%) under his belt, having wielded his advantage as sitting Sedona City Council vice-mayor to his favor. He brings his years of serving in that capacity into the fray and waged a solid fight in his campaign to make it to the run-off. Armstrong, however withstood a blistering smear campaign from the other opposing candidates and their supporters to make it to the final bout with 967 votes under her belt (30.73%), an amazing feat for a political newcomer. Unfortunately, for the other two candidates, Kurt Gehlbach and sitting mayor Sandy Moriarty, neither put up enough of a fight to make it to the championship bout. Read more→
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