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Taos councilers hear safety, design concerns for Los Ponders Lane; $50,000 planning fund cited
Summary
Neighbors told the Taos City Council the un‑improved Los Ponders Lane is creating safety risks for walkers and urged neighborhood input on a planned rebuild. Council members said $50,000 is earmarked in the ICIP for planning and that staff will involve engineers and residents in the design process.
John Briscoe, a resident of Taos, told the Taos City Council at the Sept. 9 community workshop that walking on Los Ponders Lane has become dangerous and urged neighborhood input on the road’s reconstruction.
"It's becoming even more dangerous to go for a walk in the evening," Briscoe said, recounting a recent incident in which a driver threatened pedestrians and produced a firearm; a police report was filed. He asked the council to redesign the road to function as a neighborhood street rather than a cut‑through for through traffic.
Mayor Maestas and councilors responded that $50,000 is included in the Infrastructure Capital Improvement Program (ICIP) for planning work on the road. Mayor Maestas said the planning phase is where community engagement and engineering review typically happen and cautioned that the town cannot promise specific features, such as sidewalks, until engineers and relevant rules (including state or DOT requirements) are assessed.
Councilors also noted the town has been pursuing grants for safe street design and earlier discussion assigned staff to explore road‑calming measures. Councilor Ortega said staff will follow up with town manager Lupo Martinez and public‑works staff (Mark Flores) about the reported incident and noted public‑safety staff and planners are tracking calming strategies.
The council invited neighbors to participate in the ICIP planning process once the planning funds are activated; council members said staff will reach back out to the community to schedule engagement and that engineering constraints could limit what is possible.
The meeting did not produce a formal decision on specific design elements for Los Ponders Lane; councilors described the next steps as planning and community engagement rather than an adoption of a final plan.
