Albuquerque bars may soon be open until 3 a.m.

Posted at: 07/02/2009 5:06 PM | Updated at: 07/02/2009 9:10 PM
By: Valerie Castro, Eyewitness News 4; Charlie Pabst, KOB.com

Albuquerque’s bars may be staying open an hour later on the weekends if Mayor Martin Chavez has his way. But there’s a catch: The last alcoholic drink would still be poured at the same time it is today.

The mayor says letting bars stay open until 3 a.m. would allow customers to hang out and sober up or find a safe ride home.

"They would still be required to shut off the alcohol at 1:45 but it will allow them to stay open until 3 a.m., they can serve soft drinks, coffee, food," Chavez said Thursday.

Local bar owner Billy Baldwin says that’s something he’s wanted for years.

"It gives them a chance to decide, maybe I’ve had too much at this point, the lights are up, it gives them a chance to think about what they're doing,” Baldwin said. “More of an intelligent choice."

Chavez says he hopes to have the option in effect sometime later this year.

The candidates in the Albuquerque’s mayoral races weighed in on the plan. Richard Romero said, “Let's not play politics with a very serious public health issue...Nothing good ever happens after two in the morning.”

Richard Berry told Eyewitness News 4, "It is a start but more needs to be done. People have difficulty getting cabs downtown when they need them and we need to remedy that as well. We need to ensure that people can get home safely.”

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