SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – The City of Savannah is testing a new program to stop after-hours walking tours and reduce noise in residential areas. Still, some tour guides worry it will hurt their business, making tours less available and harder for specific demographics.
The new pilot program has split nighttime tours into two zones along Liberty Street. With a new curfew in place... tours that choose to venture south of Liberty Street after 10 p.m. now face fines for breaking the rules.
“It’s part of a larger look at revising our approach to tourism... some of our ordinances are dated and no longer reflective of the needs of a busy and growing city,” said Mayor Van Johnson.
Savannah's new 90-day walking tour pilot program is underway, but not without controversy. A new rule started Saturday, February 1st, where tours south of Liberty must end by 10 p.m., while tour groups north of the street can run until 1 a.m.
Enocha Edenfield, owner of Enocha Edenfield Tours, says the rollout has caused frustration. “This all happened at the end of the year while we were trying to renew business licenses and register tour routes. It created a lot of uncertainty," said Edenfield.
City officials say it reduces noise and congestion, but tour guides argue it hurts business and limits access for disabled guests. One major concern? The impact on accessibility. Edenfield, who has both visible and invisible disabilities, says the city did not consult disability advocates before implementing the plan. Edenfield Tours told WSAV they want a voice in decisions, citing safety issues with crowded, poorly maintained sidewalks.
“The area that they limited us to pushes all of us into a smaller area on to sidewalks that are haphazardly maintained. Where they pushed us away from has better sidewalks. It is also a quieter area downtown away from large noisy bars," said Enocha Edenfield. "That would also be better for people who are hard of hearing and who have auditory issues or sensory issues. So, there’s a wide array of disabilities that are affected by this and none of this was considered."
Tour owners worry Savannah's haunted reputation could suffer.
“Temperatures are pretty high because it’s their livelihood,” Alderman Detric Leggett of District 2 said weeks prior to the Pilot Program taking effect this week. “I understand that. But, at the same time, when we were given this pilot, it was a pilot that not only spoke to the industry, but it spoke to the quality of life for the people that live within this area.”
Enocha Edenfield Tours is one of more than 40 nighttime tours that go south of Liberty Street. "The tour helps show off different sides of the city. Sides they may not have considered at all," said Edenfield.
She expresses that cutting down the time to show Savannah will take away from people learning about local sights like the Mercer Williams House or Clary's Cafe.
At the public meetings, before the Pilot Program was set in place, the debate overall tour groups being affected for a few loud ones was brought up.
"We’ve been told multiple times that there were complaints from the community. We asked do you know what tour company's they were complaining about? And we would be told “yes”. We asked did you contact those tours? Have they been notified? And we didn’t really get a straight answer there. So, it feels like all of us are being punished because the sense of a few (tour businesses)," explained Edenfield.
The Pilot Program trial will provide enough time to see how the tours operate in cold and warm weather during the three months.
"This program is really a larger look at revising our approach to tourism some of our ordinances are dated and aren’t reflective of the needs of a busy and growing city. We have also heard a lot from impacted residents who have asked the city to address these issues, and we will do that,” said Savannah Mayor Van Johnson.
Once the trial period is over, tour businesses hope to have a say in final decisions.
"We are a city that is evolving and changing. And tour companies are more than willing to evolve and change with it. But we haven’t been included in the conversation up until now," said Edenfield.
WSAV reached out to Alderman Leggett after the Pilot Program kicked off this weekend. Leggett represents Savannah's downtown neighborhood, and the midtown neighborhood where the Pilot Program is taking place. He points out nothing is set in stone, and he intends to make sure both sides of that conversation are being heard.
After tour businesses told WSAV their concerns about guests with disabilities, Leggett shared Monday that he intends to find a route possible for all demographics.
"That's mainly the purpose for this 90-day pilot program, a trial, to be able to map out the certain areas in which they have an issue. We can address it, and then we can create a map for the ADA (Americans with Disabilities) compliant areas for our seniors and for all the visitors that do come to the city," said Alderman Leggett to WSAV Monday.
The city says it will monitor the 90-day tour program, but guides question how success is measured. Mayor Van Johnson calls it "trial and error," while business owners want more transparency.
"After the 90 days, when we get all of the data needed, we will be able to not only speak with our (business) industry but also speak with city staff and everyone around the table in the neighborhood to find out what the happy medium," explained Leggett.
The City will release a report before the council decides on permanent changes. Alderman Leggett will host a meeting with all parties in May, once the trial period is over.
The City will have until May 2nd to come to a final decision which could impact almost 50 tours.