Des Moines City Council cracks down on "scooping the loop"

Scooping the loop in Des Moines is a coming-of-age tradition bred out of Midwest boredom and our love for long drives.

But city officials, like they have for decades, say it's a nuisance to downtown residents that needs to change.

• Why it matters: The weekend gathering is as classic as a corn dog, but it's at risk because of complaints about noise, loitering and high speeds.

Driving the news: The Des Moines City Council voted to restrict parking along 12th Street between Walnut and Grand on Monday to dampen the crowd.

• Councilman Joe Gatto said he was worried restricting parking could hurt downtown businesses. The compromise is no parking on Fridays and Saturdays between 9pm and 6am.

Scooping the loop — the DSM tradition of young people driving their cars in a loop downtown and parking to hangout with their friends — has seen a rise in popularity during our pandemic standstill.

• But unlike decades past, downtown is now full of apartments, restaurants and actual storefronts — aka, more people to bother.

Flashback: It's expected teens and young adults will want to "see and be seen in their cars," the Register opinion staff wrote in 1987.

• That year, a city task force suggested building a "drive-in restaurant" to hold car rallies and "non-alcoholic parties for youngsters" downtown to stifle the activity.

What's next: Council members said parking restrictions are only a short-term solution and are considering new street designs and installing four-way stops.

Our take: Des Moines teen Pat Parker said it best in her letter to the editor to the Register in 1966.

• "The parents say, stay out of the loop. But what are we to do with our evenings? Parents, answer that for us."

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