OPINION: It's time for NYC to open its streets and sidewalks for business
/
A woman walks her dog along a street closed to cars in Jackson Heights. Photo by Jeff Simmons
By Councilmembers Jimmy Van Bramer and Keith Powers
New York City in the time of COVID-19 is a changed city. The streets are quieter, businesses are shuttered, and families are staying in. With 378 new cases on May 18 alone, there is still time before we go back to the bustling city we all know and love, and when we do reopen things will need to look different.
To start the process of recovery and reduce the likelihood of a second spike in cases, we believe our streets will be our greatest resource. Opening the streets to the people and relaxing restrictions to do business outside, while practicing social distancing, will be essential to safely reopening New York City.
Dedicating 100 miles of city streets for pedestrians and cyclists through the Open Streets initiative is a great first step. We are seeing the success of opening up roads to more than just vehicular traffic which creates additional space for people to get out and safely maintain social distancing.
Looking at cities around the globe and even across the US, dining is moving beyond the brick and mortar and onto streets and sidewalks.
Vilnius, Lithuania has become a global leader in this push for more space, turning streets and public spaces into outdoor cafes. To comply with strict social distancing rules the city has eliminated most fees and regulations for sidewalk cafes and have allowed businesses to move outside and provide more room for customers. In the US, cities like San Francisco and Tampa are experimenting with turning parking spaces into “street-side cafes.” Even in Connecticut, restaurants will be part of the first phase of reopenings, allowing for outdoor dining which has pushed the city of Hartford to ease zoning regulations to allow for more outdoor seats.
New York City has long had sidewalk cafes, especially popular during the summer, but with rules and fees that have limited many restaurants and businesses from participating. During the upcoming summer months more New Yorkers will be out on the streets and will need to continue practicing social distancing. Following the CDC and Governor Cuomo’s guidelines for a phased reopening, New York City must put a pause on sidewalk cafe regulations and allow restaurants, businesses, and diners to move into the open streets.
Streets have long been dominated by automobiles. This is an opportunity as a city to rethink our built environment and what we consider public space. We applaud Speaker Johnson, and our like-minded colleagues from all five boroughs for their advocacy on this issue, along with the Hospitality Alliance. Mayor De Blasio said it himself, “Half measures that maintain the status quo wont move the needle or protect us…”
This summer, New York will need to make bold decisions to help reduce new cases while reopening our restaurants and small businesses. Letting them use the sidewalks and streets, allowing them to make money, and keeping people employed while also allowing social distancing needs to be one those bold changes.
Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer represents District 26 in Western Queens. Councilmember Keith Powers represents District 4 in Midtown Manhattan.
