New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced the launch of the «Open Boulevards» programme. Traffic on some boulevards in the city will be temporarily closed. This will allow more spaces for pedestrians, establishments and theatrical performances.
New York City will close 15 boulevards to traffic in order to provide additional space for restaurants and street cultural events.
“New Yorkers deserve more open space than ever this summer, and “Open Boulevards” will be a great resource for dining, cycling, and enjoying all the dynamic cultural events our city has to offer. As we bring back Open Streets: Restaurants and make Open Streets permanent, there will be more ways than ever to put our streets to work for people, not just vehicles”, said Deputy Mayor for Operations Laura Anglin.
In 2020, the New York City government organised several similar initiatives to support the restaurant industry. For example, the «Open Restaurants» programme, launched in September, helped to save 90,000 jobs citywide.
The city government has allowed restaurants to expand seating to the frontage of adjacent properties, as long as the adjacent property owners formally agree to the use of the space for a specified period of time and commit not to charge a fee for its use. As cooler weather has arrived, the City has allowed restaurants to incorporate heating elements into their outdoor dining setups.
Source: strelkamag.com