Reply to End of the "Streatery" eyesores

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Thank goodness. They were so ugly. [/quote]

No they aren't / weren't. You just want the extra street lane back. But induced demand is a reality. So despite what you think, your commute ain't getting any quicker.[/quote]

I am a DC resident who does NOT want the extra lane (or parking spaces) back, but I do think they were ugly.

What I'd like to see is for sidewalks to be widened to make it possible to fit more outdoor dining on the sidewalks next to pedestrian walkways. I'd also support closing streets to most car traffic and then paving them in a way that make a more permanent patio in the street make sense. The streeteries, however, were ugly temporary structures that often created cavities where dirt, water (and thus mosquitos and rats) would gather, as a lot of restaurants built platforms off the curb out of plywood. Also even the streeteries that looked nice from the sidewalk side were often hideous from the other side. Well, I have to look at that too. In fact, if I'm not dining at the restaurant, I'm way more likely to be treated to the sight of the unfinished plywood, often covered in graffiti or posters, than to whatever nicer covering is on the restaurant side.

It's also a give away of public property to private business. I know for some reason everyone decided bars and restaurants were nonprofit charities at some point, but they aren't. I want to see that property used for public goods, like pedestrian access, trees and planters that increase our urban canopy, bike lanes, and facilitating the safe passage of disabled people, children, and families with strollers.

There's no longer an emergency reason for the streeteries, which were created to facilitate outdoor and socially distanced dining during the pandemic.[/quote]

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