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Reader Poll: Should Hanover Street Trade Car Traffic for More Dining Space?

How will restaurants and other businesses return to normal (whatever the new normal may look like) once the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end? A recent article in the Boston Globe highlights different ideas by local tourism, restaurant, and hotel leaders to bounce back once the public health crisis subsides.

One idea supported by the Massachusetts Restaurant Association is more flexibility with outdoor seating, which would allow restaurants to spread out patrons. In the North End, many restaurants are physically small, resulting in diners sitting very close to one another. Having more space would allow for some of the social distancing we’ve become accustomed to, and assure the health of employees and customers. Examples include being able to set up makeshift patios on sidewalks or in parking lots, even closing off entire streets to car traffic such as the North End’s Hanover Street.

A quiet Hanover Street during the coronavirus pandemic. April 19, 2020

The idea of widening sidewalks on Hanover Street and adding al fresco dining, similar to Newbury Street, is not a new one. The North End Chamber of Commerce proposed a similar idea back in 2011. Then City Councilor Sal LaMattina proposed closing part of the street to cars, but received a negative reaction from the neighborhood. At that time, it seems most of the local residents’ frustration stemmed from the comparison with Newbury St. and concerns that Hanover St. would lose its authentic feel and just push tourist traffic to the residential side streets.

In a reader poll in June 2017, NorthEndWaterfront.com readers appeared to vote in support of care-free Hanover Street, but a closer look at the comments shows many residents were against it, saying this would not benefit the local community.

Now the idea resurfaces, from a new social distancing angle. What do you think? Should Hanover Street be closed to cars so that restaurants can spread out patrons with outdoors seating once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides? Vote in our poll and add your comments in the section below!

Web polls are unscientific and reflect only those who choose to participate. NorthEndWaterfront.com polls do not have any official significance and are only intended for the interest of our readers.

82 Replies to “Reader Poll: Should Hanover Street Trade Car Traffic for More Dining Space?

  1. Stupid idea. This is a residential neighborhood not Disney.

    You want to help the restaurants lower their taxes.

    1. This would help the residents who need to fight around the tourists on our crammed sidewalks. Yes, please.

  2. I agreed with Joey. Also, we have the firehouse on Hanover Street. The BFD has a hard enough time traveling down Hanover Street on a normal day. Can you imagine, “Hurry everybody get up and move, the fire trucks are coming”. Yes stupid idea.

    1. I have supported this idea for years. A model is Charlottesville Va. their downtown was blighted , and since designed as a mall it is a vibrant shopping and restaurant area. The issue of transportation through the area is resolved by having cross streets where the pavement is elevated and cars cautiously and slowly traverse the pedestrian way. Emergency vehicles could always have access and delivery trucks could have precedence at designated times.

      1. I wouldn’t exactly call the North End a “blighted area”. It’s a pretty vibrant place (when we’re not in the middle of a pandemic).

      2. Please tell me Pauline do you live on Hanover st.? Was the property you are talking about in
        Charlotte, Va. heavily congested like Hanover St.? Was there a Fire Station & Health Center
        located in the area? We, the No. End Residents have to walk out the street because of tourism.
        Why don’t we take all our Hanover St. residents & tell them the should relocate because we are
        shutting down the street for tourism & the residents can go to HELL. I don’t live on Hanover St. therefore how should residents food shop? Please answer these questions. Do you have
        pictures of Charlotte, Va. Mall area. If any street should be shutdown, it should be Newbury Street, never, ever Hanover St.

  3. The restaurants have been trying to get this for years. Sorry but this is the dumbest idea ever. More tourists, more chaos on Hanover St, more annoyance for the RESIDENTS. and danger with Emergency Vehicles not being able to get through.

  4. Walking or attempting to walk down Hanover St. these restaurants cram in so many tables that people are literally dining elbow to elbow. If the restaurants had their way they would offer seating on every rooftop. Enough is enough , now they want to close Hanover St. Their are far too many restaurants in the neighborhood so I give a thumbs šŸ‘Ždown to this idea.

  5. This is all about revenue and nothing more. Although it’s framed in such a way to make it seem like it’s to promote social distancing, how about putting that onus on the restaurants and not burdening the people who live here? When I’m not working from home, I walk to and from work by Hanover Street and sometimes have trouble making it down the street at night because of people waiting to get into restaurants, cafes and pastry shops. Can’t imagine doing it while also having to navigate tables on these narrow sidewalks.

  6. This is ridiculous. My family owns restaurants in this neighborhood and I still think that this is a horrible idea. This is a residential neighborhood where people pay an absurd amount of money to live. We should cater to residents, not tourists. If the city wants to help the restaurants so much how about giving full liquor licenses instead of beer and wine? Thereā€™s plenty of ways that the city can help small business owners without closing the busiest street in town.

  7. How will the fire engines get out of the firehouse? It’s bad enough with double parked cars, are they going to wait for the dinner’s to clear.

    1. Terrible idea, not thinking of the safety and health of residents, only thinking of businesses, most of the owners who donā€™t live here and donā€™t have to put up with, not having a parking, space because of non residents parking (they may get a ticket, but the space is still taken) lewd and disorderly behavior etc. has anyone noticed how peaceful it is here plenty of parking and how much less soot and dust you have in your house!! Why inconvenience the residents, subjecting them to slower emergency response, crowed and dirt streets etc. to benefit restaurants,

  8. It would be a dangerous idea and a bad idea for several reasons; 1) fire trucks trying to maneuver Hanover Street from the fire station, 2) there is not enough parking in the neighborhood as it is now, and 3) there is already enough crowding on Hanover Street. This would just create chaos in an already congested area

  9. I agree with most of the reasons listed above — especially those having to do with safety. Also, how would residents get close to their homes to drop off relatives and/or groceries before parking (who knows where?

    I would also be concerned about firetrucks not being allowed to drive down Hanover to Cross for quick turns onto Salem or Endicott in case of an emergency.

    Not my favorite idea!

  10. Who the hell benefits by this the restaurants? What about the long term Hanover St. residents?
    I think all these restaurants looking for more space should go down the Seaport where there
    are wider sidewalks & streets. I wonder who put this voting into effect. It is great for the
    restaurants, but sucks for the residents. Greed & Money, the root of all evil. What else is new
    down here?

    1. Itā€™s a great idea. Newbury Street businesses benefit greatly when itā€™s shut down, and it could be just Saturday and Sunday. Small businesses, restaurant and retail alike will be greatly challenged this summer since tourism will be drastically reduced, no spirts, no graduations, no concerts…and clearly traffic flow and noise will be considered before it would be placed in motion. Donā€™t forget, a large portion of the restaurantsā€™ employees are also residents and suffering with lost pay, this puts revenue into neighborhood and resident pockets.

      1. Newbury street is not a a neighborhood… It’s a shopping area. Big difference..
        How are emergency vehicles going to get thru.
        That also means prince st and Richmond and parmenter couldn’t be accessed because they lead into Hanover st… Again the streets here are way too small to accommodate something like that and remain accessible to residents and service vechiles. And do you think it’s fair to the resturants on other streets???!

        1. Newbury Street is residential, look it up. Like North End, there are restrictions for licensing and parking due to resident zoning.

          1. Do not compare Newbury St. to Hanover St. Big difference. It is like camparing a pimple to a tumor. Newbury St. has wider sidewalks & they can have tables outside, they do not put tables on the streets. I think Hanover St. has a lot more tenants than Newbury St. I am guessing at this, since the No. End has much bigger apt. buildings. The bottom line is the
            reward is not worth the risk. There are not that many water sprinklers or fire alarmed
            buildings on Hanover St. to my knowledge. Hanover St. did have a couple of fires in
            the last 2 years or so. We are not Newbury St & we will never be Newbury St. The No.
            End is more of what is considered a neighborhood, and Newbury St. has always been known as a retail area. Everyone has a different opinion, which is fine, but this
            idea is extremely dangerous for those residents. Safety should always, always be the
            very first priority, and what works in one section of the city doesn’t necessarily mean it
            will work in all parts of the city.

            1. You’re right. The sidewalks aren’t wide enough to add much capacity. I think the restaurants want to move to the road, so they can add seats and maintain social distance. But that would add congestion to the pedestrian traffic. The homeless guys would be in the crowd staining hungrily at the diners. Meanwhile, residents lose parking, increase sanitation issues, safety issues with no clear fire lane and more noise for the residents of the street. Those wanting to become Newberry St should consider moving there.

  11. I wasnā€™t going to comment until I saw the vote for yay, nay………most ridiculous idea Iā€™ve heard so far. My family has lived in the North End since birth, ease the burden of city living, not add to itšŸ˜¢

  12. I think this is a great idea! Making Hanover Str. partially pedestrian will allow more space for outdoor dining and walking for both tourists and residents. Most densely populated European cities have a pedestrian zone in their centers and they are popular with locals and tourists alike. They usually allow vehicular traffic for few hours in the morning for deliveries and trash pick-up. If Hanover is made pedestrian from the Greenway to Prado, that would allow the fire truck to freely exit the fire station from the north/ east end of Hanover. I am imagining the street is paved with removable bollards on each end, trees planted to shade the outdoor dining areas, benches, and drinking fountains for the passers-by. I would gladly lose a few (mostly valet nonetheless) parking spots and the constant double-parking for that! It is time that we embrace urban planning that serves the people, not the cars!

    1. My response to: “…that would allow the fire truck to freely exit the fire station from the north/ east end of Hanover. ”

      According to Google maps, if the fire trucks can continue down Hanover as they do now (toward Cross), the time it would take to get to my house is 4 min (.5 miles). But if they were forced to go down Hanover toward Commercial and around by Atlantic Ave, it would be 7 min (1.1 miles). Now three minutes may not sound like much of a difference, but if your house is on fire that’s an awful lot of time to lose.

      1. Janine, this is valid point, and in my post I mention removable bollards. In every similar pedestrian zone, these allow for emergency fire access. I would also not trust Google’s estimate of a fire truck moving through Hanover street currently, as they do not account for the constant blockage caused by the double parking and traffic.

        1. As to the suggestion of removable bollards, I think these would also cost the FD valuable time getting to an emergency. They would need to stop and remove the bollards, before continuing to their call.

          1. A city as advanced as Liverpool, England has automated bollards around portions of the downtown that only lower for vehicles with the correct transponder (whether residents, emergency vehicles, or delivery vehicles). The technology exists and works. The hand wringing about emergency vehicles is a red herring that Diana already addressed by noting that driving down Hanover is a slog today.

  13. Superb idea.
    I would argue that travelers are not using Hanover as a pass-thru street to get from point A-B. Rather, it’s more for travelers who want to cruise or site-see thru the neighborhood. Although, it would need to be opened up for deliveries for certain off-peak times of the day. Spacing for one vehicle would need to be required for emergency purposes.
    Mulberry Street in NYC’s Little Italy is a classic example. It’s win-win for businesses, tourists, and residents alike.

  14. Why does it have to be all or nothing? The feasts already shut down roads/sections of the north end so why not make hanover & salem pedestrian only or one way a couple times a month, sunday nights only, spring & fall, etc. It could be tested before tourism starts to come back or when restaurants can only open at 50% capacity as a way to let residents actually have a chance to enjoy the restaurants and not have to wait in line for 3hrs.
    Would need to actually patrol and tow non-resident cars, etc. so that we don’t just exacerbate another problem but that’s all solvable.

  15. Hi Joyce,

    Rather harsh, didn’t claim it was original. I have lived here long enough to know it might be time to re-study and reconsider since there has been a considerable increase in people and traffic from 2011.

  16. Well if Hanover Street is to be closed for the benefit of the restaurants, why not close Salem Street while you’re at it???

  17. This idea can be great if done properly. You should close it from Harris st to Cross St. This allows the fire engines access to the main roads. The closure should also only happen nights and weekends during May to September. The restaurants are part of what make the north end great. We as residents should support them gaining more business.

  18. Why is the poll framed around restaurants? Reclaiming some (or all) of the car lanes for pedestrians would benefit residents as well. Frequently, I need to walk in the street because the sidewalks are crammed.

    We don’t even need to look abroad for examples. Oakland closed 10% of their roads (74 miles) to non-local traffic to allow people to spread out. Where is the leadership from Mayor Walsh and Councilor Edwards on this issue? Summer is coming and people who live in our dense neighborhoods will need as much space as possible. For a start, let’s give up some of the free car storage for wider sidewalks.

    1. Jared, I knew that it would only be a matter of time before the anti-automobile mafia commented on this article. Where do you suppose that we put these cars from the “free car storage”? Times are proving to you now more than ever that cars are needed. Maybe today I should have taken my bicycle ten miles to work in the rain or I could have taken the MBTA and risked getting the coronavirus. The North End cant afford to lose parking.

    2. Seems like you are exaggerating about sidewalks being crammed. Ya maybe outside of some restaurants on a nice Saturday night. But other than that sidewalks seem fine to me.

  19. If Hanover St. sidewalks are closed from Cross to the Prado, nobody would be able to drive up Prince either? That’s crazy.

    1. Janine, in other cities, when one street is closed to vehicular traffic, the streets crossing it are still open. Usually, the paving at these intersections changes texture to alert the cars that they are crossing a pedestrian zone. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel – it’s been done (and successfully) before.

      1. Yes but once a car gets to the Hanover/Prince intersection, they must go right or left on Hanover.

  20. I’m trying to view this vision , but the lens of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association seems to be blurred.
    For the sake of transparency here , I think Residents and city officials all know who has been trying to close down Hanover Street to a partial pedestrian zone for the last 15 years.
    I think we have all decided over the last couple attempts to do this that it was just a horrible Idea for many Reasons.
    For the Massachusetts Restaurant Association to revisit this idea during an unprecedented pandemic and global health crisis to promote a vision that has been opposed by residents several times in the past to make a temporary or permanent change to this unique and historic neighborhood, just does not sit well with me, and I’m sure most residents would suffer some type of regurgitation trying to digest this at this time.
    Moreover to claim that allowing restaurants to fill sidewalks and any other milk and cranny that they can squeeze seating into will somehow ensure the safety of their staff and patrons is simply just ludicrous.
    I realize that the entire restaurant industry in the globe is hurting as are all other businesses.
    However this idea is a recipe for a contagion, this is a perfect storm for a health and safety disaster in our community.
    This article should not even exist.
    The Massachusetts Restaurant Association have to focus more on feeding the family’s waiting in mile long lines at food banks to put food on the table to feed their hungry children during this crisis.
    Well let’s just touch base on the pros and cons again with this blurred. vision.

    PROS:
    More revenue for the restaurants and handful of other commerce on Hanover Street.
    More revenue for local and state government ( taxes, licensing fees, zoning etc. )
    Additional employment for extra staff needed in restaurants,
    One time revenue for ( planning, design, construction, etc.)

    CONS:
    The deterioration in quality of life for residents living in the designated pedestrian only zone.
    ( very dense pedestrian traffic, the loss of peaceful enjoyment of one’s home., noise pollution from restauranrtsand patrons)
    European studies have shown that the volume of pedestrians triple in pedestrian only zones.
    Secondary streets in the North End will also be affected by the spill over into those streets from the volume of pedestrians leaving
    Hanover Street.
    The major problem with this is the inability for business or public safety officials to be able to manage such large volumes of people in such a very dense community.
    WHAT ABOUT THE SAFETY ISSUES?
    Have their been any studies done on how this would impede emergency services?
    Fire Trucks, EMT, Police, Gas Company.
    How would the response time be affected to this pedestrian only zone, also how much time would be lost taking alternate routes to reach the rest of the streets and residents in the North End.
    We know that these pedestrian only zones have increased incidents of intoxication, vagrancy, vandalism, larceny, and of course public urination and vomitting in our streets.
    We can’t even manage these issues on a regular weekend in this community.
    How do residents in the pedestrian only zone bring shopping and groceries to their apartments?
    What about large box item deliveries?
    What about September 1st. And other move in dates for our large college student community.
    What about one of the most precious commodities ( parking spaces) ?
    Yeah! We know you’ll make a bunch of special provisions to accommodate these deficiencies.
    Don’t forget the RODENT POPULATION.
    Talk about germs and viruses, talk about PUBLIC HEALTH.
    I guess this idea sounds just as good as it always has in past attempts.

    I’m certainly no expert, but where the hell did common sense go.
    I VOTE A BIG CLEAR AND TRANSPARENT NO!!
    We will rebound from this,, the North End is one of the most lucrative section of Boston.
    Wishing everyone good health and good fortune.
    Commit a random act of kindness.
    Richie.

    1. Just post Richie’s response any time this issue comes up. Whomever is behind calling for this change certainly doesn’t understand the tenor of the residents.

      It’s NEVER going to be a “yes” from the VAST, VAST majority or residents.

  21. RICHIE,
    Great points. We, as residents, need to be concerned about our own health and welfare.
    We need our fire department to access all areas rapidly and we DONā€™T NEED TO ENTISE ANY MORE RODENTS! Focus on your quality restaurants not your quantity-

  22. Who in their right mind wants to eat in the gutters on Hanover Street. NOT ME! Its just more food for the rats. The restaurants don’t clean the sidewalks now, what makes you think they will clean them at closing time after people spilled whatever they were eating on the ground.
    Richie you said it all.

  23. Actually Hanover St was more quiet during the democratic convention. None of the conventioneers came to the North End and if they did only to go to Mike’s and spend the worthless coupons. I did see the Clintons come tearing up Richmond St. I heard they were putting on the feed bag at Dom’s. Other than that it was a good time to stroll down the middle of Hanover St and pick your place to eat. Made the best of it, I went out every night.

  24. I have been on Newbury St. quite a bit. They have sidewalk dining, not on the Street, very
    big difference. A fire engine or ambulance can get by without asking those dining to get up.

    1. You have every right to be concerned. It is not just a question of fire trucks & ambulances. What about residents living on Hanover St. who could possibly have a flood, what if a hot water tank goes, what if there is a power outage & the electricans have to have access to buildings.
      Hanover St. has a Fire Station, Health Center & both places need access to all the streets. This suggestion is about Greed, not the safety of the Hanover St. Residents at all. Why do we have to wait for a problem like a possible death to happen before something is corrected.
      The feasts have been cancelled for safety reasons & now they are going to trying to put
      tables on our streets, it doesn’t make any common sense to me.

  25. I can only picture pigeons and seagulls swooping down to eat food and bread on the ground and possibly right from your plate. I see people tossing bread out their windows all the time and a minute later there is chaos with birds fighting, feathers flying around and poop on cars and sidewalks. I could go on and on about ‘The Birds’.
    Also why would anyone want to sit in the street with possible wind, rain, humidity, flies, etc…not pretty. Inside it is temperature controlled, and each restaurant has a different decor. Just my opinion.

    1. Just like eating @ Kelly’s at Revere Beach. As for dining & drinking you can’t wear a mask when you eat & drink. Latest update I saw said a person coughing, sneezing or even talking can spread the droplets that can linger in the air for 8 minutes and travel more than 6 feet. They will have to spread the tables 20 feet apart. That’s if anyone is going to eat at a restaurant to begin with?

  26. Definitely no… we will always have tourists in North End, that is just the reality of it. But closing streets, eliminating limited parking that is already taken by valet services most of the time, increasing street noise.. Residents pay premium to live here, because of the charm and neighborhood feeling. When is the city going to think of residents?

    1. Tourists unfortunately come with the territory as does limited parking. The City of Boston has NEVER did anything for the residents of the NE. This birdbrain idea is par for the course & more of the same.

  27. Iā€™m not totally against or for the idea of looking at the feasibility of this BUT I would be against ALL of Hanover St being shut down. The furthest I would go would be at the corner of Prince/Hanover to Cross St (forcing cars to go left on Hanover) and this would definitely need a police officer to ensure cars donā€™t stop or double park.

    Also tables could only Be allowed out a certain distance so that emergency vehicles can get through without actually moving anything. This would only be for friday and saturday evenings (say after 5 pm).

    In my opinion, the argument against this idea based solely on emergency vehicles does not hold water for me because we all know from prince to cross on a Summer weekend night is a total nightmare for the BFD with double parking, uber, valet, sightseers and such. If done right this might actually make life easier for Boston Fire. Those of us who have been around long enough has seen BFD ā€œstuckā€ behind cars with sirens blaring and cars canā€™t move to get out of the way.

    The other thing….If I were a restaurant owner not on this section of hanover st how would that make me feel?? Iā€™m guessing salem st restaurants would want something also šŸ¤·ā€ā™‚ļø

    All in all I think itā€™s worthy of a discussion again!!

    1. Yes, it should be up for discussion with the Heads of the Fire Dept. & Police Commissioner involved in these conversations. I would love to see how people will have to get out of the way
      in case of a fire for the fire dept., especially if they are in the middle of dinner. If you want to be
      technical about the dining outside, why should it be Prince to Cross? Why shouldn’t the other
      restaurants on the other side of Prince have access. The restaurants on the left of Prince St.
      coming from Salem are hurting a lot more than those on the right. Think about that.

  28. Joan fair points. But the article/poll is about Hanover st. I think closing all of hanover is a terrible idea from a nhood and public safety perspective. sure ALL restaurants would like to have this outdoor seating but thatā€™s not realistic.

    I think cars are a bigger problem on Hanover St than people would be. People can move alot easier than cars double parked on hanover or in front of mikes or valet services or people just ā€œcruisingā€ around causing massive congestion.

    All Iā€™m getting at is it is definitely worthy of a discussion.

    1. Feasibility, The problem with double park cars on Hanover St. is the problem Meter Maids &
      Boston Police Dept. have to handle & it has never, ever been addressed properly. The residents
      of Hanover Street have been subjected to this for years, and it is not FAIR. Our Fire Dept. has
      always been able to get down Hanover St., which we have seen in the last couple of years with
      the fires that took place there. The Restaurant Owners hold a lot of strength because they are very Big Political Donators, why shouldn’t they be, The restaurants on Hanover St.
      are very successful, especially from Prince to Cross. St. excluding Giacomo. There are many other sections of the City of Boston that could benefit from this idea. The No. End has always
      been a very successful dining area. If this issue is going to come up for discussion, then I
      feel both the Fire & Police Depts. have to get involved. ” Daria ” made an excellent point, each
      landlord can have their own space in front of their property. We are talking Fairness & that
      should apply to Landlords as well as Restaurant Owners. Wow, who the hell ever thought it
      was going to come to this.

      1. Hi Joan, I totally agree with the idea that it is the responsibility of the meter maids and BPD to take care of the double parked cars. The other elephant in the room is the abuse of the valet services and ā€œstealingā€ resident spots. (As an aside, this Idea would totally eliminate that) and before anyone gets upset I donā€™t believe that should be enough to implement this concept šŸ™‚

        I think BFD would have to be involved in the conversations and if they came out and said ā€œno, too much of a public safety risk!ā€ then that would be it for me. Case closed.

        Lastly, I do feel for the residents of hanover st. They/you would be impacted the most and your opinion should carry alot of weight because of its direct impact. I always said I wouldnā€™t live on hanover st if you offered free rent. Itā€™s too much of a headache. Too much noise and congestion. And yes I agree this would add to pedestrian traffic.

        My thought (for me) was simply to be open minded and listen. Full disclosure if it ever came to a vote I would be voting against.

        1. Feasibility, You are so right when you say that the Valets take the resident
          space. Do you know why? The city allowed them to get away with it. The biggest tipper leaves his or her outside in front of the restaurant. This is totally unfair to the residents, but
          did they fight for the right, No. There was an investor interested in building an 88 ft. condo/apt. building, with a Marina, Rooftop Pool or Dining Area. I thought is was a great idea, but No. End Women got together & they protested outside City Hall & Menino wanted them away from the property. The Eliot School is there today. The view is spectacular
          the idea was great, but not for those that live there. Their view was going to be taken
          away, the results, as you know is the Eliot School. Bottom line, anything worth having is
          definitely worth fighting for.

          1. If people were protesting this idea, I don’t think it was due to concerns by residents that their view would be taken away. If I remember correctly, the only buildings anywhere near the Eliot School on Commercial Street are the skating rink, Brinks Parking Garage, Filippo and Ducali restaurants, and the Funeral Home. There’s nothing residential near there that would have a view blocked.

            1. Belle- I live exactly there with some of the best neighbors in the North End. We absolutely lobbied and preserved our views. Itā€™s so great to see that building as a school.

  29. Can I put my table and chairs on the side walk for the summer?We pay enough in property tax!!!
    I think all property owners should go ahead and claim your patio in the name of Covid 19- it will help airflow for the first floor apartments!

    1. Yes. Yes you can. I assume you are not selling anything therefore I would think you can. And I would assume all first floor apartment people are owners and not renters since renters donā€™t pay property taxes.

    2. > Can I put my table and chairs on the side walk for the summer
      Yes! Absolutely! Do it! I fully support people taking over the space in front of their homes for active use.

      How people get _around_ you without coming within 6ft is a different, but related, matter.

      One thought:
      Most streets in the North End have 10 feet on either side for passive car storage and another 15 – 50 feet of travel lanes. If people have trouble getting around you when you put your table and chairs out, you could suggest they walk in the street. If we want to make that safe, we could look into storing some of those cars elsewhere or even removing some of the travel lanes.

      1. You truly never miss an opportunity to make a comment about getting get rid of cars. Iā€™m amazed.

        Thank god for my car or I wouldā€™ve been struck taking the train to work everyday in the midst or covid-19.

        1. Michael, just put them in your pocket.

          Adam hates cars. He thinks everyone should ride a bicycle everywhere. Itā€™s insane!

        2. > I owe the restaurant business absolutely nothing.
          I’m with you. It’s a shame this discussion about allocation of open space is centered around the benefit of restaurants. I’m mostly interested in space for residents.

          As far as where “elsewhere” is… I’ve been suggesting we use the city-owned Sargent’s Wharf to store some of the cars. We could reclaim 60k square feet of space (nearly half the size of CC Park) without affecting a single business or restaurant by storing 118 cars at Sargent’s Wharf – which has 277 available spaces – instead of in front of people homes.

          https://twitter.com/balsama/status/1243874685118488576

          1. Adam, I think u r so right, but if u think for 1 minute the city is going to give away free parking spaces, you are so wrong. Everything in this area is considered prime property and it has a price tag, and the highest bidder wins. I think since this discussion came up, find out what the city wants for this parcel of land. The price has to be outrageous.
            I am a firm believer in people only get away with what u allow them to get away with.
            Do u know of anyone who will fight for this piece of land being Free Parking for the
            residents? If u can find people in the area that will fight for this issue, good luck, but
            anything worth having is worth fighting for.

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