The Return of NYC Dining Sheds: A Recipe for Disaster — The DOT Needs to Take Action
The petty bureaucrats at the Department of Transportation — responsible for the never-ending bike lanes and unattractive, traffic-jamming “plazas” — have triumphed once more.
The DOT’s eagerness to even consider new outdoor dining sheds in downtown areas, where they obstruct fire lanes, raises concerns about the need for President Trump’s axe-wielding associate, Elon Musk, to dismantle this overgrown agency that prioritizes its skewed agenda over pressing matters like public safety.
The DOT has been out of control for years, ever since then-Mayor Mike Bloomberg granted it unchecked authority to bypass other city departments.
The FDNY’s “reluctant” approval of a “conditional waiver” for alfresco sheds on a “case-by-case basis” demonstrates that even “The Bravest” can be intimidated by the all-powerful DOT.
What logic leads them to permit new roadway sheds on some of Manhattan’s narrow West Village streets?
The DOT delayed action — taking at least two years after recognizing the legitimate need for 13,000 roadway sheds — before finally cracking down on the crime- and vermin-attracting eyesores.
The newly implemented rules complicated licensing, design, and seasonal requirements to the extent that few restaurateurs opted to apply for them.
A handful of responsible uptown restaurant owners did seek approval, such as those at Fresco by Scotto in Midtown and Orsay on upper Lexington Avenue.
If given the green light, their new sheds, designed to be smaller and safer than the previous versions, would be located on straight, wide blocks, ensuring fire trucks and emergency vehicles can access the scene promptly.
However, allowing these structures back into the winding lanes of the West Village, Chinatown, and the narrow streets of Little Italy is a disaster waiting to unfold. Many of these roads are so tight that even regular vehicle drivers slow down significantly to avoid colliding with pedestrians or other vehicles.
Restaurant owners eager to bring back their sheds are primarily focused on increasing seating capacity while paying only minimal licensing fees — significantly more than nothing during the pandemic, yet still far less than the actual rent they would incur for a larger indoor venue.
The absence of fatal accidents downtown during the initial phase of the sheds is irrelevant.
Similar to Washington, DC’s poorly managed Dulles International Airport, there were no severe collisions until there eventually was one.
It is high time for City Hall (if anyone is still overseeing matters) to rein in the DOT before it finds itself held responsible for a tragic incident.
