No ruling yet on terrasses for summer
Quebec City has cut the permit cost for a restaurant terrasse down to $50, but Montreal has not yet made any decision whether it will change permit costs, or indeed allow terrasses at all this summer.
Quebec City has cut the permit cost for a restaurant terrasse down to $50, but Montreal has not yet made any decision whether it will change permit costs, or indeed allow terrasses at all this summer.
DeWolf 12:22 on 2020-04-25 Permalink
Terrasses seem an easy way to keep restaurants, cafés and bars afloat this summer, because they normally represent a significant expansion of their capacity. And it seems likely that whenever they’re allowed to reopen, it will be at 50% capacity for an indefinite period of time. Plus there is mounting evidence that the virus struggles to survive in sunlight and fresh air (source below) which suggests that, aside from staying in your own home, it’s safest to be outdoors.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/24/health/coronavirus-summer-ultraviolet-light.html
Chris 12:54 on 2020-04-25 Permalink
And with less automobiles polluting the air and making lots of noise, terrasses will be way more pleasant!
Spi 17:12 on 2020-04-25 Permalink
Terraces will inevitably go into conflict with the need to maintain the “cordon sanitaire” that has been implemented on some major commercial streets. They both need to occupy the space usually reserved for metered parking.
Which one do we give up? Social distancing rules or some streetside terraces?
Raymond Lutz 17:27 on 2020-04-25 Permalink
It seems outdoor transmission is rarissime: “looking at coronavirus virus transmission in over 7000 cases. There was only ONE case in which a person outdoors transmitted the virus to another person outdoors.”
https://paulbeckwith.net/2020/04/23/everyone-outside-for-weeks-suppressing-pandemic/
Chris 19:48 on 2020-04-25 Permalink
>They both need to occupy the space usually reserved for metered parking.
No they don’t. Car traffic lanes could be closed to automobiles and used for walking. The space formerly used for parking could be used for terasses. There’s lots of room on our streets if we take away the cars.
DeWolf 23:31 on 2020-04-25 Permalink
The corridors sanitaires only occupy one side of the street at a time so I don’t see why that would be a conflict. If it comes down to it, everyone would benefit from having a whole bunch of pedestrian-only streets this summer.