Open Streets program helped boost business for restaurants and bars, according to New York City Department of Transportation report
NEW YORK -- Allowing New York City's bars and restaurants to serve customers on sidewalks and streets during the pandemic helped boost business, according to a new report from New York City's Department of Transportation.
The DOT analyzed five Open Streets corridors in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens and found businesses in those corridors outperformed restaurants on streets that had vehicular traffic.
"Average sales on these Open Streets were 19 percent above their pre-pandemic baseline. Meanwhile, nearby control corridors that were not Open Streets saw business decline 29 percent," NYC Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said.
Some critics, however, say the program had a negative impact on neighborhoods.
"Nobody asked the people who live on a so-called Open Street if they wanted to endure noise and rats 24 hours a day," said Leslie Clark with the West Village Residents association.
The association says it's not opposed to outdoor dining, but it wants to be part of the city's conversation.