WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES JUNE 18, 2020 13
BY RICHARD KHUZAMI
WITH CAROL RANGEL
In order for our restaurants and cafes to
survive, we all must toss out norms we
have lived with for years and seek new
solutions.
On June 9, 22 restaurant owners and managers
in Astoria met remotely in order to create
proposals for the city. Here’s what our plan
would look like.
On commercial blocks where restaurant
density is high, we propose full street closure
from 6 to 11 p.m. on Fridays. We would then
close at 6 p.m. Saturday and stay closed until
10 p.m. Sunday.
Restaurants would be allowed to table on
the street itself, allowing for social distancing
while leaving a corridor for pedestrians and
bicyclists. The streets would be kept open
during the day for retail and deliveries, except
on Sunday when it is unnecessary, allowing
brunch options for restaurants.
Crowd control measures are imperative,
such as physical barriers and security to ensure
proper social distancing and controlled
alcoholic consumption. We would hope the
city can provide security at areas adjacent to
these “food courts” if needed. Bars and restaurants
would off er masks to those who do not
have their own and deny service to those who
refuse to wear them.
Last Friday, June 12, we had an example
of what happens when control and safety
measures are not in place. We experienced
what some have likened to “spring break” on
30th Avenue, complete with motorcycles ridden
on sidewalks, and cars doing “donuts” in
intersections. It was a dangerous environment,
and we compliment the NYPD for clearing the
area quickly and safely when local businesses
called. We also want to note that the NYPD
complimented local businesses for their
cooperation. This chaos is the last thing these
businesses want.
If these blocks were closed to vehicular
traffi c, all this could be avoided.
We must try to close enough blocks, so all
establishments are treated equally. We don’t
want to push customers to the areas operating
with street closure and drive customers away
from surrounding restaurants, leaving them
at a disadvantage.
While preferred, if full street closure is
not possible, there is the option to vacate the
parking spaces in front of each establishment
for extra seating (curbside seating). In addition,
we should try to maximize seating on
the sidewalk. This would still allow a traffi c
corridor which could be for pedestrians, bicycles,
scooters, or automobiles, all depending
on its size.
We are aware that two of the biggest issues
are the moving of parked cars and the rerouting
of buses. There is no easy answer to this.
However, the existing restriction against
having Open Streets on bus routes needs to be
waived or we will never be able to signifi cantly
help these small businesses. Most of them are
in commercial areas that have bus service.
Parking should be handled in a similar
fashion to fi lm shoots: Cars will be towed, but
no one will be charged. And publicity to warn
drivers is paramount. New Yorkers have made
many sacrifi ces due to the pandemic. Parking
a few blocks away or walking an extra block
to a bus seems to be a small inconvenience if
the goal is to help small businesses such as
restaurants survive.
We call for all restaurants, bars and cafes
on a given closed block to pool their resources
to make sure said blocks meet all standards,
including providing barricades, tabling or
security if needed.
And lastly, we call on the city to expedite
all licenses, especially for outdoor cafes,
and waive all fees for the duration of the
pandemic.
Khuzami is president of Old Astoria Neighborhood
Association. Rangel is a freelance writer.
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open-air tabling for restaurants
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