Proposed rules to enforce wider paths on Toronto city sidewalks for pedestrians and the disabled is creating angst in local operators of sidewalk cafes.
New regulations proposed by Toronto's Disability Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee would create a wider 'clearway' on local sidewalks, leaving some operators of sidewalk cafes fuming. Michael Smee of the CBC reports that the proposed rules would require the city to enforce a 2.1 meter (approx. 6.9 feet) clearway on main street and a smaller clearway on secondary streets. Smee writes that although the 2.1 meter clearway requirement is an existing regulation, some restaurateurs have failed to follow the law, and in general it hasn't been enforced.
...if bar or restaurant owners are forced to move their patio fences back from the roadway under the new rules, measures are being researched that could allow them to expand in other ways to make up for the lost square footage, the committee heard.
For instance, one of the new measures would allow patios to spread to the left or right, in front of neighbouring storefronts, provided those business owners agree.
Other suggestions to make up for the lost square footage include allowing cafe's to expand into adjacent parking spaces.
FULL STORY: New plan proposes pushing patios back to make room for pedestrians, people with disabilities
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