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CB2 raises safety and enforcement concerns as city unveils 'Open Restaurants' plan
Summary
Manhattan Community Board 2 urged clearer guidance and stronger enforcement around the mayor’s new Open Restaurants/open‑streets program, citing lack of consistency between agencies, unclear barrier designs and risks to residents living above busy sidewalks and roadways.
Manhattan Community Board 2 told city agencies it supports outdoor dining but needs clearer rules, better barriers and a defined enforcement plan before the city’s Open Restaurants program is widely implemented.
The board’s reopening working group and the Traffic & Transportation Committee told the full board they back outdoor dining as a critical economic step for neighborhood restaurants yet warned that the initial rollout showed gaps. In its advisory letter and a Transportation Committee resolution, CB2 asked the Department of Transportation to test sturdier low‑tech barriers or automated gates, to improve signage and to build enforcement options into deployment plans to prevent drivers from moving barriers and to discourage unsafe congregations.
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