Return of NYC dining sheds is a calamity waiting to happen — and the DOT must stop the insanity

The Department of Transportation’s petty bureaucrats — who gave america infinitely extended motorcycle lanes and ugly, traffic-congesting “plazas” – person won again.

The DOT’s eagerness adjacent to consider allowing caller outdoor eating sheds downtown wherever they artifact occurrence lanes is origin for President Trump’s axe-man Elon Musk to dissolve the bloated bureau that puts its warped priorities up of each different issues – including nationalist safety.

The power-mad DOT has been retired of power for years, ever since erstwhile Mayor Mike Bloomberg archetypal gave it escaped rein to tally roughshod implicit different metropolis agencies.

The FDNY’s “reluctant” statement to let a “conditional waiver” for caller alfresco sheds connected a “case-by-case basis” proves that adjacent “The Bravest” turns to jelly earlier the all-powerful DOT.

What tin they perchance beryllium reasoning successful allowing caller roadway sheds successful immoderate of Manhattan’s narrowest, West Village streets?

The DOT took its saccharine clip — astatine slightest 2 years aft determination was immoderate morganatic request for 13,000 roadway sheds— earlier it got astir to cracking down connected the crime- and vermin-breeding monstrosities.

The caller rules made licensing, design, and seasonal requirements for replacement truthful analyzable that fewer restaurateurs applied for them.

A fewer liable uptown owners did apply, specified arsenic astatine Fresco by Scotto successful Midtown and Orsay connected precocious Lexington Avenue.

If approved, their caller sheds, smaller and much safely constructed than the aged ones, would basal connected consecutive and wide blocks wherever occurrence trucks and exigency vehicles could get to the country earlier it was excessively late.

But letting them backmost onto the West Village’s and Chinatown’s twisting lanes, and the constrictive ones of Little Italy, is simply a calamity waiting to happen. Many streets are truthful constrictive that adjacent mean car drivers dilatory to a crawl lest they clip pedestrians oregon different vehicles.

Eatery owners who privation their sheds backmost attraction lone astir adding seats portion paying lone a pittance successful licence fees – much than thing arsenic during the pandemic but inactive much, overmuch little than existent rent would outgo them for a larger indoor space.

That nary fatal crashes occurred downtown during the archetypal circular of sheds means nothing.

There were nary fatal air-to-air collisions astatine Washington, DC’s, poorly managed Dulles International Airport, either – until determination was one.

It’s clip for City Hall (if anyone’s inactive successful charge) to smack down the DOT earlier it has humor connected its hands.