NYC to vote on supporting outdoor dining, streamlining bus and bike lane creation

This November, New York City residents will have the chance to vote on five proposed amendments to the city’s municipal constitution. Potential changes include making it easier for the city to build new bike and bus lanes, increasing support for outdoor dining initiatives and streamlining building permitting.

“City officials say it currently takes up to eight months for a restaurant to open an outdoor dining space. The ballot language [on Question One] would combine applications for sidewalk cafés and roadway sheds into a single process, and remove the City Council’s veto power over sidewalk cafés. Commission officials say the changes would cut the application process down to two months and save restaurants up to $1,800 in fees,” Walter Wuthmann writes for Gothamist.

NYC’s Question Three would fast-track projects aimed at making its most dangerous intersections safer, and reduce the number of agencies needed to approve street projects. “Commissioners say these changes would speed up the development of bike and bus lines by an estimated 33%,” Gothamist reports. Question Four would consolidate applications for construction permits into a digital hub; right now, large projects may need to navigate a dozen different agencies to obtain their permits.