Road closures to increase outside seating areas to pubs and restaurants
Opening pubs and restaurants this summer will obviously increase the risk of infection. However, if you are outside and sufficiently spaced from other people, the risk of infection, from what I can gather, is very low. Therefore, I think eating or drinking in pubs or restaurants with outside seating areas which are sufficiently spaced could be managed this summer. However, pubs and restaurants with outside seating areas are pretty rare in Scotland.
My proposal is to therefore, to close the roads in the main pub restaurant areas of towns where it is practical and use this space as outdoor seating areas for adjacent pubs and restaurants.
I'm thinking this could work in Sauchiehall street, argyle street, duke street, Dumbarton road etc in Glasgow (apologies, I live in Glasgow, but I think similar cities/town have good examples). Use the middle of road for pedestrian/cycles and the space between the pubs/restaurants and the middle walkway to be used for outdoor seating (2m gap either side of the middle walkway). Limit the occupancy of the outdoor seating area to the amount that can be separated by 2m to ensure social distancing. No standing allowed, table service only, only entering the pub to use the bathrooms one at a time with an outside queue for the toilets with social distancing in the queue. Increased cleaning regime suitable for eliminating Coronavirus.
I think this would require a grant or interest free loan to be provided for external furniture, fences, gazebos , patio heaters for the businesses. July is two months away so if we are to move quickly this could be achievable. Outside seating areas would be popular and well used throughout, July, August and September. Hopefully we would be in a better position for opening internal areas by October and re-opening roads.
My proposal is to therefore, to close the roads in the main pub restaurant areas of towns where it is practical and use this space as outdoor seating areas for adjacent pubs and restaurants.
I'm thinking this could work in Sauchiehall street, argyle street, duke street, Dumbarton road etc in Glasgow (apologies, I live in Glasgow, but I think similar cities/town have good examples). Use the middle of road for pedestrian/cycles and the space between the pubs/restaurants and the middle walkway to be used for outdoor seating (2m gap either side of the middle walkway). Limit the occupancy of the outdoor seating area to the amount that can be separated by 2m to ensure social distancing. No standing allowed, table service only, only entering the pub to use the bathrooms one at a time with an outside queue for the toilets with social distancing in the queue. Increased cleaning regime suitable for eliminating Coronavirus.
I think this would require a grant or interest free loan to be provided for external furniture, fences, gazebos , patio heaters for the businesses. July is two months away so if we are to move quickly this could be achievable. Outside seating areas would be popular and well used throughout, July, August and September. Hopefully we would be in a better position for opening internal areas by October and re-opening roads.
Why the contribution is important
This idea allow the pubs and restaurants to get back to generating income, employing staff paying tax.
Visiting pubs and restaurants will, I think, improve mental health of people and give everyone a sense or normality.
Visiting pubs and restaurants will, I think, improve mental health of people and give everyone a sense or normality.
by Halleytosis on May 11, 2020 at 06:42PM
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