Correction: Title and featured image have been to changed to better describe the story.
Last year during the midst of the pandemic, the Long Beach City government implemented the open streets initiative which aimed to increase social distancing and for businesses to serve folks outside in a limited capacity. It will expire in June without any interference. We should keep these open for the benefit of businesses, and public health.
The pandemic is about over. The Associated Press reported that half the country has at least received the first dose of the COVID vaccine and the economy is reopening as the tier level continues to update.
The Long Beach Post reported on a petition, started by local businesses to keep the open streets for longer, citing a series of concerns going forward.
Some concerns were about another COVID wave and about the cost of tearing down their roadside investments; tables, tents, outdoor heaters and decor.
Businesses have invested varying degrees in outside setups, some much more than others. The open streets initiative opened access to more foot traffic for these businesses, and maintained social distancing for the rest of us.
Imagine, if you worked at a place with a dress code. This would be like buying all the right clothes, putting them on before work only to find out the code changed while you were stuck on the highway.
The petition is coming from the businesses who are facing economic uncertainty from government policy. Many have lost money due to our policies over 2020 such as the lockdown, when most businesses deemed non-essential were forced to close.
Another major point of the open streets were to help with social distancing, to help the public health.
The walkable area in a city correlates to the health of the city’s inhabitants. According to the American Heart Association and the National Institute of Health, a neighborhood’s walkability correlates to the risk of heart disease and obesity. We should keep these streets open, encourage more walking and encourage better health trends.
These open streets encouraged walking in a city that has been designed from the ground up to serve vehicles which has led to a generally less healthy population. The main element of this is the walkability, which has been unprioritized since the rise of car culture.
The suburbanization process that took place after World War 2 which made American infrastructure projects prioritize the car. It also was becoming cheaper for the average American to purchase a car. Most people in order to get around needed a car to cover the sprawling suburbs.
The open streets initiative should remain in place and not expire in order to continue to help local business and the public health. This will help the investments businesses made for outdoor set-ups not go to waste and continue to encourage more walkability for the public.