35 replies to this topic

[29er Radio]

Just reading about then crack down by By Law officers on newspaper kiosks "littering" our streets. http://bit.ly/12Zm51s WTF they have so many other things to focus on. Property taxes are due soon and I am so happy to see how they are being spent this year.

[D.L.]

That's exactly the type of thing the city is supposed to concern themselves with

[VicHockeyFan]

I think it's worth removing them. They really don't deserve a free ride. Monday needs to get off their ass and get their publication INSIDE a few more places.

[Mike K.]

I agree. Pay for the public space or off you go.

[sebberry]

Now that homelessness has been addressed and solved, something has to sit on the sidewalks...

Here's the regulations for New York City's newsboxes: http://www.nyc.gov/h...acksintro.shtml

Surely we can figure out a way to regulate these and strike a balance for both the publisher and the public.

[Mike K.]

There are some street corners that have half a dozen or more of these boxes. Kids come along and throw the papers about or knock over the boxes and City crews then come in to clean up the mess. Sometimes these boxes are not taken care of and remain on a street corner with no materials within them.

It's an archaic way of distributing news in this day and age.

[G-Man]

I am fundamentally against this idea that we want pristine and clutter free sidewalks. Sidewalks are where the "city" buildings and "city" people interact. Turning them into laboratories of organization is boring, sterile and dehumanizing. In my opinion the best street life in the city is its most cluttered in Chinatown. If we need more space, fine take a lane of traffic away but lets keep the news boxes, the street performers, the food carts. In fact I would encourage relaxing of this to encourage more city -> people interactions.

[Mike K.]

I don't understand why newspapers should get a free ride on public land when vending machine operators have to lease space.

[G-Man]

Perhaps we should have pedestrian fees, religious indoctrination fees, sandwich board fees, nightclub waiting line fees, restaurant waiting line fees, charity worker fees, bicycle storage fees, mailbox fees, loitering penalty fees, bench use fees, parade watching fees, tourist brochure and hawker fees.

[Sparky]

You forgot panhandler and squeegee kids fees.

[UDeMan]

I am fundamentally against this idea that we want pristine and clutter free sidewalks. Sidewalks are where the "city" buildings and "city" people interact. Turning them into laboratories of organization is boring, sterile and dehumanizing. In my opinion the best street life in the city is its most cluttered in Chinatown. If we need more space, fine take a lane of traffic away but lets keep the news boxes, the street performers, the food carts. In fact I would encourage relaxing of this to encourage more city -> people interactions.

Speaking of Chinatown. Will all those stores using the sidewalk for selling fruit/veggies now have to pay the city extra fees?

[Mike K.]

I counted 11 boxes at the southeast corner of Yates and Government. A year or two ago there were something like five or six.

[G-Man]

Speaking of Chinatown. Will all those stores using the sidewalk for selling fruit/veggies now have to pay the city extra fees?

I am not positive that merchants do not already pay extra certainly restaurants do for sidewalk seating in most cases. I would be against increasing fees to the detriment of the city's vibrancy.

[VicHockeyFan]

Speaking of Chinatown. Will all those stores using the sidewalk for selling fruit/veggies now have to pay the city extra fees?

Yes, I wonder. There was an article the other day about the City looking at fees for vehicles that park on city property adjacent to business on 600-blk Pembroke and on Beta St. I know that restaurants that have sidewalk patio space do pay. Not sure about Chinatown vendors.

I'm sure when say, Fort St. merchants, do their annual sidewalk sale, they pay no extra.

[Sparky]

There goes this market.

http://www.mossstreetmarket.com/

[VicHockeyFan]

There goes this market.

http://www.mossstreetmarket.com/

I think that's on a school parking lot. Not sidewalks.

[Sparky]

[Rob Randall]

I am fundamentally against this idea that we want pristine and clutter free sidewalks. Sidewalks are where the "city" buildings and "city" people interact. Turning them into laboratories of organization is boring, sterile and dehumanizing. In my opinion the best street life in the city is its most cluttered in Chinatown. If we need more space, fine take a lane of traffic away but lets keep the news boxes, the street performers, the food carts. In fact I would encourage relaxing of this to encourage more city -> people interactions.

I agree with this completely. I have seen the big boxes and there's no guarantee papers aren't strewn around them as well. What if there are more papers than spaces in the unit? If I want a sterilized shopping environment I will go to Uptown. Yes, I would like the present boxes maintained better but I like the present arrangement. If a bunch of teens want to distribute a zine in boxes, I say fine. They shouldn't have to be forced to use an overly expensive, ungainly giant box.

[Bingo]

I use the street boxes all the time to pick up Focus and Boulevard. The most organized place to get that stuff are the boxes outside the downtown library.

[sdwright.vic]

For me though... the questioned seemed to be why are by-law officers enforcing by-laws. Not certain what else 29er thinks by-law officers should be doing? I am sure so city manager found a way to increase revenues and thus the enforcement.