Staff are looking into this and we will provide a response here.

Issue 1879295 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue.

Thanks for your comments. We are simply moving this issue over to one that has already been registered. To follow this issue use #1880321.

Hi CoR,
This *is* issue 1880321... you closed issue 1879295 saying it's a duplicate of this one. Both are talking about the same issue, yet you closed both of the issues saying they're duplicates of each other. Can you please address one of them???

Yes. Thanks for reopening. We closed this by mistake.

From the context of the picture it does not appear that any rules have been violated. Staff will continue to enforce these new rules City wide.

Hi again,

Is there no rule that states the width of the sidewalk to be allowed for pedestrian traffic? If so, the distance from the ropes to the grate covering the trees is <2 feet.... clearly impassible for a wheelchair. The attached picture shows the obvious sidewalk obstruction. No wheelchair could get past this, as I could hardly walk my dog past this on Friday night.

Thank you!

These pedestrian issues will happen during the next few weeks as establishments adjust to the new seating rules. As a resident we are very encouraged by the improvement in the late night noise and crowd control issues. It doesn't seem appropriate to zero in on one establishment when several are going through the same issues. Sidewalks compromise matters!

Can you share what the ordinance is City of Raleigh? This might help. How much clearance must be allowed for pedestrian right of way and wheelchairs? This should clear up the issue versus say it doesn't look like anything is wrong.

The ordinance can be found at http://www.raleighnc.gov/content/CorNews/Documents/OutdoorSeatingOrdinance.docx.

Section 3, D, 3, states "The location of any Outdoor Seating Area shall provide for an unobstructed pedestrian corridor a minimum of five (5) feet in width." Again, from the context of the picture that was provided it does not appear that any rules were violated. Staff will continue to enforce the ordinance that was approved by Raleigh City Council.

Hi City of Raleigh 4,

Maybe I am missing something or looking at the wrong pictures, but the 2 photos here show much less than 5 feet of unobstructed pedestrian corridor. The distance from the rope to the curb may be 5 feet, but it's certainly obstructed by trees.

Moving forward, if this issue persists, with whom can citizens call to address the issue? I also live in downtown Raleigh and have experienced this first hand. It was more than frustrating to see a little lady trying to pass this area in a motorized wheelchair last week, and I'd like to think the City would pay attention to these issues. Who can we contact if/when this issue arises again? Do we call local police?

Rovers, I don't believe that this neighbor is trying to single out a business; it just so happens that this business is the only one who has less than five feet of unobstructed pedestrian walkway :) and I must say, the noise was no less than it was 6 months ago, so I do not think these sidewalk patio rules have helped in the least.

I'm out here tonight And there is no more than 2 feet at most between tables. I literally have to turn sideways to go between the table closest to the building and the table planted in between the sidewalk. And there is no straight corridor through, you have to maneuver back and forth. The width of this sidewalk can't hold 3 tables across if there is supposed to be a five foot path clear. No way, it's at best 2 feet city of Raleigh.

I'm out here tonight And there is no more than 2 feet at most between tables. I literally have to turn sideways to go between the table closest to the building and the table planted in between the sidewalk. And there is no straight corridor through, you have to maneuver back and forth. The width of this sidewalk can't hold 3 tables across if there is supposed to be a five foot path clear. No way, it's at best 2 feet city of Raleigh.

The grate is considered part of the sidewalk and meets ADA standards.

There is not 5 feet between the ropes of their patio & the tree in the middle of the grate. Not even close to 5 feet of passable unobstructed walkway. That's also clear in both pictures in this post. It seems like the City of Raleigh is simply ignoring this issue rather than addressing the safety of its citizens. Why??

Going forward, who do we contact if/when this happens again? Do we call 911??

Was it an issue before with patrons bringing alcohol out of the designated areas? The ropes around tables now take up an extra foot or so of sidewalk space. Where I wait for the bus in the morning there is not enough space for me to stand at the stop and for another person to walk by. I often have to step into the street to accommodate pedestrians. How is that safer?

This area has always been an issue.

Please address this, Raleigh. It is a very tight squeeze trying to get through this mess.

I appreciate the renaissance downtown, and have been following this and other issues on SCF. I was downtown Sunday night and passed by The Raleigh Times. The sidewalk was overwhelmed with patrons. It was a nice evening, so I am sure they were busier than normal; however, The Raleigh Times was in no way in compliance with the sidewalk ordinance. The discussion above about 2 feet or less is correct- at most there was 2 feet clearance in front of TRT.

This is one of the best casual establishments dowtown. I'm not sure why everyone is such a hater with outside dining. These establishments is what started to bring people back downtown and with the change in ordinace, the city is now trying to put them out of business. Totally irresponsible government. I dont want to see the sidewalks rolled back to the 1970's, 80s and 90s when there was no life downtown after 5:00.

Get a life people!

With respect, Mike, this is a sidewalk, not a dining room. There needs to be enough room for people to walk. Nobody is arguing that the Raleigh Times is a bad restaurant. It's one of our best.

Not only is it difficult to walk through the congested area, this sidewalk is clearly impassable by a motorized wheelchair when cluttered with tables. I'm interested to see how the CoR adheres its new sidewalk markers to make this area ADA compliant.

We believe this issue was resolved. Please reopen if this issue persists and we will ask staff to take a look. Thanks!