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SAN DIEGO –
A city proposal to ban new drive-through restaurants near public transportation in San Diego has met strong opposition from the restaurant industry and some community leaders.
Proponents say the plan would be a logical and necessary step as San Diego is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging people to abandon their cars in favor of local transit, biking, and walking.
Drive-through restaurants, they say, encourage people to use their cars and trucks, and make walking and cycling more dangerous because of the distraction and length of time that drivers get off a drive-thru street Queues often overrun in bike paths and sidewalks.
However, opponents say the plan would discourage drive-thru-dependent restaurants from opening, especially in low-income neighborhoods. They also say the policy makes life more difficult for elderly and disabled people who need cars.
The proposal would not require existing drive-thrus near the transit to be closed, but new ones could not be opened. It would only apply to restaurants, not drive-through pharmacies or banks.
Opposition groups have convinced city officials to delay approving the new policy. Instead, officials will meet with the local restaurant industry to discuss the potential impact and examine how such bans have been handled in other cities like Palm Springs and Long Beach.
The ban was opposed by the Urban Planning Commission, the City Council’s Land Use and Housing Committee, and a coalition of neighborhood leaders, the Community Planners Committee.
The proposed drive-through ban could be cited as San Diego’s next step, after abolishing parking requirements for apartment developers in transit areas two years ago and then last month abolishing parking requirements for businesses near transit areas.
The ban would only apply to areas known as “transit priority areas” which are areas within half a mile of a trolley line, a S-Bahn bus station, or two high-frequency bus routes.
The policy changes are part of a larger campaign to make San Diego a more traffic-friendly city that is less dependent on cars, which are the city’s number 1 greenhouse gas emissions maker.
“Car-oriented uses such as drive-thrus are inconsistent in areas that are prioritized for active transportation and transit uses,” said city planners, emphasizing that existing drive-thrus would not be forced to close. “The city has to plan a consistent use of space, which not only includes the use of through traffic, but also an active and flourishing pedestrian zone.”
Andy Hanshaw, chairman of the city’s Mobility Board and the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, said San Diego must take steps like this to encourage the use of bicycles and public transportation.
“We have to think big and think boldly,” he said. “We have to reduce car emissions and the idling of cars that occur when driving through.”
The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce acknowledged the ban could play a role in helping San Diego meet the goals of the Climate Change Plan. However, the board said that a deeper look was needed before the directive was passed.
“We would like to see further analysis of how specifically banning future eating and drinking establishments in priority transit areas will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Summer Bales, political coordinator for the chamber.
The California Restaurant Association said the proposal contained no data or evidence to support such a large change.
The American Association of Retired Persons said it was important to study how such bans have affected seniors in other cities.
The proposal was one of three dozen zoning and regulatory changes that the city’s planning bureau proposed as part of a comprehensive package of reforms. But the Land Use Committee voted on November 3rd to remove it for further analysis.
Other suggestions in this year’s package are incentives for new day-care centers, softer restrictions for veterinarians in the city center and looser requirements for storage rooms and balconies in new apartments and condominiums.
The city council is due to vote on the package on Monday. If approved, the changes won’t take effect in the city’s coastal areas until they are reviewed by the California Coastal Commission next year.
City officials have not given an estimate of how long it will take to analyze the proposed no-entry ban and possibly submit it for approval by the council.
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