Good points. Imagine that we allowed other businesses to build extra structures on the public sidewalk. Does the hardware store just build more retail space? It's a bit absurd from that perspective.
> The max parking spot coverage thing is probably about parking capacity.
Many see reducing parking capacity as a benefit: Parking capcity consumes limited real estate (imagine a dense downtown), driving up all other real estate prices. It's a public subsidy for greenhouse gas producing cars. However, the solution is probably not random takeover of parking spots.
If we, the public, decide that dining facilities on public sidewalks are something we want, then so shall it be.
We, the public, are not likely to decide that Home Depot should expand their shelving onto the sidewalk.
Really if this stuff was allowed there would be no big problem, even if home depot put a couple planters on the sidewalk for sale. The outside of their business reflects on them, so they probably at least try to make it sort of pretty.
I never really minded street hawkers though, or all of the window/street advertising you typically see in a large Asian city.
I thought we, Hacker News commenters, decided? ;)
It's no different than allowing private bus companies to drive on public roads, or ice cream vendors to sell from their carts in a city park. We think those are good things, so we allow private businesses to do them.
Ultimately, it's a bad situation. It's not being handled well, but I don't really think there's a good outcome that doesn't compromise on either safety, parking or screwing over the restaurant operators.