> During the pandemic, Toronto, like many cities, began allowing some on-street parking spaces to be used as patios by local businesses. As reported by The Globe and Mail, residents spent a total of $181 million at curbside patios within 13 weeks of summer in 2021. If those spaces had remained dedicated to parking, only $3.7 million would have been reaped during the same time period. In other words, curbside patios produced 49 times more revenue than what would have been earned from parking fees.

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2022/11/22/torontos-curbside-patios-made-49-times-more-money-than-the-parking-they-replaced?format=amp

With a sales tax of 8.875% in nyc, the city would be earning around 5x more tax income from dining compared to street parking.

You’re really basing your economic analysis on the possibility that some restaurants might at some point in time be out of business and still have a dining shed up? What kind of wishy-washy ‘I just want the data to say what I want’ logic is that? It doesn’t matter if each and every restaurant shed is always occupied, it earns so much more income regardless.