Taipei City residents could be enjoying their coffee al fresco from next month if City Government plans to allow coffee shops to rent sidewalks go ahead as planned.
City officials will meet coffee shop owners next week to discuss the trial project, which would also include street entertainment, according to Lee Fan-yen (
"If all goes well, sidewalks will be available for coffeehouses to use as early as next month," Lee told the Taipei Times yesterday.
The trial areas are: Peimen and Hsiao-nanmen by Chunghua Road, lanes 3 and 4 on Jenai Road and Mingsheng East Road.
Lee said these areas had been chosen because the sidewalks were at least 5m wide and the surrounding environment was suitable for sitting outside.
To avoid hindering pedestrians walking along these sidewalks, Lee said, coffee shops would be required to leave between 2m and 2.5m for pedestrians to pass.
Lee said the project had been inspired by other countries.
"These kinds of open coffeehouses are quite common in other countries, so we thought why not give it a try since we have these spacious sidewalks in town as well," Lee said.
He added that the department hopes the trial will help nearby businesses.
A similar trial last year on Chunghua Road had foundered after coffee shops balked at the rent the city was asking for the sidewalk space, Lee said.
As a result, Lee said, the city government had decided to lower the rent and broaden the scope of the project to include street musicians and artists.
"If these sidewalk drinking areas are well received during the trial period, we will consider opening up more sidewalks for similar projects," he said.
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