On Monday, November 30, the New York City Council overwhelmingly decided yesterday to gradually ban the use of those ugly, unsightly rolldown security gates by retail storefronts. Critics say they attract graffiti and that they render hidden the insides of stores from police and firefighters.
According to The New York Times:
The bill would require that after July 1,
2011, any roll-down gate that is being replaced must be replaced with a
gate that allows at least 70 percent of the covered area to be visible.
By July 1, 2026, all of the businesses covered by the legislation must
have the new higher-visibility gates installed.
“We wanted to give a reasonable phase-in
period to small businesses,” said Jeffrey Haberman, a lawyer who works
on drafting legislation for the Council. He said the typical gate lasts
from 10 to 15 years, which means most businesses that now have
roll-down gates will have them replaced in any case by 2026.