By Gabriela Resto-Montero
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — After withdrawing plans for a permanent Herald Square pedestrian plaza, the Department of Transportation has approved 12 applications for pop-up cafes around the city, the New York Post reported.
The cafes would extend from restaurants into traffic lanes, gutters and parking spots during the summer, the Post reported.
Cafe tables would be protected from traffic by a row of planters and be open to anyone, the paper reported.
While the Department of Transportation gave the go-ahead for the cafe applications, community boards will ultimately be responsible for approving each location, according to the paper.
In Greenwich Village and SoHo, Community Board 2 recommended six of seven applications for pop-up Cafes for Tea Spot, La Lanterna and Chez Jacqueline on MacDougal Street as well as Le Pain Quotidiene, Salume and Housing Works Bookstore Cafe in SoHo.
Despite the community board recommendations, there are still some safety concerns about placing cafes so close to traffic, Marty Schott, the community board's chairman of the sidewalks committee, told the Post.
"If a driver happens to be texting, he could slam into a cafe at 35 to 40 mph," Schott said.
As part of the approval, the cafes will close at 9 p.m., the Post reported.
