The honeymoon for free use of Portland‘s public right of way is soon over. The Swedish Transport Agency has just announced a new fee structure for their Healthy Business licenses, which have been granted to more than 1,000 companies since May 2020.
As of September 1, businesses must pay $ 150 for an application, then pay $ 500 for each parking space and $ 6 for each linear foot of sidewalk space they use.
These permits have been extremely popular with restaurants eager to expand to the streets and sidewalks to keep guests healthy during the pandemic. Back in March, PBOT announced that the program would become permanent. Until now, companies have used public space free of charge. PBOT has compensated for the expenses of federal pandemic financing and their own generosity as a result of a goal of keeping businesses alive in a difficult time.
In a statement today, PBOT said the new fees will cover administration costs and allow them to support and evaluate licensees. Current Healthy Business licenses are valid until 31 August this year. The new fees will take effect on 1 September and permits issued under the new system will be valid until December 2023.
Jonathan Maus is BikePortland’s editor, publisher and founder. Contact him at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone / text at 503-706-8804. If you read and appreciate this page, please become a supporter.
