Annapolis city council proposes ban on new drive-through facilities

Baltimore -- This week, the Annapolis City Council introduced new legislation aimed at prohibiting new drive-through window facilities from opening within the city limits.

The initiative, introduced on Monday, seeks to expand the city's walkability, particularly beyond downtown areas.

What this legislation would do is prohibit any new drive-thrus from being installed. It would allow the existing ones to stay in place but just prevent any new ones from being permitted," council member Alderman Savidge said. "We know that drive-thrus can lead to traffic issues. We know they tend to not be friendly to pedestrians and cyclists."

"We know that drive-thrus can lead to traffic issues. We know they tend to not be friendly to pedestrians and cyclists."

Savidge says the legislation is also driven in part by environmental concerns....

"When you have cars queued up, they're spewing a lot of emissions," Savidge said.

While residents like Bryan Jackson are on board, others are apprehensive.

"Sometimes those drive-thrus will be hanging all the way out of the parking lot. They'll be halfway in the road!," Jackson said.

Savidge says the legislation is part of a bigger vision to make biking and public transit more viable alternatives, and steer development in a non-auto-centric direction.

"We want that vibrant community where people are living where they work, where people can walk and bike anywhere they want in the city, and that has a lot of economic value," Savidge said.

When it comes to rethinking transportation, residents face a crossroads.

"I think it's good in theory, but the problem is the businesses, they're not going to be able to get their product," Karen, another Annapolis resident, commented.