Pending a discussion with the Board of Estimates and a likely vote at a Common Council meeting on March 17, late-night vending on Frances Street may look a lot different in a few months.
No longer will you have a flock of people shuffling out of Wando's and other nearby bars to get their end-of-the-night Jin's Chicken & Fish. Well, they may be heading to Jin's, but they'll have to trek to Library Mall to get their fish fix.
That, at least, is what the Vending Oversight Committee hopes to have happen. Last month, the VOC spent hours revising late-night vending ordinances. These revisions would move large vending carts, such as Jin's, to assigned spots on Library Mall, while allowing smaller carts like hot dog stands to remain on Frances.
If the Common Council chooses to go ahead with the revised ordinances, late-night vending carts would begin serving out of Library Mall as early as April 15, which is when the new vending season begins.
The VOC's changes to late-night vending have been a long time coming, and we applaud their revisions to the ordinances for both safety reasons and for eliminating—though some may consider it a recent Madison tradition—what really is just a public nuisance.
The changes combat the potentially rowdy bar crowd clogging Frances Street, which Jin's employee Tevis O'Hare said can get ""a little rough with people fighting in line."" New lights will be up in Library Mall by the time the carts begin serving there, and VOC member Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said there would be an increased police presence in the area.
This offers a much more open and safe environment for patrons to get their favorite late-night food when compared to the packed sidewalk on Frances, while also eliminating a late-night public annoyance.
Tenants of the Eleanor Apartments at 405 N. Frances St. have complained numerous times to owner Rebecca Anderson about the smell and noise levels created by the vending carts. Although a moderate amount of noise will remain due to the crowds of people still piling out of bars, the oiling smell that clouds the area around Jin's will not.
We urge the Common Council to move ahead with the VOC's changes to the late-night vending ordinances. Sure, a student may have to walk an extra block to appease their craving for some late-night food, but that does not outweigh the potential benefits the new ordinances would create.
