In my city, during the covid lockdowns, restaurants were allowed to set up outdoor tables in the street parking spots in front of their restaurants. Many built

In my city, during the covid lockdowns, restaurants were allowed to set up outdoor tables in the street parking spots in front of their restaurants. Many built semi-permanent structures with wooden flooring, waist-high walls to isolate seated guests from motorists, roofs for shade, etc. After everything opened back up, restaurants were allowed to keep the spots for about a year so long as they brought the structures up to code. After that, rather than shut them down the city started charging them rent. It's such a nice solution. The city earns much more revenue than they would if they put a parking meter there, the business gets more seating capacity, the guests get al fresco dining options. The only people who lose are those who insist upon driving (instead of Ubering, taking public transit, biking, walking, etc.), but even they can just park further away from the crowded areas and walk, or park in the parking structures (which charge something closer to market rate).