Indian bar legally evades closure by adding 250-meter long maze entrance

2017-04-18T12:38:00-04:00

Since April 1 a large number of the bars, pubs and liquor shops across India has gone out of business, thanks to a Supreme Court order that the outlets should be at least 500m away from state and national highways...The Aishwarya Bar in North Paravoor, a Kochi suburb has built a 250m-long maze-like walkway to the entrance, theoretically making it more than 500m away from the highway.

In a move that has even delighted the bureaucrats who initially drafted the rule that no bar could be within 500 meters of a highway, an Indian bar has managed to stay in business by virtue of building a 250 meter long maze that, like the snaking lines at an amusement park, greatly expands the literal number of feet one must traverse to get to the bar's actual entrance. While this clever invention may necessitate a designated walker to help steer patrons back out, it ranks among the best architectural interpretations of law we've seen in some time. Cheers!

h/t bldgblog

Cheers! Manhattan decriminalizes public drinking, urination

2016-03-02T18:45:00-05:00

Beginning on Monday, March 7, 2016, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office will no longer prosecute most violations or infractions, and the NYPD will no longer arrest individuals who commit these offenses – such as littering, public consumption of alcohol, or taking up two seats on the subway – unless there is a demonstrated public safety reason to do so. This initiative will enable the NYPD to devote its resources to investigating serious crimes...

New Yorkers rejoice! A new initiative announced by the Manhattan District Attorney, the NYPD Commissioner and the Mayor means that you're now less likely to get arrested for sipping on a tallboy on your way back from a bodega.

While you still may get a summons and have to pay a fine, the announcement suggests you may just find yourself with a warning. Either way, this is good news – particularly for people of color, as about 81% of quality-of-life violations given in NYC between 2001 and 2013 were to African American or Hispanic individuals.

The changes also mean it's less likely for you to get arrested for urinating in public. As any visitor to Manhattan knows, a good public bathroom is hard to find.

For more New York news, check out other Archinect coverage:

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Indian bar legally evades closure by adding 250-meter long maze entrance

Cheers! Manhattan decriminalizes public drinking, urination