California: Why Chick-fil-A Is Becoming a 'Public Nuisance' for Californians
California Chick-fil-A has become a public nuisance in the state, with the fast-food chain causing drive-thru lines that often have cars filled with hungry customers backed into the street for hours at a time.
In addition, Chick-fil-A's drive thru lane amplifies the chances of traffic accidents, as well as pedestrians getting injured, according to a CBS News report.
The drive-thru blocks one lane of traffic for as long as 90 minutes on weekdays, and even longer on Saturdays for as much as 155 minutes based on the city traffic report.
The report noted that the City Principal Transportation Engineer had analyzed the situation and issued the engineering report on Jan. 11, 2022.
The engineering report concluded that the operation of the drive-through causes persistent back-ups of traffic on State Street.
In addition, the report stated that earlier attempts to provide solution on the matter "have been unsuccessful."
It also cited that there are traffic control signs posted that urge motorists not to stop in the travel lane. However, this is being "routinely ignored" by Chick-fil-A customers.
Chick-fil-A has also tried several methods of reducing the traffic back-ups by changing its on-site queuing and stationing mobile take orders.
However, none appeared to be effective, and traffic continued to persists.
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California Chick-fil-A a "Public Nuisance"
The backlash against drive-thrus in California started in the 1990s, citing complaints about traffic and noise, which prompted cities to enforce moratoriums on the lanes.
Environmentalist regulators had also said that cars idling in long lines contributed to air pollution, according to a Los Angeles Times report.
Chick-fil-A has operated a location in Santa Barbara since 2013, with the city in discussion with the store's operators for years.
In 2020, the city recommended Chick-fIl-A to hire a security firm to manage traffic at the location.
The fast-food is also looking into using a nearby parking lot for its employees' cards, according to Chick-fil-A.
Santa Barbara City Councilmember Kristen Sneddon said that it is not about the goodness of the company or the goodness of the owners, and "certainly not about the goodness of the employees."
Sneddon added that Chick-fil-A has a "good problem," with the traffic queue meaning they are successful and have outgrown their site.
The city councilmembers added that it is also possible that Chick-fil-A were oversized for that site to start with, according to a KIRO 7 News report.
On a March 1 meeting, the city council agreed to give the company 90 days to show its solutions before voting on whether to designate the site as a public nuisance.
Chick-fil-A released a report saying that the company strives to serve not only their guests but as well as their communities at large.
In January 2021, Chick-fil-A submitted a development application to the Community Department to expand its drive-thru from one lane to two lanes to increase its capacity.
The queuing of vehicles were also reported to routinely block access to business next to it, which can affect customer and delivery access to these business.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: Santa Barbara could declare Chick-fil-A a 'public nuisance' - FOX 11 Los Angeles