Scaffolding and sidewalk coverings cost Manhattan businesses up to $10,000 in monthly revenue. Mayor Eric Adams released a study Wednesday in partnership with Mastercard that found cardholders spend between $3,900 and $9,500 less each month at Manhattan businesses covered by scaffolding and sidewalk coverings. Restaurants and bars are the hardest hit, with weekly transactions dropping 3.5 to 9.7 percent in the six months after the sidewalk coverings were built.

The study is part of Adams’ broader “Get Sheds Down” plan, a series of nine initiatives to speed up construction and repair work so that unsightly sidewalk sheds and construction fencing can be removed as quickly as possible.

Since its inception, the plan has successfully demolished 178 miles of existing sidewalk canopy. The city has removed 259 canopies that had been in place for more than five years, including the city’s longest-standing permitted canopy, which stood for more than 21 years at 409 Edgecombe Avenue in Harlem.

“Too many businesses across New York City are surrounded by hundreds of miles of sidewalk canopies and scaffolding, some of which has been there for decades,” Adams said.

“These shelters may have been put up to keep people safe, but they’re still there because it’s cheaper for building owners to keep them than to repair their buildings. That’s bad for public safety, bad for our city and, as this study shows us, bad for business.”

The Adams administration says it is working with the City Council on a package of legislation that would allow more colorful sidewalk canopies and scaffolding, tighten lighting requirements for canopies, shorten the lifespan of canopy permits and create new penalties for not completing building repairs on time.

To beautify existing sheds and make them less ugly, the city’s Cultural Affairs Department runs the City Canvas program. The initiative enlists the help of local artists who submit artworks that are then temporarily installed on protective structures to make them more visually appealing.

Earlier this summer, the Department of Buildings (DOB) began a review of the city’s facade inspection and safety program, also known as “Local Law 11” inspections. The law requires building owners to hire private inspectors to conduct facade inspections. There are uniform guidelines for buildings over six stories.

While current regulations require property owners to identify facade hazards, they provide no incentives for repairs, resulting in canopies remaining in place for years. Other recommendations from the Adams administration suggest changes to the guidelines that could help reduce the number of canopies on sidewalks that are no longer necessary to protect the public.

The DOB offers an interactive map of the City’s active sidewalk shelter permits, which can be viewed here.

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