SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn says people in his city want bars and clubs to stay open later than 2 a.m.
McGinn says the vast majority of 2,400 residents taking part in a survey support the idea. McGinn says keeping bars open later would be safer, because there would be no crush of drunken bar-goers pouring onto the streets all at once.
Keeping bars open later is one aim of McGinn’s Nightlife Iniative, but the state controls bar hours, and changing the regulations could take a while. Other goals include lowering permissible noise levels from bars and clubs.
McGinn says that people will soon be able to prepay for “liquor stickers” that will allow them to park on city streets from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m., which should help discourage them from driving home drunk.
