The alternative, the business pays a fee per day for lane and sidewalk closures. I guarantee they will close the lanes and sidewalks less often and for shorter durations.
Boston does not have a functioning local government. A developer in my old neighborhood blocked a sidewalk for three years without a permit. Public works issued them one $50 fine. The same developer also abandoned the site in an effort to pressure the zoning board to allow them to add floors to their plan.
Much of the "solutions" provided for apparent existing problems already exist. Some kind of analogy to the Dunning-Kreuger effect is going on - any problem I don't understand is simple.