The Coal Row market needs a clear freight lane. A neighborhood water cart also needs to cross the lower gate before residents begin their day. The current board gives the first bell to deliveries without recording what the water route loses.
Merchants are right that a slow gate leaves goods waiting and stalls unstocked. Residents are right that water cannot be delayed until the market is ready. A shared lane requires a schedule that names both duties, not a queue that treats one as an exception.
The gate has records that can support a fair trial: delivery tickets, opening marks and the water cart’s arrival times. Publishing those times would let both sides challenge the schedule with evidence rather than guesswork.
The steward should test alternating windows for freight and water service, then review missed deliveries and missed household turns together. The trial can close on a date everyone sees on the board.
The gate steward closed this docket by approving alternating freight and water windows for the next market cycle. The next review will count both missed deliveries and household turns.
