Q: We live in a co-op building across from a small park on East 77th Street. An ice cream truck is parked 12 hours a day at the entrance to the park, right next to our apartment, with a diesel generator running 24/7. Because of the noise and air pollution, we cannot open our windows or sit on our balcony. Is there anything that can be done? Many of our neighbors complain about it. We contacted 311, our councilman, the police and the owner of the ice cream truck. Our efforts have achieved nothing. what can be done
A: Ice cream trucks are a ubiquitous part of New York summer and a staple in city parks. So if you live right by a park, the trucks, with their incessant bells and rattling generators, are part of the territory. However, like other food vendors, truck operators must be licensed and licensed and comply with city rules and regulations.
The list of rules is long. Food trucks cannot idle while the engine is running. You cannot park too close to an entrance, loading zone, subway entrance, bus stop or taxi rank. And they must use generators, run and vented to manufacturer guidelines to keep the food cold. The generators must also be registered with the city’s Environmental Protection Agency and comply with their noise and air pollution regulations.
You could call 311 again and ask for a DEP inspector to come and confirm that the generator is working properly. You can also call your local community board (in your case, the Manhattan Community Board is 8) and ask them to go ahead on your behalf.
But the provider is also a business owner in your community. So instead of reporting him again, try having another conversation with him. Street vendors “don’t want to cause problems because they’re on the street every day,” said Matthew Shapiro, the legal director of the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center. “The street is their place of business.”
The fumes and noise pose a health risk to the worker more than anyone else. A decade ago, the city hooked up a few food trucks to the grid, but the initiative fizzled. Now the Street Vendor Project is working on a pilot program to run some food trucks on batteries to test the cleaner, quieter technology. If successful (and funded), the technology could potentially work for larger grocery and ice cream trucks as well.
“Why can’t we have food trucks that run on batteries?” Mr Shapiro said. “That would be better for the providers. That would be better for the city. That would be better for everyone.”
If we can drive an electric battery car, why not an ice cream truck?
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