Monday, October 22, 2007

Ice Cream And Some Exhaust Fumes, Anyone?

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I received an email today regarding a noise issue with the ice- cream truck parked next to the toddler play area in Carroll Park. The truck has been there all summer of course, but I suppose most parents have tried to live with the annoying music. However, the author of the email, a father of a little one year old, is concerned more with the exhaust and with the noise that come from the engine. The truck is permanently parked in the same spot on Carroll Street, level with the swing set for the very little ones. I think the parent has a right to be annoyed. But, here, I'll let him tell the story:



This past weekend, I went to the park to enjoy the beautiful weather with my 1 year old son. Unfortunately, there was an ice cream truck parked right next to the baby playground and it was so loud and was producing so much exhaust, that we had to leave. My wife asked the operator if he could move but he insisted that his truck was off and it was all electric - which was irrelevant since the electric refrigerator engine was obviously what was producing the noise and nasty exhaust.
Is there anything that can be done to have him move? The bigger irony is that these ice cream trucks go where the kids are and to create such noise and harmful pollution on a playground is ridiculous. I know the season for ice cream is probably over soon (who knows - it's almost 90 degrees in the end of October!) but I would like to know if anything can be done. Thank you.



Have you had the same experience? If yes, it might make sense to join forces. If the vendor hears it from others, maybe he will get the point.
After all, we all have the right to enjoy a sunny day in the park without breathing exhaust fumes.

1 comment:

KN said...

I just noticed this yesterday, I tried to approach an ice cream truck and the exhaust was so bad that I couldn’t even for a moment! I called the phone number on the truck and was told they were “ trying to work” etc , well I wa trying to buy and never seen anything so bad, probably very unsafe for the attendant! They said they had to do it for their generator! It made me think of how people sit on the back of a boat while it’s running and the fall off and drown because they lose consciousness even though they’re out in “the open”.