He’s the Pied Piper of preteens, toddlers and just about every other youngster with a sweet tooth, but the ice cream man is getting an unusually chilly reception from parents in New York City.
Some moms and dads in the Big Apple are waging a war against guys who hock frozen treats from the back of their freezers on wheels.
According to reports, parents are irate that the city has allowed ice cream truck owners the right to park next to their children’s schools, favorite parks and other kid-packed neighborhood attractions.
As one mom puts it: “They’ve got a trapped audience. Every parent has to walk their kid out of a school building, and there it is–a sweet treat just waiting to be begged for.”
Parents say the situation lends itself to repeated meltdowns by their ice cream-loving tots. In addition, some moms and dads maintain that the trucks’ placement near the parks where they’re taking their children to get exercise (and avoid childhood obesity) sends the wrong message to kids.
I would venture to guess that the majority of the anti-ice cream truck parents are the same ones that feed their children organic fruits and vegetables for snacks… and good for them if they do. However, the truck’s owners reportedly pay a hefty fee to park in areas where they might score the greatest amount of cash, and they have the city to thank for that.
The city charges big bucks for those prime pieces of real estate.
Can you imagine how many Drumsticks and Creamsicles an ice cream truck driver has to sell to pay for a spot next to PS 58?
A lot.
According to the New York City Parks Department, the popular Carroll Park spot on Carroll St. — between the entrance to the playground and PS 58 — rents for about $6,500 a year.
It’s not much cheaper for a spot near Seth Low Park in Bensonhurst. The owner of an ice cream truck there says he pays the city $5,120 for the prime location.
I’m not picking sides in this heated debate. I feel for both camps. As a mother, I know what it’s like to be placed in the middle of a showdown between a kid who will stop at nothing to wrap her lips around a frozen RocketPop and a grinning ice cream truck owner, who’s hanging out the window of his vehicle waving his chilly treats at pint-sized sugar addicts.
On the other hand, the ice cream guy has to make money to support his family somehow.
But at the end of the day… it’s just ice cream.
Would you be fighting City Hall if an ice cream truck owner secured a spot next to your kid’s school?
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