Council Member Lincoln Restler introduced a bill last week that would ban ice cream trucks from using fossil-fuel generators.
Photo courtesy of BrilliantTrashNYC/Wikimedia Commons
City Council Member Lincoln Restler introduced new legislation last week which would ban ice cream trucks from using fossil fuel-powered generators in an effort to reduce air pollution.
Restler, who represents the 33rd city council district, said that the pollution stemming from one ice cream truck generator can create up to 165 pounds of carbon dioxide per day — the equivalent of burning 83 pounds of coal. As of 2017, over 200 ice cream trucks operated in the New York City area, emitting 33,000 pounds of CO2 daily.
The bill would force ice cream trucks to convert from using gas-powered generators to run their food equipment to solar panels — greatly reducing the amount of pollutants as well as the noise — over the next three years.
The emissions from ice cream trucks mostly impact residential areas where the trucks tend to operate, Restler said. He also claimed noise of the generators is a huge problem, as they regularly produce noise that regularly exceeds decibel levels significantly higher than what is considered safe.
“Our office gets hundreds of calls about ice cream truck noise, and while they’re famous for their music, it’s the gas powered generators that most concern residents,” Restler said in a statement. “We have the technology at our disposal to electrify our ice cream trucks, and our three year timeline gives business owners enough time to make the responsible transition. I’m excited to see how they can serve as a model for electrifying mobile food truck vendors.”
Solar-powered generators currently on the market range from $3,000 to $5,000, but Restler said costs should decline as more and more businesses utilize solar power commercially.
As proposed, the legislation would only apply to ice cream trucks as they most…
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