This ice cream truck on Old Fulton Street in DUMBO is parked just feet from the famous Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. Eagle photo by Mary Frost
They’re noisy, they’re smelly and they expose thousands of kids, residents and visitors to toxic fumes every day.
Residents in Councilmember Lincoln Restler’s district (DUMBO, Greenpoint, Brooklyn Heights) have complained for years about diesel-belching ice cream trucks. On Thursday, Restler introduced legislation requiring the trucks to switch from using fossil fuel-powered generators for their food equipment to environmentally friendly power sources, such as solar or electric generators. The truck owners would have three years to make the switch. Councilmember Gale Brewer (Upper West Side) is a primary co-sponsor.
“Our office gets hundreds of calls about ice cream truck noise, [but] it’s the gas-powered generators that most concern residents,” Restler said. “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 are currently available for $3,000 – $5,000, Restler told the Brooklyn Eagle. He expects costs will decrease as electric and solar generators become more widely adopted. California recently banned all gas-powered generators, and Vancouver is working on a similar regulation.
Residents of DUMBO have logged thousands of complaints to 311 about the noise and the sickening fumes from ice cream trucks over the past few years. Trucks owned by Mr. Softee, Brooklyn Ice Cream (unrelated to the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory) and other brands park…
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