Ice cream trucks and Lakewood
Ice cream trucks haven’t legally traversed Lakewood’s streets since 1983 when city council voted to ban them.
741.07 SALE FROM VEHICLES ON STREETS PROHIBITED.
No person, firm or corporation shall sell, offer for sale or otherwise exchange any product, goods or merchandise from a motor vehicle, push cart or tricycle on any public street or sidewalk within the Municipality, while such public street or sidewalk is open to normal public use. (Ord. 52-82. Passed 2-7-83.)
Part of the rationale behind booting them from city limits had to do with safety concerns. Here’s the text of an October 26, 1972 Sun Newspaper article (see .PDF):
Ice cream regulation asked
Alarmed by the number of children injured while buying treats from ice cream trucks, Lakewood council last week moved to restrict the vendors’ hours and have city police patrol their activities.
Councilmen Mark R. Magnotto and George J. Usher reported “statistics obtained from the police department indicate within the last 18 months eight accidents relating to ice cream vendors have been reported in the city wherein nine children sustained injuries.”
The councilmen added, “Fortunately, there have been no traffic deaths.”
Council asked the law department to draft legislation requiring two attendants on every ice cream truck, limiting vendors hours of operation from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and placing enforcement of the restrictions in police hands.
“When viewed historically,” Magnotto and Usher said, “there probably was time when ice cream trucks were beneficial.”
Due to increased traffic and home freezers the pair said, “The benefits derived from these types of vendors are outweighed by the hazards involved.”
Magnotto and Usher also pointed to “the chaos which is created by their chimes and bells,” and “the exorbitant prices charged by these vendors clearly indicate that some limitation should be place” on them.
In 2008, an ice cream truck vendor approached city council and asked them to repeal the law. They quickly dismissed the request, but not before the mayor belittled the guy for selling food that’s “not healthy.”
Someday, the ban will be challenged again, but for now, ice cream trucks are like leashed dog walking in city parks — just another Lakewood memory.
Tags: