Ice Cream/ Vending Truck
MOBILE VENDING TRUCK PROPOSAL On this said date of March 8, 2011, we hereby the undersigned parents of the Montclair School District, would like for the Town Council of Montclair New Jersey to MODIFY the MOBILE VENDING TRUCK ORIDINANCE in Chapter 337-4 to PARK 1000FT. FROM THE SCHOOL on SCHOOL DAYS. WE find it to be a HEALTH & SAFETY ISSUE. IT disrupts PEDESTRIAN traffic and takes away from a limited parking for parents. See paragraph A & B for further explanation. Paragraph A- Health Issue In the school district, the parents are requesting more healthy options for our kids, the schools are listening by offering more fruits, vegetables and grilled food items to curtail the high fat content and the excessive sugars that our children intake. We believe that the Ice Cream Truck is not appropriate and it goes against everything we are working for in our schools, in its predatory like actions waiting for our kids to come out of school to purchase unhealthy ice cream that is loaded with all sorts of chemicals, high fructose corn syrup and artificial coloring. All of these things have been proven to attribute to Diabetes, Obesity, High Cholesterol and High Blood Pressure in our Children which eventually leads to an untimely death as we get older. As our schools evolve we need our surroundings to evolve with us, to support our kids Heart Healthy Life. Paragraph B- Safety Issue I myself, Abraham Dickerson one of the organizers & designers of the proposal have witnessed the ice cream truck parked in illegal manners on consecutive occasions for the last 5 school years during the warm months of April-October, specifically at Nishuane and Hillside Elementary Schools. I have taken pictures via cell phone. Below are multiple examples of the Ice Truck Safety Hazards:
1. I have observed the ice cream truck parked in the yellow lines at both above mentioned Elementary Schools
2. I have also observed the ice cream truck partially blocking the drive-way of Montclair- Community K School (which is directly across the street from Hillside School.)
3. This truck has as well parked directly on the corner of Church Street and Orange Road, which impairs the vision of a motorist trying to make a right from Church Street onto Orange Road, due to the width of the Ice Cream Truck.
4. The Ice Cream Truck has also parked on the same side of the street as Hillside School’s driveway at the very edge of the entrance to the driveway, which in turn makes it very difficult to make the appropriate right turn out of the driveway onto Orange Rd.
5. The school children when they are at the Ice Cream Truck are blocking the walkway, which impedes the pedestrian accessibility and ability to walk freely and safely on the sidewalk. I would like to thank the Mayor, the Town Council & the Town Manager for considering this proposal; we believe that this proposal is keeping pace with the evolving Health & Wellness Community, which has made Montclair one of the premier towns in NJ to raise a family in.*Please note the ultimate goal is to educate the ice cream truck on healthier items. Examples; frozen yogurt, frozen fruit bars, and soft served yogurt. This can be acheived with the help of the health director from the montclair township.
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