The city of New York is proposing to take the licenses from folks who run food truck and get too many parking tickets. Now you may think these trucks are like the ones that visit construction sites and have a very high tolerance for ptomaine. However it appears they are “gourmet” trucks and bring all types of health and gourmet food. They tend to park in the same area and develop a returning clientele. The city says that if they park too long in one place, they should be ticketed. Fair Enough.
The Food Trucks say that tickets are a cost of doing business and if the city cracks down, they will go out of business.
You can read all about it here
Remember, the city of New York is the same city that cut deals with Fedex and UPS over parking tickets, allowing them to pay them in bulk. The delivery companies agreed that the double parking and the like tickets were a cost of doing business. Finally the city got smart and set up ways for the couriers to purchase parking (using their debit card) and all is right with the world.
I wonder why it’s so difficult to work out a deal so the food trucks can continue in business and the city can, at the same time get its pound of flesh. It makes no sense to me to run them out of business.
They pay around $9000 a year in parking fees feeding the meter and one is quoted saying they pay $4000 a year in fines. What if the city charged them a tad more for their business licenses, limited the number in certain areas, and then set up a way for them to pay for parking with rules that were different from the limits placed on normal cars?
Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds
