Ice cream trucks are to summer what apple pie is to America. But residents of Scottsdale, Ariz. haven't heard the tell-tale sign of summer since the 1970s, when the city council banned the trucks.
That's why earlier this week, The Arizona Republic ran a story that the city council was reconsidering, offering a proposal that "would allow dessert trucks only, but not hot food vendors, a city representative said." In order soften the discomfort, trucks wouldn't be allowed to play songs.
Still, two days later on Wednesday, The Arizona Republic revisited the proposal with this headline: "Ice-cream Truck Proposal Meets Icy Resistance."
In a public hearing, the proposal was shot down by residents, who complained about the safety of children running toward the trucks and who were also concerned about ice-cream men selling drugs instead of sweets. "Tempers flared," the paper said.
The Republic has more:
"'The last thing I want is some guy going in an ice-cream truck up and down the same streets, knowing somebody is on vacation,' said resident Art Lorenzen.
"Lorenzen said he installed security measures at his house after a recent spate of crimes in his community.
"'A guy driving an ice-cream truck is probably not the best-quality person,' Lorenzen said. 'I think that's one of my concerns, this guy driving slowly down the street, maybe not the first day or second day, but the third day, when they (residents) are on vacation.'"
Needless to say, Scottsdale may not be getting ice cream trucks anytime soon.
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