A new ice cream truck curfew in Lynn has folks heated

City health officials approved the new ice cream truck restriction in hopes of curbing noisy jingles at night.

Health officials in Lynn were met with a frosty reception last week after passing an ice cream truck curfew in an effort to curb noisy jingles.

The new Board of Health restriction, which goes into effect next month, bars ice cream truck sales after 8 p.m. between Memorial Day and Labor Day. During the board’s July 9 meeting, Public Health Director Lisa Tobin said the policy — first reported by The Daily Item — was the result of community members’ complaints about ice cream trucks blaring music around 9 p.m. or later.

“I was laying in bed Sunday night at 8:30 and my window was open and I heard the ice cream truck, and I was like, ‘You know what, if I was a parent of a young person, I would not be appreciating that,’” Tobin said.

She said she asked around to see if neighboring communities had any local restrictions limiting nighttime ice cream truck sales, but “nobody had anything, because nobody’s having the problem.” She raised concerns regarding not only the nutritional value of the frozen treats, but the noise from the trucks and the safety of children who might come running out to the street at night.

“My perspective is, it’s noise pollution and … you don’t need to be selling ice cream at 9:00, 8:30 at night to them babies,” she said.

To underline her point about the trucks’ disruptive nature, Tobin offered an anecdote about hearing an ice cream truck blasting music as she was sitting in her office on a Zoom call.

“I come running out, he’s on [city] property selling ice cream,” Tobin said. “I was like, ‘Shut the music off right now. You are disrupting the business of city hall.’”

Board member Rocio Mora suggested the city first try approaching ice cream truck owners to let them know about the noise complaints and ask for a compromise. Tobin argued that the request would have no teeth without a local regulation in place.

“Listen, I love ice cream. When I want one at 9:00 at night, I get in my car and I drive somewhere,” Tobin said. “As a parent of a young kid, what you probably don’t want is your kids getting ready for bed and hearing the ice cream truck because your windows are open at 8:30, 9:00 at night.”

However, the move to limit access to ice cream trucks has left some Lynn residents heated. Community members railed against the policy on social media, and local ice cream truck operator Cuckie’s Soft Serve Ice Cream called the curfew “nonsense.”

“I don’t know why the ice cream trucks can’t sell ice cream after 8 p.m., it’s so weird,” young Lynn resident Zynalia Phoeurng told WHDH. “They’re a small business. Everybody should be helping them.”

Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson even joined the debate, urging health officials to explore other avenues.

“We appreciate residents’ feedback on the impact ice cream trucks have on quality of life in the neighborhoods at night, as well as concerns about the effect the proposed change would have on local businesses,” Nicholson said in a statement. “Our office has asked the Board of Health to reconsider how the goals behind this proposed change might be achieved through less restrictive intervention and ensure that any local action we take is aligned with existing state regulations.”