Ice Cream Vans

[sbear]

Am I being unreasonable to suggest ice cream vans should be banned from areas near schools (for health reasons) and in built up residential areas so that the tunes do not annoy people?
There is a growing problem with obesity in children in this country and to strive to improve school meals to help kids but then to allow ice cream vans to park near schools seems to defeat the object.

I live near a park, a school and my DD's nursery. Summer is ice cream van hell. I don't like:

1. The noise pollution which is only going to get worse now that the government has decided to relax the laws and they can play for 12 seconds rather than 4 seconds. Also they can now play whilst stationary. They play all day every day from may till october. When my DD was a young baby she couldn't nap in the day as the vans going past blaring out their tunes would wake her up! ( I don't think they were keeping to the 4 second rule either) www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/shortcuts
   

1. giving my children sugar if I can help it so its really annoying when I can't leave the house without an ice cream van being nearby.
   

1. That the ice cream is terrible anyway! Maybe if they sold good ice cream or frozen yogurt or something healthier it would be more acceptable. But the sugary terrible ice cream they sell is awful.
   

The only bright spot is that I told my DD that when the music plays it means they have runout of ice cream so if they are playing for longer... not sure how long she will believe that for though.

I would love to hear what other parents think.

all the best
sbear.

[mrsjay]

YABU say no see how that works it is not an ice cream van man fault if parents get all uppity and dont know how to say no to the children, ice cream and sweeties are not crack you know

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

If you ban them from anywhere near a school AND all built up areas, where do you think they are going to go to find customers??

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

YABU, and a big misery!

[OHforDUCKScake]

YANBU.

I have no problem with vans or their music. What I have a massive problem with, is it coming round at 7pm on the dot every night just as Ive managed to get my kids to sleep. It stops outside the window and goes past twice with the music blaring which is SO loud.

Fucking ice cream van.

[Emilythornesbff]

Wow! Ice cream van.
In my street.
Hurrah!

[sheridand]

Imagine my life. 2 kids, 5 and 6. On picking up from school, Frank, who is not really Frank but Milo, is parked up servicing loads of kids outside school with tasty overpriced ice creams. 25 minutes later, he is also outside, bang outside, my front door, servicing all the kids on my street.

Now, either my life is one long "I WANT AN ICE CREAM!" or I step on it. I stepped on it. I say, sometimes, "no, not even when you ask again 25 minutes later", or "Maybe when we get home, IF you walk nicely!" ( and sometimes, for this, Frank, I LOVE you, this bribe works. It's a LONG walk, 2.5 miles), and sometimes, I say, "heck, it's Friday, it's never really sunny that much, have two!".

Point is, it's his living. No, it's not that healthy, but hey, they have healthy breakfasts, lunches and teas, and it's not every night. Kids need to learn "no" and Frank provides me with that opportunity. Plus, he's better than the "not Frank" of evil Blue van round our way, whose ice creams are vile.

It's Summer. Live with it.

And they can play their tinkles for longer now, too!

[SoleSource]

YABU because I love the exhaust fumes. Mmm

[GameSetAndMatch]

Government dont mind loud jingly jangly noise as ICVs dont park on their exclusive marbled driveways 5 miles from a main road thats not near any schools or estates!

Or on the private road that is number 10.

[ComposHat]

if you don't want her to have ice cream why not get her something else from the ice cresm van? Buy her a a healthy wrap of speed or some lovely skunk weed.

[Hassled]

:o Compos

The window of opportunity to see an ice cream van, listen to it playing "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man", have a 99 and enjoy it is SO tiny - you only really have a few years where you can do this stuff. You have the rest of your life to eat bloody frozen yoghurt. Buy her a 99.

[notallytuts]

yabu i wish it would come down my street, we currently dont have a freezer

[allcatsaregrey]

Ours plays the tune from the A team. He comes round the estate about 3 time a day and he also sells dog food. Where I used to live the ice cream man got shot!

[KobayashiMaru]

You want to ban something you don't even use? Bloody hell.

[MyBaby1day]

YABU, I LOVE ice-cream vans, it reminds me that summer is here! . I have a syndrome and can't eat a lot but manage to get the powder stuff down and it's upto you what your DD eats and what you allow, no-one is forcing you to go to it. Agree with you about the healthier option should be available though but not the tune!! la la la.

[MeerkatMerkin]

I remember when I was about 8 or 9 getting an ice cream from the van that came down our street, there was a photocopied poster in the window of a fleet of ice cream vans that had been the victims of an arson attack. The poster was appealing for information. I remember thinking what a terrible thing to do, and the photo was actually really sinister. I still gets chills thinking about it!

My DS aged 2.6 had his first ever ice cream from an ice cream can this week. Actually it was a wrapped lemonade ice lolly - no worries about dirty hands (not that this sort of thing would bother me too much anyway for the 5 seconds the seller is touching the cone or whatever). They are overpriced, yes, the lolly was £1 for a bit of frozen water, but I was glad he enjoyed it as he's too busy running rings around me having fun to drink a lot of water during the day. In this heat, an ice cream van could save your child's life!

Seriously, the best thing was watching his little face light up as he heard the music (had no clue what it meant of course), then as he got to pick out which ice cream he wanted and the man handed it to him he was so thrilled. I couldn't deny him that.

So, OP, YABU!

[CouncilOfLadies]

YABU.

Ice cream vans, kids and summer go together like, er, jelly and ice cream.

Watch this and have a laugh.

[ElleMcFearsome]

That's a FABULOUS suit Eddie's wearing! Also haven't heard that ditty for some years

[CouncilOfLadies]

It is very fetching. Only someone as brash as Eddie could pull off a red leather disco suit.

[TantrumsAndBalloons]

I don't get why you want them banned?

You have never bought your PFB an ice cream, you make your own.

And as yours is apparently so much nicer, what on earth are you worrying about?

[Toadinthehole]

YANBU to be annoyed with it.

YABU to want them banned. You irritation should be directed at society's general negligence when it comes to children and food.

There is an ice cream van that does the rounds in my neighbourhood, and it sits outside my house for five bloody minutes at a time playing its little jingle.

I don't mind the jingle: it's the lethal gloop I don't like. I sometimes feel I am trying to fight off a barrage of biscuits, crisps, sausage rolls and other crap that people perversely think it is cruel to deny children on a daily basis. If it's not the ice cream van, it's junk at other people houses, or it's the dodgy Friday sausages at school filled with fell meats, or it's - I kid you not - the crisp sandwiches at after-school care, or it's bread and marg covered with cake sprinkles.

Grrr.

[Toadinthehole]

.

I wonder if a recording of Robert Helpman would get round the 4-second rule, as it technically wouldn't be a jingle.

[trapezegirl]

You sound thoroughly miserable. Do you put humbugs in the ice cream you make by any chance?

[Flobbadobs]

Ours stops right outside our house! He also does a stint outside school then moves to strategic places around the local park. His wife runs the other van which covers the other end of the village and local nature reserve. They also hire the vans out to parties and village festivals Their business sense is something to be admired I think, they even did a Christmas Eve run selling mince pies, the line ran the whole length of the street just because it was so funny having the van parked there covered in tinsel!

[Arabesque]

The sounds of Summer in the suburbs:

Lawnmowers, kids playing, ice cream vans.

YABU.