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:
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
