As the Triangle previously reported, Drexel University has suddenly decided to enforce a city code prohibiting mobile street vendors from parking overnight.
In a meeting with the Undergraduate Student Government Association, senior Drexel leaders including the Vice President of Public Safety Mel Singleton and Senior Vice President of Government and Community Relations Brian Keech claimed that this action was necessary due to concerns about complaints against food truck operators, propane tank explosions, potential sanitation issues, pedestrian safety on 34th St. and the inability of police to clear a street in the event of an emergency.
As pointed out in Monday night’s forum, cracking down on food truck compliance will do little to nothing to solve these concerns. Jaywalking and flagrant traffic violations have been a problem on that particular block of 34th St. for years predating the arrival of these trucks. Although students would appreciate efforts to make it easier to cross the street, removing food trucks from the street does nothing to make crossing easier because the same amount of cars will be zooming down the street.
Jaywalkers cross the street understanding and accept the dangers of doing so. Concerns with food trucks obscuring pedestrians’ views of the street are flawed because they do not consider the frequent supply and mail trucks that use that shoulder to park anyway. Even if these new food trucks were entirely to blame for the safety concerns, preventing food trucks from staying overnight does not solve these problems from 7 a.m. to midnight when the trucks can legally operate.
Another reason Drexel is concerned about the trucks parking overnight is their ability to clear streets in an emergency. It is highly suspicious that Drexel is raising concerns about this now, when trucks like Pete’s Little Lunch Box have been operating for 17 years. In the event that the police need to clear a street, the police would need to find the owners of every car parked on the side and order them to leave. This task is obviously easier when the owner of the vehicle is going about their business inside their vehicle rather than somewhere that could be impossible to determine in an emergency.
During the pro-Palestine encampment last summer, Drexel and Philadelphia Police were able to successfully clear out 33rd St. next to the Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building even with the food trucks that were operating there. If there was a real public safety issue that arose during that incident, why is Drexel trying to address it an entire year later?
In addition to safety issues, Drexel leaders also pointed out that the police have been called to address complaints about certain vendors. One example was a vendor that would use a public restroom to wash himself (not his pans). The obvious solution to this is to deal with the individual, not collectively punish every food truck on campus. The Drexel Crime Log and Fire Report also shows zero incidents related to food trucks within the past three months.
Supposedly, when the vendors go home at night, they take their food truck to their home or a commissary to clean and restock. Of course, there is no way to know whether the vendors have actually cleaned their trucks. In fact, forcing them to move overnight will make it even less likely that they clean their vehicles because they will have to wake up extra early in the hopes of securing a parking spot and may be too lazy to do any thorough cleaning.
Another supposed benefit of forcing food trucks to relocate after 12:30 a.m. is that it will lead to vendors getting their food trucks cleaned more often. There is no real evidence to support this and, in our view, relocation with no assurance of a spot to park every morning is more of an inconvenience and strain on the resources of the food trucks. Hence, it is sufficient that the food trucks are subject to the requirements of the Health Code.
During the USGA meeting, Chief Singleton also said that vendors leaving propane tanks out on the sidewalk is unsafe and illegal because they might explode and hurt others. He cited an incident at Temple University where a propane tank in a food truck exploded. Once again, it is unclear how forcing food trucks out overnight will solve these issues given that these issues are still present during the day. More concerningly, the Chief of Police and the Senior Vice President of Government and Community Relations seem to completely misunderstand the law as Phila. Code §9-203(11)(b) explicitly states that “no propane or natural gas tanks shall be…stored inside the vehicle.” The issue of potential chain reactions of explosions is already mitigated by a different section of the law requiring a minimum 30 feet distance between food trucks.
It is extremely telling that the food trucks between the Main Building and the Bossone Research Center remain undisturbed. Those trucks do not move and are almost bumper-to-bumper. It is also on private property, meaning that Drexel is responsible for maintaining safety in that area. Meanwhile, the sidewalks where Drexel plans to enforce the overnight rule are public property.
Drexel leaders attempted to shift blame onto the City Council. Claiming that Drexel Police was merely enforcing existing law, Chief Singleton encouraged students to petition the councilwoman and council members-at-large to change the law. While that is not a false statement as previous efforts to restrict food trucks on campus failed after petitions to the city, Drexel is not helpless.
Police are given the discretion to enforce a law or not. Drexel Police uses this power when, for example, it does not enforce a law requiring the food trucks to have trash cans available (Phila. Code §9-201(7)(c)). Drexel has set a precedent of not enforcing this law, and has the full power to continue to do so, despite their claims.
City Councilwoman Jamie Gauthier, representing University City, supports food trucks and the small business community as a whole. Gauthier encouraged Drexel to listen to the vendors and their students while she works on a legislative solution.
Chief Singleton has clarified that Drexel is not forcing anyone to move. The police are merely issuing code violation notices, but theoretically, the vendors could continue paying the fines and not move. This is akin to stating that Drexel does not force non-commuters to live on campus for two years; students could simply pay for a room at Kelly Hall but actually live wherever they want. If Drexel really does care about their food trucks as they claim, they should understand the detriment the fines pose to these small businesses.
Competition for parking space on campus is fierce, and finding enough space for trucks every day can be a difficult challenge. Most trucks will likely fail to find parking space. Many trucks will lose their customer base and take their business elsewhere. With less food trucks on campus, there is less competition for student demand, making it easier to raise prices. Students will miss out on a valuable component of campus life as these food trucks provide a much needed affordable dining option. The enforcement of the overnight rule is merely a pretense to achieve the result of kicking the food trucks off campus.
Drexel administration claimed to be working on the issue, and that they have considered turning the lot behind the Academic Building into another private space reserved for trucks, or reserving parking spots for the trucks while they leave overnight, but have not implemented anything yet. If Drexel truly cares about their food trucks, why are the fines and citations that cripple the trucks preceding the solution that helps the trucks stay in business on campus?
The Drexel administration must take responsibility for this action and stop pretending that they are not forcing food trucks off our campus. If it was not for Drexel’s new mandate, food trucks like Pete’s Little Lunch Box and Happy Sunshine would likely continue operating as they have for over a decade. Drexel should recognize that these food trucks are an important part of campus life and preserve these trucks and the great food they provide to our students. Meanwhile, students can help by signing a petition to save the food trucks.