Thanks, @Chris. There are other posts saying the same thing, most less grumpy than this one!
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While a DPF will help (and indeed this vehicle has a solid MOT record), the best upgrade is surely to switch off and plug into a power point. Let’s face it a 1987 reg diesel is never going to be clean - it was built in a very different era e.g. 13 years before lead was banned from petrol in the UK!
I don’t see anything contentious about this other than who should pay for it. In my view it should be the council, but if this can’t be done I don’t agree that profits should be made from children while simultaneously polluting their play space. I do like ice cream though.
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There’s another (at least I don’t think it’s the same) who often parks on the South Circular outside the Horniman. Given it’s a red route and it parks just over the top of the hill, I’m surprised that it’s allowed. But there’s often a queue so perhaps any fines are worth the risk.
What would the power point be powered by.
I think Darren is missing the point. Kids walk next to road, yes, where pollution might be expected. But in a park that’s supposedly closed to road vehicles, they can justly expect not to be treated to a fug of fumes while they’re playing. As a Mayow Park jogger, I run in the park to be able to breathe cleaner air.
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Who did you contact at the Council prior to your FOI request? If you didn’t contact the relevant department first and then failed to receive a satisfactory response, then you cannot make a direct application to a FOI request.
I think it’s a good point that if people object to their child breathing pollution, they probably need to stop driving that child around. I read somewhere the exposure is 5 x higher in the back seat than stood beside the road (not this article but similar research reported).
Also, air pollution is a super localised issue. Standing a meter further away from the curb outdoors makes a significant difference. The back seat is in the middle of the road.
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That’s a fair point. But tbh the last thing I want to taste or smell when I am in the park with my child is diesel fumes. I can’t stand the fact that van is situated so close to the kids play park, surely the park should be a relief from traffic fumes, not a reminder of the ongoing pollution we are subjected to. The van in Dulwich park is a plug in, why can’t the same be provided in Mayow Park? Oh let me guess, Dulwich park is in Southwark whereas we have to put up with the incompetency of Lewisham…
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Couldn’t agree more. The taste is so strong when you go past it makes me feel sick thinking about it.
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Was in Mayow Park today and very annoyed that the ice cream van is allowed to park so close to the playground and bench area spewing diesel fumes. I’ve seen it parked further beyond before and even that is beyond comprehension. People (adults and children) come to the park to enjoy fresh air. I’m absolutely gobsmacked that the council still allows this.
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Yep - it was unbelievable in 2018, and with the ULEZ extension and such, even more unbelievable now.
The ideal situation would be the installation of an electricity point so the diesel engine could be at least switched off. However, the permit for the van is / was only worth £1800 annually (or £150 per month, both ex VAT) when I last enquired, so I guess that doesn’t fund much development.
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I’d recommend you share this with Ellie Reeves / local councillors.
I complained about it back in 2017 but nothing was done and I don’t remember seeing him last year.
It makes me SO angry whenever that van is there. It stinks. Like you say, you go for fresh air and get filled with a D reg diesel van fumes.
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The park itself maybe in SE26 (Perry Vale) but it is bordered by SE23 streets as well as SE26 streets. There’s a lot of cross border activity between this site and SE26.Life, though SE23.Life has many more members than SE26.Life and as a result I post more on here than SE26.Life. (Not the old STF). I live in a similar political Puckoon as Mayow Park: SE26 and historically Sydenham, but in my case with the zigzagging of the political border I’ve been looped into Forest Hill electoral ward and Mayow Park into Perry Vale.
These ice cream vans are no respectors of borders or the environment. There is a particularly stinky one on the beach near my mum’s house.
Sadly you have to have a Facebook account to join that discussion and agree to all sorts of stuff just to view it. But at least it’s not a closed group, which some local groups are, so thanks for the link Rachael.
Post Scriot: Apologies. When I posted my replies I hadn’t notice this was an old thread. I can’t believe three years later our Councillors (all wards!) haven’t insisted on a plug in being installed. A group of plug ins could be used by more than one mobile facility at times (other catering outlets for events, bouncy castle etc).
@CllrLiamCurran @SophieDavis @CllrChrisBest @CllrAlanHall @CllrSakinaSheikh @CllrSophieMcGeevor can you help? Not an ice cream van ban, but install some power points in all our parks please.
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Perhaps the Mayor’s Air Quality Fund could be used towards electricity points for ice cream vans:
That’s the same fund that supported the recent advertising campaigns such as this one:
That picture is outside Stillness Junior & Infant school, SE23 by the way 
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I thought Stillness Road was one way - the other way!
I think they are going to need to install electric charging points as eventually all vehicles will be 100% electric.
Re-reading the topic, it seems there’s a split of opinions. How about an anonymous straw poll:
What should be done with the Mayow Park ice cream van?
- Nothing, it’s fine as it is
- Move it away from the play areas
- Provide an electricity point so it can run without idling it’s engine
- Remove it from the park entirely
- Other (please comment below)
0 voters
I’m wondering about the cost of installing an electricity point, which the public would probably bear. Wouldn’t a battery also be an option? How much current can a freezer and a Mr Whippy machine use in a day
Somthing along these lines…
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