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DEP Blames Grandma For Ice Cream Truck Noise


By

Jen Chung

Published Dec 8, 2007

Modified Mar 7, 2008


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By

Jen Chung

Published Dec 8, 2007

Modified Mar 7, 2008


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2007_12_icecream.jpgEarlier this year, the city's new noise code went into effect, and the city has definitely been enforcing it on Staten Island's Kinborn Street. The Department of Environmental Protection has fined Lucie Liebman $1,000 for a noisy ice truck jingle. The thing is, Liebman doesn't have an ice cream truck!

A Lickety Split truck had parked outside Liebman's house and sounded its jingle. The DEP sent two summonses to Liebman, before dropping off the hefty ticket on Wednesday. The 80-year-old told the Staten Island Advance, "I'm not Lickety Split. I don't own a truck. The whole thing is so ridiculous. I'm a totally innocent bystander. Maybe they know this is an old lady so 'let's bother her.'"

The DEP says a clerical error sent the summons to Liebman's house, and the owner of the truck, M.W.B. Sales Inc., recently admitted the violation in front of a judge. But Liebman doesn't believe the DEP will stop harassing her and says, "I don't care what they say, I have lost my confidence and my trust. I want a written letter that I had absolutely nothing to do with this, so in case anything happens in the future, I'm not responsible. Then I'll trust them." You tell 'em, Grandma!

The ice cream truck was socked with the summons and ticket because ice cream trucks can only play their jingles while in motion - parked trucks a-jinglin' are a no-no. Other banned noises: Vehicle horn honking when one is not in imminent danger (ha!), construction between 6PM and 7AM (unless emergency), and dog barking for more than 10 minutes between 7AM and 10PM or dog barking for more than 5 minute between 10PM and 7AM. And we have a certain amount of fondness for the guy who tries to get back at cars with alarms that go off all the time.

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construction

Environmental Protection

ice cream

icecreamtruck

licketysplit

news

noise

noisecode

staten island

Staten Island Advance

statenisland

the city

The DEP

The Department

the future

Then I

Wednesday


Jen Chung

Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


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