NEW YORK CITY, NY – Is homelessness the looming future for the food trucks of New York?

As my article in Wednesday’s Dining Section details, a May 24 decision by New York State Supreme Court Judge Geoffrey D. Wright has revved up enforcement by the New York Police Department. In Midtown Manhattan during the last 10 days, officers have been warning food-truck operators that they will be ticketed or towed if they sell food from metered parking spaces. Soon police precincts in all boroughs will be doing the same.

Of course, the new wave of increasingly popular, branded gourmet food trucks has brought haute casual food from brick-and-mortar restaurants to the streets. They are so popular that the city’s parks department is recruiting more of them. And a corps of truck fabricators in New York and New Jersey are toiling to create ever more shiny stainless steel trucks emblazoned with colorful logos.

But where can they park? The Muni-Meter spots, now forbidden to the trucks, are ubiquitous in the boroughs, as are spaces monitored with pole meters. Loading zones are verboten, of course, as are crosswalks and parking near hydrants.

In a ruling, Judge Wright said he was sympathetic to one food truck operator’s wish to sell offerings from metered parking spots. But he said that not only did it break the law but also that the courts “are ultimately not the appropriate forum,” he wrote, adding: “the City Council is.”

So, what do you think about losing your friendly local food truck? Should the City Council amend the language of the metered-parking restriction?

Find the entire article <here>