Council to discuss food van proposals
Published on 26 October 2017
The City of Launceston will vote on the adoption of an interim model of operation for mobile food vans at its ordinary meeting on Monday.
Launceston General Manger Michael Stretton said the proposed model was one that will maximise public safety, particularly along High Street, while maintaining a low level of regulation.
"It's obvious to the Council that the people of Launceston enjoy the casual dining experience that comes with the food van culture, particularly along High Street," Mr Stretton said.
"Despite what people may have read on social media, the Council has always fully supported food vans, and we support them in High Street. It's important for us to address a perception from some on social media that the Council is considering winding Eat Street up; this simply isn't true.
"We've heard loud and clear that the public loves food vans and we want to fully support this, it's a wonderful initiative and one that adds much to the food culture and amenity of this beautiful city.
"The Council has engaged with the operators of the food vans in Launceston and we believe this interim model reflects those discussions and will have the support of those in the industry.
"Our main concern is the obvious risk to public safety in the area — and that's something we believe is paramount. The question for the Council is how we address these kinds of issues with the minimum amount of regulation.
"We know that, on average, more than 2800 vehicles pass along that stretch of road in High Street between 5pm and 9pm every day. That's a lot of vehicular movements in an area where you have a large, constant flow of pedestrians — some of whom are attempting to cross a very busy roadway.
"The Council has already put in place a speed reduction during the hours the food vans operate in High Street to 40km/h. We also intend on installing a pedestrian crossing at the Ann Street end of St Georges Square to improve public safety."
Under the proposed model, a maximum of four food vans would be permitted to trade at St Georges Square, seven nights a week.
Limiting the number of vans will allow more space for pedestrians to see oncoming traffic.
It is also proposed to provide greater certainty to traders by enabling the four spaces to be securely occupied for 12 months.
The sites would be publicly advertised every 12 months to ensure that equal opportunities are provided to all food van operators to benefit from the popular High Street destination
A new proposed regulation would ban food vans from having a door opening on to the roadway, except for the driver's side door. Current operators will be granted a two-month amnesty to comply and advice from operators is that this period of time is sufficient.