Ice Cream Truck Jingle Is Driving New Yorkers Crazy

For all the joys of summer in New York City, there's also that pervasive and maddening melody blasted out of so many Mister Softee ice cream trucks prowling the city's streets.

Turns out the city has received thousands of complaints regarding the jingle. The New York Post reports New Yorkers have lodged 7,031 noise complaints against the trucks over the past four years, an especially staggering number considering the trucks only operate during warm weather.

“That thing comes around 9:30 p.m. or 10 p.m. and I’m like, are you kidding me?” 56-year-old Cheryl Fergus told The Post of the truck that haunts the streets outside her apartment complex in the Bronx. Its residents have filed over 130 ice cream truck complaints themselves.

“I’m trying to get my grandkids ready for bed and that ice cream truck comes around," Fergus added. "All I hear is, ‘Grandma, Grandma, we want ice cream!’"

City code dictates that ice cream truck drivers can only blast the music while in motion, never while parked or stopped. As Gothamist notes, if a resident files a complaint against a driver, the driver could face a fine of $50 to $7,000. Most likely, the fine will be around $350.

Thankfully, the Mister Softee jingle at least appears to have more innocent origins than some other ice cream truck jingles.

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