Nandini Khaneja presents ice-cream-truck idling measurements
Khaneja says she measured air quality beside operating ice cream trucks and found volatile organic compound spikes at child breathing height. She supports Intro 48, raises concerns about 11-A's penalties for small vendors, and asks the committee to study ice-cream-truck complaints.
Good afternoon, Chair Gennaro and members of the committee.
My name is Nandini Kanedja.
I'm a first-year engineering student at Purdue University and a former research intern at CUNY's Advanced Science Research Center Community Sensor Lab.
I grew up in Queens and Long Island, where ice cream trucks parked outside parks for hours with their engines running, and I was glad to hear an earlier witness describe raising a family in eastern Queens with ice cream trucks idling nearby.
This summer, I took preliminary measurements of air quality at a young child's breathing height beside operating ice cream trucks.
Over seven visits in Manhattan, my portable sensor tracked volatile organic compounds.
At every visit, the highest reading was 24 to 183% above the visit's typical reading.
Neighborhood averages smooth out spikes this short, but a child at the serving window breathes them.
I share the goal of Intro 11, but higher penalties alone concern me.
Three violations in three years could cost a vendor $5,000 to $12,000, about the cost of converting a light load truck, one that would have about 16...
16 kilowatt hours of power required, and the truck would still run on that fuel.
Intro 561 recognizes battery power as a possible remedy through its cure option, but it also writes the processing device exemption that's existed in many other bills of this nature into this code, so many ice cream trucks may never be cited at all.
I estimate that converting one truck avoids about $1,000 to $30,000 a year in health damages, and under a low-tiered rebate, vendors recover their share in three to six and a half years.
As part of today's oversight, I asked the committee to ask DEP how many citizen idling complaints involve ice cream trucks.
When the committee takes up insurance 635, please amend it to fund compliance and support a 25 truck pilot that measures air quality where children breathe.
I will follow up with written testimony and supporting calculations.
Thank you, and I'm happy to answer any questions.
Thank you so much.
That was very, very concise and compelling testimony.
I appreciate it.
You know, we know that you're available for follow up and we appreciate that.
Thank you very much for your testimony.
Thank you.
Okay, next witness is Hunter Severini.
You may begin.