EDITORIAL – City wrong to kick out food trucks

It’s a rare day when people object to ripping out a parking lot to put up a park. But the City… It’s a rare day when people object to ripping out a parking lot to put up a park. But the City of Pittsburgh’s plan to take out the Schenley Plaza parking lot and install a park is deeply flawed. For one thing, there’s the city’s false claim that this won’t further complicate Oakland parking — replacing an all-day parking lot with metered parking isn’t going to work.

For another, the plan forces the food carts, Oakland fixtures, elsewhere, by prohibiting vending in the area.

The food carts at Schenley Plaza offer fast, cheap, good food. The families who own the carts provide sustenance for hungry students year-round. The waits are short, the servings filling and inexpensive — this is what fast food should be.

In addition, the carts cater to a segment of the population underserved by the Pitt meal plan: foreign students. A quick Indian meal brings with it familiar flavors not found in Sodexho’s offerings. For students without meal plans, or for those whose palettes demand better than the pre-packaged norm, the carts are a suitable alternative to bringing lunch.

More than that, though, the people who work at the carts are the type of business-owners Pittsburgh should be fostering. Many have been there for years, even as Oakland has seen a high turnover in local businesses. And they represent the best of social mobility. For instance, the owner of Namsai Express, who’s being forced to move elsewhere, now has to worry about how to pay for his children’s college.

The new Schenley Park Plaza, which will replace the parking lot and carts, will offer permanent kiosks and stands that will sell coffee and newspapers. It’s a good thing, too, considering that the only other places to get coffee within sight of park are 7-Eleven, Schenley Cafe, the Crazy Mocha Cafe at the Carnegie Library, the Einstein Bros. in Posvar Hall and the many Starbucks in the area. Clearly, Oakland needs more coffee places.

It wouldn’t have been hard to convert the cart vendors into kiosks that could go in the new park, or to find some compromise other than leaving hard-working businesspeople without a livelihood.

Of course, the city isn’t the only one to blame. A partnership of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, the Oakland Task Force and the Oakland Investment Committee is responsible for this flawed plan. Pitt, which is a member of the latter two organizations, should have objected to these changes on behalf of its students.

During the summer, it was a common sight to see students of all races, creeds and nationalities sitting on the grassy knoll and eating together. Nothing encourages tolerance like a really great curry. Now, we’ll just have more typical stalls and stands, part of the ever-increasing commercialization and franchising of Oakland.

The Pitt News wishes the cart-owners good luck and hopes they land on their feet (and wheels). We encourage all our readers to sign the petition that students in the philosophy department are circulating, calling upon the city to allow vending in the area. The petition ends today, so please sign as soon as possible.