Victory for Mr Whippy

A move to ban Mr Whippy icecream vans from trading along Pilot Bay has been defeated by the Tauranga City Council.
The council's transportation manager Martin Parkes failed to convince the council that there should be a total ban on mobile shops trading on The Mall.
Mr Parkes said there were safety concerns for pedestrians, particularly children, by allowing mobile shops to trade for up to 15 minutes along the first and last blocks of The Mall. If it was allowed then traders should be restricted to the waterfront side of the road and close to pedestrian crossings in order to reduce the temptation for children to run across the road and "put themselves in harm's way."
Murray Guy a full ban was "going a bit overboard" because it was a 30 km/h speed area.
Mr Parkes said they already had a road safety issue on The Mall and he did not want to add to the problem.
The majority of the council backed permitting mobile shops to small sections of The Mall for a maximum of 15 minutes. Traders were not allowed on the blocks between Leinster Ave and Prince Ave.
The council also confirmed its policy to set aside 12 car park spaces for mobile shops on Marine Parade between Grace Ave and Pacific Ave over the peak summer period.