A new bill is trying to ban street vendors from Girard Ave in Fishtown in Philadelphia. This act was first spotted on the city council website, which says: ‘Amending Title 9 of The Philadelphia Code, by amending Section 9-203 relating to Street Vendors, by prohibiting street vending on certain portions of Girard Avenue; all under certain terms and conditions.’

The bill was sponsored by Councilmember Squilla and was recently filed. At this point, the bill has not been accepted or rejected but if this went ahead then it could spell disaster for the various food trucks that operate out of that part of the city.

Due to the rather ambiguous nature of the bill and its wording, it is not known whether this bill would actually affect food trucks if it went through. Nonetheless, you would imagine that this would be met with disappointment and anger by Philly locals as these businesses are often well-received due to their prices, convenience, and positivity that they bring to the local community.

Instead, it could be that the bill intends to ban those selling knockoff luxury goods and sports goods. It is illegal to sell counterfeit goods, which means this could be the real reason behind the bill. Clearly, there is a big difference between targeting these groups as opposed to food trucks.

Ultimately, time will tell and we should have a clearer picture of where things stand early next year.