Local Editorial: Competition is only 'problem' posed by food trucks

“What problems are D.C.’s new food truck regulations trying to solve?” Slate blogger Matthew Yglesias wondered in March. Months later, the D.C. Council is still struggling to answer that basic question while it considers the fourth draft of regulations that would impose parking and other restrictions on these popular vendors.

Food trucks, which sell a tantalizing array of delicacies from kimchi to cupcakes, are currently regulated under the “ice cream rule,” which allows them to park only if there’s a line of customers waiting. But both city officials and food truck operators agree that the rule does not adequately address this innovative phenomenon.