Supporters of Toronto’s food truck movement have a new — if unexpected — ally at city hall: Mayor Rob Ford.

The mayor was asked about the new street food bylaw recommendations from city staff.

Ford said he supports loosening the notoriously restrictive rules and that the latest proposal doesn’t go far enough.

At present, food trucks aren’t allowed to sell on city streets. They can sell in private parking lots, but only for 10 minutes at a time. The new regulations, which will go to council next month, would allow trucks to set up anywhere with “pay and display” street parking provided venders are 50 metres away from a bricks and mortar restaurant.

But there’s a catch.

City staff has also said that Business Improvement Areas — which are largely made up of restaurant owners — and local councillors can request that food trucks be banned from their neighbourhoods.

Ford said that restriction could jeopardize the point of the review, which was to make it easier for food truck drivers to operate.

“I think food vending is very important. I don’t like how the BIAs or councillors can kick them out of their area at any given time. That . . . kills it,” Ford said.

Under the current proposal, BIAs and councillors don’t have an outright veto, just a vote, which was enough to anger food truck owners.

Zane Caplansky, owner of Caplansky’s Deli on College St. who also runs a food truck, said he plans to take the city to court if it doesn’t back off the BIA loophole.

“That provision will gut the entire initiative,” Caplansky said.

Restaurant owners have expressed concern in the past that their business would be hurt if a food truck set up nearby. The mayor said his attitude is: “The more the merrier.”

Toronto has a poor record when it comes to street food. The city’s last attempt was a bureaucratic mess, which died within a year.