New York City Council voted yesterday to extend its indoor smoking ban to a wide expanse of outdoor areas in the city’s 5 boroughs.
By a vote of 36-12, the city will in 90 days start enforcing a ban on smoking in 1,700 city parks and 14 miles of public beaches. Boardwalks, marinas and pedestrian plazas are also covered by the ban.
For smokers, this means no more lighting up in the city’s iconic locations like Central Park and Times Square. If a person is caught smoking a cigar, cigarette or pipe, they’ll be subject to fines of up to $100. The city expects its citizens to be the ones reporting violators, though, as police will not be responsible for enforcing the expanded ban.
“This summer, New Yorkers who go to our parks and beaches for some fresh air and fun will be able to breathe even cleaner air and sit on a beach not littered with cigarette butts,” New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said after the vote.
Some councilpeople who voted against the measure said it infringes on individual rights. “I truly believe government is being too restrictive in his particular matter,” said Robert Jackson, D-Harlem. “It’s a totalitarian society that’s going to have this type of restrictions … As someone who wants to breathe clean air, I think we are going too far and being intrusive.”
“The city is taking it too far. I think it’s ridiculous,” said 25-year-old New Yorker George Wells.
Other opponents question the risk levels associated with secondhand smoke.
An effort by Council Member Peter F. Vallone, Jr. to allow for designated smoking sections at public parks and beaches never made it into the final proposal. “It still has a lot of support,” Vallone said prior to Wednesday’s vote. “I’m disappointed leadership chose to move the original bill and not my compromise.”
In 2003, Mayor Bloomberg helped to usher in a smoking ban on indoor workplaces, including bars and restaurants, as well as in playgrounds at city parks.
Sources: Stogie’d archives, BBC, CNN, Wall Street Journal
Read more of Bob Woods' cigar-related stories at Stogie'd. Follow Bob on Twitter. Subscribe to Bob's stories here at Examiner.com, or view his RSS feed. Sponsor Bob's Examiner page.
Comments
YES!! Love this. Wish it was illegal to smoke in public period. Should be like going to the toilet. Have special vented smoking rooms. I'm looking forward to walking in the park and smelling trees again!
and im looking forward walking in the park to punch you in the face...
PRO SMOKER!
Why? Its a legal product. Its effects on society via 2nd hand smoke are exaggerated 10 fold by spin doctors and scare mongers.
So what do you want? Even you don't know. Do you want it made illegal, do you want us to smoke in a bathroom, or give us 'special vented smoking rooms' ?
Think before you type. Saves you looking like a tool. Also, its the flowers you smell on a walk. Not the trees.
What sheer and utter stupidity. People act like cigarette smoke is a hypertoxic pollutant omnipresent in the skies. Seriously, stand 5 feet away from me and there isn't even a smell. I know you're going to anyway since you hate smoking so much.
As if I needed even less of a reason to visit New York City.
Is the smell from the tailpipes better/healthier? how about all the stinking fast food? Half the NY smells like composted sh*t. Should the city ban garbage? You are a pathetic stupid ignorant that believes in the third hand smoking concept. GFY!
Finally someone is making smart decisions!! people are pretty stupid in the first place for even smoking period. you would think people would be smart enough to realize and avoid the harmful effects of cigerrettes. It should be made illegal.
if Iever met you id punch you in your ignorant hippie face...
and I think you are an idiot.
I would give a Marie a hug, then tell her to take another swing.
What about alcohol champ? Want that banned too? It doesnt smell like a durry, but what about the violence and the vomit? Unless you like that sort of thing.
So now we start banning smoking in public and we ban soda in schools. Next it will be to ban fast food and every other vice people have that are "bad" for them. This reminds me of the movie "Demolition Man" where everything that people enjoy becomes illegal. It starts today, but where will it end??
Put all the outside smokers together and it won't be half as bad as 1/16th of all the idling delivery trucks and MTA busses (the fumes from them often make me nauseated). I totally approve of not having smoking inside as there is limited air circulation, but outside? I have never been inconvenienced by a smoker outside for more than a few seconds. But if the police aren't going to enforce it and it's up to citizens, who cares? I wouldn't stop if some stranger told me "Wait - stop there! I'm going to report you for smoking!" Like most New Yorkers, I'd flip 'em the bird and keep on walking.
This is some really fascist thinking.
This is the death of freedom in America. I don't think you can overstate how offensive and fascist these laws are. What has happened to us? Don't we know what the word liberty means anymore? We've become so hypersensitive to things we just 'don't like' or 'find annoying.' Just because you can smell smoke doesn't mean you are inhaling 'secondhand smoke.' I honestly would support any means necessary to reverse this law. If someone murdered one of the councilman who voted for this law I would consider them a hero. But I am one of the few who realizes this simple fact: Freedom is the most important thing in the world. The fact that our freedoms are raped from us more and more, every single day, makes me depressed beyond belief. We let ourselves be molested and invaded at the airports. We bend over and take it day after day in every facet of life. We should be ashamed.
Sean
By this logic they should also ban all automobile traffic within a 10 mile radius of all parks, beaches, and public plazas. This comes from our same government that told us it was safe to move back downtown just weeks after 9-11 when the towers were still smoking. I was there and even "months" later and the smoke still burned my throat within seconds. I have never has similar results from tobacco smoking outside. This will have no positive effect on public health, and considering the history of our governments concern for out health, this law only represents another reason for the police to shake down the population for money. Being an occasional pipe smoker, who prefers to smoke outside, I would like to put my own personal spin on this law and call it: "NYC Government Bans Pipe Smoking Grandpas from NYC parks."
i can't believe how so many people want to stomp on the rights of smokers. I don't smoke and I HATE cigarette smoke, but I'd never force my opinions on someone else by telling them they can't smoke outside or in a designated area.
Why are so many people so quick to stomp on someone's rights just because they don't like what someone else is doing? More and more Americans are becoming fascists. It is sickening.
What a bunch of babies.....
I smoke to give all none smokers 2nd hand smoke and hope they die of lung cancer.
LOL
A bar is a Bar, restaurant is that! No there shouldn't be smoking in a restaurant, but a bar is just that a social place. I know so many places that could NOT make it after the smoking ban went into effect! SO who wins here?? If you don't like being around people that smoke go somewhere else! NOW this "BS" is going to far! Someone comes up to me and said I can't smoke they will wake up in another time zone after meeting ME!
OMG, "Carrie Bradshaw" will never go for this, and may have to go the way of her friend that fell out the window. Will she eventually see the light and move out of her NY? As if banning ciggies makes NY any more appealing than it already ISN'T ! .... LOL!
OMG, "Carrie Bradshaw" will never go for this, and may have to go the way of her friend that fell out the window. Will she eventually see the light and move out of her NY? As if banning ciggies makes NY any more appealing than it already ISN'T ! .... LOL!
Oh please. That city could actually be a lot better if they banned in-denial alcoholics and addicts .. and snobs.
lol. why don't they try banning rudeness there? that made me 'sick'. let them see how that goes.
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