A Smoke Free Esplanade?

Battery Park City Esplanade (Credit: saitowitz/Flickr)

Finding a place to smoke is becoming a real drag. After banning smoking in bars and restaurants, Mayor Bloomberg has announced plans to introduce legislation making it illegal to smoke in public areas.

The legislation will be introduced in City Council today, and if approved will go into effect in approximately 3 months after being signed into law.

Violators of this proposed law will be fined $50 by either a Police or Parks Department official.

The pedestrian plaza at Times Square, Central Park and other major public  parks and areas, conceivably even the Battery Park City esplanade could be part of the smoking ban.

How do you feel about this new legislation?

6 thoughts on “A Smoke Free Esplanade?

  1. As a non-smoker I’m not sure I like this idea. Outdoors I’ve never really had any major issues with breathing in cigarette smoke. Being in NYC I probably inhale more toxins from automobile exhaust than from cigarettes. Besides, I would rather encourage smokers to smoke outdoors more often rather than indoors where smoke can easily travel to other apartments.

  2. In some parts of the world, and in many airports, they have “smoking rooms” which I actually like much better than having people smoke in public. I’m extremely sensitive to cigarette smoke, and even catching a whiff of it on the street makes me cough violently to the point where I’m actually gagging. Confining the smokers to a room ensures that people who choose not to smoke don’t have to be harmed by second hand smoke either.

    1. I smoked for 10 years and quit over a year ago. If anyone should be sensitive to smoke, it would be ex-smokers. That said, I don’t care what you say, someone smoking in the open air can’t possibly bother you that much…especially if we are talking about the esplanade! After all of the hell society puts smokers through these days, you now want to confine them to a poorly ventilated room? Why not just round them up into camps. People like you make me sick to my stomach. Perhaps Mayor Bloomberg can ban you from public places?

      1. you talk about smoking like it’s something you’re born doing… it’s a choice, one that you impose on other people who choose not to smoke, and put them at risk for lots of diseases. i’m asthmatic and the one time i was lenient and didn’t yell at my friends to stop smoking when they were with me, i got pneumonia and ended up in the hospital. if you choose to smoke, don’t subject nonsmokers to your toxic fumes.

  3. I love the idea of banning smoking in parks. I’m extremely sensitive to smoke and even a small amount can make me very ill.

  4. What is this world coming too, I’m sick of this health morality crap the mayor is spouting. Adults can make bad decisions and don’t need big daddy Bloomberg for his approval. I am an ex smoker, don’t like smoke but you know as we lose our civil rights in the name of security do we have to have the health police take away our bad habits as well. I can see why some people call this the nanny state.

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