NEW YORK — Smoking in New York City's parks, beaches, boardwalks, pedestrian plazas and other public spaces will be banned from May 23 despite complaints about excessive meddling by government in people's private lives.
Bloomberg Signs Smoking Ban Into Law
NEW YORK — Smoking in New York City’s parks, beaches, boardwalks, pedestrian plazas and other public spaces will be banned from May 23 despite complaints about excessive meddling by government in people’s private lives.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed the legislation on Tuesday after the city council voted 36 to 12 in favor of the smoking restrictions earlier this month. The law extends the city’s existing ban on smoking in restaurants and bars.
“Frederick Law Olmsted hailed public parks as the ‘lungs of the city’ — a haven where one could escape the overcrowded, noisy and polluted streets,” Bloomberg said in a statement. “We need to ensure that our public spaces provide just that — a healthy place in which to relax and enjoy the surroundings.”
New York joins Chicago and San Francisco with initiatives fighting second-hand smoke in public places.
New York City’s parks department will enforce the ban, which said it would give a warning before issuing a $50 fine. Police will not enforce the ban.
“This is tyranny, rationalized by a lie,” said Audrey Silk, director of New York Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment. “That second hand smoke is harming anybody outside is an absolute lie.”
She said that her organization plans to organize an outdoor “smoke-in” on May 23.
Bloomberg has also promoted health measures including a ban on trans fats in restaurant food and a requirement that chain restaurants display calorie counts on menus.
Bloomberg is campaigning nationally for food companies to cut salt levels in their products and for the federal government to ban the purchase of sugary drinks with food stamps — federal vouchers used by 42 million low-income Americans to buy food.
New Yorkers can smoke on sidewalks, parking lots, streets and in their homes, although most landlords don’t allow it.
(Reporting by Bernd Debusmann Jr., editing by Michelle Nichols and Philip Barbara)
Yosef
Government is protecting its citizens from second hand smoke. Smokers are demanding enough rights by seeking to kill themselves, the rest of us shouldn’t have to suffer for their bad decisions.
Smoking is Disgusting!
I’m loving Bloomberg right now!
Hate Cigarettes
it’s actually the people who smoke in parks and everywhere else who violate the privacy of everyone else’s lives
โThis is tyranny, rationalized by a lie
second hand smoke? shtuyot. if youre worried about your lungs, move out of nyc. typical hypocrisy, as long as our city looks good on the outside it doesn’t matter what people do behind closed doors. people still consume trans fats at home! people need to take responsibility for their own actions!!
CRAZY
can’t wait for that smoke-in.
Just Sayin-
To number 3: by being in a public park, a person gives up any expectation to privacy. Thus the whole “public” part…
In general, cigarette smoke is absorbed into the atmosphere and completely diluted 10 times faster than car/truck emissions. I don’t see people starting campaigns to ban driving on public roads adjoining pedestrian areas.
me
good idea but feel bad for the Jewish people who are sticked to it I think they should start workjng on it now to cut it down
Justice Crew
Hey Tyranny, smoke kills. Second hand smoke kills. People that smoke have emotional and deep-seated psychological issues. Smoke BAD. Law GOOD.
Put THAT in your pipe and smoke it!
i dont smoke
but this is really insane… in general it’s pretty crazy how the government is completely taking over our lives… obama with health care, now this??? what happens to the god old days where ppl would live and let live….
Mendy Hecht
This is well-intended but unenforceable.
I HATE SMOKING
I HATE SMOKING AND WOULD NEVER MARRY A SMOKER but i don’t get WHY the gov.’t cares?????? we have enough people populating the earth why are the trying to save people that’s not their job!!!?!?!!?!!