NEW YORK—Smoking in public parks and beaches may be banned in New York City if proposed legislation becomes law. The new bill was announced at a City Hall press conference on Wednesday and will be presented to City Council by Council Member Gale Brewer on Thursday.
Smoking is already prohibited in indoor workplaces and park playgrounds, and the new plan to expand the Smoke-Free Air Act of 2002 intends to decrease the exposure to secondhand smoke for non-smokers, as well as to keep beaches and parks clean from cigarette butts.
The 2002 legislation, which banned smoking in restaurants and bars, raised concerns that it would harm businesses. However, a review compiled by the city one year later revealed that business increased after the legislation went into effect.
“When New York City leads in the area of public health and reducing the exposure to secondhand smoke really the rest of the world follows,” Brewer said at the press conference.
New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn said: “Studies have shown that outdoor tobacco smoke levels can be just as high as secondhand smoke levels indoor. The truth is there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.”
Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke about studies that show the danger of secondhand smoke in open air.
“Public health findings tell us that if you are seated outdoors within three feet of a smoker, you can be exposed to levels of secondhand smoke similar to what you would experience seated among smokers indoors, with all the potential hazards to your health,” the mayor said.
“One recent poll shows that 65 percent of New York City adults favor prohibiting smoking at such outdoor recreational sites as parks and ball fields. In recent years our life expectancy has increased by a year and seven months. It’s now 18 months longer than the national average, and one reason why is that today some 350,000 fewer New Yorkers smoke than did back in the year 2002.”
Bloomberg also gave examples of other cities that have already taken this path, such as Chicago and Los Angeles, which banned smoking in their parks and beaches three years ago.
“The science is clear: Prolonged exposure to secondhand smoke—whether you’re indoors or out—hurts your health,” he stated in a Mayor’s Office press release.
Chis Lopez, 24, a construction worker, was sitting in City Hall Park during his lunch break smoking a cigarette. He was unhappy to hear about the new legislation.
“We should be able to smoke out here. At least designate a side, something like that. You’ve got to keep things fair,” he said. “What about all the trucks that are driving down the street that put off more fumes than anything else?”
But another construction worker, Peter Rennie, 51, who does not smoke, said he is bothered by secondhand smoke.
“It would be a good thing,” he said about the legislation. “But it’s going to be a hard thing to do,” he added, explaining that he does not believe the new law will actually prevent people from smoking in such places.
Smoking in pedestrian plazas will also be prohibited according to the proposed bill.
Robert Mckuhan, 30, promoter for a comedy club, enjoys smoking during his lunch break in the Times Square pedestrian plaza. He seemed agitated when he heard about the new plan.
“What about our rights?” he asked. “We live in this city and work in this city and help this city move and run.”
Mckuhan doesn’t believe secondhand smoke in open air can be harmful. “You can build a study and prove the sky is really neon-green if you really want to,” he said. “If you don’t want to be near me and I’m outside smoking a cigarette, we’re outside, there’s plenty of room, move over.”
Retired teacher from Connecticut Marilyn Prescott, 65, a former smoker, hopes the new legislation could urge people to quit smoking.
“The harder you make it for people, maybe they'll quit,” she said.
Non-Smoker Jin Kim working in a downtown supply-chain company said: “I don’t like secondhand smoke. But I don’t think we have a right to ban smoking in pedestrian plaza, just like we don’t have a right to ban smoking on sidewalk.”
Smoking is already prohibited in indoor workplaces and park playgrounds, and the new plan to expand the Smoke-Free Air Act of 2002 intends to decrease the exposure to secondhand smoke for non-smokers, as well as to keep beaches and parks clean from cigarette butts.
The 2002 legislation, which banned smoking in restaurants and bars, raised concerns that it would harm businesses. However, a review compiled by the city one year later revealed that business increased after the legislation went into effect.
“When New York City leads in the area of public health and reducing the exposure to secondhand smoke really the rest of the world follows,” Brewer said at the press conference.
New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn said: “Studies have shown that outdoor tobacco smoke levels can be just as high as secondhand smoke levels indoor. The truth is there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.”
Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke about studies that show the danger of secondhand smoke in open air.
“Public health findings tell us that if you are seated outdoors within three feet of a smoker, you can be exposed to levels of secondhand smoke similar to what you would experience seated among smokers indoors, with all the potential hazards to your health,” the mayor said.
“One recent poll shows that 65 percent of New York City adults favor prohibiting smoking at such outdoor recreational sites as parks and ball fields. In recent years our life expectancy has increased by a year and seven months. It’s now 18 months longer than the national average, and one reason why is that today some 350,000 fewer New Yorkers smoke than did back in the year 2002.”
Bloomberg also gave examples of other cities that have already taken this path, such as Chicago and Los Angeles, which banned smoking in their parks and beaches three years ago.
“The science is clear: Prolonged exposure to secondhand smoke—whether you’re indoors or out—hurts your health,” he stated in a Mayor’s Office press release.
Chis Lopez, 24, a construction worker, was sitting in City Hall Park during his lunch break smoking a cigarette. He was unhappy to hear about the new legislation.
“We should be able to smoke out here. At least designate a side, something like that. You’ve got to keep things fair,” he said. “What about all the trucks that are driving down the street that put off more fumes than anything else?”
But another construction worker, Peter Rennie, 51, who does not smoke, said he is bothered by secondhand smoke.
“It would be a good thing,” he said about the legislation. “But it’s going to be a hard thing to do,” he added, explaining that he does not believe the new law will actually prevent people from smoking in such places.
Smoking in pedestrian plazas will also be prohibited according to the proposed bill.
Robert Mckuhan, 30, promoter for a comedy club, enjoys smoking during his lunch break in the Times Square pedestrian plaza. He seemed agitated when he heard about the new plan.
“What about our rights?” he asked. “We live in this city and work in this city and help this city move and run.”
Mckuhan doesn’t believe secondhand smoke in open air can be harmful. “You can build a study and prove the sky is really neon-green if you really want to,” he said. “If you don’t want to be near me and I’m outside smoking a cigarette, we’re outside, there’s plenty of room, move over.”
Retired teacher from Connecticut Marilyn Prescott, 65, a former smoker, hopes the new legislation could urge people to quit smoking.
“The harder you make it for people, maybe they'll quit,” she said.
Non-Smoker Jin Kim working in a downtown supply-chain company said: “I don’t like secondhand smoke. But I don’t think we have a right to ban smoking in pedestrian plaza, just like we don’t have a right to ban smoking on sidewalk.”
Additional reporting by Lixin Shi
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