Tobacco Banned from OP Town Parks

[ResWatchDog]

According to today's Buffalo News, the town of Orchard Park has banned tobacco in its parks, beaches and recreation areas. KUDOS to the town for that coming from a non-smoker!

My one question is, why have a ban if there will be no penalties / fines for breaking this "law"?

So what is being said here is if I WAS a smoker and was walking sitting in the park at Green Lake, even though it's "banned", I can still smoke without fear of enforcement?

Does the Town Board really think this will stop kids from smoking while using the parks? I have to say sorry, but no. In fact, I'd like to see how long the signs stay posted before they are torn down.

I'm not saying we should waste our taxpayer dollars to pay our police officers to actually walk / drive around looking for ban breaking citizens. But I think it's going to be more of wishful thinking on the part of our Board than it will be a reality.

Good luck with it!

http://www.buffalonews.com/2010/02/2...moke-free.html

Orchard Park is going smoke-free
By Barbara O'Brien
News Staff Reporter
Updated: February 23, 2010, 11:51 pm /
Published: February 24, 2010, 7:08 am
About the only places smokers can light up are at home and outside, since the state's indoor smoking ban took effect in 2003.

But now they can strike the outdoors — at least the parts owned by the Town of Orchard Park — from that list.

The town has become the first in Erie and Niagara counties to ban tobacco in its parks, beach and recreation areas.

"It's just a very bad habit. I feel for people," said Town Supervisor Janis Colarusso, who quit smoking five years ago. "It's a very hard drug to get off."

She said smokers should not impose their tobacco use on those who don't smoke.

The town is taking a smoking ban a step further by making the town parks tobacco-free, not just smoke-free.

The designation was made in conjunction with the Erie-Niagara Tobacco-Free Coalition, which is providing signs for the town areas. The sign was designed by local graphics artist Michael Margolis and entreats park and beach visitors not to smoke or litter.

"We're looking for more opportunities to restrict smoking," said coalition coordinator Anthony Billoni.

Billoni said the coalition is seeking more areas that will be smoke-free to help make smoking less prevalent in the community. It's also trying to help the parks stay clean from dropped cigarette butts, while creating a better space for children.

"We'd just like there to be one more place where they don't see people smoking," Billoni said, adding that the less often children see others smoke, the smaller chance they have of taking it up.

The issue of secondhand smoke exposure remains, he said, but is less of a problem outside.

Smoking was banned in virtually all indoor public places in New York State in July 2003. And last August, the University at Buffalo became smoke-free inside buildings, outside buildings and in green space on campus.

While the signs will go up in Orchard Park, there are no penalties for smoking in the parks, beach and recreation areas.

"I believe the Town Board is hoping the residents of Orchard Park obey by seeing the signage," Colarusso said.

"I think it's a positive step," Orchard Park Recreation Director Ed Leak said. "It's more self-policing. The awareness will come."

Billoni said that starting out with a nonbinding policy helps move a community in the direction of being smoke-free.

"The state loves to see local precedence," he said, noting it was after Erie and Nassau counties put smoking bans into effect that New York State adopted its law banning smoking in public buildings.

bobrien@buffnews.com

[FisherRd]

As an avid non-smoker I think this new "law" is ridiculous. It's OUTSIDE for crying out loud. Giant exspanses of open air.
I can see banning smoking with-in 25ft of an entrance/doorway (because it is annoying walking past some tool smoking a cig with one foot in a door and the other right outside of it), but this just seems ridiculous.

Either make it illegal (which is really dumb), or quit screwing with the people that smoke. Sooner or later the people that agree with these silly little bans are going to find their guilty pleasure (fast food, chocolate, wine, donuts, etc) under fire, and their tune will change quickly.

[FoxxyKat]

I think it's a good motive to awareness, but Orchard Park can't enforce residents clearing their sidewalks I highly doubt there will be enforcement on the smoking ban even though our supervisor thinks residents will obey the signs.

[ResWatchDog]

After seeing this article in the paper, I received a call from my neighbor who is HOT over this new ban. He enjoys his cigars while taking his daily walks through Yates park. He'd like to know how this is different than if he just walked the streets of the Village with that very same cigar?

His other question was whether or not there was a public hearing about this? My anwswer was, probably not, as I'm afraid they (meaning theTown Board) would not be prepared for the outcry of residents who would protest for or argue the lack of enforcement of the ban.

And since this is a "ban", why AREN'T their fines just as you, FoxxyKat, bring up regarding the clearing of sidewalks rule. They are allowed to fine you for that but not this?

FisherRd,
I agree. While I am not a smoker either, when is it enough that yet another ban or law is put in place? Are we really protecting the people of Orchard Park but instituting this? What stops the very same smokers from simply walking the perimeter of the parks to get to their destination? Doesn't the smoke still fill the same air? What if it's windy that day and the smoke blows inside the perimeter of the park while the smoker is walking outside?

This will just be another brainy idea the Town Board came up with that won't have any "stickability".

[SpeakUpOP]

Of all the things that our Town Board has done this has to be the winner for absolutely STUPID!!!!! A ban that can't be enforced. I'm sorry this is ridiculous!!!