Outdoor smoking ban in New York: Smokers remain defiant

Add to My Stories Share Tourists in New York might find that the air is that little bit fresher on their next visit to Central Park after a ban on outdoor smoking came into effect on Monday.Smokers can no longer legally light up in the city's public parks, beaches and promenades. Pedestrian plazas are also no smoking zones, including the ones in Times Square and Herald Square.But many smokers said they would flout the ban, despite the threat of a $50 fine.

No more of that! Robert Pattinson smokes on set in Central Park before the ban came inPeople will be fined for lighting up in any New York parks - except the Roberto Clemente, Riverbank, Gantry Plaza, Empire-Fulton Ferry, East River, Bayswater Point, Clay Pit Ponds State Parks.But some smokers on the streets of New York said it was worth risking the $50 penalty.

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Chazz Awakirobon a 33-year-old dishwasher from the East Village told Metro: 'Sometimes, paying $50 is worth that one drag of a cigarette.'The suggestion that the fine is not deterrent enough for smokers to keep to the ban is reinforced by the fact that the NYPC is leaving law enforcement to the Parks Department, which does not plan on cracking down very hard.

Time for a change: A no smoking sign in the pedestrian plaza, Times Square

Defiant: A woman today smokes in the Times Square pedestrian plaza

'The new smoking ban is a quality-of-life rule that is primarily self-enforcing,' Parks Department spokeswoman Vicki Karp said. 'Were co! unting o n all New Yorkers to comply just as they do with other quality-of-life rules.'Less rebellious smokers said they would simply start going more often to Brooklyn Bridge or East River, where it is still legal to light up in all seven state parks.
Brooklyn resident Tyrell Dougeherty, 27, said: '$50 is a lot of money. Thats like three packs of cigarettes. 'I will definitely go to those state parks.'

Protests: Activist Jessica Jones seen here at a rally in New YorkZoe Rosario, 22, said: 'Im a smoker and I object!'Her boyfriend, Richard Crawford, also of East Williamsburg, told the New York Times he understood why smoking would be banned in bars and restaurants.'But outside is ludicrous,' he added.In a further sign of defiance, protests have been planned in spite of the legislation.Later this week, smokers' rights group New York City Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment, is organizing a 'Smoke-in the park' event, where a crowd will simultaneously light up on the Brighton Beach boardwalk.Organiser Audrey Silk said: 'This law will be paid the respect it deserves.'The ban is the latest measure implemented by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to cut down on unwanted second-hand smoking in public areas.
Bloomberg's 2002 campaign to stop smokers lighting up in bars was successful and popular when it went into effect the following year.It has been illegal to smoke in most restaurants in the city since 1995.
A study two years ago for the Health Department found that 57 per cent of non-smoking New Yorkers had a high level of nicotine byproduct in their blood which suggested recent exposure to cigarette smoke. Nationwide, the figure is a much lower 45 per cent.