Smoking Banned at Parks, Pools, Recreational Areas
Anti-smoking groups backed legislation that bans the unhealthy activity at places where a lot of children congregate.
Smoking will be prohibited at municipal lakes, parks and swimming pools thanks to a new ordinance the Town Council adopted Wednesday night.
The law means attendees of these areas are banned from smoking or even carrying a lighted cigarette, cigar, or pipe in all parks, recreational areas, and swimming facilities, including their parking lots and driveways. Electronic cigarettes are also banned. The law is expected to go into effect Sept. 27.
Previously, Barbour Pond Park was the only facility in town that was completely smoke free; smoking was allowed in the parking lots at North Cove Park, Captain Michael Kilroy Memorial Park, and the James W. Roe Memorial Pool.
The Council introduced the ordinance Aug. 15. Representatives from Tobacco Free For A Healthy New Jersey and Global Advisors on Smokefree Policy (GASP) attended that meeting and the one on Wednesday and expressed their support for the new legislation.
A dozen other municipalities in the county already prohibit smoking in public parks. Pompton Lakes, Totowa, and North Haledon are the only ones that allow it.
Mayor Christopher Vergano said “township parks, pools and lakes are used mostly by younger people and we have an obligation to protect them and others from second-hand smoke.”
Council President Joseph Scuralli agreed.
“Some of the primary users of township parks are children,” Scuralli said. “Unfortunately, smoking affects other people who do not engage in the activity and that’s who we are looking to protect with this new law.”
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Nose Wayne
10:48 pm on Thursday, September 6, 2012
THANK YOU WAYNE TOWNSHIP !!!!! No more second hand smoke and ugly cigarette butts thrown all over the place, QUESTION : Do cars and trucks still come with ashtrays in them ? NO, According to all our streets.Don't be an ASH, USE THEM !!!!
fboy1932
8:38 pm on Friday, September 7, 2012
I hope to see tickets given when cigarette butts get thrown out of car windows. Yea right!
Joe videodummy
5:27 am on Saturday, September 8, 2012
How far will our politicans will go to prevent cigarette manufactures from conducting business ? Better yet, how far are we willing to go to limit businesses from conducting business ? Cigarette bans will lead to bans on drug manufactures, abortions, food and beverage makers, and so on and so on. Every- time our politicans need to make a stand they can lead the charge by banning another company or manufacturer from conducting business. It's trickery, but by masking the witch hunt, gives the uneducated a feeling and false sense of security. A feeling like "yes we are winning". Who's next ? Maybe we should go after Dixie Cup, or Starbucks, or McDonalds.