Waynesville bans smoking on sidewalks
Smoking will soon be banned on sidewalks in Waynesville.
Town aldermen voted unanimously last week to ban smoking on all town property — including parks, ball fields, greenways, public parking lots and the grounds of town buildings.
Sidewalks were the most debated part of the ban as town leaders have pondered what to do over the past three months. Ultimately they decided that public sidewalks shared by all were no place for smoking.
“I am an advocate of the healthiest lifestyle we can provide in our town,” said Alderman Wells Greeley. “With all of the studies, information and data that’s out there on the harms of smoking and tobacco use, it is understood in today’s world that smoking needs to be regulated.”
The ban goes into effect in November, allowing the town to work on public education of the ban and come up with some sort of “no smoking” signage, Town Manager Marcy Onieal said.
The town also has to figure out how it will be enforced — including how the public can report complaints about offenders.
Related Items
This must be the place: ‘Let the mind beware, that though the flesh be bugged, the circumstances of existence are pretty glorious’
HCAC ‘Small Works’ exhibit
Ready for ‘A Kilted Christmas’?
‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’
“I am concerned about the enforcement of it. But we are concerned about the enforcement of driving the speed limit. So I think we have to go with it,” Greeley said.
Town leaders made in clear during discussion over recent months that they didn’t want to saddle police officers with the role of snuffing out smoking in town parks and on sidewalks.
The smoking ban on sidewalks will apply all over town, from Main Street to Russ Avenue. But it will have the greatest impact downtown, where there are relatively few islands of private property.
While smoking bans have become common, a smoking ban on city sidewalks is still rare.
It’s not the first small town in the mountains to go that way, however. Canton actually wins the prize for the first blanket smoking ban on sidewalks.
Meanwhile, Haywood County commissioners last month voted to ban smoking on the grounds of the historic courthouse and justice center, which anchors one end of Waynesville’s Main Street.
It was assumed that smokers who once congregated around the courthouse would simply wander over to the nearest sidewalk instead. That won’t be an option now.
Alderman Leroy Roberson said he hopes the ban discourages people from smoking. While the dangers of lung cancer are well known, as a long-time optometrist, Roberson saw first-hand the toll smoking takes on vision loss as people age.
“It is an economic issue, too. It is a strain on society as you are increasing the cost of health care,” Roberson said. “At least the people who aren’t smoking aren’t confronted with second hand smoke.”
