As of this Sunday, Nov. 13, there is no smoking allowed on outdoor platforms, ticket and boarding areas of New York terminals and stations of the MTA Metro-North and Long Island Rail Railroad lines.
In a press release from the MTA, Metro-North President Howard Permut said, “The new law is a benefit to our customers, helping us in our efforts to provide a healthier and cleaner environment on our platforms and in our ticketing and boarding area. We appreciate the action taken by Governor Cuomo and the Legislature to protect New Yorkers and improve public health.”
Along with the ban comes a PR campaign to educate riders of the law, including permanent signage, customer email alerts, social media outreach on Facebook and Twitter, and public service announcements from celebrities like New York Jets Super Bowl legend Joe Namath and James Lipton, host of TV's "Inside the Actors Studio.”
Outdoor smoking bans are a contentious issue—as evidenced by the comments on yesterday's story in Nyack Patch.
While customers are expected to comply with the law immediately, there will be a grace period when MTA police will issue warnings to violators and not summonses.
What do you think of the ban? Let us know in today’s poll.
