Smokers have been banned from smoking in parks, but have not been given any tickets for smoking in these parks. Mayor Bloomberg has said that it is more of a citizen’s call than a cop just randomly stopping someone who is smoking in the park. Hit the jump to read the rest of the story.
New York City smokers may end up breathing a sigh of relief.
The New York Post reports that, since the city’s new ban on smoking in parks, beaches and pedestrian plazas went into effect on Monday, not a single $50 ticket has been issued for the offense.
Officials told the Post that the Parks Department’s 125-member enforcement team is “using their judgement” while enforcing the law.
In February, Mayor Bloomberg admitted that the law would mostly be enforced by members of the public who chastised scofflaw smokers. The NYPD is facing steep budget cuts, and officers could not be expected to devote much of their time to the new law, Bloomberg said.
