Smokefree Policy in Wayne

Smoking will be banned at municipal parks, swimming pools and lakes under an ordinance that the Township Council adopted unanimously on Wednesday night. The smoking prohibition under the ordinance extends to all 1,859 acres of township parks and swimming centers, including parking areas, and bans electronic cigarettes, which some smokers use while trying to quit. The law is expected to go into effect on Sept. 27. “Some day I hope to see no one smoking,” said Councilman Alan Purcell, a former smoker with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Before the ordinance was adopted, smoking had been banned at Dave Waks Memorial Park, which is also known as Barbour Pond Park, as well as at James W. Roe Memorial Pool and Tom’s Lake, but it was allowed in the parking lots at those locations. Smoking was allowed at all other township parks. “For health reasons, this is really in the best interest for all our residents,” Mayor Christopher Vergano said. “Our parks, pools and lakes are used mostly by younger people, and we have an obligation to protect them and others from second-hand smoke.” The New Jersey chapter of Global Advisors on Smokefree Policy, or GASP, lobbied for the expanded ban. Alan Kantz, a GASP program manager, said simple policies are better because there is no confusion about where someone can and cannot smoke. In the case of partial bans, such as on college campuses, unnecessary conflict can emerge because some smokers try to push the boundaries of what is permitted, Kantz said.