Student Presses for Ban on Smoking at Bus Stops

A complaint from a University of Waterloo student about secondhand smoke seeping into buses has Grand River Transit implementing new smoking rules. But Ahmad Zeitoun, a third-year biomedical science student, doesn’t believe the new restrictions go far enough. “I am not that pleased,” said the 20-year-old Kitchener man, a daily transit user who said a smoker is often standing nearby as he waits for his bus. As an asthmatic, Zeitoun said he’s concerned about the health hazards of breathing in second-hand smoke, not just for himself, but for other passengers. Last April, he took his concerns to regional council, asking that smoking marijuana be banned at bus stops. Instead, Grand River Transit is implementing these new rules starting early next year: • Initiate an awareness campaign asking people not to smoke near buses or at bus stops. • Ban smoking at outdoor platforms at the five shopping mall terminals. • Enlarge the no-smoking areas at the Ainslie Street terminal in Cambridge and the Charles Street terminal in Kitchener. Designate smoking areas at these two terminals that is separate from the buses and waiting areas. Smoking is already prohibited on buses and at bus shelters under the Smoke-Free Ontario Act. Eric Gillespie, regional director of transit services, said the region is bound by the Municipal Act which does not allow municipalities to ban smoking along roadways, which he said means the region cannot ban smoking at bus stops. Also, the sheer number of bus stops across the region — almost 2,900 — makes enforcement difficult, he said. The best option, Gillespie said, is a public awareness campaign asking people not to smoke near the front doors of buses, at bus stops or at shopping mall terminals. This campaign, which will be launched early next year, will cost about $5,000. “We are looking for people to be considerate of others and not smoke in the public areas,” he said. Gillespie said the region can enforce no smoking rules under its Code of Conduct Bylaw at the two terminals. Security staff at the terminals will be instructed to issuing warnings to people who disobey the posted no-smoking signs. “We will eventually move to enforcement” and repeat offenders will be banned from the terminals, he said. Gillespie said Grand River Transit has received only a few smoking complaints, but if this campaign results in more complaints, then regional inspectors overseeing smoking laws will increase their monitoring of troubled spots. Zeitoun does not believe a public awareness campaign is enough. He wants bylaw enforcement officers to regularly monitor bus stops and terminals. “I have a right not to breathe second-hand smoke,” he said.