Bus stop smoking ban?
Moses Michaels puffed a cigarette Monday as he considered the proposal to ban smoking at Santa Rosa's downtown transit mall and west side transfer station.
If the city can tell people what to do when they're standing outside, waiting for a bus, it won't be long before they come after other rights, Michaels figured.
"First it's the smoker, then it's the gum-chewer," said the 45-year-old chef who was taking a bus from downtown to his car parked a few miles away. "Pretty soon they'll be banning ice cream on the streets."
Michaels' sentiments likely will be shared by others today when the City Council amends its recent outdoor smoking ordinance to include a ban at the two busy bus terminals.
The council voted in June on policies that prohibit smoking in certain public places including parks and outside restaurants.
It said it would establish smoking areas at the two bus stops before the ban takes effect Dec. 1.
But a committee reviewing the proposals recommended the smoking areas be eliminated.
Now, if the measure is approved, people who light up at either terminal could be faced with a fine up to $100 for a first offense.
Mayor Jane Bender said it was a matter of fairness that smoking be halted at the transit spots.
"It doesn't seem fair to tell people they can't smoke in other areas of downtown," Bender said.
People standing at the downtown transit mall Monday agreed.
Richard Dold, 48, of Santa Rosa, an ex-smoker, said he is often bothered by fumes as he waits for his bus every day.
"When you're not smoking, it just smells terrible," Dold said. "I don't think it's a bad idea to ban smoking here."
Sergio Diaz, 36, of Rohnert Park, said the proposal could help him quit.
He took a few drags of a cigarette as he waited for a bus to take him to Mendocino Avenue.
"I think that's a good idea," the graphic designer said. "That way I could smoke less."
But others said the proposal was unfair.
Aimee Kerns, 36, of Santa Rosa, said the moments before her bus comes to take her to a job as a medical biller is the only time she can relax with a cigarette. Taking that away would not be right, she said.
"I've never once had anyone complain," she said.
Others had more harsh words about outlawing the practice amid the smoke and noise of the busy stations.
"It's stupid," said Steve Edmonds, 59, of Santa Rosa, who was having a quick smoke downtown before a transfer. "It doesn't hurt anybody. It's not like we're blowing it in people's faces."
