http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/category/rail.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.wbez.org/blog/john-r-schmidt/2012-01-09/1909-chicago-l-smoking-war-94991 http://tobacco.org/news/331869.html The protesters were angry and vocal in the fall of 1909. Their target was one heartless Chicago capitalist named Clarence Knight. He was trying to end smoking on the 'L' trains. Knight was president of the Chicago & Oak Park Elevated Railroad (today's Lake Street Green Line). His trains always ran at least one smoking car. So did Chicago's other privately-owned 'L' companies. Since about 80% of adult males smoked at least one cigar a day, this was understandable. But few women smoked in 1909. In the middle of the day, when most of the passengers were female, the smoking cars were running empty and losing money. Knight knew that other cities banned smoking on transit vehicles. He announced that all his trains would go smokeless on November 1. There was no trouble at first. . . . The "Smoking War" became front-page news. All through November, newspapers detailed the actions of the pro-tobacco-choice forces, and the options they were weighing. . . . Clarence Knight would not be swayed. His "L" trains remained smokeless. Passengers eventually adjusted to the system, and the protests died out. But smoking continued on other "L" lines until the 1918 influenza epidemic. Chicago Public Radio - WBEZ 91.5 FM Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://massapequa.patch.com/articles/smoking-column http://tobacco.org/news/331345.html I looked it up: The LIRR station at Hicksville is 1,200 feet, or just under a quarter-mile long, and can accommodate 17 passenger cars on its platform. About half of that area at each end -- or the length of a football field -- is always empty of people and not even covered. It's also elevated at least 30 feet in the air, and the wind can be fierce up there, so fierce, it's actually hard to light up a damned smoke on that platform from time to time. Full disclosure: I smoke and shouldn't. I know that. It's expensive and terrible for my health, a bad example to children and I'm not endorsing it. I've tried to quit and haven't been able to. You should never start smoking. That said, I used to love that smoke up there on the platform . . . Fair enough: But besides being completely unenforceable, besides being incredibly insensitive to the needs of a significant minority, besides being arrogant and hypocritical, it is simply humorous coming from the LIRR. Why not ban people who wear too much perfume . . . I bristle at the idea that people who answer to no one can demand I not smoke on an open-air platform our father's tax dollars built. It's the MTA, a wholly-owned subsidiary of your government, blowing all that smoke, not me. I move to an open area away from people when I take a drag. The government blows it right in your face. Patch.org edward@patch.com (Joe Dowd) Sat, 31 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20111217/NEWS01/312170011/New-law-will-be-costly-fro-smoking-commuters?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CPoughkeepsieJournal.com http://tobacco.org/news/330685.html It's hard to believe now that smokers were once so readily accommodated on trains and planes, as well as in restaurants, workplaces and even classrooms. (One of my professors at Bard smoked a pipe while delivering lectures.) I recall leafing through an old magazine from the 1950s and finding an ad that had a doctor actually recommending a particular brand of cigarette as a remedy for a scratchy throat. Now, of course, the costs of smoking are well known. Besides the health risks -- I lost my mother-in-law to lung cancer -- I can't believe that anyone still lights up, especially with gaspers pushing $10 a pack. . . . Catching each and every smoker will be a tall order, given the immensity of the MTA's system, so riders will be expected to do their parts by minding the rules and their fellow passengers. Based on the behavior I've witnessed on Metro-North's new quiet cars, I think people will comply ... for the most part. Since the outdoor smoking ban went into effect on Nov. 13, I've spotted a butt or two on the platform at Poughkeepsie Train Station, and a few people sneaking furtive cigarettes they tossed after several strides along the platform. Unless smokers openly flout the rules, they won't antagonize other people as much as the yakkers who insist on talking loudly in the close quarters of a quiet car. I can see discreet puffers getting a pass rather than a direct challenge from their fellow riders in most instances, but they'll still have to watch out for the long arm of the law. Smoking grows ever more risky and potentially costly by the day. Poughkeepsie Journal alsumpin@aol.com ( Written by John Rolfe) Sat, 17 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://gothamist.com/2011/12/12/smoking_lirr_riders_arrested_after.php http://tobacco.org/news/330382.html As first reported in Newsday, Justin Merk, 20, and Lisa A. Moore, 21, both of Babylon, Long Island, were on the train from Penn Station back home Sunday morning when things got hot around 12:30 a.m. near the Freeport station. According to the MTA, Merk lit up and then broke the glass to an emergency door release in an effort to leave the train. When a conductor tried to stop Merk, the man spat on him and his friend Moore allegedly punched him in the face. Merk was charged with criminal tampering and disorderly conduct, Moore was charged with second-degree assault, and the conductor was treated for a sprained thumb at the Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, an MTA spokesperson tells us. Wonder if, a day later, Merk and Moore think those puffs of precious, precious tobacco were worth it? The Gothamist [Blog] tips@gothamist.com (Garth Johnston) Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.longislandpress.com/2011/12/12/2-charged-with-smoking-related-lirr-violence/ http://tobacco.org/news/330380.html Two Long Island Rail Road riders headed home to Babylon were arrested after one of them punched a conductor who was enforcing the train smoking ban against the other at the Freeport station early Sunday morning. An LIRR spokesman said Justin Merk, 20, was allegedly smoking on the 11:29 p.m. train from Penn Station to Babylon when he broke the glass to the emergency door release to exit the train at 12:30 a.m. When a conductor responded, MTA Police said Merk spit in the conductor’s face and 21-year-old Lisa Moore punched the conductor. Long Island Press Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/lirr-riders-arrested-over-smoking-assault-1.3382808 http://tobacco.org/news/330329.html MTA police arrested two Long Island Rail Road passengers early Sunday after they said one was smoking on the train and the other punched a conductor who tried to enforce a no-smoking policy. Passengers Justin Merk, 20, and Lisa A. Moore, 21, both of Babylon, were on the train from Penn Station to Babylon when trouble arose about 12:30 a.m. at the Freeport station, an MTA spokesman said. That's when, police said, Merk lit a cigarette and broke the glass to the emergency door release to leave the train. Newsday emily.dooley@newsday.com (EMILY C. DOOLEY) Sun, 11 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/hey_lirr_butt_out_HYO6JItL6eA4X9OiA6JmrM?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME= http://tobacco.org/news/329354.html Defiant Long Island Rail Road smokers lit up as they waited for trains yesterday -- and lit into the new law that prohibits them from puffing on the platform. "It's bulls--t," blasted Devin Meehan, 25, enjoying a cigarette as he waited for a train at the Hicksville LIRR station. . . . Christina O'Halleran, 28, joined Meehan for a smoke, noting, "If nobody is on a platform on a day like today, why can't we smoke?" New York Post Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://newhydepark.patch.com/articles/new-law-bans-smoking-on-lirr-platforms http://tobacco.org/news/328849.html There was something different about the New Hyde Park Train Station this week; there were “No Smoking Signs” everywhere: on the wall near the ticket waiting area, bolted to the stairs leading up to the platform and on the platform as well. The new smoking ban, signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo prohibits smoking on all outdoor platforms, boarding and ticketing areas for trains operated by the MTA. The ban applies to the Long Island Rail Road and Metro North commuter lines. In affect as of Nov. 13, train commuters are still getting used to the new law. “I had no idea,” Patch.org Pam.Robinson@patch.com (Vanessa Canner) Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beats/transit/150682/state-ban-on-smoking-at-outdoor-commuter-rail-platforms-takes-effect http://tobacco.org/news/328778.html A new state law that bans smoking on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's outdoor commuter rail platforms, including Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road stations, took effect Sunday. Smokers now face a $50 fine for breaking the rule. MTA police officers will give out warnings before they start writing tickets. The agency said the ban promotes a healthier, cleaner environment and reduces the chance of a track fire. NY1 Sun, 13 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/11/stars-come-out-to-tell-train-riders-not-to-smoke/?partner=rss&emc=rss http://tobacco.org/news/328697.html Jackie Mason in a taxi has nothing on Joe Namath on a train. In keeping with a long tradition of celebrity travel counseling, the Long Island Rail Road and its commuting cousin, Metro-North, have enlisted a group of notable New Yorkers to remind passengers about a new smoking ban that begins on Sunday. “Hi, this is Joe Namath reminding you that smoking is no longer permitted on station platforms. It’s the law!” goes one sample announcement, recorded by Broadway Joe himself. New York City’s commuter railroads are known for workaday grit rather than A-list glamour, although many area celebrities, including the film director Ang Lee and the Sullivan and Cromwell chairman, H. Rodgin Cohen, are frequent riders. But railroad officials decided a touch of star quality could ensure that passengers pay more attention to recordings that can often be dismissed as white noise. “It’s not enough to make the announcements,” said Mitchell Pally, an agency board member from Long Island who suggested the celebrity idea. “It’s only good if someone actually listens to the announcements.” The lineup spans the celebrity spectrum, from athletes like Mr. Namath, hero quarterback of the New York Jets, and the Hockey Hall of Famer Rod Gilbert, to Hollywood staples like James Lipton, the baritone host of “Inside the Actor’s Studio.” There is even room for the flash-in-the-pan type: Countess LuAnn de Lesseps, a Real Housewife of New York City. New York Times Blogs haberman@nytimes.com (MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM) Fri, 11 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://tarrytown.patch.com/articles/smoking-ban-as-of-sunday-on-mta-station-platforms http://tobacco.org/news/328681.html 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. Patch.org kristamadsen@gmail.com (Krista Madsen - Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollow, NY Patch) Fri, 11 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/new_york&id=8425886 http://tobacco.org/news/328577.html "At least I can still smoke in my car," said Bronco Balac, a commuter. Bronco Balac says he'll follow the new rule starting Sunday and stop smoking on the platform while he's waiting for his train. "Why ban them all of a sudden in these places? Why not just ban cigarettes?" Balac said. The outdoor smoking ban applies to Metro North stations in New York State and all LIRR stations. WABC-TV Ch. 7 Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/joe_namath_takes_on_lirr_metro_north_p82ihG25bQ7t35Hmece1AM http://tobacco.org/news/328575.html The legendary Jet and a host of other New York notables -- like former Yankee Tommy John and "Real Housewife" Countess LuAnn de Lesseps -- are using their distinct voices to remind railroad riders about a new smoking ban that takes effect on Sunday. The new law -- which Gov. Cuomo signed in August -- fines smokers up to $50 or 30 days in jail for lighting up on outdoor LIRR and MetroNorth platforms and boarding and ticketing areas. New York Post Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://blogs.thehour.com/newshound/?p=6356 http://tobacco.org/news/328574.html Sunday, November 13 is the date that New York State’s new smoking ban on MTA Long Island Rail Road and MTA Metro-North Railroad outdoor platform, ticketing and boarding areas of terminals and stations goes into effect and the voices of some of the big town’s favorite athletes, performers, writers and news professionals are lending their voices to a public education campaign letting customers know about the new rules. Metro-North stations in Connecticut are not subject to the new law. To help get the word out, an All-Star lineup of New Yorkers volunteered to record public address announcements for Metro-North and the LIRR, including New York Jets Super Bowl hero Joe Namath, New York Ranger Hall of Famer Rod Gilbert, former New York Yankee Tommy John, WFAN sports commentator Ann Liguori, Long Island native and former Miami Dolphins quarterback Jay Fiedler, Pro-Football Hall of Famer Elvin Bethea, James Lipton, host of TV’s “Inside the Actors Studio,” Daily News columnist Mike Lupica, Juliet Papa of 1010 WINS Radio News, actress Lori Singer, Ken Auletta of The New Yorker magazine and Countess LuAnn de Lesseps of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of New York City.” Norwalk Hour Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/09/29/mixed-reaction-from-commuters-on-smoking-ban-at-lirr-stations-platforms/ http://tobacco.org/news/326963.html HUNTINGTON STATION, NY (WCBS 880) — A smoking ban at Long Island Rail Road stations is getting mixed reactions from commuters. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law back in August. The new law prohibits smoking in outdoor spaces for ticketing, boarding or platforms of train stations operated by the MTA or its subsidiaries. “It is important that commuters are not unwillingly subject to the dangers of second-hand smoke while waiting on train platforms,” Cuomo said. “This law will make outdoor MTA train platforms, ticketing and boarding areas a cleaner, healthier place for all commuters.” CBS New York - Ch. 2 Thu, 29 Sep 2011 04:00:00 GMT