Smoking is set to be prohibited in public areas across Manchester.
Well-known public places like Piccadilly Gardens, St Peter’s Square and Manchester Town Hall could all become smoke-free zones.
Other regions impacted by the plans include the new Mayfield Park and the area around the Etihad Stadium.
People smoking in these places would be asked to move on or extinguish their cigarettes, although there are presently no plans to fine or punish those who do.
Public consultation in Manchester is expected to start on the plans, with a decision anticipated to be reached in Autumn.
The proposals come after Manchester joined the Partnership of Healthy Cities, a worldwide group which aims to tackle illnesses like cancer and chronic lung disease. One of the prerequisites for membership is to have smoke-free outdoor areas.
An estimated 5,000 people die from smoke-related illnesses in Greater Manchester each year.
Nonetheless, it’s comprehensible that other people who don’t smoke don’t want to inhale smoke fumes, however, smokers have rights too and they should have designated areas where they can smoke, at least that way smokers’ rights don’t infringe upon the rights of non-smokers, and non-smokers won’t infringe upon the freedoms of smokers by demanding they’re deprived of their rights to smoke.
But then try driving behind a diesel car. Cigarette smoke will smell like perfume in comparison, and there aren’t as many that smoke outside now, certainly not enough to do anybody any harm, and what happened to people’s choice? People are actually condoning this interference in our daily lives, and I will defend to my dying day a person’s right to have a choice and to have freedom.
This is an appalling abuse of people’s freedom and choice. I agree there should be some constraints indoors where other people will have to breathe in the same air, but outside these rulings are oppressive.
They want to prohibit smoking, yet they refuse to do anything about the homeless, and if you’re considering going to Manchester for a weekend, don’t, there are far nicer places to dwell.
The problem is that once one thing is prohibited, then something else will be restricted like sitting on a bench or strolling in the park. How far will these limitations go? This has gradually become a nanny state, and this will ultimately be another money-making con, perhaps they should be banning councillors and council officials from exhaling?
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