A visit to the park could be confusing for smokers as most public parks have been exempted from the smoking ban, but some have banned smoking completely. Others will have designated smoking areas.
While smokers might enjoy an after-lunch puff in a 1,000-square-metre smoking area in Kowloon Park, they would be prosecuted if they smoked on the other side of the harbour in Victoria Park.
The reason for the confusion is that although the ban imposed by the government will be city-wide, individual district councils get to decide about parks.
And their rulings might not be final, as they can change their minds according to members whims or a change in council.
The amendment to the anti-smoking bill was passed in October with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) drafting proposals on designating smoking areas for some of the 1,447 public parks but deciding to leave the decision-making to the respective district councils, which had to decide quickly among their sub-committees to make the ban's deadline.
Deputy Director of Health Leung Ting-hung explained yesterday that the shift of power was due to some district councillors' concerns that more time would be needed to get used to the new ban.
