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Winnie Yeung

A list of the 255 parks with designated smoking areas will be published in time for the implementation of the new smoking ban on Monday, the government has pledged.

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department has also put up signs to remind the public that  the remaining  1,192 parks managed by the department will be smoke-free from January 1.

Senior staff officer Rick Chan Tin-chu said yesterday the list of  255 parks, which was still being compiled, would be uploaded to its website by Monday.

At present, the list is  available only by applying to district councils, which  may designate as smoking areas no more than 1 per cent of a park's total space.

Only Central and Western, Eastern and Tsuen Wan district councils decided to impose a complete smoking ban in all parks in their jurisdiction.

The smoking areas  would be  demarcated in different ways, Mr Chan said. Some would be partitioned off with flower pots or plants, while others  would have coloured tape stuck to the ground.

The smoking areas  would also be designated on maps at park entrances and by temporary signs.  Mr Chan said the temporary signs might be removed  once people had become familiar with the location of the smoking areas.

Rubbish bins with ashtrays would also be  retained for now in no-smoking areas to allow smokers to put out their cigarettes if they lit one  accidentally.

Parks staff  would take down  the personal details of people smoking in smoke-free areas and refer the cases to the police or the Tobacco Control Office.  A forceful approach would not be used against offenders.

'There are grey areas, like if the smoker is standing with one foot  in the smoking area  and the other on the outside,' Mr Chan said. In this case, the smoker would be advised to put out the cigarette.

A review of the smoking areas would be conducted after three months and the district councils advised of possible amendments.



List of parks where smokers can find sanctuary going online soon