Parts of the Ningxia Night Market (寧夏夜市) are to be designated non-smoking zones starting on Nov. 1, Taipei City’s Department of Health said yesterday.
“Since implementation of the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法) [in 2009], smoking has been banned in most indoor establishments” said Lin Li-ju (林莉茹), the head of the health department’s health management division. “However, as smokers have moved outside, we have begun to receive complaints from city residents about outdoor smoke exposure.”
As a result, the city has banned smoking in parks and on the sidewalks around 22 of its schools, she said.
The Ningxia Night Market is unique in that it is to be the city’s first night market to ban smoking, Ningxia Night Market Tourism Association director Lin Ting-kuo (林定國) said, adding that his association had asked the health department to impose the ban.
“We have received complaints about smoking from Japanese tourists and also from many backpackers from Europe and the US,” Lin Ting-kuo said, adding that Ningxia Night Market is major tourist destination and is seeking to further distinguish itself from other night markets.
The smoking ban is to apply to the section of Ningxia Road between Minsheng W Road and Pingyang Road (平陽路), Lin Ting-kuo stated.
This is the part of the night market where food vendors are concentrated and crowds tend to be at their most dense, he said, adding that the gaming and clothing sections of the night market would not be affected.
After the new policy goes into effect, violators are to be subject to a fine of between NT$2,000 and NT$10,000, the health department said.
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