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June 03, 2004
No smoking inside, too much noise outside, now what?
New York banned smoking in bars and restaurants, but somehow that didn’t stop smoking. Smokers are now more inclined to light up outside, and that has residents complaining about noise.
Here’s the president of the New York Nightlife Association:
[T]here is nothing we bar owners can do under the current law, except put our smokers out in the street and hope not to stir up justifiable community resentment and even noise tickets, or let them smoke inside and risk summonses that could put us out of business.
All our residential neighbors want is a good night's sleep. It's hard to fault them for not seeing the future and the multiplier effect on the city economy if restaurants and bars are phased out of many neighborhoods.
The only real answer is to get the smokers back inside the bars, where they belong.
And it seems that NIMBYism can strike even in the East Village, where, among all the piercings and tattoos, residents are threatening to sue the State Liquor Authority to stop the granting of new licenses. Visit NYC now, before all the fun is sucked out.
Posted by tedb at June 3, 2004 11:30 AM
