Bondi cafés to go smoke free
If you’ve ever been enjoying a meal in one of Bondi’s many colourful cafés only to have the experience ruined by a smoky cloud of carcinogens from a nearby patron’s cigarette, Waverley Council has good news for you.
Bondi cafés and restaurants will soon be smoke free zones on footpaths and sidewalks within the municipality. Under new licensing agreements, café and restaurant owners will be forced to apply complete bans on footpath al fresco smoking.
In a unanimous decision, the council voted to have smoking banned in outdoor seating areas across the local government area and is now to decide when to implement the policy.
Labor councillor John Wakefield said the ban should be in place before the end of the year, probably around July 1, and said he hoped the ban would breathe new life into local businesses.
Cr Wakefield drew comparisons with the introduction of smoking bans in pubs.
“Some pubs suffered at first but they readjusted the way they operated and are now thriving just as well as they used to,” he said. “We’re hoping that the positive effects of this plan will outweigh the negative effects.”
Deputy Mayor Kerryn Sloan, who first raised the idea, said she was very pleased with the ban. Cr Sloan said she had spoken to local businesses about the initiative and had received positive responses.
“The response from businesses was very positive because they see that the ban will attract clientele who are there to do some serious eating,” she said.
The councillor also pointed to the benefits that the smoking ban would have on residents and employees of local cafés and restaurants.
“We want to look after the health of our workers and residents,” she said.
Bondi Chamber of Commerce spokesman Max Siano said the new smoke-free zones represented a fair compromise for smokers and non-smokers alike.
“It’s only fair that non-smokers should also be able to enjoy al fresco dining without being subjected to smoke from the next table,” he said. “All people deserve to enjoy the outdoors.”
– By Liam Kinkead
