TOLD YOU SO

But What About Bus Shelters

The creation of Florida's Indoor Clean Air Act was challenged by a misguided and terrified Florida Restaurant Association who predicted restaurants would start going out of business once customers could no longer smoke there. In fact, the University of Florida found sales in restaurants, lunchrooms and catering services were up more than 7 percent since the ban went into effect.

But the Act did not affect outdoor bus shelters like those we have in Pinellas County. Of course, technically bus shelters are not "indoor" although they vary considerably. The simple "advertising shelter" is open to the weather on three sides but the better shelters which boast three walls and only one open side are vulnerable to smokers since in Florida's hot humid weather the carcinogenic smoke tends to hang in the air or circulate slowly from lung to lung among passengers waiting up to an hour for their bus.

And, make no mistake. Smoking is higher among the low income and many of PSTA'S passengers are poor or in the low income category. Smoking in the shelters is common. Of course, it is unlikely anyone wealthy enough to run successfully for the Florida legislature has been riding buses and waiting in bus shelters regularly anytime recently. So the law ignored bus shelters and most nonsmoking passengers are stuck when a smoker lights up.

Suggested Solution - Nothing is stopping PSTA from prominently posting a large "NO SMOKING" sign in each shelter. Sure, many smokers would ignore the signs with no enforcement just as many drivers ignore stop signs and speed limits but just one smoker who stepped outside would provide blessed relief.