To think smokers should not smoke next to a no smoking sign?

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(My first aibu - am bracing myself)

Today, I was parked outside a hospital waiting for my parents to come out. Right outside the entrance of the hospital and for about 50 metres, there are numerous signs (I counted eight from where I could see) signs saying "please do not smoke here" and "no smoking". I was waiting for about ten minutes, and I saw lots of people (15) smoking around the whole no smoking zone inc. several people (6) actually smoking next to a no smoking sign. I was partly amused by the irony of it but I also thought there must be a reason why it's a no smoking area, so why are they smoking there? Why could they not walk a little way and smoke where there were no signs? Just to let you know, the whole entrance area inc. way beyond the signs is sheltered and it was not even snowing nor raining.

People visiting hospitals can be under great stress, they are mostly visiting people that are gravely ill or at their deathbed.
There should be more shelters available to smokers, i don't believe they should be vilivied in the great outdoors at a time where quitting fags isn't high on their list of priorities.
I don't smoke, never have, but smoking is an addiction and like i said above these people are stressed to the hilt. Forbidding smoking through an entire hospital grounds is causing this problem, as they have no where to go but straight outside the door.

I don't think that you can say 'most people' in hospital are gravely ill or on their deathbed.

What I mean is you can visit people for loads of other reasons.

Well not exactly, but i do know there are a lot of people that are.
When my parents were going through my 16yo brother's terminal cancer, they had originally quit smoking but due to such devastion his illness caused they started up again.
Who are we to stop people that are going through similar situations, to stop their only release in the great outdoors? After all it is in the open air

I know pumpkin. There seems a lot of variables, each hospital is different. Ours has shelters away from the door, but people still insist on blocking the entrance.
For me it's not the smoking, it's the location when there is another option provided.

But they don't have to stop smoking just think about where they are lighting up. Surely that's not a big ask?

I would like to be able to get my 3 year old who is having yet another asthma attack bad enough to mean he needs hopsital into hopsital without walking though smoke - is that too much to ask?

It's simple smoke away but not just outside the door take a few more steps to somewhere that people can avoid walking past you.

Exactly Sirzy.

Sirzy yes, it would appear it is too much to ask of many smokers.

As I've said before, I really don't care if other people smoke, I just don't want them to share their puffed out smoke with me. Those who still stand outside the doors when a shelter has been provided are just bloody selfish IMO.

Ah but selfish isn't illegal HoHo. Would be if I was PM.

The thing is, most of the sane people one thread are not saying you should not smoke. However, it is really fucking selfish to smoke right near the entrance where an ill person had no choice but to walk right past you. You have the choice to smoke further away but some people have no choice but to walk in and out of the entrance. Why is that so hard to comprehend?

I would agree that people at a hospital may be under stress and need to smoke but surely its like anything else... You can't drink drive just because you're upset about a relative dying? No one would think that was acceptable so in my opinion its the same thing smoking in a non smoking area! Its not hard to just move elsewhere Is it??! X

I don't know if anyone else has said this because I don't have the time to read the whole thread, but even I as a vehement anti-smoker can see there was NO POINT deciding on such a policy if they have absolutely no intention of enforcing it, and no resources to do so. What was the point? What a bloody waste of money. You're just turning normal smokers into rule-breakers, and everyone else into impotent frothers.

Even I as a vehement anti-smoker can see there was NO POINT deciding on such a policy if they have absolutely no intention of enforcing it, and no resources to do so. What was the point? What a bloody waste of money. You're just turning normal smokers into rule-breakers, and everyone else into impotent frothers.

When I went for my last appointment at the fertility clinic, which is thoughtfully located right next to maternity, I saw a woman who was about 8 months pregnant smoking next to the No Smoking sign. Now that made us mad, but really, if the hospitals themselves do nothing to enforce their own rules, what did we expect?

OH FFS STUPID COMPUTER.

Sorry.

And the policy I was referring to was the one I've seen in the three hospitals I've been at lately which apparently forbid smoking anywhere on the premises and grounds.

And I'll stop cluster posting now.

I think the sad fact is the sign isn't enough Ariel. It should be. The sign is up and people should read it.

You would think people were having to push their ill children through a 20 deep wall of smokers. It takes what 5 second max to get past the odd one or two people near the door. It's outside mixing with the rest of the air.

Love that people don't make a fuss about the equally legal hospital car parks that car fumes.

I don't smoke.

Well of course the sign isn't enough as is being proven every day. So what was the point of putting all the signs up? It's not like smokers are going to say "Oh ok then," and put the fags away. You either need to enforce it properly with fines, or not bother even with the signs, and have a dedicated smoking area.

They put the signs up to stop the smokers smoking there. People can read (mostly) rational intelligent people can see that there is a sign and obey it?

whateverittakes People on here have said how ill smoking can make them/their children. Why do they matter less than a person's desire to smoke? I seem to spend a lot of time in hospitals these days and the odd fag here and there doesn't bother me but it could make someone else feel really ill. All it takes is for the smoker to move away from the entrance, so simple yet apparently so hard!

Well no. All around hospitals are signs saying "It is forbidden to smoke anywhere on our premises" and "This hospital now operates a no smoking anywhere at all policy" etc.

It the hospital clearly doesn't operate any policy of the kind.

Don't get me wrong. I loathe smoking with a passion.

OMG, a policy, there's no arguing with that then! The UK is over regulated and increasingly oppressive IMHO.

Why are you picking a fight with me?

My very first post said that such a policy was totally pointless given how selfish and addicted many smokers are.

You either punish people for it, or don't bother and provide them with smoking areas. Doing the latter is far less hassle and is what they should do.

There is huge oppression in the UK but not for smokers! You (the royal you) choose to smoke, most people don't choose to go to hospital. I respect everyone's choice to smoke but not to the detriment of others.

Why should they obey it sparkling? I can put a notice like that up in my garden
but I don't have the legal powers to enforce it and neither does the hospital.