To ask smokers to move away from station entrance?

[PinkyAndTheBump]

I don't like walking through a cloud of smoke to get into station. It's a small station, with single entrance on this side of tracks - like double French doors, so no other alternative.

Would it be unreasonable to request Greater Anglia to mark out a hashed yellow "no-smoking" area there? It's not as if it actually provides them any shelter from the weather than standing elsewhere, and don't get me started on the litter of their stubs!

I've tried (politely) asking smokers not to stand right by the entrance, but just get verbal abuse back!

I have to disagree that it stinks because I like the smell, though it is a strong odour.

Ho Hum, this thread has made me hugely miss smoking - one of my favourite things in all the world - which I have given up since my BFP. I shall go and dream of Drum Blue now.

To be honest, if I had a choice between sitting beside a really heavy smoker on the bus or someone with bad BO, I would find it difficult to decide.

All these people saying that the smell of smoke makes them want to throw up - back when I was a (non-smoking) child, many more people smoked, including my parents. I don't recall the streets or all the other places where smoking was permitted being littered with people heaving or being sick - I can't say that smoke was my favourite smell (though I did enjoy sniffing my Grandad's ashtray!), but it was never that bad. Maybe it's a bit psychosomatic, all this nausea?

I'm not keen on the smell of smoke myself, but I've smelled worse things!

I've smelled worse things too, but it doesn't stop the smell of smoke being absolutely vile. Heavy smokers really stink.

Those stats quoted by Plenty have some significant omissions. You can't, for instance, solely look at pensions savings for smokers who die young without taking into account benefit claims by their dependants and loss of tax; you can't look at the cost of health care in isolation without looking at the loss to the wider economy from people who are off work for substantial periods or who are unable to work due to smoking-related ill health; and some sort of breakdown of the health care costs is needed to see whether all categories have been taken into account.

Hi OP here. Wow. I honestly didn't think I get such a variety of responses and debate.

I think we've identified an issue in that we as a whole cant afford to be without smokers because they are funding the government to such a huge extent, but at the same time, we'd rather they just didn't smoke anywhere near us, thank you very much!

I do remember before the smoking ban that reeking of smoke and the need to wash hair when coming in from a night out was sort of the cost of socializing but looking back now, how did we ever put up with it for so long ?!?

I am pregnant so I do reserve the right to get uppity about noxious stuff. That and the fact my sense of smell is hyper sensitive at the moment.

I just wish that smokers would be able to feel/smell what it's like for a non smoker to have to inhale the smoke and have the smell linger. But same can be said for people with BO and excessive fragrance users. Once you get used to a smell you can't sense the problem it causes others!

Thanks all for the brilliant comments :)

YANBU. Try to comfort yourself that every fag they are smoking is reducing their life expectancy by 60 seconds.

Something always surprises me on threads like this ... posters say how disgusting smoking is, how smokers should be controlled, how much non-smokers are inconvenienced, etc, etc, etc

BUT NOBODY SUGGESTS CAMPAIGNING FOR A BAN ON THE SALE OF TOBACCO

Why is that??

Some people can be unpleasant.

When I started work, people smoked in my office and I had to put up with it because they were senior to me.

Similarly with any enclosed space. I'm so glad that's not the case now.

But as I said, people can be unpleasant, but now I think that it applies to the anti-smokers.

BUT NOBODY SUGGESTS CAMPAIGNING FOR A BAN ON THE SALE OF TOBACCO. Why is that??

Prohibition in the US gives a really sobering lesson why banning something that has popular support is a disaster Puzzledandpissedoff.

It led to rise of organised crime in which some very nasty people made billions and then because of that money were able to corrupt political and judicial structures.

People should be encouraged to give up tobacco and alcohol. In the UK, only about 20 per cent of people smoke. Many of those who do, want to give up for a combination of health and economic reasons. We should help them.

Prohibition in the US gives a really sobering lesson why banning something that has popular support is a disaster

I agree with you, but it's a sad fact that "antis" sometimes fail to think things through, as in my example of them spluttering over water vapour; the urge to rant and control can drive out common sense and tolerance, which is why I'm surprised that none have made the suggestion I mentioned

Try to comfort yourself that every fag they are smoking is reducing their life expectancy by 60 seconds.

Wow... I wouldn't take comfort in the thought of anyone dying, especially given that my DP and other family members and friends smoke.

I've recently given up, but this thread, as others have said, does make you miss it. I'm not bothered by the smell or anything else, I just hated having a horrible smoker's cough.

What sort of sick fucker 'comforts' themselves at the thought of an addict's life being shortened?

There's a sign in the local playground asking people "not to smoke in our playground". Which I think is quite fair. Yesterday a group of mums were perched right outside the gate, all smoking, so it was unavoidable if you wanted to enter/leave the playground. Much worse. Not fussed about smoking in outside spaces elsewhere really. They've got to smoke somewhere, and many smokers really don't realise how smelly and unpleasant the smoke is for other people, so they wouldn't necessarily see the problem.

windchime weeeeell i never!

I find sick, twisted attitudes like windchime's far more disgusting than fag smoke.

windchime

Let's hope you are not involved with any activity that could possibly shorten your life eh!

What a stupid comment.

You seem to be the sort of person I'm talking about.

Icimoi - You can't, for instance, solely look at pensions savings for smokers who die young without taking into account benefit claims by their dependants and loss of tax;

If you read, they are on average dying at 70 instead of 80. Their dependents are almost certainly independent by then. Given that they are overwhelmingly poor and past retirement age I doubt most would have been paying much tax either.

you can't look at the cost of health care in isolation without looking at the loss to the wider economy from people who are off work for substantial periods or who are unable to work due to smoking-related ill health;

That's true, that's a cost I didn't include. I wonder how it balances against old age care and the housing benefit I didn't include either?

and some sort of breakdown of the health care costs is needed to see whether all categories have been taken into account.

A breakdown would be interesting, yes. The figure comes from ASH who, being ASH and not exactly pro-smoking, will probably have shoe-horned in everything they reasonably could.

windchime, given that it kills approx 10% of the population early, how many MNers do you reckon will have lost a loved one because of smoking?

Shame on you!

pieceoftoast - and many smokers really don't realise how smelly and unpleasant the smoke is for other people

That's right, they Simply Don't Realise because nobody ever points it out. I hope you did - you'd be doing them a favour really

I am a bit at the argument that we ought to be grateful to smokers for killing themselves off early so we can all save money.

If there was a magic wand that stopped everyone from smoking and they were totally happy about it, would I vote against it because it would cost the country money and my taxes would go up? Are you kidding? I would be delighted that so many ppl would be spared illness and early death and their families would keep the ppl they loved, and I would be happy to spend the money.

Wouldn't everyone? Are ppl seriously in favour of smoking because it keeps taxes down?

Non-smokers actually compromise a lot - yes, banning a legal activity from all public indoor spaces while going on to whinge like a bunch of fucking toddlers about people doing said activity in the fucking open air is a massive, massive compromise.

I don't really buy the argument that asking smokers to move away from the entrance is the thin end of the wedge and is no different from making them stand a mile away. Of course it's different. Smokers know that really, its just they are cross about the ban.

It really wouldn't hurt for them to stand five feet away so ppl can get into the station.

Plenty- if they do realise and they just don't care, does that make it better?

Beast, go on then, start the petition. I'll sign it

if they do realise and they just don't care, does that make it better?

Who said they just don't care? They 'just can't stop' is nearer the truth.

"The smoke drifts upwards, into the wards where all of the sick folk and children are"

"I complained to westfield in Stratford last year because I could smell the smoke inside the shopping centre "

You do know if you wrap foil round your head it stops the evil smoke gas eating your skin away.