Lighting up a cigarette while waiting for the train to arrive will no longer be allowed on Long Island Rail Road platforms beginning Sunday.
New York State's new smoking ban will go into effect on Nov. 13 for the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad. The current rules prohibit smoking on any train and in any indoor area within a terminal or station, but the new state law extends the prohibition to the outdoor railroad platforms, ticketing and boarding areas, according to a notice on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's website.
MTA Police officers will be lenient with violators in the beginning, letting them off with a warning during the intial grace period as they educate the public and amend the MTA's Rules of Conduct. After that, they'll be able to enforce the law and issue summonses to those who don't comply.
To help get out the word, the MTA even enlisted some celebs to record public service announcements. So the next time you think about lighting up to cope with your train delay heed the warnings of sports stars Joe Namath or Rod Gilbert, T.V. host James Lipton or Countess LuAnn de Lesseps of "The Real Housewives of New York City."
What do you think of the new ban? Tell us in the comments section below.
