Makeshift smoking areas in heartlands not illegal, but smokers should be socially responsible: NEA

SINGAPORE — Madam Sharmila T. shuns a coffee shop at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 whenever she is out for food with her young children.

Despite clear signs prohibiting smokers from lighting up on its premises, the unwelcome smell of cigarette smoke drifts through the open-air dining area whenever she is there.

"It's really unpleasant when we're trying to enjoy our meal," said the 33-year-old teacher, who has two sons aged seven and four.

The source of the fumes? A cluster of people lighting up at a makeshift smoking corner, mere steps from where people dine.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) told The Straits Times that smoking is currently not permitted at more than 49,000 places, both indoors and outdoors.

To limit the impact of second-hand tobacco smoke on non-smokers, smoking corners are typically placed at peripheral sections of outdoor refreshment areas and are limited to 20 per cent of these spaces, the agency added.

NEA has stopped accepting applications for new smoking corners at retail food establishments since June 2017, and such smoking corners will be phased out when licences of the establishments are terminated or cancelled, it said.

Smoking is also prohibited at "any area within 5m of ventilation intakes, external windows, openings, entrances and exits to buildings of commercial, industrial or recreational purposes or publicly accessible", according to NEA's website.

NEA told ST that its officers actively check and take enforcement action against errant smokers, including for littering, with more than 14,600 tickets issued in 2023 for smoking in prohibited places.

But smoking is allowed in certain areas, such as open areas in residential estates and town centres.

In response to queries, the agency said: "There is no prohibition for makeshift smoking points, as long as the smoking points are not smoking-prohibited places under the Smoking Regulations."

There is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke, according to the United States' Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC). Exposure to second-hand smoke for adults can cause coronary heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and other diseases. It can also result in premature death.

Second-hand smoke can cause negative reproductive health effects in women, including low birth weight, said the US CDC website. Exposure to second-hand smoke can cause children to have respiratory infections, ear infections and asthma attacks. In babies, second-hand smoke can cause sudden infant death syndrome.

Following a complaint about a makeshift smoking corner near an Upper Serangoon Crescent coffee shop on the Complaint Singapore Facebook group, ST visited 12 coffee shops in areas including Bendemeer, Bedok, Chinatown and Bukit Panjang, as well as the one at Upper Serangoon Crescent.

When ST visited the Upper Serangoon Crescent on Jan 3, the makeshift smoking corner was still there. Some cigarette stubs were found near the bush behind the area. A notice from the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council, dated Dec 28, 2023, was observed at the smoking corner. It warned against blocking the fire engine access route with chairs and other items.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), responding to queries, said that as at Jan 9, no fire safety violations were found at the location.

Makeshift smoking corners were found near almost all the coffee shops that were visited by ST, some close to sheltered walkways. These corners were marked with plastic chairs, benches and the occasional foldable table. Even during off-peak hours, smokers were occasionally seen sitting in the area puffing away at several of these corners. During peak hours, large groups of people can be observed smoking at some of these corners.

While checking out coffee shops in various areas, ST also observed that makeshift smoking zones are frequently strewn with cigarette butts, empty cigarette packets and foil papers typically found inside cigarette boxes.

Madam Sharmila said she is concerned about the impact of second-hand smoke on her children's health.

"I've had to tell smokers to move away because I don't want my kids to inhale second-hand smoke," she said.

Recounting an incident some years ago, she said she nearly got into an argument with a smoker who refused to move away from the area near her family at a coffee shop.

"When he started smoking near us, I felt very angry and told him sternly to leave the premises or smoke (further) away," she added.

"However, he refused to budge at first and left only after one of the stallholders pointed at the no-smoking sign and directed him to smoke where the others were smoking at."

Noting there are often no bins nearby to stub out and dispose of cigarettes, Madam Sharmila said makeshift smoking corners end up looking unsightly with the litter.

A factory worker, who wanted to be known only as Ho, said people are always smoking near a coffee shop in Bendemeer, near where she works.

"I come to this coffee shop daily during lunch hour as I am working nearby. Sometimes I feel like coughing when the cigarette smoke gets to me," she said.

Rajah A, 46, who frequents coffee shops near his home in Telok Blangah Heights, has also experienced such smokers, and calls them inconsiderate.

"There are many areas that one can smoke. Just don't do it in the areas next to coffee shops," the software engineer said. "This is not fair to those who want to have a decent meal and not need to go through the discomfort of breathing in smoke."

Some are unfazed by the smoke. Madam Cheah Ah Kim, a regular at an open-air food court in Bendeemer, said she is not bothered by the smell of cigarette smoke from the makeshift smoking corner nearby.

"Singaporeans these days are more considerate and are aware of the environment, so they don't smoke near non-smokers if they can," said the 85-year-old retired driver in Mandarin.

Some smokers feel they are not doing anything wrong by lighting up in makeshift zones, while others ask for more understanding from non-smokers.

Zam, a 57-year-old logistics worker, was seen smoking at the edge of a sheltered walkway in Chai Chee, just metres from a coffee shop.

The man, who did not want to give his full name, told ST he smokes outside the coffee shop to avoid NEA fines, which can amount to several hundred dollars.

"My friends and I sometimes smoke here to avoid getting caught by NEA officers. As long as we are smoking in an open area, they cannot fine us," he said.

"We are not in the coffee shop smoking, not disturbing anyone. Nobody has told me to leave."

Selva Gunasekaran, 63, who frequents coffee shops in the west, said he tries to stay away from diners to avoid being disruptive while he is smoking.

"My friends and I make it a point to dispose of the cigarette butts properly to prevent fire hazards," said the electrician.

"I used to be a fireman, so I am mindful about fire safety and make sure I remind my friends not to throw a lit cigarette away, especially on grass."

However, Mr Selva added that he sees cigarette butts and litter, such as cigarette boxes, around the makeshift smoking corners.

"Although the cleaners clear the litter the next day, this should not be taken for granted as it could be a fire hazard. People should clean up after themselves."

Sales executive Rosaline Tan, 28, told ST that she does not smoke outside eateries as it may "stink up the area" and diners nearby may be affected.

Tan, who lives in Pasir Panjang, said her parents tend to complain about the smoke from the makeshift smoking corners while dining at the nearby coffee shops.

"My mum, who is sensitive to the smoke, ends up coughing a lot, which is why I feel that smokers should try to be considerate to others around them."

NEA told ST that it "encourages smokers to be socially responsible when smoking at public places, and to not light up at smoking-prohibited places".

"Owners of premises should also be considerate when allowing makeshift smoking corners to be set up," it added.

ST contacted three operators of coffee shops with makeshift smoking corners nearby, but they did not reply to queries.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.