MetroRiders.Org

no, it was not directed towards you in any way, just at the general population. trust me, smokers aggrivate me a lot too (which is why i'm quitting)

I am so sorry to hear that you smoke, but thank you for standing far away from the areas where passengers stand to wait for buses. I have suggested to Metro that Metro create a smoking area at Pentagon that is far away from where passengers stand and wait. I hope that your comment "do not judge all smokers based on the actions of a few" was not directed at me, since I did not judge/am not judging all smokers.

i'm a considerate smoker, i stand far away from the bus shelters on the grassy area at the vienna station when i smoke. trust me waiting for the cue bus makes you want to smoke. also, smoking a good enough distance away from the bus shelter relieves me of the dirty looks i get from everyone else because i am a young (but legal) smoker. i do stand within good enough distance that i can still get on the bus before it leaves. i also discard my cigarette butts unlike most people. do not judge all smokers based on the actions of a few.

I am not going to stage anything fake or post stickers without authorization.

peruser

From the discussion so far, it seems that Metro at one time had no smoking stickers on their bus shelters? Does anyone know if this is true?

At one time, those stickers were posted on all of the benches at the Pentagon Metrobus station (I don't know about other Metro bus shelters). Now, most of them have been ripped off of many of the benches -- including the bench for my bus line. Since May, I have been asking Metro to replace those missing stickers to at least discourage smokers from lighting up while sitting on the benches. On more than one occasion, I have been sitting on the bench at my stop and someone has come and sat beside me and started smoking. Each time that has happened, I've asked the smoker to please move or not smoke on the bench. Each time, the smoker refused and told me that I could move if I didn't like it. I had to get up and stand somewhere else. If the "no smoking" sticker had been posted on the bench, I could have pointed it out to the smoker. I can't imagine that he would have continued to smoke there when there is a sticker right above his head that says "no smoking."

Metro has repeatedly assured me that the missing stickers will be replaced.

Another issue is that of people smoking while riding up and down the escalators. Incredibly, Metro has placed ash trays at the base of escalators. Of course, this suggests to people that smoking on escalators is okay. I heard that a few years ago a careless smoker caused a woman's hair to catch fire on the escalator because he was smoking while standing below her. His cigarette ignited her hair. So not only is it unpleasant for and poisonous to anyone standing nearby, it's a safety hazard.

Interesting, T. Elwood, thanks for the comments.

I've thought of doing the coughing fit approach, but it might seem a bit contrived and could really irritate the smoker, to where I couldn't predict the reaction. But what the heck, it'd be worth it getting a response out of someone inconsiderate enough to smoke near me in a public area wating for public transportation.

Regarding the "vandals" approach and just putting up stickers, personally, I'd be concerned about getting cited for defacing Metro property, afixing unauthorized materials on their bus shelters. From the discussion so far, it seems that Metro at one time had no smoking stickers on their bus shelters? Does anyone know if this is true?

I've seen what appear to be "no smoking" stickers (circular ones picturing a cigarette with a slanting line through the cigarette) on the walkway over I-66 at the Vienna metro station. Then in the station itself (at the turnstyles) there is a sign that says "No smoking beyond this point" - or something close to that. And, I've seen people smoking in the walkway over I-66.

I emailed Metro about the inconsistency of stickers in the walkway and at the turnstyles a few years ago, and heard Nothing back that was at all constructive.

On the "ambulance" idea, I'm not sure, but that might land someone in serious trouble if it was a staged event. Anyway, it's certainly worth thinking of doing something in terms of bringing attention to what I think is a legitimate health concern.

Anyway, perhaps with the latest rounds of activity - what Busrider4 describes, Metro will begin taking visible steps.

Jeff

In cases like this, it's time to take matters into our own hands. I suggest going the route of vandals and putting No Smoking labels up yourself. Surely, you should not be responsible for this, but sometimes the vigilante approach works.

If you want to get really extreme, get some friends to stage a scene at the Pentagon wherein someone smokes near you and you have such a coughing fit that an ambulance has to rescue you, or you can exaggerate your reaction to anyone else's smoking around you.

I might sound sarcastic but I am dead serious. These things work!

Quit to live.

Thank you for your support. I have been corresponding with Metro for 6 months on this issue. At first, I wanted Metro to just replace the missing "no smoking" stickers from the benches at the Pentagon station (the stickers are on some of the glass partitions separating the benches, but most have been peeled off). For 6 months I've been asked Metro to replace those stickers, to at least discourage people from lighting up right there on the benches while sitting next to others. The stickers still have not been replaced.

I have since come to realize that smoking shouldn't be permitted anywhere on that platform where people have to wait for buses -- whether at the benches or not.

Metro is hosting an on-line chat this Friday (11/18) from 12 to 1 PM with Assistant General Manager Hughes. I have submitted a question asking him to comment on this issue during Friday's on-line chat.

I agree that the littering of cigarette butts is also a problem. I don't know when we as a society decided that having our walkways, streets, etc. littered with cigarette butts is acceptable. You can't walk 10 paces anywhere without encountering a littered cigarette butt.

BusRider4 - Thank You!! I applaud your efforts.

While I don't use the Pentagon Station, I do use the Vienna Station, and CUE Bus shelters (owned by Metro, I'm told by CUE management) where breating inside of these these 3-sided shelters becomes a problem when customers decide to "light up" in the shelter. Merely asking a person not to smoke, or move, could create conflict that migth be hazardous to my health - beyond the second-hand smoke.

I wrote Metro suggesting using signs similar to those used on Seattle's transit system, but received only limited response - thanks for your suggestion, we'll pass it along - and have heard absolutely NOTHING from Metro since that time.

I wonder if Metro has ever considered prohibiting smoking on Metro property (what a concept!) - or at least prohibit the littering of cigarette butts. From the number of those butts I see on the walkways, littering, must be, it seems, encouraged if not highly recommended! :roll:

I wonder how often they sweep up the sidewalks and parking lots of cigarette butts and how much time/money it costs to do that activity.

Jeff

Sometimes riding Metrobus makes you need to smoke, and if you walk away from the stop to a designated smoking area, you stand a chance of missing your bus

I'm kidding on that - I hope that one day smoking will be as socially unacceptable as courtesy is now. I see a world where, if you want to smoke, you have to do so in the privacy of your own home only with people you know, in much the same way as courtesy works now :roll: :roll:

I wish you the best in your efforts and would be glad to sign away if you come up with something.

Quit to live.