The Village Council of Ridgewood, NJ has expanded the area covered by their recently passed ban on smoking in parks, extending it to include all sidewalks adjacent to Ridgewood Board of Education properties, including playing fields and schools. The council did not extend it to the sidewalks in front of The Valley Hospital, though supporters of the ban pleaded for them to do so. The extension of the ban was met with opposition from Councilman Tom Riche, who cited that the village police department doesn’t have the resources to enforce the ban, according to NorthJersey.com. The smoking ban was crafted with the assistance of the Global Advisors on Smokefree Policy, also known as GASP. Ridgewood is home to approximately 25,000 residents and is located in the northeastern part of the state, approximately 20 miles north of Newark.
↧