Smoking to be banned on Melbourne’s Tan, Princess Park jogging tracks

SMOKING is set to be banned along two of Melbourne’s main jogging tracks, creating the city’s largest smoke-free zones.

A call to ban smoking along running tracks such as The Tan along the Botanical Gardens in Melbourne. Adrian [surname withheld] has a some along the track. Picture: Alex Coppel.

• Businesses back smoking ban in outdoor areas

SMOKING is set to be banned along two of Melbourne’s main jogging tracks, creating the city’s largest smoke-free zones.

Princes Park in Carlton and the Tan Track, spanning 3.8km around King’s Domain and the Botanic Gardens, have been highlighted for bans that could start as soon as April, according to confidential papers seen by the Herald Sun.

City councillor Richard Foster said the move would help make Melbourne one of the healthiest cities in the world. Feedback will be ­obtained along the tracks from November 4.

“This would set us up to ­expand in other areas and neighbouring zones as well,” Cr Foster said.

The council is also considering a major pedestrian street for a smoking ban.

RMIT University has approached the council to make parts of upper Swanston St and areas surrounding the city campus smoke-free.

“This will require careful and thorough analysis around the practical application and subsequent impact such a ­prescription will have on pedestrians, businesses and RMIT students,” the report stated.

The application follows Melbourne University, which went smoke-free in 2014.

Cr Foster said the public was largely in favour of more smoke-free zones.

The anti-smoking campaigner said the State Government’s al fresco bans, which will start in August 2017, did not go far enough. He would continue to push for a total smoking ban in the CBD.

Despite the move being ­rejected by Lord Mayor Robert Doyle, Cr Foster said he had the support of councillors to roll out further smoking bans in bigger areas.

“With each new smoke-free area, we are one step closer to having a smoke-free city,” he said.

“We are now moving ­beyond the CBD grid. What it tells us is ultimately we will end up with a smoke-free city as the smoking population drops markedly year on year.”

Last year, The Causeway, a tiny laneway in the CBD, ­became Melbourne’s first ­permanent outdoor smoke-free laneway.

There are now about 40 other smoke-free areas in the City of Melbourne, including children’s playgrounds and childcare centres.

However, the council has come under fire after a study found just 25 per cent of the public knew the city had smoke-free zones.

This was despite the council spending $300,000 promoting the initiative.

christopher.gillett @news.com.au