New parks Code of Conduct takes effect

The Seattle Parks and Recreation is instigating a new Code of Conduct that takes effect today, Thursday, April 1.

It includes provisions from Washington state law, from Seattle City ordinance, from already-adopted administrative rules, and some new provisions. Violation of these rules can result in exclusion from a park or a group of parks. New prohibited behaviors include:

  • Possession of glass containers at athletic fields, beaches, or children’s playgrounds;
  • Smoking, chewing, or other tobacco use within 25 feet of other park patrons and or at play areas, beaches, playgrounds, and picnic areas;
  • Conduct that poses a risk of harm to any person or property; and
  • Possession of explosives, acid, or any other article or material capable of causing serious harm to others.

By prohibiting smoking in some parks, Seattle Parks join many other cities in Washington state and around the country that are making smoking unacceptable in public places. It is consistent with Seattle Parks and Recreation’s mission to provide healthy, safe places for people to congregate, and it sends a message to Seattle’s youth that the norm is for public places to be smoke-free.

Back in February Seattle Parks and Recreation Superintendent Tim Gallagher tried to ban smoking and tobacco use in parks entirely, but when faced with public backlash, decided to amend his decision and soften the rule to within 25 feet of park patrons and play areas.

15 thoughts to “New parks Code of Conduct takes effect”

  1. So no glass, even if I take it with me? There goes having a bottle of Coke at my picnic.

    An umbrella ban on “explosives”? So Seattle has now effectively banned the hobby of model rocketry.

    It would be nice if the people drafting these rules would at least pretend to think about what people use parks for.

  2. I really like the taste of soda out of a glass bottle…but aren't most big-name soft-drinks available in plastic or cans? Not really a game changer for your picnic plans, I'd think.

    The model rocketry point is a good one. I wonder if that can be clarified. For instance, the rules appear to be specifically for athletic fields and playgrounds. I'm new here, but aren't there parks that just have open space that don't qualify as an athletic field (and therefore model rockets are allowed?)?

  3. It's about time the 83% of us who don't smoke told the addicts to piss off with their poisonous self indulgence. Who needs cigarette smoke in a park where kids and clean adults are trying to enjoy fresh air? Seattle is showing its intelligence – excellent.

  4. Looks to me,like,the return of Mussolini.
    There were fewer “ordnances”for good citizenz to obey in the 3rd Reich or Axis than now apply to daily life situations here in oh-so lefty Seattle.
    Perhaps,the over-kill of 50-some-lines in “Keep Ballard Civil” 's web site's”disclaimer”should also apply to the city parks department's signs warning all and sundry:
    “Abandon All Hope,Ye Whom Enter Here”,or,maybe,”Arbeicht Mach Frei”??
    Or,is the application day of April first a clue?
    It's just humour?
    To-morrow,it'll be over??

  5. Conduct posing a risk of harm to others, and possession of explosives, acid, or any other article or material capable of causing serious harm to others is a new “prohibited behavior” in parks? I feel safe now.

  6. Totally! Cracks me up when people who get all self-righteous about smoking fail to realize what their cars do to the air (even the preciosu Toyota Pious!) Unless these people walk or ride a bike everywhere they need to get off their alter.

  7. This all seems like an incredibly pointless exercise. Not much point in passing these laws if the police can't enforce them. I'd love to see what would happen if you called the cops to complain about someone with a glass bottle in the park. Does anyone actually think the cops have so little to do that they would bother to respond to such a call? Laws are pretty pointless unless you have the resources to enforce them.

  8. I think people who eat fast food in the parks are a bad influence on kids and families that are trying to be healthy. And, we should get rid of those people with bad breath too, or at least confine them to their homes. Also, people with glasses, long and short hair, guys who wear fedoras, and pretty much anyone who is different and threatening to me should basically be outlawed… I love living here, but some people in this town need to unclench their asses a little bit and concentrate on things that will truly make a difference, rather than complaining and passing useless laws prohibiting every friggin thing that bothers them!

  9. There's a lot of addict-driven sophistry and a lot of astroturf in this comment section. Smoking is ugly & harmful and nobody needs it anywhere, especially in parks.

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