Station smokers: from pillar to pit
09/05/09
Smokers give their verdicts on new ashtray tiles in Dutch stations.
The ashtray 'pillars' at Dutch railway stations arguably cause more problems than smokers do, tending to smoulder and spread nasty fumes for hours. Thus, something new is being put to the test: the ashtray tile. Already, in its trial phase, it has acquired a nickname: the 'peukputje' (butt pit).
The ashtray itself resembles the opening to a drain, complete with covering grill, and that's all there is to it, other than the large yellow circle painted around the ashtray on the platform. This circle makes clear to smokers their designated area, since smoking is banned elsewhere inside enclosed Dutch railway stations.
When the smoking ban came into effect at Dutch stations, new pole-like ashtrays were installed at those places where smoking was still to be tolerated. Unfortunately, the design has proved unsatisfactory, as discarded cigarettes tend to continue burning inside the pillars, producing foul-smelling and pollutant smoke as the cigarette filters smoulder and melt. The new ashtray tile, it is hoped, will provide the solution to this problem.
At Zwolle, Groningen and Leeuwarden stations, a few smokers' poles have been replaced by the ashtray tile for a test run. But railway infrastructure company ProRail is already optimistic about the project.
"It doesn't smell bad," said spokesman André de Waard. "And there are fewer cigarette butts on the ground and, surprisingly enough, smokers stay inside the yellow circle."
Simplicity
Unlike smokers' poles, the ashtray tile is an example of sheer simplicity. "[There are] no air filters or anything. It is just a drain in which you can throw your cigarette butts, with a large yellow circle around it. The only thing is making sure you empty the drain frequently."
Loser
Smokers are divided on the matter. One student felt like a ‘loser' having to stand in the yellow circle. Another woman thought it a good solution: "This way, other people won't be bothered by us. And if they go stand in the circle anyway, it's their problem. This is our spot!"
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