Located in the heart of downtown Reims, in the extension of the Promenades, the Parc de la Patte d’Oie has a pretty kiosk, several water points, children’s games, abundant vegetation and, for a few days now, trash cans located at the entrance, on which you can read: “Smoking-free park”.
After the playgrounds, smoking and “vaping” are now prohibited in the entirety of this 3.7 hectare green space. The inauguration of this tobacco-free zone took place on the sidelines of the National General Assembly of La Ligue contre le cancer, organized in Reims on June 26 and 27, the city’s partner in this initiative. The first for a municipal park.
“The choice of this park is not insignificant, because it is frequented by many families and children, which makes the initiative all the more significant, explains the communications department of the city of Reims. The extension of this initiative to the Patte d’Oie park aims to raise awareness among residents about the consequences of smoking and to denormalize its use, without transforming Reims into a city of prohibition.”
The city has already undertaken a similar approach around four schools, where cigarettes are prohibited within a 50 meter radius. It announces that “from November 2024, 20 new municipal elementary schools will be labeled tobacco-free spaces” and aims to extend the instructions to the city’s 49 establishments by 2026. The stated objective is to protect children from passive smoking and of its harmful consequences for health, to denormalize the use of cigarettes, particularly among young people, and to protect the environment by preventing cigarette butts from being left around schools. Committed alongside communities across France, the League Against Cancer has helped to label more than 7,000 tobacco-free spaces in 73 departments. She recalls that smoking causes 75,000 deaths in France each year, or 13% of total deaths.
