TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As part of its “Smoke-Free Taipei” campaign, the city on Monday expanded its no-smoking zone to include the Ximending shopping area, with violators facing fines of up to NT$10,000 (US$318).
The Taipei Department of Health announced on April 24 that the Ximending commercial district would become a non-smoking area, except in designated smoking areas, per CNA. The ban covered the area between Zhonghua Road Section 1, Xining South Road, Chengdu Road, and Hankou Street Section 2.
On Wednesday, the department said the smoke-free zone would be expanded to include the area bordered by Zhonghua Road Section 1, Yanping South Road, Xiushan Street, and Hengyang Road, covering the vicinity of Ximen MRT Station Exit 4. Violators face fines ranging from NT$2,000 to NT$10,000 under the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act.
The department also announced on Saturday that a second negative-pressure smoking room near Xinzhongshan Linear Park had opened. Located behind Exit 1 of Shuanglian MRT Station, the facility is intended to reduce public exposure to secondhand and thirdhand smoke.
Taipei now has six negative-pressure smoking rooms and 201 designated smoking areas, CNA reported. The other negative-pressure facilities are located near Exit 4 of Ximen MRT Station, Popcorn Chicken King Ximen, the Watsons Wuchang branch, the Xingyi bus parking lot, and Exit R7 of the Zhongshan Metro Mall.
The department said Xinzhongshan Linear Park is one of Taipei's major urban recreation corridors. The section between Exit R1 of the Zhongshan Metro Mall and Zhongyi MRT Station has already been designated a non-smoking zone.
