The ashtray 'pillars' at Dutch railway stations cause more problems than smokers do. They tend to 'smoulder' away for hours on end, spreading nasty fumes all around, which is why something new is being put to the test: the ashtray tile. Even in its trial phase, it has already 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 itself. This circle is there to make it clear to smokers that this is the spot where they should be, because smoking is banned anywhere else inside Dutch railway stations which have roofs.
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 keep on burning inside these pillars, producing foul-smelling and polluting smoke as the 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At Zwolle, Groningen and Leeuwarden stations, a few smokers' poles have been replaced by the ashtray tile for a test run.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", says 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. "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. One student feels like a ‘loser' having to stand in a yellow circle. Another woman thinks it is 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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I think the smoking area is a good idea, many people nowadays don't want people smoking around them especially when they have smaller children. This gives the smokers their own designated area and it keeps the train stations clean. It's a win-win for everyone.
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