Public parks and playgrounds will become smoke-free zones, under proposals to be considered by councillors next week.
A code under consideration at the policy and resources committee of Dundee City Council would not ban smoking outright, but would see adults asked to comply voluntarily with a request not to light up.
Should the proposal be approved it could pave the way for further public spaces including the V&A Museum of Design which will open in September, to become smoke free spaces, as well as outdoor events including the Flower and Food Festival, Bonfire night and the pop concert series at the city's Slessor Gardens.
The council says it cannot enforce a ban, but hopes the move will help change public perceptions of the acceptability of cigarettes.
Leader of the council, SNP councillor John Alexander told the Dundee Courier that attitudes to smoking had changed since the introduction of the public smoking ban.
He said: “There has been a massive change in people’s perceptions about where it is appropriate to smoke in the last 12 years since the smoking ban was introduced in Scotland.
“We hope that people will understand why we are doing this and will respect these playgrounds as much as they would places covered by no smoking legislation.”
“This is a simple but effective way to keep smoke away from children as they play in our excellent parks."
A spokesman for the smokers' lobby group Forest said: “Smoking in the open air poses no risk to anyone else’s health, including children, so there is no reason to ban it in playgrounds or any other outdoor space.
“We would urge smokers to be considerate to those in their immediate vicinity but the overwhelming majority don’t need to be told how to behave around children. The last thing we need are yet more regulations designed to tell ordinary people how to behave in public.”
Should the proposals be passed, the council is to hold a completition for primary pupils to design posters alerting park-users to the code. The council hopes the scheme will also reduce litter by cutting down on the number of discarded cigarette butts.
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