The Augusta City Council Votes to Ban Smoking at School Bus Stops

It will now be illegal to light up a cigarette while waiting for your kids to get on a bus in Augusta. That was the outcome of a vote Thursday night from the Augusta City Council. City Councilor Dan Emery proposed the change after he received an email from parents of two children affected by an adult smoking at their bus stop. One has asthma, the other cystic fibrosis.

The rule bans smoking within 20 feet of designated school bus stops. The designated stops will be posted on the school department's website. Police will not be specifically looking for violators. The new law will give authorities the ability to warn smokers if an incident comes up.

There is an exemption to the ban: parents and other adults will be able to smoke at the end of their own driveway, if it's only their children being picked up.