00:00This bustling shopping district in Taipei is gearing up for the upcoming Lunar New Year.
00:07Ahead of the influx of holiday shoppers, the Taipei city government has chosen Dihua Street as a testing ground for a potential citywide smoking ban.
00:16The temporary ban running for a little over two weeks.
00:20Many here support the idea but doubt how effective it will be.
00:30It's not the first time authorities have imposed a temporary smoking ban on Dihua Street.
00:52Most smokers were willing to put out their cigarettes while the ban was in place last year.
00:57But some say it's not a sustainable solution if the ban just drives them out of the area.
01:12Among non-smokers, putting up designated smoking areas is also a divisive issue.
01:18Some worry about their sanitation, while others say they will help prevent cigarette butts littering the streets.
01:24We're not in place with Japan.
01:27We're in place with Japan.
01:29We're in place with Japan.
01:30We're in place with Japan.
01:31We're in place with Japan.
01:32We're in place with Taiwan.
01:33We're in place with Japan.
01:34I think that if we're in place, we can reduce the damage of the damage of the air.
01:43Meanwhile, some residents of Dihua Street worry a designated smoking area could affect the neighborhood.
01:48With less than two weeks to go until the ban takes effect here, city officials will be looking to see how effective it is, and how this trial can be expanded for the whole city.
02:07Residents and businesses here are still deciding how many of these designated smoking areas there will be and where to put them.
02:14Until then, smokers will have to find somewhere else to light up and prepare for a potential citywide street ban.
02:20Ryan Wu in Ireland and Taipei for Taiwan Plus.
