Comments on: Lose the booze

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Sat, 10 May 2008 20:24:23 +0000

I kid you not, I once saw a woman merrily chatting away to her friend on the tube with a GLASS OF WINE held delicately between her fingers. Next stop Balham -canapes anyone?

By: Laura in Minneapolis

Laura in Minneapolis — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:32:21 +0000

I’m pressed for time so i haven’t read most of the previous posts, however.. my two cents:

I work in a liquor store on campus. I know, classy job, right? Anyways, there are definitely already laws in Minneapolis banning A) open alcohol on public transport and in vehicles and B)Drinking in public areas as well. We don’t really question it here- although it means we go through a lot of brown bags at the liquor store.

In terms of drinking in public laws, i don’t think it’s really a help here on campus. Students are generally drunk in public anyways, even if you cant see their drink…

In London, if this passes law enforcement should be the enforcers. Drivers of buses and trains have other things to worry about… like driving.

By: Mel Morris, Burlington, Ontario

Mel Morris, Burlington, Ontario — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:05:14 +0000

I had to laugh today as i drove to a meeting and heard the question ‘is alcohol banned on transportation where you live?’
Here in Ontario you technically can’t even drink alcohol on your own front porch as it is considered ‘in public’ although that is not usually enforced.
You can’t drink alcohol in any vehicle public or private - can’t have an open bottle of alcohol in your car, unless it is locked in the trunk.
can’t drink in public parks, on the streets or anywhere that isn’t licenced except inside your own home or in your back garden.
Alcohol sales are controlled by the govt through registered liquor and beer stores (not so in Quebec it should be noted) and for the most part I have to say it works very well. Of course some teenagers take alcohol into parks and forests at night , but for the most part our streets are clean, safe, and you don’t get accosted by drunken tramps or rampaging drunken yobs.

By: Peter Gizzi UK

Peter Gizzi UK — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:58:25 +0000

Hi again Justin from Iowa,
Yes we are feeling the pinch here too. Hopefully it might wake people up? We have become an easy come easy go society. Rationing taught me the value of money, Hope it doesn’t come to that again.

By: Dennis Young, Jr.

Dennis Young, Jr. — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:27:33 +0000

I know where i am going to community college in a few weeks, the public transportation [buses] have rules saying that you can not have any open containers of liquids i.e. water……..

Dennis~Madrid, United States of America

By: Justin from Iowa

Justin from Iowa — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:21:17 +0000

You would be surprised, Peter. Though its not a very palatable way to look at it, as your economic situation becomes more difficult any form of income becomes valuable. There are people here that spend time picking up bottles and cans from ditches, roadsides, streets… just because their economic situation is difficult enough that its worth doing.

By: Jens

Jens — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:00:10 +0000

wish they recycled glass here, but the transfere station does only magazins, cardboard, newspaper, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans.

i guess they worry that the average new mexican is too drunk to throw the bottles into the container without breaking them.

By: Peter Gizzi UK

Peter Gizzi UK — Thu, 08 May 2008 18:21:37 +0000

Hi Justin from Iowa,
When I was a child in the 1940s all bottles had a deposit! We even got a halfpenny for jam jars. My mother would then buy jam jars back for 1 penny for making jam and bottling fruit.. Milk came in bottles too which were returned. I used to make quite a bit of pocket money that way. A penny went a long way.

Now all bottles and cans are discarded. I believe some supermarkets are doing a similar thing with recycling. I do recycle everything I can, but then being retired I have the time. Here the deposit would have to be around 50p (about 1 dollar) to make people wake up.

By: Jens

Jens — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:59:06 +0000

here in new mexico it’s ok to stop off at the gas sation, through-out your empty fifth of JD, buy a new one, crack it open and carry on driving.

no wonder the driving standarts are so appaling

By: Justin from Iowa

Justin from Iowa — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:51:06 +0000

Peter, do the brits have “deposit” on their alcohol and beverage bottles?

In the US, every bottle of beer and pop has an extra 5 cents tacked onto it. When you turn the can into a recycling center you get that 5 cents back. Say what you will about other forms of trash, you rarely see cans and bottles lying about in the US, because that’s free money on the ground.

Here in Iowa you can have alcohol on your private property, bars, and approved of public venues (like outside the football stadium for tailgating, etc.). But public transport… you can’t even bring pop or food on, let alone booze. At least not visible. (Have some good stories about college days and a backpack which was JUST right for hauling around a 24 pack of beer, heh)

Cops here are smart. They like to lurk around bars near closing time just waiting for known troublemakers.