Terrace heater ban bid fails

Switzerland’s lower house of parliament rejected a proposal Tuesday for a national ban on propane heaters and similar devices used to keep restaurant terraces warm in cold weather.

An increasing number of restaurant and bar owners are using such heaters to allow smokers a place to light up in cases when laws prohibit smoking indoors.

Christian van Singer, a Green party MP from Vaud, proposed federal legislation to outlaw the heaters aimed at replacing the patchwork of regulations in place at the cantonal and municipal level.

The Green party maintains gas heaters and similar devices using non-renewable sources are a waste of energy and contribute to global warming.

In a 124 to 61 vote, MPs in the house of representatives rejected Van Singer’s proposal, arguing that current legislation provides municipalities and cantons with the powers to deal with terrace heaters.

Municipalities such as Nyon and Yverdon-les-Bains, in canton Vaud, are among those who have adopted bylaws banning these kinds of heaters from outdoor terraces accessible to the public.