My mother actually puts out cigarettes on a surface and puts them in her purse, but thank you for your concern. However, I'm sure you're speaking generally, even though you reference "because your mother needs to smoke", so I understand your concern, because unfortunately people do that. However, at the same time, it's comments like that make my mother feel like she's a criminal, regardless of whether she broke the rules once, or not, she repeatedly always tells me this whenever she has to walk long distances in order to smoke a cigarette and that's when she does follow the rules.
Also, your hypothetical story could also happen in a smoking area that already exists today and could have happened for years.
"The reason" is rubbish regardless. Crowd control has nothing to do with it. The areas are secluded and off to the side. The ice also is due to "crowd control", but they want you to stand in line at a concession (which will cause congestion too), because you just might buy something.
I go by my previous statement, if cigarettes were sold in the parks like alcohol is now this wouldn't have happened.