Families logo

Strollers Should be Banned on Public Transportation During Peak Hours

People with cars have no idea what a nuisance these things are

By Conny ManeroPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
Like

One of my pet peeves is strollers on public transportation. If it were up to me, I would ban them. While I understand that parents and their children need to get around, during peak hours strollers should not be allowed on a train, bus or streetcar.

I was on a bus the other day, on my way to the doctor’s office, when a woman pushed her stroller onto the bus. The thing was so big it blocked two seating spaces. She didn’t say anything, but she indicated that I and the woman next to me should get up and move. Neither of us gave any indication to do so. Why should we, we had paid for our seats while she had only paid for herself, not for her stroller. In response she pushed the wheels of her stroller against our legs and feet and gave us filthy looks.

Everyone who came onto the bus after her had to squeeze past her enormous stroller. I secretly hoped that someone would trip and fall over it and sue the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission). That would teach them a lesson.

Bikes are not allowed on the bus or streetcar, they have to be secured on a contraption in front of the bus. Why can’t the TTC implement the same rule for strollers?

People who haven’t seen a stroller in a few decades might be surprised in the difference in models between now and then. So, take a look at a stroller 1979 and a stroller of 2020.

People who travel by car and have never taken a bus or streetcar have no idea what a nuisance those things are.

Then there are the kids. Some are way too old to still be in a stroller, others are quite young but have a voice that would stop a train. There was this boy, he couldn’t have been more than a year old with a cellphone, looking at a video. When the mother took it away from him to make a call, he started screaming like he was being murdered. A baby with a cellphone I thought … what is this world coming to?

And believe it or not, it got even worse. In the waiting room of the doctor’s office, I saw a toddler with a tablet. Whatever next … a baby with a laptop!

But back to the annoying strollers. When will management do something about these things? My guess is, we paying passengers, can complain until the cows come home but management of public transportation will turn a deaf ear. Something will have to happen, to someone who matters, before these damn strollers will be banned.

I have written to the Toronto Transit Commission about this problem but they say there is nothing to be done. I’m not saying that strollers shouldn’t be allowed on public transportation, just not during peek hours. Millions of people try to get to work or get home, packed together like sardines in a can on the subway, on streetcars and buses. There simply is no room for strollers.

What’s worse is, most of the time the kid in the stroller is screaming and one of the parents takes the child out of the stroller and places him/her on their lap. So now the stroller is standing there empty. Not only does the stroller block seats and moving space, it often blocks the doors making it difficult for passengers to get on or off the vehicle.

Do the owners of the strollers apologize … no, they are arrogant. They seem to think that their child is superior and everyone should bow to its needs. I don't agree, to me strollers should be banned on public transportation during peak hours.

travel
Like

About the Creator

Conny Manero

Conny is the author of Waiting for Silverbird, Voice of an Angel, Lily, Kitten Diaries and Debbie. Contributor to various hard copy and online publications.

She lives in Toronto with her son and cats.

https://tinyurl.com/4schsv77

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.