Strollers on the Red Bus - A Public Hazard or Necessity?
Have the Park Slope baby stroller controversies come to Roosevelt Island?
Two recent letter writers to the Main Street Wire have complained about having to fold up their baby strollers before boarding the Red bus.
One writes:
I was surprised to learn that the Red Bus now requires strollers to be folded while riding for the "safety of our children."Another writes:
Please tell me how it is safer for me to hold my infant in one arm, my folded stroller in the other, and any bags or belongings I have with me with that third arm I wish I had, all while standing on a moving bus!?
Let’s admit the real reason, which is that the buses are overcrowded and undeniably strollers do take up room. However, there are other things besides strollers that take up room. Just two examples: walkers and grocery carts.
Would it be correct to tell an elderly person they must fold their walker before entering the bus? No. Because the walker is a necessity for that person. And so is a stroller for a mother who has a heavy child or multiple children or must travel a long distance.
Would RIOC receive even more complaints if passengers were told they must remove their belongings from their carts and fold the cart before entering the bus? Yes. Because what is the use of a cart if one must carry their belongings by hand in addition to the folded cart?
I understand that the MTA buses do not allow for open strollers (or wheelchairs, walkers, and grocery carts for that matter). But, up until this point, the Red Bus has. And I, like many others I know, moved to Roosevelt Island assured that we could access the Red Bus with our children in strollers.
Much like anything else that takes up room on the bus, strollers are a necessity. Children are safe in them and should be allowed to remain in them on the Red Bus.
Would you please explain to me the thinking behind this new "safety" rule on the bus? How is holding a baby in one arm and a folded stroller in the other (leaving no arms to hold on with) safer than having the baby seated and strapped into a stroller?
In case you have not noticed, there are lots of babies on the Island and not one of their mothers thinks that this a good idea. Dangerous yes, unfair yes, inconvenient yes, physically impossible yes. Good – no!
You can expect to be hearing from many of them.
Also what should one do with the baby while folding the stroller, perhaps lay him or her out on the sidewalk; balance the baby on one’s head?
I respectfully ask that RIOC drop this nonsense
RIOC responds:
The prohibition against open strollers during rush hours only has apparently pitted one set of riders against the other. Everyone should realize that this rule is SOP on the MTA. My mail from adult users without children is highly supportive of the ban. I empathize with the stroller set. Rush hours seemed a reasonable compromise.
5 comments :
Disclaimer: I am a father of two children and one of them is an infant that, surprise, is confined to the stroller on outings.
Is there any city in this country that allows unfolded strollers on public buses? The reasons for not allowing this are indeed safety and space issues. That's it. If you have a stroller and you cannot fold it, please, walk. That's how they do it in Manhattan. In Brooklyn. Everywhere.
I think the RIOC did the right thing to find a compromise. Bring your stroller during non-peak hours. But, please, if the bus is crowded or if there is already one or two strollers on the bus don't force your way in - walk. Also respect others if you have something as big as a Bugaboo - walk!
If you have a 3 or 4 year old in tow get a buggy board for the kid to stand on.
I'm not a parent, but I don't find strollers on the bus that objectionable. I have no problem with the rush hour compromise. But it seems weird that they tried to ban strollers when they allow people to bring huge boxes, luggage, and shopping carts onto the bus that take up just as much or more space than strollers.
I think 8:40 needs to stop whining. Roosevelt Island is not like "everywhere" else.
I visited Roosevelt Island for the first time yesterday, with my 1 1/2 year old, in his stroller. It was great to be able to bring him on the red bus without having to wake him, remove him from stroller screaming, fold it up, and gather up him and my bags etc. as I now have to do in brooklyn if I ever need to ride the bus. 8:40 is quite wrong about stroller policy elsewhere btw. I can't speak to other US cities, but we just moved here from England and even in London, strollers are fine on the bus - they are considered the equivalent of wheelchairs, and there are specified areas on the bus where moms/dads with strollers should stand or sit - I think NYC is a very child-unfriendly place, overall.
the ONLY child safety issue on roosevelt island is that of its kids crossing NYC streets to and from school. once their clueless parents get off the tram and turn their backs on these kids they walk into oncoming traffic playing their computer game or reading their book, never taking their eyes off the damn thing... all while mommy walks ahead of them preoccupied with who knows what [with strollers on the bus perhaps?].
do some of you HAVE to see your kid dying in front of you before you wake up to the real hazards?
i really don't care about strollers on the bus.
Ottawa, Ontario, allows strollers on buses. The city right across the river--Gatineau, Quebec--does not, not even on its low-floor buses with wheelchair-friendly folding seats. Worse, Gatineau drivers instruct stroller users to remove children from the strollers AFTER boarding, thus obstructing the aisles and creating an obvious safety hazard as the child is left unattended while the stroller is folded.
Perhaps if we put children in wheelchairs, they would be allowed to use the buses as the buses are designed.
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