CTA rider: No strollers during rush hour
Via Twitter, Mike Raffety wrote to "Going Public" to suggest strollers face the same restrictions as bicycles on trains.
Bikes are permitted on the trains every weekday except from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.,
under CTA rules. Rafferty reports there was a "woman with [a] huge non-folding stroller [on a] completely full bus" during Monday rush hour.
Do you think strollers should be banned from buses and trains during rush hour?
Posting this question on Twitter and Facebook resulted in quite a few answers and quite a few different opinions. Click through to see what Chicagoans are saying about this hot button issue.
If you'd like to leave your thoughts, please comment here or on Twitter or Facebook.
Comments via Twitter
@red_velvet_rose
YES!!!! They take up so much room! Anyone with kids in strollers doesn't NEED to be on the CTA at rush hour!
@bradfordlass13
YES
@kafein
How would parents who use downtown daycare get their kids there? Parking downtown would add 30% to their costs
@jbraun1220
YES
@NeedAJobBob
Just because someone has a child, doesn't mean they need to move out of the way for someone who doesn't. That's just absurd.
@HaleyKaren
Absolutely!
@lashonp
I think people should stop being lazy & fold them damn things up! I did it when my son was a baby. It's rude.
@Machrider
if by "rush hour," you mean 24/7, then yes.
@TaylorGerring
nope - put all bikes & strollers on a single car/bus and let them run over each other
@softjunebreeze
YES!
@imustconfess
No., but we should somehow allow everyone to bring a bike on public transport.
@NeedAJobBob
People need to understand that they live in the third most populated city in the US...so get used to it.
@MiseryLovesCo
doesn't that in effect ban children?
Comments via Facebook
Joe: No way. What next? Ban People of certain height, weight? Ban handicapped? Ban people who aren't working 9-5?
Tracy: Not really.They would have to pay close attention during the rush hour.Safety cautions.etc!
Mark: Then ban those people with Bikes as well since we have to wait for them on busses? I would no to all bans except maybe the cell-phone thing!
Lovell: I dislike it, but I still give up my seat to women pushing strollers. They are already on their feet enough. If someone doesn't like it, move to the NEXT car or catch the NEXT bus!
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9 Comments
JMNix said:
I think this isn't ambitious enough - can we outlaw babies instead?
Seriously, why not a special car that we can sequester the screaming infants in? Let the parents pack it with as many strollers and ziploc bags of Cherrios as they would like, and let those who've chosen not to procreate travel in peace.
Becky said:
Strollers should not be banned. They may be an inconvenience at times, but we shouldn't make it harder on people to have families and kids in the city. Parents need to take their young children to places during rush hour, just like everyone else has somewhere to go. Strollers carry people just the way wheel chairs do, and there is no way we would ban those. It's a necessary mode of transportation.
pilsen18 said:
I agree with Becky that strollers shouldn't be banned. Working moms need to get their kids to daycare, the doctor, etc. However, CTA should reinstate their rule that people with strollers be required to fold up the strollers when they board buses and trains. It will not hurt you or the baby. I had to do it in the early 90s when my daughter (who's now 20) was a baby. And she grew up to be a reasonaly well adjusted person.
Brian Moore said:
Strollers are necessities. Unless you know of infants who can walk, they'll need strollers.
Nobody said:
I agree with the others that strollers are necessary but do not believe that anybody has the right to bring a stroller on a bus or train without first folding it up to minimize the amount of room it takes up.
Leaving a stroller unfolded is no different than leaving your bags on the seat next to you. Share the space!
Joe001 said:
One of the biggest problems is parents who have their children in very big strollers. It would alleviate some of the concern on this issue if parents would get a smaller, foldable stroller for use when they know they will be riding on public transportation. They can't be expensive and wouldn't block an entire aisle if there was no room to lift up one of the handicap seats for that space (which also makes some standees resentful). But banning strollers entirely does seem too draconian; parents of young children have as much right to public transportation as anyone else. And once you start banning things, what else do you pick? The person who must use the bus for grocery shopping and has three or four bags or a shopping cart? People with suitcases using public transit to get to or from an airport?
Clayton Roche said:
This is obviously a stupid question (but when I come over to this garbage pile of Chicago discourse, what do I expect?) that deserves a stupid answer:
Simple, put a stroller-rack on the back of the bus, like the bike racks on the front. Done and done.
Nobody said:
Not so simple - The bike racks are on the front of the bus for safety reasons i.e. so the driver can see the passengers loading and unloading their bikes.
You can load the strollers to the front of the bus too, but mounts for bikes aren't necessarily going to work for strollers and vice versa.
Clayton Roche said:
To be clear, I meant with the baby still in them
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