Why do people hate strollers on buses so much?

If you have ever ridden on public transit, you are well aware of the trouble that comes from tangling with a parent pushing a baby stroller. Always harried, usually overburdened and more than frequently possessed by a sense of self-importance, cohabiting with such people, be it in transit or anywhere else in public, can be a battle.

The National Post’s Brian Hutchinson recently wrote about his own experience with the stroller-carting public, and those who battle against the scourge of strollers in general. He sided with a Toronto ophthalmologist who banned cumbersome baby strollers from his practice.

It’s his space, after all, and he is free to make his own rules. But in public areas, we are still forced to battle with men and women pushing battering rams.

There was a recent case fielded by the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal in which a man accused bus passengers with strollers of inappropriately using priority seating. Larry Ballash claimed parents with strollers took up seats meant to be made available for the elderly and disabled.

The man claims he was asked to move from such a seat for a person with a stroller and argues that his disability, of which no information was provided, trumped the importance of an overburdened parent.

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The complaint was dismissed. But it raises an interesting question on how passengers view those burdened by strollers, and even how those passengers view themselves. Does choosing to drag a stroller onto transit give a person the right of way, or does it make them persona non grata in one of societies most constricted areas?

Too often parents with strollers use their children as battering rams, jamming them in front of other people, even cars, in order to gain advantage in traffic. They leave it up to others to protect and yield to the stroller. One wonders why those parents would be so cavalier with their most precious belonging — the child contained within.

On the other hand, should we not offer some concessions for parents? Managing travel, especially on public transit, can be hectic enough when unencumbered, let alone when caring for small children, and lugging around all of their provisions.

The question has recently been debated in detail in Toronto, after complaints of oversized strollers making downtown buses unmanageable made its way to the Toronto Transit Commission.

In the end, staff determined that banning strollers from public transit just was not feasible, and rejected the notion of charging an extra fare for those lugging the burden.

It is not like the case is a unique one. The same debate is happening all across North America. In many instance, hard and fast rules are often trumped by the ideal that common sense and courtesy will win the day.

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San Francisco's transit system just loosened its stroller policy last week. Strollers are now allowed on most vehicles, but it is incumbent on parents to handle cases appropriately. Children can stay in their strollers unless the train is crowded, in which case the stroller must be folded up.

Elsewhere rules similarly seem like moving targets. In Chicago, it is up to the parents to adhere to the rules, keeping aisles and doorways clear for other passengers. In Edmonton, there are recommendations for parents to travel during less crowded times of the day. They are even suggested to ask assistance from other passengers should they need it.

In Montreal, a strict rule book appears to have been exchanged for a pamphlet filled with suggestions and recommendations on everything from ideal stroller size to passenger expectations to how to avoid friction with bus drivers.

There’s no getting around it, strollers often get in the way, crowding not just buses but restaurants and cafes, book stores, shopping centres. Everywhere. But so do backpacks (to some extent) and luggage and men who are too tall. And pregnant women, and guide dogs and children of any age. Basically, everyone and anyone.

And considering we share this world with one another, it just makes sense to take one another into consideration and make the best of our communal space. People pushing strollers should do well to remember that, but so should the rest of us.

It’s not strollers that overburden public transit. It is transit riders that overburden public transit. If we all just remember that and bend just a little for one another, we’ll all make it home at the end of the day.