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Aug 13, 2012
Law Proposal: Strollers On Buses
If you were to get on a bus with a baby stroller and you have to either take the baby out and fold it up or else pay for an additional ride. Often you will see mothers, already burdened with kids and bags, start juggling everything they have including the baby they are removing from the stroller, all while the bus is lurching forward, in order to avoid being required to pay for the additional ride.
A law was proposed that would put an end to stroller-based-discrimination. An extra ride on public transportation would not need to be paid for, and it would also be illegal to prevent a stroller from being brought into a public building or area. It has happened numerous times that people with strollers were prevented from entering stores, libraries and other public places.
The law was initiated by some students who were working on a project of human rights. They include in their explanation that the folded up strollers usually don't take up so much less space than when the stroller is open, and the proposal is an attempt to protect the rights of the parents and the children.
The students initiated it, but it was proposed by MK Uri Maklev of UTJ, with a variety of other MKs signed on to the bill giving it a broad consensus that almost ensures it will pass when it comes to the vote.
(source: Israel HaYom)
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A law was proposed that would put an end to stroller-based-discrimination. An extra ride on public transportation would not need to be paid for, and it would also be illegal to prevent a stroller from being brought into a public building or area. It has happened numerous times that people with strollers were prevented from entering stores, libraries and other public places.
The law was initiated by some students who were working on a project of human rights. They include in their explanation that the folded up strollers usually don't take up so much less space than when the stroller is open, and the proposal is an attempt to protect the rights of the parents and the children.
The students initiated it, but it was proposed by MK Uri Maklev of UTJ, with a variety of other MKs signed on to the bill giving it a broad consensus that almost ensures it will pass when it comes to the vote.
(source: Israel HaYom)
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synagogues gabais will be the biggest opponent of this law.
ReplyDeleteI am against this. A ride on any local bus around Modiin Elite will show you why. The bus is packed with open strollers - some of which don't even hold a child but shopping, or such like. Several times I have personally witnessed people being unable to disembark from the bus because of strollers in their way. I would say that people with open strollers are basically selfish and there is no reason why they can't ask someone to help them, if necessary, get on with stroller and baby, as they do on inter-city routes. Free tickets will make a bad situation worse.
ReplyDeleteI agree. If the stroller is too unwieldy, take a cab, take a private car, or leave the kid at home. (Back in the day, I could fold a stroller and juggle a baby with all the skill of a military drill team--but you have to plan it out)
DeleteYou have a right to take mass transportation, but you have no "right" to bring everything with you. I was on a bus from Ma'aleh Adumim yesterday with a young woman whose bags and suitcases took up 4 seats plus parts of the aisle. Mass transit is not a moving van!'
also in beitar we have this problem, the double strollers are the worst! although personally i wouldnt mind if at least the busdriver would wait with driving until mother and baby are safely seated, at least with newborns. i have taken my baby in a front-pack which makes it easier.
DeleteI see no reason for strollers to be folded up, with children in them or shopping. Have you seen the trolley carts people bring on to busses and how much room they take up? There's no difference. It just comes down to being polite and making sure people can move through the aisles easily. Come on people, let's be good to each other instead of distancing ourselves further.
ReplyDeleteThey don't charge people extra who bring shopping carts (agolahs) on the bus---why charge extra for strollers? I would think the gov't would do whatever is necessary to encourage people to have more children (we are a small country & new, little citizens should be welcomed)---don't penalize people who have young children by charging extra for a stroller on the bus.
ReplyDelete"stroller discrimination"?! Come on - that's ridiculous. Strollers take up the space of at least two people. And they're right - even "folded up" most of the strollers take up the same amount of space. If you're going to take up three seats - PAY FOR THEM. If you're taking up more than one seat with groceries, luggage, or a big-ass 3000 shekel stroller - PAY FOR THE SEAT. Simple as that. It's not selfish to ask people to pay for the public services they use.
ReplyDeletestrollers dont usually take up a seat. they usually fill the aisle and the empty space in the middle.
ReplyDeleteI remember how inconvenient it was for me to fold up a stroller. But I did it. Strollers on busses create tripping hazards for older people. Let's have strollers folded. But let's also go out of our way to help parents with smaller children, not just elders, the disabled and pregnant women.
ReplyDeleteWhen my children (now in their thirties) were small the strollers were called umbrella strollers because they folded easily and were relatively cheap. As we have become more affluent (or spoiled?) the current generation of strollers are the equivalent of SUV's and some are more bulky than small wheel chairs. They are too big and unwieldy for many of our sidewalks, elevators and buses. It might be a very good idea to ban over-sized strollers from public transportation vehicles.
ReplyDeletewhile i find the umbrella strollers convenient when my kid got older, my current baby is just too small, he is still laying down in it. in which case i have not much choice...
Deleteumbrella strollers are the best. no basket underneath but they are light, small and easy to maneuver.
ReplyDeleteYou're making me nostalgic for the tiny lightweight Maclaren umbrella stroller I got for my first kid. $149 seemed like a lot of money, but it was worth every penny. It was almost indestructible, but finally gave up the ghost. Luckily I have not been in the stroller business for 5 years and counting.
DeleteI've never understood why they charge a fare if you don't fold up your stroller. It should be the other way around. If you take a kid out of a stroller, they're using up a seat that another passenger could be seated in. If you put them in the middle space in the stroller, you've essentially created another seat on the bus.
ReplyDeletepeople, you must not be riding Jlm buses, because most of the time there are no seats to speak of. If I'm going to be charged full fare for testing my balance and arm strength while sandwiched between a sweaty crowd of people, I think the mass transit providers can return the favor and not charge me for my kid's stroller!
ReplyDeleteWell said! i agree
Deletedont remember the last time i got on a bus to work in the morning and had a seat.
As someone who frequently rides the bus in Jerusalem with twins in tow, I'd be thrilled by this. With two babies folding the stroller just wasn't an option. In response to the above comment suggesting parents take cabs, Jerusalem is (rightly so) doing a lot to discourage peopke from taking private transportation in order to ease congestion on the roads and for the environmental impact greater use of public transportation can offer. Making busses more stroller-friendly would be a great step in this direction. But there are also middle grounds. Perhaps free hours like the lightrail? Or larger designated stroller areas like in some other countries? Collapsed or not, I can not fit my stroller on a bus when there is already a large wheelchair in the one designated area.
ReplyDeleteWow very nice initiative. I hope this will become a law to help lessen every mother's struggle.
ReplyDelete