Women with prams really hack me off. They just launch out in to the road, baby first and expect the world to stop for them.

Don't get me wrong, I always help a woman with a pram down the stairs on the tube, try to be as civil and help out as much as possible. Its just hacks me off when they demand it. Case in point: Yesterday i was crossing the road at Hammersmith. As always, some drivers had jumped the traffic light and were stopped right in the middle of the really busy pedestrian crossing, hindering people from getting across. People filed through the gangway between the cars until some mum came along started going mental - "I can't believe it! I've got a baby 'ere! For **** sake!"

Now, if she had just asked people to move aside, I'm sure everyone would understand and oblige. But no, the whole world has to revolve around her and her baby. What makes you so special? YOU have a baby. I don't. It is YOUR problem. I'll help out if you're civil to me.

Another case: I was driving in Shepherds Bush, well under the speed limit (traffic) and turned a corner. This woman with a pram just steps out right in front of me, baby first, and I had to slam the brakes on. She glared at me, then carried on crossing the road (incidentally, not at a pedestrian crossing, which would seem an obvious place to cross if you had a pram).

I see women (and sometimes men) crossing the road all the time, running across the road with their prams because they can't be bothered waiting at the crossing. Now, I can understand if you do it by yourself, but with a pram?!


[edited by admin on July 6 at 16.55]

Prams are designed to be pushed, therefore they always come first, followed by the pusher (who possesses all the eyes. ears and decision making skills, or otherwise) - there is always an element of risk. Maybe invent a pram that can be pulled - bit like a tuck tuck or rickshaw or whatever those things are called. You'll soon be able to afford a chauffer and won't get so stressed.

Its people that stand on crossings with the pram half in the road that freak me out.

Not that there would ever be any excuse to hit pram, but playing chicken with your baby is not really on.

Lets get this straight, You dont stop at crossings then?

"You'll soon be able to afford a chaffeur."

What's that got to do with it?

The thing that bothers me about prams is when people insist on pushing them about in busy places, at festivals, open days or whatever. Can't you carry your small child rather than hinder everyone's progress at busy events, leave your child at home or even not bother coming? Also people with prams on buses who refuse to fold them up and hold the child when the bus gets busy, despite signs telling them to do this, so that everyone's forced to cram into an even smaller space.

Posted by: Headhunter on 07/07/07 at 06:31 PM
>The thing that bothers me about prams is when people insist on pushing them about in busy places, at festivals, open days or whatever.

I can assure you that there was not much pram pushing going on at Glastonbury. Those who tried were a funny sight.

Not really transport related, but families and supermarkets.

Why, why, oh, why, oh why do mum, dad and minimum of two children need to go to a supermarket.

I'm my strange world, surely it is better for one adult to stay at home with offspring while the other goes to the supermarket. Must be far more convenient, and then leads to no "pester power", or weak-willed-parent-syndrome, if you prefer.

Why?

> Not really transport related, but families and
> supermarkets.
>
> Why, why, oh, why, oh why do mum, dad and minimum of
> two children need to go to a supermarket.
>
> I'm my strange world, surely it is better for one
> adult to stay at home with offspring while the other
> goes to the supermarket. Must be far more
> convenient, and then leads to no "pester power", or
> weak-willed-parent-syndrome, if you prefer.

Exactly! That's what we do.

I think there should be a system of 'Pramways' so that parents with prams do not have to put up with the unorganised crowds of pedestrians. These could be painted areas on wide pavements (like some cycle paths) or a new network dedicated to pram pushers.

Underground tunnels just for pram pushers would be useful in some places. The tunnels would have to be air-conditioned and filtered for the child's comfort, of course.

>mandycake

>unorganised

Disorganised.

That's it, its the lower intelligence internment camp at bridgewater for you!

> The thing that bothers me about prams is when people
> insist on pushing them about in busy places, at
> festivals, open days or whatever.

I like it when they're on buses. I think it says somewhere in the pram/pushchair owners manual that when faced with resistance due to an obstacle, such as somebody's foot, the best course of action is to ram them as hard as possible until the path is clear. Oh, that and the fact that they think the wheelchair space is for their own personal use.

> > The thing that bothers me about prams is when people
> > insist on pushing them about in busy places, at
> > festivals, open days or whatever.
> I like it when they're on buses. I think it says
> somewhere in the pram/pushchair owners manual that
> when faced with resistance due to an obstacle, such
> as somebody's foot, the best course of action is to
> ram them as hard as possible until the path is clear.
> Oh, that and the fact that they think the wheelchair
> space is for their own personal use.

Yes. Pram users should have special areas where people without prams are not allowed. That will solve the issue.

People with prams should also get priority at checkouts, airport check-in etc. Perhaps pram-only routes through airports and stations. That would help everyone, I think.

Having a pram in a supermarket is really no different to folk with shopping trolleys and baskets. If anything prams are easier to negotiate and better buffered.

The big question is why bring a pram onto a packed tube during rush hour? There is hardly room for the people trying to get to work. Pure stupidity and selfishness.

>DN76

>There is hardly room for the people trying to get to work. Pure stupidity and selfishness.


I think people that want mothers and fathers to act like part time lepers with their children are selfish and stupid.

On wide pavements there should be pram lanes - one for each direction. Pedestrians should not use those lanes.

There is far too much anti-pramism out there.

> On wide pavements there should be pram lanes - one
> for each direction. Pedestrians should not use those
> lanes.
>
> There is far too much anti-pramism out there.

Then you'd get 'fat adult' prams marketed. One lard bucket would push another lard bucket along these pram lanes to their local Iceland.

"Pure stupidity and Selfishness to bring a buggy on to a bus in rush hour?"

We HAVE to do that in order to drop our babies to nursery so you lot don't winge about us mothers living off the state! Bosses do not understand, and hence we HAVE to start work at 9am like everyone else.

I would LOVE to avoid travelling in a bus where saying "Excuse me, can I get my buggy past" has no meaning to ANYONE, and so I am shouted at by the driver for holding everyone up, and by passengers for going over their oh so delicate feet!

As for folding buggies, I tried that the other day after I was forced to miss 3 buses on a cold night. So here I am, with my slight 5ft frame, my hungry& tired 1 year old on one hip, changing bag across one shoulder, my bag across another, and the folded buggy in the other hand. Where is the luggage storage on the bus - at my shoulder height!
Where was the passenger help - NOWHERE!

I cannot take my car, for congestion charging, I cannot take my bike, for fear of bad illegal drivers running me and my child over, I cannot take the bus, as you lot are the most inconsiderate bunch of t*ssers out there, and I cannot stay at home for fear of being called a scrounger.

Well, you know what, for all your moaning, blame Useless Ken for making buses run every 30 minutes on cold dark (unlit) nights so I cannot walk the 30 mins home, for making it hard to store my folded buggy even if I want to, for disallowing me the pleasure of using my car AND for making it hard to get into buses without stomping on peoples feet!

Mothers being inconsiderate and stupid - Don't make me laugh!!!

> I would LOVE to avoid travelling in a bus where
> saying "Excuse me, can I get my buggy past" has no
> meaning to ANYONE, and so I am shouted at by the
> driver for holding everyone up, and by passengers for
> going over their oh so delicate feet!

"Oh so delicate"? It's not the fact that you might cause serious injury, it's that to just shove the chair against people to force your way through is rude. Try speaking up if people don't hear you.

> As for folding buggies, I tried that the other day
> after I was forced to miss 3 buses on a cold night.

Forced to miss 3 buses? How?

Oh I have tried saying it politely, loudly, different ways of saying excuse me, but people only listen when its said rudely. If you can see a buggy, why not at least try to attempt to move a bit so we can get past? (And yes, sometimes there is space to move but people still don't do it-they prefer to stare blankly at you)

I had to miss the buses as people did not move out of the buggy park at all and I am not one of those mothers who like blocking the aisle, so I had to let the buses go. The driver had said it was ok to get on, so the problem was not with him.

Whilst I understand there are some people who shove with their buggies and expect everyone to fall to their feet just because they have children, I am not one of those people, but having seen that doing things the nice way gets you nowhere (and just shouted at) I can now begin to understand why some people with children act that way.

We may have chosen to have kids, but we are not scapegoats for people releasing the stress of a bad day - and before you comment, in the past month I have had a lot of unnecessary abuse, so much so that I had my husband drive me to/from the nursery (which I really object to doing) as I could not face the tension of whether it would be a "good" journey or "bad" journey anymore.

Please try and have a little understanding of how hard it must be for a little person (I am a slight, 5ft woman) to deal with a baby, their baggage (only essentials like nappies), the buggy, and checking in an Oyster card in any form of public transport. A little consideration would go a long way, and make everyone's journey a bit more pleasant!

All these pram pushers taking up space and demanding lanes on the pavements.... then there are burgeoning buggies with those extra large 'off-road' wheels....

Could the congestion charge be extended to them please?

> All these pram pushers taking up space and demanding
> lanes on the pavements.... then there are burgeoning
> buggies with those extra large 'off-road' wheels....
>
> Could the congestion charge be extended to them
> please?

Those prams are safer, more stable and fashionable and deserve extra space. Pram lanes should be wide enough to accomodate prams for twins, so they should be able to accomodate the larger and more stylish single prams.

My idea for air-conditioned and filtered pram tunnels should be implemented for the busier and more poluted areas.

I hate the way they just drive into you and clip the backs of your heels. Some of these people seriously need a licence to use one of those things!

In Hounslow, we need a separate bus service for women with pushchairs. No wonder the local Maternity ward can't cope. A new baby boom is on its way.

Definitely.A separate bus should be provided for women who carry a pushchair.I bought a new Icoo Pushchair for mey baby from www.icoobaby.co.uk .It is bit tough to fold.So, I can't carry in the ordinary bus.I think government should take a wise decision to solve this problem.

Like everything else there are going to be pram-pushers who are inconsiderate and believe the world needs to revolve around them and their little angel.

I do however get fed up with them ramming into my legs coz they can't be bothered to get off the phone/stop talking to their mate (usually also with a pram) long enough to look where they are going. Some of them have managed to hit me so hard that I overbalance and come very close to sitting on said precious angel.

If you can't manoeuvre the pushchair you've bought then you got the wrong one. Same with folding them up - try them it before you buy it.

I agree though about space to put them on buses - what happened to those luggage areas? Ah yes - had to take them out to fit more sardines on the bus.