Parents Call on MTA to Remove Open-Stroller Ban on NYC Buses
NYC parents are pushing to allow open strollers on city buses
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Elisabeth Koachlin, also from the Upper East Side, has a 5-month-old son. As a frequent user of MTA buses, she underscored Avissar's statements.
“When you're with your baby, you can't just easily fold a stroller on the bus,” Koachlin said. “It feels very unsafe for me. Babies wiggle. Mine is heavy and strong, and I constantly feel he can slip out of my hands while the bus is moving.”
But the MTA said there are other factors to consider, especially when it comes to the safety of both infants and other people on the bus.
“Past hazard assessments have identified safety concerns when strollers are not folded and stowed away. In response to this request we are taking a fresh look at the issue by reviewing past assessments and current incident statistics,” said MTA spokesperson Kayla Shults.
Examples of hazards on the bus include strollers obstructing aisles, bus operators or other passengers tripping over or being hit by open strollers and occupants falling out of a stroller, according to the MTA.
A petition from 2017 is being re-circulated in support of a policy makeover. The petition was started by Eran Livne, a father from Brooklyn, and has since garnered 50,000 signatures.
“This is an accessibility issue and also a safety issue for our children and fellow passengers,” Livne wrote on the petition.
For more information about the MTA's stroller policy and other policies, visit mta.info.
Main image: Jordan Siemens/ Getty Images