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Washingtons Metro seems particularly unfriendly for young kids. Each rider needs a seperate farecard, regular adult riders always seem rude to parents with kids, and teenagers are a major problem on some routes. On top of that some parents with kids don't help their case by pushing big strollers into cars and clogging entrances and acting like you are inconveniencing them when you want to get out. On top of that the short door opening times make it difficult to get kids, stollers, etc on and off the train.
I live in Los Angeles County and use public transportation (buses, LRT, and subway) quite frequently.
One thing I have noticed is that I almost never encounter parents with very young children (like 2 years old or younger) riding public transportation. At least I don't see them often enough to have any impression on me.
Where are these carless parents I hear about? I have no doubt they exist. Don't they have places to go with their babies? Or do they actually have access to a car through friends and relatives?
I lived in LA when my son was a baby. We were regulars on bus and train (Gold Line, sometimes Red Line, and sometimes the train to San Diego). It was very easy in LA; just wheeled the stroller right onto the train, or folded up the stroller and went on the bus. Later moved to SF, which was much tougher with a kid; the buses were packed and people didn't usually want to give me a seat. Not that I needed a seat for myself, but with a young child it was dangerous to try to hold him while also not falling over. In both cities I usually preferred to walk, however, and in both places there were plenty of other parents walking around with their kids.
The times that I was on mass transit in major Southern cities (Atlanta, Dallas, Miami, Phoenix), I saw very few children if any at all. Also, I didn't see many children on the subways in New York when I was there for 2 weeks one summer, so maybe my standard for "a lot of kids" is too high.
I remember being little and we always took the trolley into Center City...that was our direct connection to center city from our part of the city. I was so fascinated with the trolley. We didn't have a car. So public transit was the way to go. Trolley, Subway, Bus....I started taking public transit by myself at like age 9. I will say where Public Transit is frequent it makes the kids have a independence at a young age to navigate on their own. Maybe not as young as i was....but i have seen younger kids getting on the bus, and trolleys by themselves. It's a second nature. And another thing . People really kill me when they say
LOW-INCOME FAMILIES AND THEIR KIDS.....NOT EVERYONE WHO RIDES PT. ARE LOW INCOME. TRUST ME YOU HAVE LAWYERS, AND ETC AND ALL KINDS OF INCOME OF PPL WHO RIDE.
If you live within 3 miles of Center City in Philly the need for transit is pretty minimal in the first place. I always had bike seats/cargo bike for mine so most places that were too far to walk we would ride. Trains and buses were for rainy or cold days.
Where I live now 99% of the buses are low floor and people just use the ADA seats to park strollers (when they're not being used by the disabled).
In Philly that was nearly impossible to do without getting yelled at by drivers (and people are a lot less courteous in general). A lot of subway stops in Philly are still lacking in ADA facilities so they're a hassle as well. It was fine when my kids were infants and I was carrying them or when they were over the age of 3 and could walk reasonably well. But that period between the age of 1 and 3 was a little more difficult. I mostly stuck to the bus then.
I always try to avoid transit during rush hour but especially when I have kids with me.
In NYC people from all walks of life take public tranportation including with small children. Strollers are a bit of hassle because they take up room in crowded subway cars and most stations one needs to walk up and down stairs with a stroller.
Overseas using public transportation with small children is quite common.
I live in Los Angeles County and use public transportation (buses, LRT, and subway) quite frequently.
One thing I have noticed is that I almost never encounter parents with very young children (like 2 years old or younger) riding public transportation. At least I don't see them often enough to have any impression on me.
Where are these carless parents I hear about? I have no doubt they exist. Don't they have places to go with their babies? Or do they actually have access to a car through friends and relatives?
I take my baby on the train. Took her on the Purple Line at just a few weeks old (to Cyclavia).
We have a car but the wife uses it for work so I'm a carless SAHD, 90 percent of our trips out of Pas are on the train or bus. But most of our trips are within Pas, which is highly walkable.
I don't have kids but I would never ever use public transit be it me alone or with kids. Get a car they are not that expensive. Your kids life's are worth more than riding a ****ty public system.
I don't have kids but I would never ever use public transit be it me alone or with kids. Get a car they are not that expensive. Your kids life's are worth more than riding a ****ty public system.
Yeah except when you get in an accident.... Never heard of a kid dying on PT.
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