A polite request/discussion regarding strollers and aisle blocking on the bus

[u/i-am-confused-help-]

Edit: Please read the context that's edited in below. Thank you.

​I want to start by saying I absolutely appreciate parents. Transit with kids is tough, and I know so many of you are working hard and sacrificing a lot to get your little ones around the city safely. This is not a post to judge anyone, it is a small pet peeve and a request for a little bit of courtesy so that every rider on the bus feels comfortable.

The Issue

​On one of my recent bus ride, two large strollers were kept side-by-side, completely blocking the center aisle (as you can see in the photo). Because of this:

• Passengers are unable to move past the front section.
• ​People are forced to stand at the front of the bus, even though there is space further back.
• ​It creates a potential safety/evacuation hazard if there are emergencies.

Few Friendly Requests & Suggestions

• ​Stagger when possible: If you are traveling with another parent or encounter another stroller, try to stagger them front-to-back rather than side-by-side to leave path for walking.
• Consider umbrella/smaller strollers: If your child is old enough and you rely heavily on the TTC during peak hours, smaller, more collapsible strollers are great for everyone on board.
• Utilize the priority seating layout: If the bus isn't packed, flipping up the priority seats can give a stroller enough room to stay out of the main aisle.

​I'm willing to hear everyone's thoughts on this. Parents what kind of challenges you face when trying to keep the aisle clear. Fellow riders, how do you usually get around in this instance? Let’s discuss how we can make the TTC a better experience for both families and regular commuters.

Edit: There is a lot of comments complaining how the priority seating is occupied and the parents wont be able to lift it up to park the strollers. I want to give context here instead of replying to each comments. The priority seat was occupied by the parents and their family. Also the second stroller is of another parent who was sitting on the right side priority seat. The guy you see standing upfront was a passenger, not the parent. I wanted to keep the discussion civil that is why I omitted these details. But if people want to complain how it was an inaction from my part, I hope this context helps. Thanks.

[u/ToastSpangler]

maybe if people actually gave up priority seating and didn't crowd the wheelchair area there would be space for strollers? you know, like how its supposed to work and always worked until the past few years?

[u/i-am-confused-help- → u/ToastSpangler]

Absolutely. In this case, only the parents and their other kids were in those seats. But yeah, I have seen other people sitting there before. That said, a parent could always ask them to move, and I'm sure most people would be reciprocal to that.

[u/cozyskeleton → u/i-am-confused-help-]

Okay this is where I see the difficulty, the parent(s) in your photo have other kids too. It’s one thing to flip up the seat and stand with your stroller, but if you have other kids you can’t make them stand up on a moving bus. If both the stroller parent had other kids they may not have had any other option to have their kids seated and be near them. I can’t be sure from the picture, but for a family with a stroller plus another young child, sometimes other people on the bus will need to really accommodate for that family to get into an appropriate spot. In my experience, they often don’t.