Re: 'Readers' Letters'
I felt compelled to respond to a letter sent in by by a disabled reader on behalf of herself and her elderly father entitled 'Don't move for pram pushers.' Why is it that mothers seem to be enemy number one these days? My son is ten months old and is not yet able to walk so I will be using my pram/ pushchair for at least the next two years when making journeys as will my mother-in-law as she provides childcare when I am working. Even though I have a car, which I find preferable to making uncomfortable bus journeys (which usually result in at least one or two passengers "tut-tutting" as I attempt to steer my pram out of the way in order to let other passengers through to the back of the bus), on occasion I am forced to use public transport. One of the many reasons I choose to use the bus is due to the ever increasing cost of petrol. I would like to point out to the author 'Ban the Buggy' that it is not only your journey that is "unbearable." My journey is equally unplesant; I resent being frowned upon for having a child. Perhaps you don't have children of your own and are refusing to see the bigger picture? Or maybe you do and have forgotten how difficult it can be getting out and about with a young child?
You express that you find the fact of elderly people moving for "young mothers" as "Diabolical!" However, I find your suggestion of charging £1 per pram equally diabolical. Mothers, whether "young" or old (although i don't see how this is relevant) have as much right to public transport as you do. I appreciate that the elderly and disabled have special needs that need to be adhered to but it seems that the real issue here is down to the lack of space, which is most certainly a problem. I suspect though that this issue will not be resolved anytime soon as given the current financial climate, there will not be sufficient funds to support this. On that note, may I suggest that the complaint is aimed at the guilty party i.e. public transport companies instead of once again, using mothers as a scapegoat.
I felt compelled to respond to a letter sent in by by a disabled reader on behalf of herself and her elderly father entitled 'Don't move for pram pushers.' Why is it that mothers seem to be enemy number one these days? My son is ten months old and is not yet able to walk so I will be using my pram/ pushchair for at least the next two years when making journeys as will my mother-in-law as she provides childcare when I am working. Even though I have a car, which I find preferable to making uncomfortable bus journeys (which usually result in at least one or two passengers "tut-tutting" as I attempt to steer my pram out of the way in order to let other passengers through to the back of the bus), on occasion I am forced to use public transport. One of the many reasons I choose to use the bus is due to the ever increasing cost of petrol. I would like to point out to the author 'Ban the Buggy' that it is not only your journey that is "unbearable." My journey is equally unplesant; I resent being frowned upon for having a child. Perhaps you don't have children of your own and are refusing to see the bigger picture? Or maybe you do and have forgotten how difficult it can be getting out and about with a young child?
You express that you find the fact of elderly people moving for "young mothers" as "Diabolical!" However, I find your suggestion of charging £1 per pram equally diabolical. Mothers, whether "young" or old (although i don't see how this is relevant) have as much right to public transport as you do. I appreciate that the elderly and disabled have special needs that need to be adhered to but it seems that the real issue here is down to the lack of space, which is most certainly a problem. I suspect though that this issue will not be resolved anytime soon as given the current financial climate, there will not be sufficient funds to support this. On that note, may I suggest that the complaint is aimed at the guilty party i.e. public transport companies instead of once again, using mothers as a scapegoat.