LETTER

A danger we ignore at our peril! 

 

We live in a world fraught with danger, health and environmental hazards, serial killers, religious fanatics and groups that purport to be "The Way", people and groups who are willing to sacrifice their very lives to prove their holiness! Martyrs, suicide bombers and average nut jobs all endanger the common civility of our very lives, even as we sleep!    

Thus, it is with great concern that I address the most vile of these groups: the stroller-pushing, child-caring, bus-riding Mother! This group (women of child bearing years or younger) are the main cause of the decline and deterioration of our public transit system, commonly known to us as the bus!     

 

Every day commuters of all ages are faced with countless dangers (such as back and arm injuries) from helping them and their brood onto the average bus (not equipped for kneeling to assist entry), or worse, crunched toes  from the weight of the overloaded devices they use to shuttle their broods, the Baby Stroller!    

 

I ask you, what is the average person on public transit to do, when faced with the likes of this, every day? Not to mention they are all carrying runny-nosed minors and contributing to the decline of our air and health? I can not tell you how many times one of these women has gotten on the bus, forcing me from my comfortable seat to a rearward standing space of dubious quality!    

 

We commuters are forced to endure delay after delay, while waiting for these mothers and so-called care-givers to board the bus and find an appropriate and safe place, before we can continue on our way. This is public transportation, not a private shuttle service for mothers with their shopping and children! They should be at home, where they belong, not riding the public transit and inconveniencing the rest of us, on our daily commute to and from work! Next thing, they'll be demanding rights like the rest of us, or worse, like the handicapped and elderly who are entitled to special seating on public transit. 

 

Do they not know what an inconvenience they present to the rest of us average bus riders?  Just the other day, one “mother” with her children (one strapped to her chest and the other in a stroller), balancing bags of what appeared to be groceries in her arms, had the unmitigated gall to complain, when a bus driver refused her entry during rush hour, and forced her to wait in the rain for another, less crowded bus. Delays, delays, delays! Nothing but inconvenience for the rest of us, just wanting to get home to our own families! I can't imagine how difficult it must be sitting in a bus, driving, and only making $30 dollars an hour -- and having to deal with such a rude and inconsiderate public every day!  You couldn't pay me enough!    

 

It is high time we banned these people all together from riding public transportation! This would free up space, no need for more buses, and fix the constant delays imposed upon the rest of us! (Not to mention the boost in quality of our health and air space)!  What say you?

 

Brian M. Armstrong

Aylmer