Kudos to the bus driver of the 52 Burnside on Tuesday! People are well aware that the 52 is one of the busiest routes, but yet think it’s okay to fill up the bus with strollers. Right around lunch time, the driver did not refuse to let them on, however, simply asked them to fold up their strollers so it wouldn’t block the path of other passengers travelling. These stroller moms did not think it was appropriate, and instead refused to listen which resulted in the police being called along with the Metro Transit supervisors holding up the bus for an entire hour! Fortunately, I was not one of those passengers on the bus that day! —You Don’t Own the Bus
This article appears in Jul 7-13, 2011.
I sympathize with moms who have to take the bus, but really, do you think you and your kids are more important than anyone else on the bus? Everyone on the bus has paid their fare. What would have happened if someone in a wheelchair was at the next stop? The bus driver was completely reasonable and within Metro Transit’s guidelines to ask you to fold up your strollers.
Moms who manage (whilst braying into their cellphones or threatening to visit GBH on little Jyrrell for not sitting still) to make more noise than their unruly spawn – Nuff Said.
I think the news said they were all leaving a parenting group or something LOL. How hard would it have been to call Metro Transit beforehand and ask if they could accommodate their SEVEN strollers? Did it really not cross their minds that all of those strollers would take up a lot of space? That’s just like those dick groups of like 20-30 people that pile into a restaurant without a reservation.
Here’s what the little power-trippin’ stroller moms didn’t get: the driver has the authority to ask that strollers be folded. They have right to comply or leave the bus. SUV strollers (unfolded) have no place on a bus and compromise the safety of the other passengers. If parents cannot manage their children outside of the stroller in public then they are not doing it right. I’ve tried boarding buses blocked with SUV strollers. Access to the rear of the bus is impeded. What happens during an emergency situation where passengers need to de-bus as quickly as possible? Unfolded strollers are a hazard for this and to the safe operation procedures that are in place to protect us all. Fold your strollers on the bus people FFS!
I have a solution to this problem.
The Nova Scotia government should buy every new mom a bicycle and child-carrying bike trailer. New moms need exercise and this would lead to healthier moms and it would also be setting a good example for others in our community.
And before some object I should point out that, yes, bike trailers come in quad capacity.
The beautiful part of my plan is that these bicycles could be ridden out to my organic vegetable farms, if it so happened that the new moms in question were presently under- or unemployed. We’re always looking for more help with the harvest.
Imagine what the children of these ignorant mothers will act like in 15 years. This is the problem when children have children and don’t know how to act like responsible and respectable humans.
This sense of entitlement that some people have today is incredible.
You mothers are an embarrassment to society. And your spawn will reflect your atrocious behavior to the detriment of our society.
dumb breeders………
By that time the Youth Justice Act will have been replaced with a scalp bounty. What goes around…
In defense of teen moms: I know some teenage moms who are proper moms and who do know how to parent their children into responsible adults. Not all young moms are ill-equiped for the job. Just some of them.
The mantra for Metro Transit should be “Fold it, or push it”. For too many years they have let people get away with more and more as far as strollers/carriages on buses. Too many people have taken advantage of it and become beyond entitled. Wheel-chairs have to be strapped in and in specific areas out of the way of passengers, or can not be carried but these unfolded strollers usually block the passenger flow and often several seats. And many times seem to be used for larger/older children of walking age, not babies, and as carry alls for toys, shopping items etc.
What is wrong with you people? Have you ever tried to take a child in a stroller on the bus?? I use to take the bus with my daughter before I bought my car. Getting her onto the bus was a pain in the ass, then to have to take her out, fold up the stroller, stay on for 10 minutes, unfold it and put her back in was painful. I needed 4 hands to do it – 2 to hold my daughter as she was too small to sit on the seat solo (nevermind the fact that the drivers didn’t wait and hit the gas, causing her to fly backwards into the hard seats) and 2 hands to collaspe the stroller. And this was only with one child… imagine 4!!! If there was ever a point on the bus with my daughter were I felt as if I may have been in someones way, I would gladly move. But come on. To stop the bus for AN HOUR in the middle of the day with 7 Children aboard, not to mention the people who were on the bus who had commitments, appointments and jobs to get to. I’m partial to this one, I see the Driver’s point, but as a single mother who use to frequent the bus, I completly get the Mom’s point of view.
why does everyone else have to suffer in order to make your life more convenient?
7 moms between them could have taken 30 sec to help each other fold shit up and still have someone watching the kids.
this was all about these dumb twats getting the mob-mentality and thinking that as a group they can impose their will on others around them.
the police and metro transit supervisors should have grown a pair and made them get off the bus for disrupting other peoples lives with their selfishness.
It’s like people in Public Housing complaining about the conditions. Fuck, theres a reason why people try at life, it’s so they don’t have to take the fucking bus or live in squalor. Duh.
but they were all entitled welfare moms with a bunch of different daddy kids.i would have kicked them the fuck off, and let them whine, to the people that spawned these kids.
They should provide a special bus just for use in public housing estates, it would be free, the buses would be WW2 vintage, the types where the exhaust is fed back inside.
Typical entitled welfare filth, remember a few years ago when they blocked Romans Avenue saying that people shouldn’t be using “their” streets as a shortcut?
Not to judge or anything but…. “Their actions angered the driver, said Mandy Fitzgerald, a 24-year-old mother of four.”
I honestly cannot BELIEVE the shit you guys are posting. It’s disgusting. “entitled welfare moms with a bunch of different daddy kids”. First of all, How the Fuck do you know that? Secondly, How the hell is that relevant???? It was raining. You want to kick 7 kids off the bus in the rain because the driver had a power trip? Obviously, you’re not a parent. Not hard to see why.
There are few things in the world more offensive than an ethnic or cultural stereotype…
especially when you are stuck on a bus with a bunch of them. >; )
I believe on the news last night one of the mothers stated that they had folded up the seats for the wheelchairs. This was without checking with the driver and then got pissy cause he didn’t approve. If you’re in a wheelchair (or with someone who is) the driver must install the chair for insurance purposes so I expect he was thinking about that and if the chair fell on a child in a stroller then he might be sued even though he didn’t touch said chair or child but because he allowed it.
Yes it’s raining but acting respectfully isn’t weather dependent. It sounded like the mothers bullied their way through making the bus meet their needs without having a rational discussion with the driver (who by the way already had at least one stroller on his bus when he stopped to pick them up),
It was raining. It wasn’t a surprise, the weather people told us it was going to rain. If you were unsure of bus (as you should be in light of the rules), a call to Metro Transit would have been in order to advise them. OR you could wait till there weren’t 7 of you with your monster strollers at a time getting on a bus. Having been on a bus with three I can’t imagine what it was like with 7! That is too many for public transit and for the safety of all the passengers – mothers and children included.
Fight for your rights yes but don’t be a bitch bully with a driver who has a responsibility to ensure the safety of all people on his/her bus.
HaliA – a few comments on your posting. The driver did not have a power trip, in yesterdays paper along with the article they placed Metro Transits regulations regarding stroller carriage. Some of us are parents, and the last thing we want is our children having to be on public transit with people like this.
I sincerely hope MT release the CCTV of this charming interraction between the 24 year old mother of 4 and the poor driver, don’t bleep out the cuss words.
Over an hour eh? I’m suprised they didn’t ask the cops to watch their kids so they could go have a smoke, or go to the store for a pack of smokes.
commandante don’t you DARE.. You may not be a taxpayer, i don’t know. But i am. And i already give enough free money for people unwilling to work for it (unable is something else all together but the unwilling are more than happy to sponge enough already) You’re asking ME (because i am a government funder after all) to buy free vehicles (bicycles are vehicles) for welfare baby machines? i DON’T think so..
What a bunch of self entitled twats. They held up traffic, wasted police and city resources, and pretty well pissed everybody off. Next time instead of taking your SUV strollers, use the simple steel frame and fabric stollers that take up no space at all.
OC, I’d say most teens are not up to the challenge of parenthood. A good many live at home and/or have their parents help out financially and/or babysitting.
They are entitled to their toonie’s worth!!
Dear isosceles_kramer,
I think my bikes-for-moms idea is a winner. It’s far better that the taxpayers (you and me) invest in healthy lifestyles for all citizens than give money away to companies in exchange for jobs that never last. We will reap the benefits in lower health care costs. Nova Scotians are, as a group, some of the unhealthiest people in this fine Canadian nation. If we were called upon to put forth our best efforts, say if we were invaded by oil-hungry Americans, Nova Scotians wouldn’t be able to contribute much to the national defense beyond giving bad directions and blowing smoke in their faces.
My plan would help Nova Scotians achieve optimum health.
The other benefit is that with their new mobility and healthy cardiovascular systems, these new moms could bike to work on one my organic urban vegetable farms. It’s wholesome outdoor work that builds pride and community and is much more satisfying than sitting in an office cubicle answering telephones and shuffling papers (and surfing The Coast online when you should be working!)
Good food from the good Earth and reducing Nova Scotia’s carbon footprint to boot!
Sorry for the double post but I also wanted to say that I object to the use of the word “twats” to describe these young mothers.
Anyone with a mother should be ashamed to use such a word.
Young mothers deserve the support of the community. They are, after all, raising the next generation of citizens.
These ones appear to be raising the next generation of cat-strangling, train-derailing, teacher-killing-while-driving-high-in-a-stolen-car, Young Offender sociopaths.
Comandante I cycle almost every day, and real far too- if I were a mum with a young child, I wouldn’t cycle with them either in a trailer or on a seat on my bike in this city, no way. If I get in a traffic accident (my fault or a motor vehicle operator’s fault, doesn’t matter) then it’s my own damn fault if I end up in a body bag, but if something happened to my imaginary baby? D: I really don’t think that Halifax is that amenable to cyclists transporting young children. Also, I find the terrain hard enough just me and my pannier packed full of my daily necessities- another human being on my bike is an X-factor that I couldn’t think about. When I have a baby? I’m getting a car.
Strap them to the bike racks next time.
A twat is a twat is a twat, whether they be male or female, parent or not, any creed, colour, sexual preference or religion.
jgoreham, so you wouldn’t take your kid on a bike for fear of injury or death but it’s ok for you? So you get made into meatloaf and your kid is left without a parent or worse.
Hay cranky — they DID have the officers looking after their kids — the article said they were playing with the kids.
LOL 24 year old mother of 4…. wonder how many different baby daddies she has? And parenting classes… yeah, likely court mandated and required so they can keep their kids (and thus their social assistance). I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: smokes and blackberries don’t pay for themselves!
Pretty sad when you have to take a parenting class in order to not have the government take your kids away and kinda telling of the kind of trash we’re dealing with here.
In the end it’s not about the driver going on a power trip — I can’t even imagine what SEVEN FUCKING STROLLERS on a bus would be like when it came to getting on/off the bus. Drivers are actually allowed to drive past people when the bus is full and i”ve seen them tell people with strollers there is no room and they’d have to wait for the next bus (I’ve seen it during rush hour on the 52 a few times!). A few times the drivers got quite the abuse from the stroller moms and I remember one expected the driver to kick people off because she “had a child with [her].” So. fucking. what? Any idiot can procreate and just because you have a child doesn’t mean you’re entitled to inconvenience the world. The world, for the most part, doesn’t give two shits about your kid. Not all parents are like this, and the ones who are are giving the good ones a bad name (and if I was one of those good parents, I’d kick the crap out of those twats). In this case, the driver was simply requiring the moms to comply with MT policy. I’m pretty sure I read about that in the bus schedule booklet. If they have an issue with this policy, they should’ve taken it up with MT administration, not the driver, who was simply doing their job. Kudos to the driver for not letting this trash get away with doing what they want at the behest of everyone else. I guess you give someone some FREE MONEY for spreading their legs and they think the world owes them their gratitude. And people wonder why those on social assistance are stereotyped.
Why can’t there just a rule which requires unfolded strollers to pay an adult fare? A parent with a stroller would then have the choice of either folding the stroller and avoiding the fare, or leaving it unfolded and paying. It makes perfect sense to me; other passengers would have no right to complain about the lack of room caused by an open stroller as long as a fee has been paid to keep it open. Bus too crowded for more passengers? That happens enough without any strollers being aboard. Do we bitch about the injustice of that? No. It might be a pain, but no injustice has occured… just as there would be no injustice if there was a fee for unfolded strollers.
I’ve never been a fan of those big honking ugly-ass graco suv strollers, but the one I have still requires two hands to close it, so I got a little one for the ttc that folds in on itself, has a shoulder strap and weighs about 8 pounds. 90% of the time I’m able to fold it, but if my little guy happens to fall asleep in it before I get on a bus or streetcar, too bad, because I’m keeping it unfolded so he can keep sleeping!
their potential (and likely, but whatever) whoring aside…
they came from a group… and all expected to get and fit on the same bus.
So tell me HaliA, were there 25 of them instead of 7 or 4 or however many…
what to do then? they all have the same right…
though certainly 25 strollers won’t fit.
what to do?
have a lotto right there at the stop?
It is at the bus driver’s discretion cause it’s his responsibility.
They should have shut the fuck up and complied with his request instead of ‘standing up’ for their retarded idea.
would you like it if he let them all on and the bus was filled with strollers at the next stop YOU’RE waiting at? oh sorry, bus is at half capacity but you can’t get on.
catch the next one… in an hour… IF another mothers pow-wow doesn’t get out before you.
Personally… I’m not sure HOW you can be on their idiotic side.
Z, then you’re getting into the ‘paying for actual space on a bus’ not a fare…
which hits a snag when it comes to rather rotund individuals.
Can’t discriminate against the ice cream curling champions…
though I suppose the stroller is its own entity….
there would have to be clear rules on other ‘entities’ and what constitutes an additional fair.
does the guy with 4 grocery bags take up enough extra space to warrant an extra fare?
the guy with a completely stuffed full backpack…. hmmmm
tough calls.
Bro, it isn’t that it’s “OK” if I end up street pizza- obviously I’d like to arrive alive- but the idea of a tiny human who is completely dependent on me, physically attached to me while I’m riding my bike is one X-factor too many for me. To me, there’s just too many wildcards when you throw a baby into the mix for *commuter* cycling. Taking a leisurely bike ride down the trail? Sure! Around the corner to TIBS (or whatever your local trendy cafe is)? Why not. These mums, if I understand the story correctly, were taking their strollers on the bus home from their class or something on Joe Howe drive. I would be real nervous riding around there on my bicycle with a baby or small child. Especially with one of those big trailer baby carrier things on the back- motorists are pissed enough that I ride a foot out from the curb. Can you imagine if I was hogging the lane with one of those on the back what would happen? Still getting a car when I start poppin’ ’em out.
not to mention the wee one’s height in those jobbies is right around exhaust tail-pipe level.
mmmm, tasty car and bus fumes on the ride.
Bro Tim said:
“A twat is a twat is a twat, whether they be male or female, parent or not, any creed, colour, sexual preference or religion.”
I’ve only ever heard “twat” used as a derogatory reference to a woman. Maybe I’ve led a sheltered life. Maybe the usage has changed. I know I hear young folks call things “sick” when they are impressed, just like things were called “phat” when they were cool.
Be that as it may, I think the usage of “twat” in the context of this discussion is as a derogatory reference to these young moms. I don’t like it. I’ve never called a woman a “twat” in private, in person or online, in my life. Same goes for “cunt”. I guess it’s how I was raised.
Are you really a police officer?
As far as bike trailers being safe for kids, well maybe it’s time that the city close some streets to motor vehicle traffic entirely and create bike corridors.
Coamndate- I agree with Tim. They are indeed…TWATS! Let me see how to put this without being judgemental..ohh fuck it. You have a group of 7 single Moms from Dartmouth taking parenting classes. Chances are they were on their way back to the Darkside to their Metro Housing (Paid by we the taxpayer). You have one “Mom” who is 24 and on her 4th child (no doubt looking for the next sperm donor so she can make another to help out with the welfare payments). You would think while she was close to the pharmacy a the Superstore that she could stop and get come birth control. SO ya. TWATS!
“Obviously, you’re not a parent. Not hard to see why.”
Right.. because we’re responsible maybe?
You are proving everyone’s point about the entitled attitudes of some mothers, HaliA.
I don’t have time to read all 40 comments right now so I don’t know if this has been addressed or not but you can’t put the breaks on a folded stroller and most don’t stand up on their own either. Then there is the fact that most moms have a large diaper bag in the basket underneath. Then there is the kid who is going to want to climb all over mom and look out the window. How can you keep a child large diaper bag and folded up stroller from falling all over the place? Folding the stroller sounds good in theory but it’s really not a solution that would work. It’s shitty but everyone has a right to use the bus.
And Commandante, while I admire your restraint from using derogatory terms for females, no one, and I do mean absolutely no one as in not a single person, comes rushing to men’s defense when someone calls one man a jerk, asshole, dickhead or other names that are traditionally reserved for males. Typically you don’t call a woman an asshole, you call her a bitch. It just wouldn’t sound right to call her a name that we reserve for men.
Putting women on a pedestal just because they’re a woman is sexist discourages true equality. There are plenty of cunts, bitches and twats out there (although I don’t use the word twat either, not because it’s offensive, I just think it’s a silly British sounding word) Just like there are plenty of idiots, assholes and jerk faced fuckwads out there, male and female.
madeinthe80s – you don’t need a ‘large’ diaper bag. a couple nappies and some wipes in a baggie is all that is required. Maybe a bottle. seriously, you’re not travelling to the other side of the earth…just to dartmouth.
When my son was an infant I was nursing I didn’t even need bottles but I did need diapers, wipes, his changing pad, an extra blanket and change of clothes in case of spit up and it did take up most of my large diaper bag. No I wasn’t going to the other side of the earth or even crossing the bridge, just going to visit my grandma for a few hours. Babies require a lot of crap! And I definitely walk whenever I can because I know strollers on the bus are a pain for other passengers. I’m not defending the moms from the story I’m just saying that folding a stroller is not a viable solution to the problem in most cases. Also you need a “SUV” type stroller for a small baby because umbrella strollers don’t offer adequate support.
exactly 80s, everyone has the right to use the bus. Having strollers clog up the isle is a safety hazard for you, your kid, and all the rest of us. Parents don’t have any more rights than those of us who are not parents.
If I took a bunch of laundry on the bus and wanted to put it in the isle I wouldn’t be surprised if the driver told me I couldn’t leave it there. Ever heard of those backpack child carrier things? Or the ones that strap the child to the front of you? Those don’t take up nearly as much space as these strollers and you can carry diapers and all the rest of your things in a coach bag or a large purse. You know you’re getting on the bus, you should act accordingly. Expecting everyone else to compromise their safely and the bus’ accessibility just so you don’t have to fold up the stroller is the definition of entitlement. Having kids is hard, maybe you’re not up to the task if taking your child on the bus without endangering and inconveniencing others is too much for you. Or, here’s a thought, maybe you should have waited until you could afford to get yourself around without public transit before you decided to bring a new life into this world and take care of it. That’s what I and many others are doing.
I love bus bitches because they make me realize how happy I am that I don’t have to ride that dirty thing anymore.. ever.
I agree with the bag statement.
Get a bag and a little umbrella stroller. They’re seriously under 30 bucks at walmart. You wouldn’t have to fold that shit up then.
Also — IIRC the driver told the ‘moms’ to go to the back of the bus, did he not? I remember reading that in the article. For some reason these ‘ladies’ (and I use that term very loosely) felt entitled to all get on the bus and felt they were entitled to not have to follow policy.
And if you can’t handle your kids like one stated (she couldn’t look after her kids while holding an infant/stroller) maybe you should rethink your decision to spread your legs.
Just another case of trash causing problems and blaming the world for their irresponsibility. Of course it’s not THEIR fault. And they had places to be! Sperm donors don’t find themselves! Gotta get that increase in their cheque to pay for the smokes and blackberries they ‘deserve’.
These women are nothing but state sanctioned prostitutes — they have sex and get more ‘income.’
It’s people like these that make me believe that people on social assistance should have their kids taken away. It might sound harsh, and I will admit I’m kind of in a prick mood tonight, but having to get state handouts isn’t really showing any ability to properly provide for your children.
Maybe that’ll either stop them for fucking for money or encourage them to get a job like the rest of us.
I would have caused such a fucking scene if I was on the bus so help me god, holding up the bus for a fuckin hour. Someone needs to teach these little bitches how to take no for an answer, or how to be respectful responsible adults. I would have made those bitches feel an inch tall.
Coach bag are you kidding me? We have a car unfortunately my boyfriend needs it to drive to work every day because we work for our money. I’m not an entitled designer bag carrying welfare prostitute just because I’m a young mom on the bus. And yes I have a couple different carriers for my son but have you ever worn one for more than 10 minutes? It’s agony. If strollers were a safety hazard they’d be banned altogether wouldn’t they? If I have a right to be on the bus so does my kid and their stroller. If I get asked to fold it up for “safety” reasons I would but I don’t see how a folded up stroller flying around while I try to hold onto my son and diaper bag is safer than him being strapped into it open with the breaks on. Yes it’s taking up half the iasle and an extra seat but my son is safe and I have two hands to keep the stroller from flying around. It’s not ideal but really what is? Now that I’m having another baby *gasp* and yes with the same boyfriend I have been with for almost ten years, you can bet your ass I won’t be getting on a bus untill I’m done with strollers by which time im sure we will have 2 cars so there’s one less for you to bitch about.
I wonder what they would have done if a couple of people in wheelchairs came on. I bet they would have said it’s raining and we were here first.
A bus is a large vehicle but not large enough to accomodate seven SUV strollers. If that bus had gotten into an accident, it would have been total chaos as people would be trapped or tripping on these monstrosities trying to escape. Then let the lawsuits fly. CE would you let strollers be in the aisles of your aircraft? I think not. Why? an obvious safety hazard. There is no difference in the cabin of a plane or a bus, seats with aisles in them.
I agree with you 80s, they should be banned altogether, they are hazardous. You don’t acknowledge other people or their well being at all in your post, just that of you and your son. What about the rest of us who also value our lives? Like Bro Tim says, we would have a hard time quickly exiting the bus in an emergency with strollers taking up the isle.
You entitled parents are just too easy.
Boo hoo it’s hard carrying a kid around everywhere. What did you expect?
If you needed to exit the bus quickly you could chuck the empty stroller up on an empty seat or exit the windows and side door. I think if it was a true safety issue they WOULD be banned. Metro transit wouldn’t make themselves liable to huge lawsuits if it were a real danger. And yes attempting to put 7 strollers on a bus is idiotic. All I’m saying is I’m a decent person and if I need to take the bus somewhere with my kid and am using the smallest possible stroller attempting to take up the least amount of space and I feel bad already about being in people’s way why is it ok for people to look at me like I’m an asshole with three heads? It’s PUBLIC transit. If you don’t like strollers on busses petition metro transit to do something about it don’t make me the bad guy because the bus isn’t accessable to everyone. There should be space for strollers. If there was some type of corral thing you could put a folded up stroller in I’d gladly do it but there isn’t.
I’ve lived in other cities (quebec, calgary, prince george) and having strollers on a bus didn’t seem to cause the same issues as it does here. In these cities, the seats that flip up for wheelchairs, this is where the strollers go. Even if people are sitting on these chairs, they get up when they see a stroller coming on, the even flip up the seat for them, and the moms and strollers stand there. Why is it in bigger cities, people do this for others, but not here??
The woman who is 24 and has the 4 kids was on 95.7 and said that the strollers were not oversize, I guess she hasn’t seen the pics in the CH? Also, she said the driver was arrogant and it was only after they deposited the fare that he refused them passage.
She takes the parenting course 3 days a week for, I think she said 8 weeks, a little late after you already have 4 kids? Also, she said not all the women were single.
Naturally, the interviewer didn’t ask any hard questions like, are you collecting benefits and did you use foul language, and how many baby daddy’s are involved in your tribe?
I feel like this belongs in the Love section because I totally agree. Yes you got a baby in a stroller, good for you.. it’s tough.. don’t take up the whole bus and don’t crush people or run over their feet, and don’t bitch off at the driver who’s kind enough to quietly to drive your ass around.
Dim Bro & The Unctuous Arse
:Bro Tim (July 13, 12:41PM) – “What a bunch of self-entitled twats.”
:The Unctuous Arse (12:57PM) – “Anyone with a mother should be ashamed to use the word. I object to the use of the word ‘twat” to describe those young mothers.”
:Bro Tim (1:34PM) – “A twat is a twat, whether they are male or female, parents or not, any colour, sexual preference or religion.”
: The Unctuous Arse (3:03PM) – “I think the use of ‘twat’ in the context of this discussion is a derogatory reference to these young moms. I don’t like it.”
You hang in there Dim Bro. Dont let the Unctuous Arse patronize you.
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
MM,
You great TW#T*!
The last thing the world needs is you holding forth during another long bitchers’ roundtable which deals with the merits of various names for a woman’s sexual anatomy.
Please take your analytical powers and argumentative ways, such as they are, and get lost!
I wasn’t patronizing Bro Tim. I was simply objecting to his foul-mouthed abuse of these young women, any one of whom could have been his mother.
Cordially,
The Unctuous Arse
*TWIT
PK. I like your style. Nailed it!
I agree with breton22. I lived in Edinburgh, in a city where lots of people used the buses, and on those buses there was a designated area for strollers and wheelchairs. It was clearly stated that each bus could accommodate one stroller; others would have to be folded. Sometimes, that meant mums were left waiting for another bus. Other times, the mum already in the area would volunteer to fold up her buggy and let the other mum on. Why not have a similar situation here? Then you wouldn’t get the ridiculousness of 7 (!) mums with 7 strollers and however many kids all trying to get on one bus.
Looks like having a child at 17 is inconvenient and a huge hassle all the time. Yep, sure would be cooler to wait until you have a career and a car to have 4 kids by the age of 24.
Oh, and usually only twats get offended by the word twat…
How ironic that these welfare moms were attending a parenting class, while dragging their multiple kids with them. They should be attending a class on how to keep their legs shut, instead of popping out babies they cannot even afford. I’m with the bus driver on this one. No sympathy for those sluts.
Sun and breton22 – I’ve also lived in other cities and agree with your points, HOWEVER – this is Halifax and things work differently here. Undoubtedly, the imbeciles at City Hall will hire a consultant to produce a $100,000 report which will result in aforementioned imbeciles issuing another unenforceable by-law instructing MT to buy a special bus just for single mothers with enormous strollers. The only restriction will be that the bastards (yes, it still is a word) must have multiple fathers, none of who provide financial support. I predict this bus will be full every day.
RSVPs
TWATS AND MORE TWATS
: The Unctuous Arse (July 13, 9:33PM)
“Please take your analytical powers and argumentative ways, such as they are, and get lost!”
Can you believe it? The po-faced paragon of pomposity is now trying to patronize Monsieur de Montréal! I must say that I think his use of “twit” in the context of this discussion is a derogatory reference to Monsieur de Montréal and I don’t like it!
: Sodypop (12:52AM) – “Oh, and usually only twats get offended by the use of the word twat…”
Well said, Sodypop, well said. I hope the Unctuous Arse takes note. The twat.
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
The bus driver shouldn’t have taken their fare if he wasn’t going to let them on, I’ll say that.
“And yes attempting to put 7 strollers on a bus is idiotic. All I’m saying is I’m a decent person and if I need to take the bus somewhere with my kid and am using the smallest possible stroller attempting to take up the least amount of space and I feel bad already about being in people’s way why is it ok for people to look at me like I’m an asshole with three heads? It’s PUBLIC transit.”
We can agree on that. I’ve never given any stroller moms any dirty looks, though, but I’ve seen them dish out their fair share when people can’t really get by without bumping the stroller or tripping over it.
Bottom line rules are fucking rules and they apply to everyone and when people whine and complain about how hard being a parent, when all they’re being asked to do is comply with the rules to ensure everyone’s safety is upheld, to me it makes them look stupid and self important. We all have to live with our choices, period. You wanted to have a kid, you knew it wouldn’t be easy, one of the things that is required is sometimes having to fold up your stroller or just do without it when there are other strollers on the bus.
No one’s making an issue over one stroller, especially a small one like you describe, but as you say 7 is just unsafe and the bus driver wouldn’t have been doing his job had he let them on. I personally would have been uncomfortable and probably would have mentioned it to the driver, had he let them on no questions asked. Bus accidents do happen, my friend was on one and it was very close to tipping over. I think if I was a parent I’d prefer that my small child be in my arms than in a stroller in case the bus crashes and that stroller goes flying.
The buses should be designed better but for the time being there simply isn’t room for all that many strollers. The bus can only be so wide, it has to fit in the lane.
“”Yes it’s taking up half the iasle and an extra seat but my son is safe and I have two hands to keep the stroller from flying around””
It’s “aisle” and this statement is the perfect example of that “entitlement feeling” that a lot of…dare I say it?…twats, seem to think comes with being able to open your legs and breed indiscriminately.
It’s harder to say no or use birth control.
Zero population growth, now that’s impressive!
I wonder what they would say if me and my six friends (ok I’d have to pay them) started to bring aboard a couple of dressers, a couch, an arm chair, a desk, and a stroller, and say it’s public transit it’s my right I pay taxes.
BTW the driver is right, that is his office just as Kelly and Dexter have their offices. Yes paid by the taxpayer but still their offices. It’s the driver’s bus just like the airplane is the pilot’s plane, regardless of who paid for it.
Does anyone remember 20 years ago when half the buses were still from the 1960’s and they had narrow stairs, and oddly enough moms with strollers were well able to fold them up? Because I do, and I’m pretty sure most of the other commuters do, and this is what’s pissing them off so hardcore. I swear half of this entitlement problem is due to the shift in advertising to focus on children and that bullshit ‘you’re a friend, not a parent’ movement.
Welfare moms are a frequent and easy target here. I can’t find any reference in the media that might support the conclusion that these young moms were all on welfare. Maybe I just need to search more thoroughly.
Usually the stone-throwers are reacting to crudely drawn stereotypes, as if moms who happen to be on social assistance are all of a certain “type”.
Was it not Jesus who said in his sermon on the mount
“Judge not lest ye be judged” and “For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again”? Matthew 7:1-2
And also
“He who is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” John 8:7
I advise each and every one of you to read these verses in their proper context, if you own or have access to a bible. Words to ponder in this judgmental age.
Holy shit!
you asked for it farmer bob http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNeq2Utm0nU
We’ve all converted to Islam, Bob. Let the stoning begin. Allahu Akhbar
: The Unctuous Arse (4:14PM)
Ah, we knew it was there, lying just beneath the surface. It had to come out sooner or later, and now it has. What has been disclosed, of course, is the Unctuous Arse’s mission, his humourless vision of his fundamental rightness in all things which endorses his views with an other-worldly sanctity.
To the priggish, patronizing, po-faced paragon of pomposity, we can now add “preaching.” What we now have – take your pick – is a biblical Jeremiah chastizing the sinners while warning of the approaching Apocalypse or, alternatively, a preening Dickensian Pecksniff, a bean-counter who adheres to his narrow vision of the moral high ground.
The irony, of course, is that there has been no one who has been more consistently judgemental, more condemning of others on this site, than the Unctuous Arse himself. While continually striking a posture of irreproachable political correctness, when the occasion arose the Unctuous Arse never hesitated to cast the first stone. That is why I called him, um, “The Unctuous Arse.”
Now, watch as the Unctuous Arse attempts to turn this around and unveil the depth of my moral failings and consequent damnation.
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
“All I said was – This stroller is big enough for Jehovah. “
http://lauramartinexploreproccess.files.wo…
MM,
I’ve always found guidance and comfort in the Book of St. Matthew, particularly the Sermon on the Mount.
“Blessed are the cheesemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” Matthew 5:9
and
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6
and
“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:10
and
“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” Matthew 5:11
I could respond to you by calling you a TW#T*! or any of the other names you have used against me, but once again I turn to Matthew for guidance:
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Matthew 5:38-39
So please – smite away. It will only make my final reward that much sweeter.
One further thought. I do believe that you have succumbed to envy – a Cardinal in as you know. According to Dante, God’s punishment for the envious is to have their eyes sewn shut with wire because they have gained sinful pleasure from seeing others brought low.
My soul is ready. Is yours?
*TWIT
RSVPs
: The Unctuous Arse’s Meltdown (July 14, 7:09PM)
Well, I guess you could say that the Unctuous Arse really “threw the Book at me” (a little joke there) but it was not unexpected. I guess I called the shot (July 14, 5:09PM) when I predicted that, in reply to my post, the Unctuous Arse would “unveil the depth of my moral failings and consequent damnation.” Did I get it right or did I get it right?
But I really must protest being cast down into Dante’s Inferno for the Sin of Envy. I might have experienced a number of emotions in corresponding with the Unctuous Arse but – trust me – Envy was not one of them. (Anyone recall the particular ring of the Inferno covering the Sin of Envy? No Googling! Play fair!)
Anyway, it seems that I shall “have my eyes sewn shut with wire because they have gained the selfish pleasure from seeing others brought low.”
Dante was quite a guy, wasn’t he. He had it all together.
What a twat.
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
Big nose!
Yeahr buh no buh yeahr buh no buh
<3 Snoob.
Maybe Mike Clattenburg could follow up Trailer Park Boys with Stroller Moms?
Strollers on the bus are a safety hazard !!!!
and if these moms sat home on welfare day in and out where their children would get next to nil socialization and enviro education you would be moaning and groaning about this too…there is a lack of consistency with rules amongst drivers and it does get confusing…I have had to deal with rude drivers as well as rude passengers…I was not there so do not know who started it but if anyone was rude that is what started it first. The moms sound like they were trying to be out of the way but the driver said no way….it escalated from there?
Having said that there are policies that are outdated and should include rules about these new stroller monstrosities that are outrageous and never intended for buses…
Having said that, for all the illiterates that sit in the elder/disabled seats move the feck to the back of the bus you lazy asses..
I posted before reading and realize that some of you would not be allowed on my bus…some of you are far more ignart than the mothers you claim are welfare wastes. I have a hard time believing an entire hour was wasted..Talk about lack of intelligent and timely resolution, must have been because the police were involved.
These 6-7 strollers are no different that 4 day cares getting on at once..and as I suggested 3 years ago to Metro..in the summer put more buses on popular routes to accommodate the extra travelers….. I do feel badly for those late for work because of this unfortunate event but I feel worse for the nasty people here who are incapable of comprehending the real issues here.
Real issues?
The real issue is: the driver asked the group to split up because SEVEN STROLLERS CAN’T FIT AT THE FRONT OF THE BUS and they made a huge stink about it.
Get bent mcgaidheal.
mcgaidhead – are you the person who used to post regularly and always had issues with the police, something about a form that you were fond of filling in when registering a complaint?
Coming home last night at 9:30 a young couple with a stroller got on my bus. The front bank of raiseable seats was empty and the young man , now get this, ASKED the driver if it was alright to lift the seats to make room for the stroller. He also assured the driver that they would move if a handicapped person boarded. IKNORITE! Dad stood and kept the stroller secure while Mom sat in the closest seat (voluntarily vacated by a well-known ignorant bigot and confirmed hater of children and perceived low-income parents) to keep an eye on the wee one.
That’s how it’s done, folks.
Ivan – nice that a normal couple did the right thing, but I bet the Magnificent 7 who caused the shitstorm last week weren’t as unentitled as these folks. These 2 were a couple, but my money is betting that the single mothers sperm donors were not on the scene and aren’t actively involved in their offsprings lives, especially financially.
part 2 – I’d like someone to check the single mothers out, how many are getting welfare, financial aid, court ordered parenting classes, how many baby daddy’s etc.
You might be a Welfare Mom if:
1)Your Beanie Babies have more outfits than your infant.
2)You allow your 14 year old to smoke in the house. In front of her kids.
3)The Jack-O-Lantern you stole from your neighbor’s porch last Halloween has more teeth than you do.
4)Your child’s stroller cost 4 times what you spent on his crib because- “Girlfriend, ain’t nobody gonna see that crib”
PP: part 2, why do any of these things matter to you?
Not sure what mc-g meant by ‘ignart’? Maybe it meant people who expect to see more summertime buses simply because they told MT there should be more. Or maybe it has something to do with noncomprehension of the physics of 7 strollers on a bus and the discretion of the driver to call a safety time-out for all involved.
Folding the stroller was something that you did when getting on the bus when my kids older kids where young. You unpacked it, untied all the grocieries from the handle (didn’t matter about the weather) took the child out and like a pack mule you got on. I fully support the driver on this one.
I still travel with young ones and still do this.
BTW I know its hard not to judge the (what looks like) older kids in strollers too but please remember that not all big kids are older. I would find it very hard to keep my 1 yr old walking eventhough he is the size of a 3 year old (not fat just tall and built). Having said that he sits on the bus and could/would not be able to play rock, paper, sissor with a police officer as the article in the paper stated these young (babies) kids did.
Three years old in a stroller isn’t so bad, especially when you’re going on the bus or a long journey or you’re going to be out all day. I know I sure had a hard time with being on my three year old feet some of the time when my mom took me out shopping with her. She’d drag me everywhere with her. But, I was a good kid and you could do that with me. People who knew me when I was little (family, parents’ friends, etc…) still comment on how I was an extremely well behaved child. I even remember sitting in shopping carts at the grocery store thinking “do these kids know how dumb they look?” when I’d see another kid having a tantrum.
But, anyway, I’m talking about the kids who are four and five. I’ve seen them. Usually they’re little fatties too, and more often than not their parents are fatties.
When your kid has to bend their knees up to their chest to fit into a stroller, it’s time to get the little ankle biters walking.
OH! I almost forgot to give a shout out to all the douchedrizzles who *actually* use strollers for shopping carts while traveling on the bus. There’s no kid in the stroller, just a bunch of dollarama and walmart bags. *shakes head*
How can a thread that is basically the same dozen people repeating themselves get to 92 comments?
Oh I suppose because of people like me.
Oh shit I did “it” again!
I can’t stop doing “it”!
*cue the Knights Who Say Ni*
“How can a thread that is basically the same dozen people repeating themselves get to 92 comments?”
I know right.
Pretteh Kitteh (July 13, 4:46PM; July 17, 6:35Am; 4:31PM)
I wish Pretteh Kitteh would talk more about her body.
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
^^^ ok that’s bordering on a little bit creepy.
Don’t worry PK. The last time Annie’s “Absent-minded Professor” stood up in his lectern, Trudeau was still P.M.
RSVPs
:Pretteh kitteh (July 18, 2:38PM)
Well, I don’t know about “creepy”. I was just thinking along the lines of a “Tour of All the Orifices” with diagrams and possibly colour photos/slides as visual aids. A pointer with a pink rubber tip would be helpful as things can get pretty complex in certain spots. Of course, the pointer must not be used for other purposes.
:Admiral Flyspeck (2:58PM)
I am very Liberal in these matters and have have no hesitation about surrendering the lectern to Pretty kitteh if she so desires. I think the “Tour” is shaping up very nicely. Would you want to work the slide machine behind the scenes?
Attend to your duties. Do not let your mind wander.
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!