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Urban assault strollers once again roiling the South End
By adamg on Thu, 09/12/2019 - 9:58am
NBC Boston reports on the latest flareup in the perpetual war between South End parents who lock their strollers on the sidewalks and everybody else.
In 2013:
Citizen complaint of the day: Sidewalk-blocking urban-assault stroller in the South End.
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Comments
I get it
It’s inconvenient to bring one of those inside. However, these do fold up. If you absolutely MUST leave it outside and lock it up at least fold the freaking thing up. Geez, common sense.
But folding the strollers is also inconvenient
As would be asking the landlords if space for the strollers could be made in the garden/lawn areas.
Leaving the strollers unfolded on the sidewalk is the most convenient option for the stroller-owners.
All the rest of the public has to do is accommodate the personal preferences of the stroller-owners.
/s
I mean there's a solution to this …
But it involves having less space on the street for people to park their adult strollers.
Please try to stay on topic.
Please try to stay on topic.
Try and keep up
Its a discussion about private property being stored in public space and tragedy of the commons.
Get over yourself. The topic
Get over yourself. The topic is about pedestrian and wheelchair access on public sidewalks that are being obstructed by extra large strollers parked for long periods of time on the sidewalks in the South End. Stop changing the subject every time Adam posts something that isn't specifically about cars and bikes.
LOL ok snowflake
Yeah and Ari O offered up a possible solution of using some streetspace that we currently dedicate for cars and reallocate it for other public uses.
Sorry if that triggers you ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Every. Single. Time.
Every. Single. Time.
Its the exact same topic cupcake
But we already know your feelings on freebie parking, so of course the idea of dedicating parking spaces for stroller storage triggers you.
No you don’t, and I’m not
No you don’t, and I’m not triggered. A triggered person would keep replying to people; acting like he “owned” them, to make himself feel better. I don’t think dedicated stroller parking is enough, I think vestibules should be installed on streets to protect the strollers from the elements.
I might be misinterpreting snark for a genuine point
But by vestibules being installed on the streets are you talking about some covered/lockable structures for residents?
If so, fantastic, I would think thats right in line with OPs original point of relooking at what we store on public streets and what we can do to remove clutter from sidewlaks and possibly even expand the pedestrian realm into spaces once used for parking.
Still not sure why you or anon thinks these topics are unrelated. Hell I haven't even mentioned bikes, OP didn't mention bikes, our anon friend did. Oh wait I said bikes twice just now.
They make these
They take 1-2 parking spaces and can store strollers and bikes with the nearest neighbors all getting a common key.
I've seen them put to good use in London.
Oh wait...we weren't supposed to offer up suggestions that take away adult stroller space. Sorry.
If you really cared about
If you really cared about accessibility, you’d be begging the city to get rid of the brick sidewalks. They are notoriously dangerous for the mobility impaired.
We used to just place our
We used to just place our garbage into them, particularly food garbage. By morning the rats will have scrambled all over them.
Stroller wars
The South End is a skirmish compared to the MBTA buses and trains where strollers bigger than battleships block the aisles.
Battleship Potemkin
Battleship Potemkin
Of course strollers are
Of course strollers are bigger than battleships. They're carriers.
*slow clap*
n/t
Strollers on T are no big deal
I am a daily subway and bus rider and and strollers are not a partocular problem.
Come ride the 16 some day.
Come ride the 16 some day.
How many strollers could we
How many strollers could we fit in the space of one car parking spot? We give up so much public space for people to store their living room on wheels that there's almost no space left for actual people.
Parking
Even if they carved out 1-2 parking car parking spots for stroller storage it's unlikely any of these parents would use it. "It's too far!"
South End could give it a go.
South End could give it a go. If you want to park your stroller on the street at a meter, apply for a stroller license, pay the $3.75 an hour meter rate. You must also agree to cough up the $40 parking fine if your stroller is parked for more than 2 hours, or you forgot to pay the meter/ didn't feel like paying the meter. If you don't have a stroller license and you are parked at a meter, then your stroller will be ticketed and towed.
And if you don't pay your fines
you get the boot.
Remove on street parking. Add
Remove on street parking. Add on street stroller storage. Require a resident stroller parking permit. Start charging for president parking permits for strollers and cars. Problem solved.
How dare you suggest drivers
How dare you suggest drivers pay more than $0 for a parking space that is worth thousands?! How can you prioritize people over cars?!?
If you want to charge people
If you want to charge people who chain bicycles on public property and at public bike racks subsidized by non bike riders then by all means charge people for parking cars on the street.
Careful with that strawman
You just might get what you snarkly wished for, market rate parking fees that take careful consideration to the cost and benefit for using valuable public space.
But lets be honest, you're not here to have an honest debate.
That’s cool
Because I don’t have a car, or a bike.
Are you suggesting
that bike staples/racks are a huge public cost, on par with parking for cars?
Not clear
Are they leaving them locked up outside all day/night or just a few minutes to carry the baby up and then come down and grab the stroller? Also at least from the video/example picture, seems like the person had ample room to lock it up on the other side of their fence/not on the sidewalk...
Not bringing them up after carrying the baby up....
They are left out there and only brought in if it rains. I think people just like to complain because the first lady in that video is kind of annoying in how she explains her situation but overall I'm sure 9,998 people who walk down these sidewalks aren't affected by the strollers, they just like to complain about people like the first lady in this video.
Wheelchair.
Wheelchair.
9/10 wheelchairs can still get by.
So I stand by my official figures.
Would you know?
Where is this 9/10 figure coming from?
for one specific instance
So wheelchair users are good for that one block. Great. And that assumes there isn't anything else blocking passage, like hydrants, light poles, garbage cans, snow piles, or other strollers. Having a baby doesn't give people extra rights, let alone other people's. I am a woman (no kids but extremely kid friendly) and I dread encountering stroller ladies on the sidewalk. The more expensive the stroller, the more entitled the mother. Everyone is supposed to make way for them regardless of right of way or their own behavior (rest of family walking beside/around her like a cloud). I would understand getting it after the kid is upstairs but leaving it out except for rain forces your choices on all your neighbors. I wouldn't vandalize myself if I lived there but I understand.
More about the people complaining.
Those in wheelchairs have much bigger problems in the South End and Boston in general than strollers on sidewalks, but people aren't complaining about those issues because there isn't always a "face" like the first woman in this news video to abhor and feel hate towards.
I think these users should have a pair of bolt cutters with them and just cut and push those strollers out of the way if the impede the sidewalk.
I'm not saying the people in wheelchairs should shut up and deal with it, I'm just commenting on the strange phenomenon of online outrage and why that occurs in situations like these.
Boston is not that wheelchair accessable.
I spent a month using a knee scooter and I was extremely humbled to experience how bad the sidewalks are. These sidewalks are very old, and it doesn't occur to anyone to put wheel chairs first.
We should really extend the sidewalk with that new rubber material and eliminate on street parking. There really should be more than one wheel chair width available for pedestrians. Making cars the first priority is the real problem, not strollers.
More like 87.2% of the population aren't affected
while 12.8% are (percent of US population which is disabled). Arguably a small(ish) percent. Counter argument is karma.
In the 70s, my Dad railed against the new ADA laws - "Let the majority decide!". I argued that not only the disabled need accessibility, but also the elderly, those temporarily injured, and (ironically here) parents with kids in strollers. Karma jot us both. As my Dad got older he went from cane, to walker, to wheelchair. And for talking back to my Dad, karma got me shortly thereafter by breaking my ankle.
Moral of the story - keep the sidewalks clear!
It kinda doesn't matter
If you're in a wheelchair, or are otherwise mobility impaired and unable to shimmy around a Babybago, you don't know if it's "just a few minutes". And even if it is, is it ok for you to be made to stand out there for however long that "few minutes" is?
Former owner of an urban assault stroller...
... even if I live in the 'burbs, I would take WarriorGirl into town. And on planes to other big cities.
However, the damn thing folded up. Like flat. So for the couple of places it couldn't roll through the door, I'd fold it up (one handed, they're built that way), and stash it inside the door.
The stairs are a big issue, and I understand that. But blocking the sidewalk for hours at a time is just rude and inconsiderate. Fifteen minutes while your're loading/unloading, no big deal. Taking it out at 8 and bringing it back in at 6 is dumb.
There's no way I'd leave it unfolded and outside all day, because I'm certain a raccoon or a rat would have come foraging for whatever my daughter had dropped. And in the South End, someone's dog would have covered it in urine.
If you live in the South End,
If you live in the South End, buy a stroller that can easily fold up. Don’t be a jerk and buy an enormous stroller unless you have a place to store it. Proper planning prevents piss poor stroller parking.
Planning?
I saw one of the news reports - you have to laugh at the person who bought a mega SUV stroller and then says they have no place to put it inside. You would think "where would we put this' would be part of the decision making process.
It's like buying a Humvee
and complaining about on street parking. Why did you buy something not easily parked with the options available?
yea no
If I saw one of these blocking my way I would throw it over the fence.
Even if it wasn't blocking my way, but looked like it would prevent someone in a wheelchair from passing then I would still throw it over the fence.
These are public sidewalks, not your personal storage area. And say what you will about on-street parking, but at least those spaces are designated and allow for traffic to pass.
Having witnessed wheelchair
Having witnessed wheelchair users struggle to get around strollers and bikes that people chain/ park on sidewalks, I hope you do it.
Hahaha!
“at least those spaces are designated and allow for traffic to pass“
Magoo sez
Magoo thinks some of those parents need adult diapers. Magoo.
On one hand...
The SE sidewalks are often wildly unlevel and/or bricks sticking up, that, snow/ice makes a tough traverse even for able-bodied folks, much less elders and disabled. Stroller blocks make that equation even worse...
But damn it must suck lugging those up and down...
and when you stroller-users are enjoying a much needed break on the sidewalk during the day with a hearty laugh with your fellow mommy-friends and their respective strollers, maybe just once acknowledge that there are people trying to pass you on the sidewalk and move out of the way
but but
"I'm a mom" so everything I do is excused because of that.
Why hasn't anyone asked about the back of building?
All of these buildings are built with front and back doors. Wouldn't it be less obstructive to lock them in the back?
Also, Isn't this what bike rooms are for?
It seems like these families have lots of choices, they just don't care about the needs of others. And could NBC not find one dad?
Not really
I am not a mom, and I don't currently deal with strollers, but I am familiar with the neighborhood. For the most part, only the ground floor or garden unit has a 'back door'. In some buildings the back door and yard are common, but that's less common. In many cases, the yard is fenced and only the ground floor has rights to the patio as per deeds or condo docs.
Same with bike rooms. I don't think most brownstones / row-houses have such a thing.
I understand why families (including dads) lock the strollers outside. It only bothers me when they do so in a narrow section of sidewalk (e.g., opposite of a tree or sign), or generally seem to lack any thoughtfulness for other using the sidewalk. But I don't blame them for not lugging the things up and down stairs every day.
well
when I lived in the South End, my building had a back door.
And they do make strollers that are light and fold up.
I wonder if you can understand that when people, that seem to have many advantages and choices, act selfishly it's frustrating.
You can't leave a stroller outside in a poor neighborhood because you can't afford for someone to steal it, or for the landlord to get angry with you.
Anything else we can park out there?
I imagine the stroller owners would be apoplectic if someone chained a Vesta to the front gate. They don't take up much more space.
If you're going to live in the city you have to make some adaptations to such a life-style. One of them is not buying this huge strollers.
Somehow my mother managed to get me around town just fine. She had a small, foldable stroller. Someone must still make these?
This just sounds like bad parenting
You're not supposed to use strollers anymore.
Once the kid is one year or so old, they're supposed to walk everywhere.
Until then you just use a front pack.
Urban myth
I’m in the South End 4 days out of 7. Mostly walking. This is highly exaggerated.
Double parking, blocking crosswalks, gridlock, yes. Those are real.
And you say the South End
And you say the South End doesn't have space savers.