It has just come to my attention that, back in 2005, London Transport (or Transport for London [TfL] as they now like to be known) commissioned a survey which came up with, inter alia, the information that pregnant women travelling on the Underground had to stand for an average of five stops before being offered a seat and that quite a high proportion were never offered a seat. Having some little personal experience of the London Underground I don't find this particularly surprising. It's not simply the case that Londoners are discourteous or unfeeling, although there are, naturally, some who are. It's more a case of being unaware that a mother-to-be is standing and would appreciate the opportunity to sit down. During a good part of each day the trains are so crowded that a seated passenger is unable to see that there is a pregnant woman standing nearby. It is also the case that many seated travellers are in a different world, either stuck in a book or newspaper or contemplating some problem they will be faced with at work.
Anyway, TfL came up with a solution to the problem: the Baby on Board badge.
Mums-to-be can ask for one of these badges and hope they might be offered a seat when wearing it.
I have searched the TfL web site in the hope of finding out how they can be obtained. It seems one has to phone and ask for one. Just how one proves oneself pregnant is not explained. I did think of phoning myself - on behalf of a hypothetical pregnant daughter perhaps - but I am a mere blogger, not an investigative journalist, so I didn't bother. But the mind boggles. Possibly applicants whose bumps are not yet apparent are expected to demonstrate morning sickness by throwing up over a member of the TfL staff.
On the face of it this seems not a bad idea but given, as I said, that travellers are often unaware of other people around them, I can't see that it will make much difference.
And while on the subject of "Baby on Board" badges I'm going to have a little rant about those stickers one sees in cars. I don't understand why anyone thinks it amusing to sport a sticker in the rear window proclaiming "Little Monkey on Board" or "Little Princess on Board" - just too yucky for words. But why does anyone display any such sticker? Is it so that in the event of a crash the emergency services will look for the child? Or is it an attempt to stop other drivers tailgating? Surely, in the first case, the presence of a child seat in the car (and these are compulsory) is sufficient indication of the possibility of a child having been thrown clear of the vehicle? And in the second, no driver inconsiderate or incautious enough to tailgate will take any notice of the sticker? All these things do is block part of the view through the rear screen. Do away with them, I rant.
3 comments:
The badge don't seem too very practical to me. I mean it's a nice idea, but somehow it seems like... anyway the commission obviously was very thorough.
Did I really say that? "Don't" must've been a typo.
We knew what you meant.
Post a Comment