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Here's a post from back in July I posted on BlueOregon about the issues with caregivers and children on MAX and buses.

http://www.blueoregon.com/2010/07/accepting-all-riders/

Since this post, I have met with TriMet twice to discuss this issue. It has been great to see them willing to engage on this issue. I think a core issue of accessibility in the broader sense is that caregivers with children have not been a class of riders built into TriMet's planning. With some other parents, we have been encouraging TriMet to include a caregiver advocate in their planning/safety committees just as they engage with the senior and disabled community and the bicycle advocate groups. In addition, more could be done to make the TriMet policy in regard caregivers riding with children apparent in marketing and other communication tools.

Here are some other ideas we have brought to them:

* Make the bike hanger area on MAX a multi-purpose space and visibly mark it so that caregivers with children could ride with their stroller intact and out of the aisles.

* Establish a "courtesy" seating on buses for caregivers with children who can't yet walk and pregnant women in the seats facing inward near the exit in the back.

* Welcome the newest riders to the transit system in hospital birth packets, outling safety and riding concerns and perhaps throwing in a free ticket to encourage caregivers with children to ride the bus instead of taking the car.

posted 2 years, 5 months ago
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