Near fall with baby on tube - is anyone BU or was it just a mishap?

[Tiddlyompompom]

I recently had a nightmare tube journey into London - I'd called TfL and carefully planned the journey to the nth degree, as I was travelling with 1yo DS in his pram loaded up with stuff for a week away, so was taking a step-free route.

Turns out it wasn't step free after all, but a kind suit helped me carry the buggy up a flight of stairs at one station, only for me to find the lift at the next station only went down to the wrong line - and I'd have to take the buggy down the escalators.
I have previously been told off by TfL staff for doing this with DH holding the other end, so was very unwilling to try it on my own again (esp as buggy was new and heavily loaded so I'm not used to its balance yet), so I went up to three tube staff having a chat by the ticket gates and asked them how i should get down to the platform.
They told me to use the escalator, I said I couldn't with the buggy, they insisted, I asked them to help me, they refused saying it was easy to do and no problem.
So, I get on the escalator, the buggy catches, the weight tips forward and we both nearly fall down the escalator. I scream for someone to help me, v nice lady grabs hold of the buggy and keeps hold all the way down (while a queue of aggrieved passengers builds up behind her), and we have a bit of a pile up at the bottom while I struggle to get the buggy off and out of the way.
DS was fine, he woke up and cried when we tipped, but was fine after that. I cried for the next hour, I was so shocked.

I just can't believe I nearly had such a stupid accident, and can't figure out if I WBU in that I clearly got on the escalator the wrong way or something, or if the tube staff were BU for not wanting to assist me.

I've been into town plenty of times on a familiar step free route with no trouble at all, and this has really freaked me out. :( And WTF do I do next time?

Sorry this is so long, it's still upsetting me when I imagine what could have happened without that woman's help, and I'm half torn between complaining to TfL, or just trying to write it all off as a really bad day.

samandi I was going away for a week so needed the buggy at the other end, and for transporting the stuff we needed for a week.
If it had just been a day trip into town, off my usual buggy-friendly route, I would've considered leaving the buggy and slinging DS.

I did think that out of the three one of them could've helped me, but I hadn't thought about if they were 'allowed to', H&S-wise.

That would make me furious - please write to them and complain. The more people do, the more chance (ha!) there is that they might finally wake up and realize their advice needs to be accurate and the number of 'accessible' tube stops is piss poor.

I take a lightweight buggy ( a maclaren older model techno) on the tube and escalators no issues. I have also done it with a p and t double but admit that is trickier, but manangeable. I have had to stand my ground about not allowing people to push past as I had a toddler on reins too and we werent't in exactly the right position once, every other time has been fine. I have a method (buggy in front of me, wristrap securing it to me, rest handle bars on shoulder, for way up and i used to put dd on reins/backpack just for the escalator bit).

I suggest you practice with someone 'spotting you' maybe even with them holding the baby to begin with. Or get a pushchair with a shoulder strap then you hold baby and have buggy on your back for the escalator. Or as many people have suggested switch to a sling.

The step free thing is a PITA, a station near me is step free and is the tube station nearest to an orthopedic hospital, so is where their shuttle bus goes to. It is 'step free' to access, not the normal route but a complicated through the car park way that is much much longer and quite a steep slope

verity, we get the bus! London's bus network is actually very good, best I've come across for accessibility. Although that could be because a lot of major cities elsewhere have newer, more accessible tube networks...

That sounds so hard. I would have been upset too. You did your best and I think unfortunately the people involved gave their best help/advice. I don't know London well enough to advise about routes, but it is clearly a very difficult place to be with buggies/wheelchairs/even lots of luggage. Would it be possible to hire a car or even taxi it, assuming it's a rare occurrence not a regular plan?

I would complain that the step-free route wasn't step free.

Rubbish behaviour from tfl. You're in shock and understandably so.

But in future a sling might be a better option. I have a 10mo ds and I don't drive and use public transport all the time with ds permanently in his sling. In fact I'm off to London for a week soon. The boy will be in the sling, luggage in a pull along case, plus rucksack.

Sounds like a fairly typical experience from a tube newbie, next time you will be better, everyone has a 1st time. Everybody does it, mainly without incident and if you get into troble people will help out..

Just think about what didnt work for next time. I found huge buggies loaded to the gunwales were a bad idea, a small stroller and a backpack is the best plan.

Just read this op :( so sorry that you had such a horrible experience :(
sorry and excuse me for my bad language but what an absolutely fucking horrible excusefor human beings regarding the staff who wouldnt help you!!!!

what sort of c* refuses and lets a woman with a baby in a buggy go down an escalator by herself????????????????????????????????

sorry Im just so utterly disgusted and shocked on your behalf. This is why I point blank will not travel by tube although everyone else is like 'no its fine, you'll be fine bla bla bla'. Pleeease tell me you have complained?!

What a nightmare, no wonder you were upset. I've only been on the tube with a baby when I've had someone else with me, who can hold the pushchair(lightweight, umbrella fold) and I've held the baby. It's very difficult negotiating the underground with a pushchair, so I don't. Next time get a bus or taxi. I would complain to TFL because their staff were very unhelpful. They shouldn't have advised you to use the escalator and if they genuinely believed this was a good idea, they should have gone with you to offer help, which you asked for.

They shouldn't have advised you to do it, no.

However I am reminded of the saying 'if they told you to walk off a cliff would you do it?' So YABU a bit as you could have refused

However they could be assumed to know the escalators better than you so.on balance YANBU IMO

One of my friends is the world's leading authority on escalator accidents. {yes, really}. He sent me a brief statement for the last AIBU Buggy on Escalator thread that it is very dangerous and should not be done.
So yes, you should write to TfL. I am sure he would write something to include in the letter if you so wanted. PM me.

My brother-in-law works for London Overground. They are specifically forbidden to help with buggies on stairs unless the baby is removed. The reason being that they were sued when a baby fell out of a buggy - due to not being strapped in. I would suspect that Londond Underground staff are similarly rule-bound.

are you always that bizarrely angry. stmoritz? You might want to see someone about that. Why should employees spend their days helping women with buggies up and down the steps, they wouldn't have the time to do their actual jobs.

i would complain, and maybe write into a newspaper as well - if they advertise a route as being step free, it should be step free. I have so much beef with fucking TfL for not being able to give accurate information about their own services (on websites, the text thing and bus/tube stops).

However - I would recommend calling them rather than using the email complaint thing, as they never repond to that (though that might be because I ended my complaint with "drunk monkeys could run a better service", even though it is very true).

Complain. About everything .

Personally I would get a good sling ( not babybjorn) that is suitable for back carrying an older child.

I usually sling 1 year old on front and 2 year old on back just for safety if at tubes and no spare hand. Then hold bag.

Try something g like an ergo sling for baby on back. Carry small folder pram if you say you need one for the other end and a wheels suitcase or a rucksack.
Rucksack can go on front or back depending on where baby is whilst navigating tubes. Once sorted baby can go in buggy, rucksack back on back and sling thrown under buggy. Is a faff but easier. Especially if tube itself is too full for buggy

You need better planning.

Which route did you take?

Have you checked the step-free tube map?

www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/step-free-tube-guide-map.pdf

Also www.directenquiries.com

So they told you to do something you were aware was stupid and you think it's their fault that you didn't engage brain. Nice.

To be fair to both the tfl employees and the OP, people do take buggies on the escalators all the time, and although it's not the safest way to travel the vast majority of them do get away with it.

Was the tfl website just plain wrong OP? Or was the lift temporarily shut?

Thanks for the attack Aribura, nice yourself. I think it's their fault they gave me bad advice re the so called step free route, and I think it was unwise of them to insist I'd be fine on the escalator and that it was my only option - however as you'd see if you read my subsequent posts, I accept it was daft of me to attempt it. Obviously I didn't realise how stupid it was at the time - hindsight being 20/20 and all.
Crap advice from them + poor risk judgement from me = a very near miss.

Dilys No, I spoke to a woman at TfL at length about what route would be best, she advised me to use that station to change lines. The lift only went to one line, not the other, she must have just seen that there was 'a' lift at that station and not checked it went to the line I needed.

Poulay I really thought I'd covered all eventualities! The travel advisor at TfL gave me bad information, if she got it wrong I don't know who else I could've asked?

OhDearNigel thanks for the offer - I have accepted that the near-miss was my fault, so can't be angry with them for that, but I might call and complain about the bad route planning advice that put me in a situation where I made such a fucking poor decision! I'm angry with myself more I think...

I'm sorry you have had a fright, but taking pushchairs on escalators is perfectly normal. I see it every day. It might not be idea, but most stations don't have lifts so it is done very regularly. The problem here seems to have been the load, not the escalator.

I would definitely complain about the staff. Why couldn't they help you down?