We need your thoughts for a discussion with Talk 107 radio station in Edinburgh on....

[CatherineMumsnet]

The fact that Lothian buses have decided to ban prams on their buses if they are busy. See here

Goddamit expat!

half the time it's bad enough trying to get onto the no22 just by yourself, never mind with a buggy or pram! 5 no22's kept driving past the stop one day as they were so full. I don't live in edinburgh - but we have to use the 22 to get to meetings rather than use taxi's

22s should be double decker. Cannot fathom why they are not.

I just asked MIL, what did you do with the bairns (she had two 16 months apart and then adopted SIL when her elder son was 6) on the bus before you could get the buggy on (they had no car until about 1997)?

She said, 'I walked. You lot are soft, the supermarket used to close around 6.'

I used to use the no. 22 and then walk down Constitution Street to our place.

DH used to joke, 'Why do they need a tram? They've already got the no. 22.'

I agree with expat. Even came on to snigger at Oakley.

There are threads on here where people have got the hump because a wheelchair user dared to ask them to fold their pram, so I suspect the rule has been brought in because of those sorts of refusals.

Of course us companies should communicate the new rule better though.

Shit, I need to check the council website for bus route diversions for next week.

I heard Leith Walk is going to be closed entirely briefly for the trams works and had wanted to swing by and see a pal.

Need to get to Bernard Street instead. Anyone know if the no. 16 is running as usual?

Can get it from fairly close to the ILs house.

It's totally true, we are soft. I freely admit it. And I'm not as soft as some - I still get people asking how I manage up and down the tenement stairs with a baby . As if it's a totally new concept to have children and live in a building with stairs.

Not sure about 16 but the diversions seem to change frequently as the roadworks move - I would check the LRT site. Or call them, it's 555 6363 (memorized - am bus-dependent)

We were on second floor with the two, Dorothy.

DD1 has dyspraxia and stairs are not her strong point, even now.

It can depend on the tenement, though.

In our first place, okay, it was in Muirhouse, I had to take DD1 out the buggy and walk up the stairs, as she was too heavy to carry sitting in the buggy up to the second floor.

I came back down, and, you guessed it!, someone had nicked the buggy.

Fuck!

But the hood had a bunch of holes in it from DH's fags .

Never happened at our 'new' tenement in Leith, though.

Thanks, Dorothy! That's the way to go I'm sure.

I need to get from Trinity or Lower Granton Road or Ferry Rd to the Law Society in the West End, mainly, once up to the US Consulate in Carlton Terrace and a time or two up to the town centre to see my old work colleagues and to Leith to see some old friends.

Sure we'll work it out.

oh god, a burn-scarred buggy stole by (presumably) neds -- I wouldn't know whether to laugh or cry. Perhaps a bit of both. And swear, obviously.

stolen

People kept knackering the lock on the front door so all and sundry could get in that stair.

It used to do our nut.

Oooh, I Leith!!

Well I have seen mums (gladly) get off the bus with their pram if a wheel chair user has needed to get on.

This is discrimination. I had severe PND with Ds1 and if I hadn't been able to get out and about I think it might well have pushed me over the edge.

Why was this policy not given plenty of notice? It just appeared out of nowhere. Also, some drivers are completly ignoring it and letting prams on.

Also what if you are not from Edinburgh and on a day out? Great for the tourist industry. LRT should work on it's customer service as some of their drivers only like able bodied adults - no wheelchairs, old people or children.

Ah, Muirhouse. I expect you look back on it and say "those were the days", yes?

We are in a reasonably grubby bit of Leith, but no buggy theft so far. Which is good because I routinely leave it downstairs whilst hefting Mr Chunk up to safety.

maybe all the 'talk 107 business cars' could start offering to give lifts to all the mums with and babies, instead of parking half on, half off pavements, on corners etc....

Of course it's unreasonable to ban prams. It doesn't matter whether it's a foldable buggy, double buggy or traditional non-folding pram. What matters is that they have a workable way of enforcing the "You must give up this space if a wheelchair-user needs it" rule. Expat's concerns about putting bus drivers "in the position of a police" may be a valid one, but they are in that position whether they're asking the person with the f-off pram to move, getting somebody with a foldable to fold it or getting the inconsiderate lard-arses clogging up the wheelchair space to move. So the matter that needs resolution is that one, and it's not resolved by banning prams.

If I ran a taxi company, I'd do a mum-and-baby discount offer for a while to shamelessly exploit this situation.

Leith was a major step up, Dorothy!

I remember walking to the Links and taking in the view and thinking we'd hit the jackpot.

I routinely left hte buggy in the stair there to hoist the wee ones up and no thefts, thankfully.

GREAT takeaways, too.

My takeaway is on its way

nearest takeway is about 13 miles from here.

it's okay.

no chinese, though, no thai and no indian - although this place does kebabs.

miss the chinese in bernard street.

There's a restaurant in Thurso that has a Scottish, Chinese and Indian menu We tried to have one course from each menu.

But was it good? That's the £50,000 question!

Dh is bringing me a frozen pizza from Co-op on his way back from work.

Should be here any minute. Huzzah!