Kids can stay in strollers on buses: Sudbury council

Sudbury toddlers could soon be riding on a city bus while strapped into a stroller, now that city council has voted to test out strollers on certain bus routes in Greater Sudbury.

Transit riders have long complained that children have to sit on an adult's lap on the bus, while the stroller is folded up.

At a meeting on Monday, councillors went against the wishes of transit staff, who say the current policy is working well.

But councillor Dave Kilgour noted this is the kind of change needed if the city is serious about its pledge to become the most pedestrian-friendly city in Ontario.

"All these things that we state are absolutely useless if we don't take steps to move in those directions," he said.

"And I think that's where our failing is — we have good intentions, but we don't follow through."

Councillors voted to consult with bus drivers and riders before deciding exactly how the transit stroller experiment will work.

The city's general manager of infrastructure, Tony Cecutti, said he isn't against the experiment, "but safety is paramount … and we can't lose sight of the fact that, with our current policy, we've had no accidents. We're very proud of that."