A few weeks ago, an Australian mother had the fright of her life when the stroller holding her six month old baby rolled off the platform and in front of an oncoming train.  Then, this past Monday, another mother rushing to catch a southbound CTA Red Line train in Chicago watched as the train doors closed on her 22 month old daughter’s stroller and pull it down the platform. Miraculously, neither child was seriously injured in either incident.

I’ve seen far too many cases while riding the SkyTrain in Vancouver where parents rushing to get on a train and push their strollers in between the closing doors. It’s pretty stupid to be standing in the train hearing the shouts “Hold the train!” while seeing a large stroller caught and watching the doors re-open and close again making sure that whatever was stuck is now free.

First of all, it’s dangerous. When the doors close, stand back and let the train go. It’s bad enough the kid has to suffer the fact that these two metal doors are approaching them on either side and when they hit the carriage, it’s enough to wake them up or scare them. Worse yet, if the child is in one of those cheap easy-to-fold strollers, the results could be disastrous.

Secondly, it’s incredibly stupid. You’re risking your infant’s life (and quite possibly your own) instead of waiting for the next arrival. There will be another train. A five minute wait is better than the five minutes spent watching the train doors consume your infant and stroller. It’s totally not worth it.

Don't let these close on you!

The doors on SkyTrain are meant to re-open and then close if they detect something obstructing them. If the obstruction isn’t cleared, the doors will continue to re-open and close another four times before the train stops. Not stops as in no longer leaving the station, but as in stops and requires to be taken out of service. On Chicago’s CTA, the trains are not automated, and the rail operator is always seen peeking out from the front making sure everyone is on board before closing the doors. With SkyTrain, this isn’t the case as the system is completely automated, so that extra human safety element isn’t there. The chimes or announcement mean that the doors are closing. It doesn’t mean sprint.

Next time you’re at the station with your infant in a stroller, don’t rush and try and burst onto the train when the doors are almost closed. Don’t let go of your stroller either. It just takes one careless moment to turn into a huge disaster that no-one should experience. Safety begins with you, so take your time, don’t run and most importantly: don’t stick your kid between closing doors!