This is another deviation from the dedication of this blog to the glory of Nigeria. There are millions of Nigerians in the UK anyway.
My recent 3-day visit to London resulted in back and muscle aches. It was extremely a pain in the body to carry baby buggy around all the stairs at the various stops. Even the London buses are not suitable for baby wagons from Sweden!
Click picture and see baby looking worried at a station: sta52119.jpg
In Stockholm, we have escalators and Hiss (lifts) in all the underground train stops. This helps elderly people and people pushing baby wagons to get around easily. Since I came back from London, I have been carefully checking every stop on the Stockholm tunnelbana (underground). Everywhere I went in Stockholm with a baby wagon, I have always used lifts to get up from the underground. Even Gamla stan (old town) has two big elevators! Sometimes I just use the escalators. But I’ve always found the hiss.
In London, you have to be very careful which of the train stops you use if you are going out with a baby in his/her buggy. Many of the train stops do not have lifts and only a few have escalators. What a conservative society?
How do nursing mothers get around in London? Do old people take London tube? Why is the London tube so noisy that babies cannot sleep on the journey? Why does one’s mobile phone not work on the train for most of the journey? What if there are emergencies affecting individuals and they have to make a call? Why are the electric cables used in running the underground so visible? Does it mean the Stockholm underground runs wireless?
Good luck to Londoners! I’ll see you again in the future!
A View From The Scandinavian 
awwww….your baby’s so cute. There’r only a few of London underground stations dat have lifts and escalators. D few times i’ve been on tubes, ive never seen elderly passengers, apart from tourists, or even mothers with buggies. These people usually get on buses cos they’re a bit more convenient. U’ve to bear in mind dat London has d oldest underground network in d world. So, even updating some of these stations and trains for dat matter r struggles on their own. And i’m sorry to burst your bubble but even some of these buggies one sees nowadays r usually like 10 times bigger than d babies themselves.
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being a new mum myself. ive only been on the train once with the buggy/pushchair and it wasnt easy at all. no one is asking them to alter their network but a few lifts/escalators would make life easier for mums. thanks and ur baby is so lovely
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Thank you Aby. I hope something will be done to alleviate the sufferings of not only mothers and their babies, but also the elderly and people on wheel chairs.
I am sure there were wheel chairs at the time the tube was constructed regardless of whether it was the first underground or not.
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After reading this article, I just feel that I really need more information on the topic. Could you share some resources please?
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Pingback: Using the Tube – the London Underground « Europe Travel Planning
I’ve created an iPhone app to help avoid stairs when traveling on the London Underground with a buggy: http://www.mumderground.com for more info!
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