Mtr

Neha

Neha

Banned
Hi

Recently there was a thread on the Geoexpat about Spatial awareness on the MTR. It was started by a mom about how difficult it can be traveling on the MTR during rush hour with kids, So I thought it would be appropriate to have this discussion over here as we are all parents or want to be.

I think everybody or nearly everybody on this website have used the MTR once atleast in their life. So everyone has an opinion about their experience. I personally find the MTR a great means of transportation even when it is crowded. Yes people do bump into each other as we are all cramped in such small space, I dont expect people to apologize everytime somebody bumps into me.

I have had no problems in getting a seat when I am with my son (if no seats available and I have to go far I just ask someone if they dont mind giving me their seat) So far nobody has refused

Some people feel on earlier post( geoexpat ) that people traveling on MTR lack manners ( not offering seats to Pregnant ladies and older people) .

So lets hear from other moms
 
I use the MTR to travel to work (which invovles 3 different train lines) since being pregnant I am pretty much always offered a seat. (I even get offered seats when I go into a shop with my hubby).

Of course you there are some people who seem to rush around on the MTR like there won't be another train for hours if they don't get there quickly, but on the whole I am pretty impressed.
 
I also find the MTR a great way to travel, it's clean, secure, large corridors, escalators everywhere... and always someone willing to help when I'm blocked with a pram.
Yes sometimes I had to stand up even if heavily pregnant, for a short strip, I didn't mind not sitting, and if I had to ask a seat, no one refused.
I have a mouth, I just use it when needed :)
For sure it's a bit annoying when it's rush hours, everyone tempting to get in the MTR first, and finally have to force my way with my baby, but when people look at me or at the pram, I guess they don't dare saying anything. A smile, a "sorry" and that's it.
Not a big deal at the end.
 
I hate traveling on the MTR when pregnant or when with my children. Fortunetly living in DB I don't have call to use it very often.

During both pregnancies I was very rarely if ever offered a seat and have travelled from Sunny Bay Station to Kowloon Tong station when pregnant umpteen times and never been offered a seat. But the same goes for traveling on buses too.

As far as I am concerned no one on the MTR has any spatial awareness and it is not uncommon for people to walk right into the push chairs or right into me while carrying my toddler or baby.

Plus very few MTR stations have a wide open gate which push chairs can fit through. In most stations you have to call someone to open it for you, or lift the pushchairs over the normal turnstiles.

Also I hate the fact that I hate to wait and wait for a lift to go from concourse to station because the lift is always jam packed with people who could quite easily have taken the escalator!



The MTR is a cheap, fast way to travel and is great- just not with small children and babies, IMO.
 
I totally agree with u bekyboo44.

MTR is handy but not baby friendly as I don't know where to change nappies at all. So every time before we go to take the mtr, have to make sure my little one's nappy is not too heavy. In fact, anyone here can tell me where to change nappies please after going into the mtr area?

I don't really need help when I'm out with my baby and I don't mind if other passengers don't offer me their seats. But 1 thing really annoys me is passengers (they are definitely not disabled or with heavy carriers) who could use escalator like using lift and there were few times they just walked in front of our pram when we were going into a lift! (happened in Tsing Yi station)

We know it's dangerous to use escalator(especially that long 1 from HK station up to IFC) with pram but we've had enough with those annoying passengers, so try to be careful.
 
I don't commute by MTR much (i live close enough that i can get to and from work via the Midlevels escalator) but i remember there was this one time when i took the MTR while heavily pregnant and not only was i not offered a seat, but this middle-aged guy raced me for the last empty seat! (He won.)
 
I think many people in Hong Kong lack spatial awareness and manners--not just on the MTR and buses. I was also very rarely offered a seat while traveling on the MTR when heavily pregnant. And usually when someone offered me a seat, it was an old man or woman who needed the seat more than I did. I often see young people playing their video games on the MTR, totally oblivious to anyone around them. When they do see people in need it doesn't register that the right thing to do is help them.

When my infant son was about 3 months old my husband and I were on a long, crowded bus ride from HK Island to the New Territories. My husband was holding our son when all of a sudden a woman standing in the aisle crumpled--she had passed out. Although there were several able-bodied middle-aged men standing around her, none of them, when seeing her go down moved to help her--so my husband, while seated, reached out his arm to break her fall--meanwhile still holding our 3-month old son. The men just went back to talking on their mobile phones. My husband figured they were calling an ambulance or something but they weren't. So, having been pregnant and having had to cart my son around via MTR (we don't own a car) as a baby, I have become intensely aware of how baby unfriendly and disabled unfriendly this city is.

This past week I was in the Central MTR station and a bunch of able-bodied people crowded right in front of a old man in a wheelchair being pushed by his elderly companion--rushing ahead to get on the lift and making him squeeze his way in later. On top of this many of the stations are not handicap friendly--some of the older ones only have stairs and no lifts--or stairs in odd places that make for some heavy lifting. I can't imagine being wheel-chair bound in this city.

It does not surprise me that Hong Kong often ranks high on the list of rudest cities in the world.
 
Mind The Platfrom Gap

Yes, MTR is very unfriendly and noncaring to parents wid kids n strollers.I live near university station,and i have to use this badly badly build station because the distance between the train and the platfrom is too big enough that u have to jump from it ,if u have a sroller with u then u have to pick up the stroller and jump from the train(and no one will ever help u) is it sound nice?so MIND THE PLATFROM GAP.And the second one is, it has no elevators or escalators when going to lu wu side only a ram to push the stroller up and stairs.
 
In my experience people in HK totally lack basic courtesy. When I was pregnant noone gave me a seat on the MTR or the bus (Due to which I only took taxis during last trimester), people slammed doors at me even when I had my hands full with shopping bags, I was pushed even while walking down crowded streets and even while standing in long queues noone offered me to go first. I only take the taxi now with my 6 month old because I dont want my baby to be uncomfortable, although even now people push me to get ahead every now and then. Even when they see my baby is crying or I am having difficulty getting in/ out of the door with the pram they never help. Due to its terrain, the way its structured and of course the people's attitude the city is very unfriendly to pregnant ladies, those with small children, elderly and disabled. The only people who come forth to help are taxi drivers and few employees at some of the stores (Maybe they are given some training in this direction).
 
I'm currently 30 weeks pregnant and I get offered a seat at least 90% of the time I'm on the MTR. OCCASIONALLY I don't - but I've never really made a big deal about it. It doesn't harm me to stand for half an hour if everyone is "too selfish" to give me a seat - although I am getting more and more tired all the time...

The craziest thing I ever saw on the MTR - if you go to Sheung Wan station, everyone will RUN and PUSH each other for the lift. The closest door to the lift is the disabled door in carriage #5. One day I was in that carriage and at Central, a guy in a wheelchair came into the carriage. I thought "This will be interesting" because I KNOW that everyone will run - so I sat back to observe what would happen when we got to Sheung Wan (everyone has to get out there coz it's the end of the line, so I KNEW that the disabled guy would be getting out there too)...

Anyways - people were pushing PAST this poor guy - and I watched as they all RAN to the lift, like normal - and the guy in the wheelchair didn't even bother going to the lift - he went up the escalator in his wheelchair!! He got on, put his brakes on real fast and held tight onto both hand rails!!!!
 
From someone who uses the MTR from the new territories into Central a few times a week and who has spent most of her life in Hong Kong I can say with confidence that the somewhat lacking spatial awareness of hong kong commuters in general becomes more of an inconvenience and less of a factor in using the MTR when you have kids.

I barely got a seat when I was pregnant - this was counteracted by me actually asking for a seat. It was no big deal, you just had to be frank. Stewing in my own discontent (not to mention the sciatica and aches) was only hurting myself, and I figured if I wanted to kick off about anything it might as well be if someone actually refused to give up their seat when a pregnant lady asked for it -- which of course, didn't happen.

I am very peeved by the lift ettiquette in Hong Kong though. I too have had many frustrating waits by the lift as people have pushed me and buggy aside to make way -- who were CLEARLY able bodied. The Tung Chung line in Hong Kong Station is notorious for this -- despite the escalator LITERALLY 10 paces away. There has been an occasion where I have been very 'vocal' to in this case two teenage boys who just looked at me dazed when I gestured they get off the lift in favour of the woman in the wheelchair waiting -- SHE felt bad for US because we got off to take the escalator (husband pulling me away as I was still ranting) whilst the two boys still took the lift. There have been occasions where a sharp knock to the ankle from a buggy has sent a clear message - a method I would recommend you use with discretion.

The bottom line is it IS frustrating, there are days where everything goes wrong - rude co-passengers, people using the buggy as a handrail, people touching baby without any acknowledgment of parent, long waits by the lift, hunting for an exit barrier etc. BUT the fact of the matter is things ARE improving. If anyone hasn't noticed yet, the disabled sections in trains now have not only a man in a wheelchair sticker, but a woman pushing a pram. Signs are becoming more apparent to give up lifts to people that need them.

YES, the advent of technology isn't helping, YES, queuing for the train is sometimes laughable, YES, there have been co passenger horror stories (mine was on a bus, this man rudely banged at my then 5 week olds carseat with his fist whilst bab was still inside, asleep -- screeching about as he put it 'one person, one seat.' I could understand where he was coming from but any sympathy or guilt on my part was irreconcilable with the fact that this guy was a weedy little sh*t.) But all it takes sometimes is someone to glance up from their PSP or ipod or DS or highhorse, smile and inquire about the baby -- and any bleakness to your journey vanishes.
 
Interesting topic. I find out that time matters, during rush hour my son and I are rarely offered a seat but other times we always have one or are offered one. Although they are few occasions that young ladies offered us their seats, most people offered us seats are over 40, I guess. And never had any luck with 20s guys.
 
I think it's crazy here when people stand up for school aged kids - in Australia, we were always taught that kids should stand up for any adult!! At least when I was a kid, that's what they told me!!
 
For a while, rarely a person would give up their seat for me. Lately, I have noticed on the MTR that only women will give up their seats for me; I am 35 weeks pregnant. I did have a young lady (maybe 20) give up her seat for me, while her boyfriend kept his seat! This surprises me as in the states it is taught that a "gentleman" should give up his seat for a lady regardless if she is pregnant. While I never expect anyone to give up their seat, I have noticed a trend. Not sure if it is a culture thing or not. It does worry me about what to expect once I have my baby and need to take the MTR.
 
I'm also fully frustrated having to squeeze into a lift with so many able-bodied young guys/gals pushing moms with kids or wheelchaired bound folks. It also happens a lot when i need to take shuttle bus to the MTR station, young men would insist on the reserved seats despite huge and yellow signage on the seats. They were pissed when i ask for them (though i was alone carrying a baby and stroller). Totally yikes! When pregnant, i was only offered seat by ladies in their 40s and that only happened a few times. I really think people are just plain selfish.
 
Some might dislike me for saying this but I have ALWAYS been offered help by white folks and Pilipino helpers (Many times even without asking for it.) and EXTREMELY rarely the Chinese.
 
I think you will find that no matter where you are in the world you will always have people who will offer their seat and those who don't. I think blaming all chinese is a bit harsh....but maybe I've just been fortunate to have both chinese men and women (and a few teenage boys!)offer their seats to me...mind you I do my best to look pathetic and in need of one!

On the London Underground you'll still see business men buried in their newspaper while someone who really needs the seat is standing. My mum who is in her 60's (sorry mum!) finds that she is usually the one offering her seat instead of a much younger person.

As Nicole said, when I was a child you were expected to give up your seat...
 
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I am not blaming "all Chinese" but majority. I agree all sorts of people exist everywhere and I have been offered help when I asked for it in dire circumstances by some Chinese people as well :smile:
 
From experience the only people who help me lift a push chair up and down stairs are tourists or women- and usually women who say 'oh I have a baby at home so know what it's like.'

I've lived in HK since I was 11 and so have little experience of other big cities- is it like this in other big cities? i.e. impossible to get around with a push chair, impossible to get a seat on the bus or train even when carrying a baby or toddler?

I have been heavily pregnant, or carrying my toddler on the buses in DB and never been offered a seat. Recently was on the bus with a friend, I managed to get a seat for my toddler but she had to carry hers for the while 15 minute bus ride (not only uncomfortable but very dangerous); when she challenged the guy sitting in the seat she was standing next to he ignored her and then when the bus stopped pushed past her, so she had to grab on to something, to get off the bus!

Having lived in HK for a long time I have to agree there is a lack of basic manners and courtesy here- countless times I have had doors in shopping centres closed on my push chair or on my toddler; countless times I have struggled with a push chair down a flight of stairs.
But maybe this is part and parcel of living in a big city????
 
I don't think all cities are like this. Of course the fact that hong kong is so hilly doesn't help, but honestly other countries make things so much easier by having lower areas on side walks to make it easier to cross the street, most stores and malls will have a button to push to open the door for you, or an automatic door elevators in more accessible areas. Most of these things are meant for wheel chairs, but also used by everyone with a stroller. it is all in the desgin, for example why do grocery stores in hong kong, or at least the ones I've beeen to, have all these metal bars in front of the door that have you to lift off to get a stroller through, and then have turnstiles? Why? it makes no sense whatsoever. Why so few elevators and hard to find? I can't imagine how someone in a wheel chair gets around.
 
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