Stroller Friendly Cities in US, Europe & Asia

Before becoming a parent, I traversed the city differently, probably more freely; however, after having a baby, I started looking at the city from a different perspective. And I felt that cities need to be more stroller-friendly. I guess most parents would feel the same.

Parents using strollers face challenges

Around the world, be it Chicago, New York, Paris or Vancouver, stroller policies have sparked controversy among public transit riders (who claim buses and trains are already so crowded and claim obstruction) and transit-riding parents (who say managing a little one without a stroller is near impossible).

• An older article by Parenting.com (posted on its Facebook page) asking “whether strollers should be banned from crowded spaces” drew thousands of pro and con responses.
• That same year, Boston parents went bonkers when rumor spread of their transit authority’s plan to make a ban a reality. (It never acted, perhaps because parents said it was almost discriminatory.)
• The Globe and Mail, Canada’s national newspaper, reported that an Ontario dad filed a human-rights complaint after he was kicked off a bus because of the size of his twin stroller.

These incidents clearly suggest that parents using strollers face challenges navigating most cities, and others may see the stroller as a nuisance (most of the time).

With a baby in a stroller, I found that navigating crowded streets, using public transportation, and using public washrooms in my neighborhood was a real challenge.

Despite most cities claiming to be family-friendly, most cities are not really baby-friendly (because the needs of a baby are pretty different from that of a grownup child).

Here’s a more recent report on the most stroller-friendly cities in the United States that evaluates various cities based on factors such as walkability, pedestrian safety, and access to open areas such as parks. Cities like Washington D.C., New York, and Boston scored high on Stroller-friendliness.

While those three factors are good, I personally feel that there are more things that make a city baby-friendly.

• Safer cross-walks, wider sidewalks, sidewalks need to have curb ramps
• Automatic doors in public buildings
• Functioning elevators in places like malls to help access all the areas, wide store aisles
• Access to open parks

While these may be available within a small section of a city, these facilities need to be made available throughout the city in order to benefit a large number of parents.

Stroller Friendly Cities in US, Europe & Asia

Most stroller friendly cities are located in Europe:

• Scandinavian cities in particular are especially stroller-friendly. Oslo removed poles in its trains to make rooms for twin strollers.
• In Copenhagen, trains have areas designated for bikes and carriages, and buses allow unfolded strollers—many of which are even larger than the ones popular in the United States.
• As per SL (Stockholm’s mass transit system), “one passenger per baby carriage is allowed to board through the exit doors free of charge. This is allowed even if the child is not in the baby carriage when boarding. In this way the child is not left unattended.”
• But in Chicago, riding public transportation isn’t necessarily a family-friendly activity—and many riders prefer it that way. “There’s absolutely no ban on strollers, we’re not discouraging strollers. We’re just asking parents to use as small a stroller as possible because space is limited,” says CTA spokeswoman Tammy Chase.

Madison Square Park, New York

With its playground and dog run, Madison Square Park park in New York is popular among people for pushing strollers and walking dogs.

With a family-friendly atmosphere, lots of programs and activities (especially during the warm months), its a fun place for families and Kids.

You will also see several strollers parked at the entrance of the Madison Square Garden Theatre.

Is Rome Stroller Friendly?

While Rome happens to be a popular tourist destination, most visitors say that the cobbled roads in most places make it difficult to use strollers.

Most parents have suggested carrying their little ones, while in Rome. Well, you can always carry a lightweight stroller along and see if it helps. Read more here.

Is Paris Stroller Friendly?

While some stroller situations may be difficult to manage, Paris is a comparatively child-friendly city as per most parents. Most museums, restaurants, etc, allow strollers in. Your little one can take a ‘stroller’ nap while you tour museums or are enjoying lunch at a cafe. No strollers are allowed on the Eiffel Tower, and they do not provide a place to leave them during your visit there.

Buses are stroller friendly, and have an open area in the middle for strollers and/or wheelchairs. The metro is more of a challenge, but still doable.

Several buildings and popular sights are accessible by stairs, so you will need to get used to carrying the stroller up and down stairs. Read more here.

Traveling to Asia

Cities in Asia tend to be more crowded and using the stroller can be a challenge. The more stroller-friendly cities/countries in Asia include Tokyo (Japan), Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Seoul (South Korea), Phuket in Thailand.

Using public transportation (with the stroller) can be very difficult because of the crowd. Even if there is less crowd, do not expect the bus driver to have a lot of patience. They will expect you to be ready with the stroller folded when the bus arrives. The bus driver will drive off the moment you get into the bus, irrespective of whether you find a place to keep the stroller.

The bus drives also tend to be quite jerky as people tend to cross the roads at will. So, it can be a real challenge holding the baby in one hand, and the stroller in another (unless both parents are traveling together).

Taking a taxi is much easier as the stroller can be placed in the trunk. You may have to pay an additional baggage fee though in some cities.

You could consider using a child backpack instead of the stroller; however, that can also be tiring when used for longer periods.

Taking a bigger-sized stroller can also be an issue (for example, getting into lifts). You could consider using the cheaper and lightweight strollers (there are many that are available under $50) that should be easier to handle. And it won’t hurt if the stroller is damaged or in case you have to leave it behind for some reason.

• Is Seoul Stroller friendly?
• Is Hong Kong Stroller friendly?

Using a stroller in most cities can be challenging; however, for most parents, there is no other option but to take the stroller along, and even use public transportation. If you’re in a densely populated city, it makes sense to leave the stroller behind and instead use a child backpack or chest-pack.