As I bid adieu to this pregnancy (I am two days past my due date), I look back with nothing but fond memories of my belly, my adoration of maternity clothes (I think I am the only person who feels this way), and ensuring that I ate well (with the exception of my new love of soda pop) and often. The only thing that drove me nuts and continues to do so, is the lack of courtesy that most TTC riders extend to pregnant commuters like myself.
Over the last ten months, I can count on one hand the number of times that a man or woman has offered up their seat to me. Now I don't expect it to happen everytime I ride the subway or the bus (seeing as many people have commented that my figure wasn't exactly screaming pregnant for the longest time), but it does start to get to you when other people quickly grab a seat and you are left huffing and puffing after trying to make a speedy dash (at least a valiant attempt) for it.
For the most part, I was left to stand for 30 minutes during the morning rush hour over the last several months, which is no easy feat for my "cankles", which are screaming to have a break. And while I am sure my facial expressions, my tummy patting and my himming and hawing may have amused some commuters, it never really served its original purpose - to call attention to my discomfort and get one of the handful of seated TTC riders to offer up their seat. An exercise in futility.
I know that I speak for other pregnant commuters that are generally shocked at the utter ignorance displayed by fellow transit riders. While I could chalk it up to my amazing style selection that has camouflaged my pregnancy, I am not going to let my Toronto subway dwellers get off so easily. In this day and age, I have witnessed more and more individuals so focused on "tuning out" with IPhones and Blackberries, that they barely look up to acknowledge who they are riding with on the subway. Then there are those people (you know who you are), who look me up and down, recognize that I am pregnant, and then choose to continue sitting and punching the keys on their electronic device because they feel entitled to the seat.
How to fix problem? Well, in a perfect world, the TTC would embark on a public education campaign to drive awareness about the importance of giving up a seat to those who are disabled, elderly and of course, pregnant. And it also doesn't hurt to start teaching our young the importance of courtesy and respect when it comes to these select populations and why we should be giving up seats and making it easier for them to travel and park.
I only wish that the Toronto subway cars and buses had more signs like these below - they could take a lesson or two from Home Depot and Canadian Tire, who know their customer and have taken the right steps to accommodate them and in their own way, create an educational snapshot for others to hopefully learn from and pass on.
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