Backlash against pram ban comment

Buddy Mikaere sparked debate after suggesting "entitled mothers'' with prams were ruining Mount walks. Photo / File

An off-the-cuff suggestion that prams should be banned from the Mauao base track has sparked an online backlash, with some people referring to the notion as a "bad joke".

Buddy Mikaere, well-known in Tauranga as a cultural advocate and environmentalist, sparked the debate following a post on the "You know your from the Mount when ... "(sic) Facebook page by saying the walk was being ruined by "entitled mothers ... forcing people off the track and expecting everyone else to make way for them and their equally entitled precious cargo".

Following a story in the Bay of Plenty Times yesterday, Mr Mikaere said he was dumbfounded but encouraged by the amount of online feedback since.

"I think it should have its run. Everybody just needs to be a bit more considerate about everyone else, and if that's the outcome then I'm happy with that," he said. Mr Mikaere said he was given some good suggestions such as signs in Australia's Gold Coast stating at the beginning of some walks "road rules apply".

"That basically means keep to the left. I thought that's fairly sensible, maybe the council could do something with that."

People on the Bay of Plenty Times Facebook page labelled the post a "joke", "crazy" and "ridiculous".

Michelle Sefton posted: "What next? Wheelchairs ... joggers ... walking sticks ... kids??? ... pathetic!"

Tracey Cooke posted: "as a partially-sighted person I think the mount manners are often lacking by one and all, as I am completely blind on my left I prefer to go on the inside of the track so I don't topple over the edge, some folks are so rude as I am sometimes a bit slow to move but in saying that the footpaths and elsewhere aren't really much better ."

Others agreed with Mr Mikaere's comments about rudeness from walkers, saying "it's really all about respect".

Lorraine Garland said she never had any problems with prams or wheelchairs.