Apparently in many people’s minds, biking is still something you can only do recreationally “for fun” (some people still tellingly refer to it only as a “sport” or “hobby”…). And as for doing something practical like shopping – get real… So it is always rather comforting when I hop on the bike to nip down and pick up a few things from the local supermarket (or any other store) to find that I am not the only one who had a similar thought:
Increasingly, this is not an unusual sight at my neighbourhood supermarket: various bikes parked up and often with an interesting array of ways to carry stuff home. Not that car parking is often too difficult here either, but you do get the added bonus of being able to park right outside the store.
{Professional grumble: I’m never a fan of the “lollipop” bike racks and here they are placed too close to each other to get maximum usage – there are better options out there. Also their placement wasn’t too smart in terms of proximity to the adjacent carparks, as well as blocking the access path for wheelchair users…}
As has been pointed out before (and before and before…), cycling can be a very practical way to beat the crowds when you’re heading for the shops (certainly it worked well for me in the pre/post-Xmas shopping sprees). And there is plenty of evidence too that substituting your drive to the shops for a bike ride instead doesn’t hurt the local economy either.
Have you noticed more bikes parking at your local store?
There’s very convenient bike parking outside Supervalue Sumner
I wish councils would push back on the terrible bike lock up facilities that private developers seem to insist on installing. It really isn’t that hard to install half a dozen Shefield stands and keep the area for bike parking free of other uses, but if you’ve never parked a bike, you’d never know how to do it.