The chronicles of biking to the grocery store: A zero emissions trip is not as bad as you think!
You already know how carpooling to the grocery store is an easy way to reduce transportation emissions, but what about taking it a step further and ditching the car altogether? This is something that often does not even cross the mind of the typical American (myself included)- they say "I live to far away to bike", or "it isn't safe", or wonder how they will carry all of their groceries home without being able to shove them in the trunk. Fortunately for many of us, we live in college communities where the grocery store isn't so far away and we have somewhat decent bike infrastructure. Furthermore, shopping for just one person (as most, if not all college students do) means that you really don't have much stuff to lug around. Through my experiences biking across the state of Ohio, I can say you'd be surprised how easy biking with cargo is, especially when traveling short distances.
Today I decided to set out to do what I promised in my carpooling post: bike to the grocery store. Here I chronicle the experience I had in hopes that I can be your "test dummy" and provide inspiration on how you can make cycling work for you, too.
The Route
Fortunately, I live right next to some of the best bike infrastructure in all of Columbus. Fourth Street has a buffered bike lane, ensuring ample distance between cars and cyclists, allowing them to feel safe when out for a ride. Summit Street does one better and offers what city planners and cycling advocates like to call "cycle tracks" or "protected bike lanes". That is, on-street parking provides a physical barrier between fast-moving traffic and cyclists. Cyclists have their own space, and from personal experiences I can tell you that this sort of infrastructure makes cyclists feel about 1000x safer compared to regular bike lanes. You don't have to worry about someone texting and veering into the shoulder lane. You don't have to worry about people not giving you 3 feet of space (as required by Ohio law)(Magas, 2020). You can simply enjoy the ride. Check out the photo below.
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| Cycle track on Summit (left) and a buffered bike lane on Fourth (right) |
I have two grocery stores within about 1.2 miles of my house- Kroger and Aldi. I am notorious for not being able to find things in Kroger, so Aldi is my jam. I set out around noon, armed with just my pannier (a cargo bag for bikes) and a small backpack.
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| The bags I used |
I set out heading north on Fourth Street on the buffered bike lane (seen above), about a mile up to Hudson St. This is a very easy, flat, and safe stretch of road for cycling. After 4 minutes or so, I approached Hudson Street. While Hudson does have bike lanes, even I don't feel particularly safe riding on them, so I stuck to the sidewalk. You're technically not supposed to ride on a sidewalk, but it is safer, so sue me.
After a very short stint on Hudson, I approach Silver Dr., where I rejoined the road. This is optional, since there is a "bike path" of sorts along the side of the road. I felt safe enough on Silver, so I just rode a bit up the road and turned into Aldi.
Aldi doesn't really have bike racks (maybe I should ask nicely :) ), but they have staple-looking post things by the shopping carts that may as well act as one. I locked up my bike, grabbed my bags, did my shopping, and returned back outside to load up my bike.
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| My set up |
Okay, so you probably bought like $20 in groceries, right?
These two bags were enough to hold $55 worth of groceries (probably like $75 at not-Aldi), and I wasn't filling my bag with filet mignon and lobster. I had common staples such as quinoa, chicken, veggie burgers, veggies, and cans. I loaded my pannier on my cargo rack and set off, choosing Summit Street this time because the bike lane on Fourth is one-way.
You might be surprised by how much groceries I could fit in my two bags. Check out the picture below! I was able to fit a stove-top's worth of groceries on my bike. That is certainly enough to get me through the week.
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| The results |
The only hiccup, and it's just because I'm an idiot.
About halfway through my journey home, I noticed I was missing my backpack. I set it down to take a picture you see above, and took off without it. Thankfully, a nice couple told me they brought it in to the cashiers, so I was able to retrieve it and head back home. I love when people do nice things!
Final thoughts: I did it, so you can too!
You would be surprised how easy it is to bike with cargo. I wasn't even the least bit uncomfortable the whole way back. As Isaac Newton put it, "an object in motion tends to stay in motion". You also have more inertia, so once you get going (which also is not difficult), you're set.
Yes, it is winter. Yes, it is cold. But cycling in the winter can be done easily using a hat (under your helmet of course), gloves, and jacket. It is really no different from, say, skiing. You're also using your body the entire time, so you generate plenty heat to keep warm.
I would also argue that the (albeit quite small) storage space restriction on your bike compared to a car is not necessarily a bad thing. We waste tons of food in the US. In fact, we waste around 133 billion pounds of food every year, according to the USDA. By biking to the store, you might not be able to carry 10 bags of groceries, but it may encourage all of us to cut back on how much food we buy, and consequently, how much we waste. We often buy more than we need.
Cycling is truly an amazing way to get around. It lets you experience the world around you through a different lens that is not through a multi-ton metal machine. In a country always concerned with efficiency, biking to places allows you to kill two birds with one stone- you get your errands done and you get your exercise for the day. How fun! And the best part? Zero emissions!
I hope that sharing some of my experiences biking will encourage you to give it a thought. If you have any questions about cycling in general, please leave a comment!
Well done, Zane! When cycle shopping, your ice cream doesn’t melt on the way home either.
ReplyDeleteIndeed! I hadn't thought of that! Thanks for reading!
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