This wonderful video shows how easy it is to shop by bike in the Netherlands:
Of course, back in the U.S., it can be a very different experience. Just finding secure bike parking can be a daunting task. At Shop Rite in Ogletown, it remains a
no can-can do, regardless of how many bikes are locked to outside furniture.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqJ_LF9zcVzVz5S94XaQvwEbUmvUcs0k__hsLULka_YE6KeySFP2ZAuEcQa9ueTW0-17SQRzYcoJgxeSqL1jWAqR_AMSwQj1uEqEENw6cuQT2wLGNoSg-K76LaErlaT3R6LlHhReS-TRV/s1600/shop_wrong2.jpg) |
The store on Rt.4-Chestnut Hill draws many bike shoppers and commuters, yet repeated pleas for bike parking fall on deaf ears. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21_zZhc_HyYvKoifVotAJ_uPU8yWaDCuhVjsqgeUZ6jjLrSwR9eMN3g-0fVbNoVuitu0AXwnMcBUZPBQeqMEzvKLOzpPpehDFrSsCIR_S6M0Y4vLl3ghtRMHGxwJhZ50YBHdq1QMn59Cp/s1600/shop_wrong4.jpg) |
6 bags of groceries await careful arrangement in Caroline’s panniers. |
“I spend $150 for groceries every two weeks, and this is what I get for bike parking” says Caroline Honse, pictured above. Car-free for over 7 years, she continues faithfully shopping at the Chestnut Hill Shop "Wrong" despite the atrocious bike parking conditions. “Non-drivers are routinely disenfranchised, and this case is a good example. Here we are reducing our dependence on motor vehicles, doing our part for a clean environment and better quality of life. Providing a bike rack is one of the most cost effective ways of encouraging more folks to do the same”.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTnkgaKvaGJywY40UC2dZqoSawcMZH33BmYiSeypF5aKqQaOPIMzqHWh7c_7rk-WdWfZMcDlOUFkvclqLZhwqgzcffX-qrR-qyKHL0N6QQ_VqWTBRVvz_v4DeZAEyeiWJWhZG2nTSmic-L/s1600/shop_wrong1.jpg)
The food store chain – like too many others in its class – fails to provide secure bike parking, and riders are left in search of anything they can find that will take a lock and hold a bike upright as they load groceries. It is not uncommon to find multiple bikes – as many as a dozen on occasion – scattered about the front of the store. A cart corral above appears to be a common target, and is Caroline’s first choice if space is available. But sometimes there isn’t, and a tree or sign post becomes a last resort.
(originally posted on Nov. 6, 2011)
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