Commuter's Corner #13: One Year Car Free
Life is change, and I recently experienced some life changes that resulted in my living car-free. I’d heard about other folks doing this, and they seemed to be happy and well-adjusted, plus there are plenty of bike commuters out there, so I figured I’d survive.
What can happen, right? If it’s dark, use lights! If it’s raining, wear a rain cover! If it’s cold, how about a jacket or some cycling arm warmers? If there’s a hurricane, stay home! If there’s a pandemic, take a mask! How hard can this be, really?
In one sense, having no car changes nothing for veteran commuter cyclists: just do the usual routine and ride to work. And now, confession time: I had been using a motorized vehicle to go do my shopping. Even when I only needed to buy something that could EASILY fit in a pannier bag, or even my jersey pocket.
It thus came time to take steps. I replaced my old panniers, the ones with all those holes that my ancient bungee cords kept threatening to slither out of. We can’t lose our bungee cords, now! You might need them to tie down those buy-one-get-one bags of barbecue chips at Publix!
And so it was that every Friday night, I’d come home from work, unload the work stuff from the panniers, grab some grocery bags, and head back out to Publix. Still kitted out, I strode into the place like everybody did this. Guess what? It wasn’t hard! Why, you ask? Because I had my lights, jacket, panniers, and most importantly of all, my slithering bungee cords!
But life is change, and I found reason to go buy a new car, because she lives over in High Springs, and biking back and forth was a smidgen farther than Publix. What I have found, however, is that I still prefer to ride my bike to Publix, and many other nearby shops.
Why? Because it’s fun! I always get to park right next to the door! I get chatted up by the employees who want to know how far I rode that day. I get saluted by other customers who “could never ride to the store” until I tell them what it’s REALLY like, and YES, they can do it, too. Then they start thinking…
Salutations to the fellow bike shoppers out there! Keep your anti-COVID accoutrements handy! And don’t forget your bungee cords!