6 Reasons You Should Participate in Bike to Shop Day

 Night #quaxing: ice cream run during #30DaysOfBiking

I'm sure you've heard of Bike to Work Week--we're celebrating it here in Vancouver May 25-29. It seems like there's a lot of emphasis on promoting commuting by bike to work, but this just doesn't work for a lot of people in the Metro Vancouver region, since they often work so far from where they live. My husband Oliver rides 15km to work each way, but this isn't necessarily something everyone wants to commit to.

This is where Bike to Shop Day comes in. Think about how many trips a week you take to run errands--dropping off library books, buying groceries, getting toilet paper, picking up a prescription, buying a birthday present. Quite likely more trips than to work. & probably closer to home than work is. Doable, right?

Bike to Shop Day was started just last year in Silicon Valley, by Janet Lafleur, the product marketing manager for a tech company. An everyday cyclist, Lafleur started the event in 2014 when she realized that many people still thought of shopping by bicycle as odd or even impossible. There's no reason Bike to Shop Day on May 23 has to stay in Silicon Valley--join me here in Vancouver & run an errand or two by bike yourself this Saturday.

Here are a few reasons why you should participate in Bike to Shop Day this year:

1. Biking is a great way to get some fresh air & experience your neighbourhood with your senses in a way that you just can't by bus or car.
2. There's no dress code for picking up groceries, comfy clothes you can ride in are perfect.
3. Though you might be very busy on a Saturday, you don't have to be at the store at a specific time.
4. It's generally much easier to find parking right by the door (often literally right next to it) when arriving by bicycle.
5. You can take the scenic route & get in a little extra exercise while biking to shop.
6. You don't need big cargo bike or even fancy bike bags to participate--you can use a backpack or a bag you can wear cross-body if you're picking up something small. 

Now that I've convinced you, where are you going to bike to shop this Saturday? Post pictures on social media & use the hashtag #quaxing (see my post on that earlier this week if you have no idea what it means) to share it with the world!

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