By Alexander "Sandie" Pendleton, President, Greater Shorewood Bikers
Oakland Avenue construction will be underway from now to December. Fortunately, most of us can skip driving, and instead get to Metro Market (and other Oakland Avenue shops, bars and restaurants) via a trusty, economical, and non-polluting bike. Doing such has many advantages. Here are a few:
· Easy, Hassel-Free Parking: With a bike, you never have to search for a parking spot, and you always park right by the entrance. You get right to where you want to be, and you get to skip the delays associated with getting into or out of a parking ramp, or having to park a block or so from your destination.
· Save Money: The bad news is that gas is going to cost you more this year; the great news is you chose to live in a highly walkable and bikeable community, where you don’t have to (if you don’t want to) drive every time you want to get some groceries or go out. If you don’t have such already, maybe this is the year you want to invest in a set of bike panniers, or a bike trailer. Panniers and bike trailers practically never wear out, and are highly affordable (basic ones are available new for under $100 at local bike shops like Wheel & Sprocket, websites like Amazon or Walmart, or used on websites like ebay for even less). A bike trailer can carry just as many bags of groceries as the trunk of a small car can. Or (if you are willing to go beyond the cost of panniers and/or a trailer), new regular cargo bikes and electric cargo bikes are amazing. Some Shorewood families are buying such, and becoming "one car" families, because a good cargo bike is a heck of a lot cheaper to buy and maintain than a car. (See are prior blog article Your Next Minivan -- a Cargo Bike?) The folks at Wheel & Sprocket, or Shorewood Bikes can help you pick and/or order just the right e-bike or cargo bike for you.
· Bikes Haul Groceries Easily: The bicycle is often described as the most efficient machine humans have ever invented, and biking with groceries is amazingly easy, especially if you are biking on a flat surface or downhill. Metro Market is centrally located (none of us who live here have a long ride to or from there, usually less than a half mile). And it's at an elevation slightly higher than most of the rest of Shorewood, so almost all of us when we are headed home from the store with our purchases are on a flat or downhill route.
· Healthier You, Healthier Planet. Getting a bit of exercise as you go about your routine activities is a great way to benefit your health, and the health of the planet. And if you have kids, modeling an active/greener lifestyle for them is also a good thing. Lots of studies indicate that making choices that incorporate a bit of exercise into everyday activities, is the best way to lead a more active lifestyle (it's easy; take the stairs, walk the dog, walk or bike to school or work, and bike to the grocery store).
· A Well Maintained Bike, Is a Happy Bike. Compared to car maintenance costs, maintaining a bike is so, so much cheaper. And in Shorewood, you can keep things really easy, by calling Tim or Colleen at Shorewood Bikes (they offer a service whereby you call, they pick up your bike, tune it up, and then deliver it back to you). Easy peasy.
Above, a Shorewood cargo bike filled with “the essentials” from Metro Market,
And obviously, if you’re headed to Oakland Avenue and you plan to have a few drinks, a bike is a far, far better choice than a car. First, if you’re tipsy, behind the wheel of a car you pose a risk to yourself, your passengers, and those on our streets and sidewalks. Second, if you’re over the limit, there is no way you should be driving a car. We’re in no way recommending “Bike Riding While Schnockered,” but one of advantages of choosing to use your bike to get to and from the bar is that Wisconsin’s OWI laws do not apply to bike riders (for details, see "RWS" (Riding While Schnockered) -- Is That Against the Law?).
In conclusion, don’t avoid shopping (or socializing) on Oakland Avenue this year due to construction; instead, use the construction as an opportunity to do your shopping (and socializing) in a new, better, and healthier way.
The author can be reached at sandiependleton@gmail.com, or at 414.418.4469.
