"We're Not Expecting People to be Riding Bicycles in this Weather"

            I kid you not. That's exactly what the 47th Street Wal-Mart Market's manager said when I asked why shopping carts were blocking this store's lone bike rack, forcing me to move six carts just to park my bike.

That statement by her is not only the lamest excuse I have ever heard (this problem, at this store, has been going on since last summer), it's the height of arrogance in the cars vs. bikes Cold War.

I have news for her. We hard-core bicyclists in Chicago ride in all kinds of weather, just like hard-core motorists.

We ride for health. We ride to protect the environment. We ride because it's counterproductive to wait a half hour for a bus, and two buses show up at once. We ride because public transportation is unreliable and too damn expensive, and owning a car even more so.

Every Wal-Mart with a bike rack should expect bicyclists to ride in every kind of weather condition there is. And if they wouldn't accept shopping carts blocking parking spaces, it should be the same for bike racks. KEEP THE BIKE RACKS CLEAR OF OBSTRUCTIONS. ALWAYS.

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Taken on: February 28, 2014

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We're not expecting people to be riding bicycles in this weather

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Sets appears in: • Bicycle Album • 47th St. Wal-Mart Bike Rack more » • Meanwhile, Back in the Neighborhoods.... • Chicago S*** • Around Chicago « less

Groups appears in: • Praise and curse of the city • Gapers Block - Chicago more » • Chicagoist Photos • WBEZ • Chicago Fiction Writing • Mature Chicago Fiction « less

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