Why regular cyclists still face hurdles when shopping for groceries by bike

Interviews in Hamilton, Canada, point to bike parking, bike lanes, carrying capacity and parking lots as key barriers.

Editorial illustration — not from the study.

The study examined grocery trips among people who already cycle for transportation, such as to work or for leisure. In interviews, most participants said they did not regularly cycle to the grocery store, even though all cycled regularly for other purposes.

Participants described several barriers that were especially difficult on grocery trips: finding a place to park a bicycle, dealing with roads without bike lanes, carrying purchases and navigating grocery-store parking lots. The researchers also identified the skills, equipment and personal meanings that helped some participants make these trips by bike.

Barriers on grocery trips

All 16 participants regularly cycled for transportation, but most did not regularly cycle to the grocery store. Most did make grocery trips by bike at least some of the time. The most common barriers were bike parking, a lack of bike lanes, limited carrying capacity and parking lots; participants often saw these obstacles as more pronounced for grocery trips than for other cycling journeys.

Making everyday trips easier

Grocery shopping is a routine trip, so making it easier to cycle there could connect cycling with everyday travel rather than only commuting or leisure. The findings give city planners, grocery stores and educators specific challenges to address when trying to support cycling as a more sustainable and physically active way to reach stores.

Interviews and limits

The study is based on 16 semi-structured interviews with people who cycle for transportation in Hamilton, a mid-sized Canadian city. Researchers transcribed and thematically coded the interviews, so the study provides detailed accounts of participants’ experiences and decisions rather than a measurement of how common each barrier is across the population. It does not show that changing any one feature would cause more people to cycle to grocery stores, and the findings may not apply to other cities or to people who do not already cycle.

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