Mayor Darwin Hindman delivers groceries by bike

By Will Guldin

Published Sept. 19, 2009

Shoppers at Columbia’s Farmers Market got a surprise this Saturday when Mayor Darwin Hindman offered to bike their groceries home.

The offer was part of bike day at the market. For the event, several cyclists arrived with bicycles outfitted with trailers, racks and baskets to show how bikes can be used to transport more than just people.

PedNet Coalition Program Coordinator Janet Godon said the event was a partnership between the coalition and the Columbia Farmers Market.

The PedNet coalition is a Columbia-based cyclist advocacy group which represents about 7,000 cyclists. The group helped sponsor the day because Executive Director Ian Thomas said it helps raise awareness about the advantages of bicycling.

“We will always look for ways to promote walking and bicycling and this is a great event that Mayor Hindman came up with,” Thomas said. “So we certainly want to support that.”

Thomas said these advantages were related to health and environmental concerns, but he also said there were economic considerations.

“The cost of maintaining city streets that are being pounded by heavy vehicles for a lot of short journeys – often one to three miles – is extremely burdensome to the taxpayer,” Tomas said. “So if we could maybe just get, perhaps half of those shorter journeys taken by bicycle it would save us all a lot of money."

Sarah Ashman, Walt’s Bicycle Fitness and Wilderness manager, said bike shops in Columbia have seen the effects of events like these.

“All the educational efforts that PedNet has been doing through the get about Columbia grant have really helped people realize they can get through Columbia by bike,” Ashman said. “That it is possible, that it is very safe. All the bike shops have realized increased business because of that, which is nice.”

Hindman, who was with his wife, Axie Hindman, said he was helping to take groceries home for the fun of it.

“I always come to the farmer’s market,” he said. “We come every Saturday if at all possible. As you know, I’m always pushing health and exercise and bicycling when you do your errands is one of the one of the great ways of doing that.”

He also said it helps show people the advantages of bicycling.

“They get this great combination of health, exercise, they get the pleasure of the journey, wholesome food," he said. "It’s a perfect combination."

Columbia resident John Corn, who took the mayor up on his offer, said the mayor’s bike, which was a large three-wheeled cargo bike, would be fun to use and he said it offers some benefits that a car cannot provide.

“The advantages are just the exercise, the fresh air and you save a little on gas,” he said.

Elizabeth Chang, an MU English professor and Columbia resident, said she was excited to have the mayor bike her groceries home.

“I think it’s a great service,” Chang said. “I don’t think there are many towns where the mayor is delivering produce – by bike no less.”

Chang said things like that make Columbia so welcoming to cyclists.

“Columbia is a bike friendly town and its one of the reasons I enjoy living here,” she said.