It took a nightmare scenario to do so, but it looks like bicycle shops are finally getting their due respect in major cities across the United States. Bicycle shops are finally being designated as essential businesses during the enforcement of shelter-in-place orders.
With the rapid spread of the Coronavirus, government officials are enforcing shelter-in-place orders on a global scale. Accompanying those shelter-in-place orders are the governmental designations of those businesses that are considered "essential businesses," expressly enabling them to operate during shelter-in-place orders.
Although the definition of an "essential business" varies from state to state in connection with shelter-in-place orders, a snapshot of some of those essential business categories are the following: law enforcement, healthcare, auto mechanic shops, grocery stores and restaurants (delivery only), amongst others.
At the onset of this pandemic and accompanying shelter-in-place orders, one glaring omission to the list of essential businesses that stood out in many jurisdictions was the bicycle shop --- even though auto repair shops were considered essential. To be fair, those hardworking and valued auto mechanic professionals help to keep the world moving and play a valued role in helping our frontline workers commute from their homes to places of business. In geographic regions that are spread out, cars and trucks are essential forms of transportation. Consequently, auto mechanic shops should be at the top of the essential business list. If a delivery or medical professional's automobile malfunctioned, we would want a way for them to repair their automobile so they can contribute to society.
Those professionals that live and work in urban centers, where owning a car is not practical or convenient, should have the same sense of security with respect to commuting around a city center. Under urban conditions, using various forms of micromobility to commute around a city is now a more convenient and less risky way to commute with respect to reducing the risk of exposure to COVID-19, as opposed to taking mass transit or a shared car service.
Thanks to the declaration of bicycle shops as "essential" in cities like San Francisco, Chicago and New York, amongst other places, the bicycle shop is retaking its place in society as an important asset to commuters. I hope that when we overcome the Coronavirus as a society, and we will, the bicycle shop will continue to enjoy its status as a revered and important element of the transportation sector.
Photo by Random Skyon
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