How #quaxing Became a Rallying Call for Everyday Cyclists

Tae Baker’s bike loaded up from a “quaxing” trip. @Taezar

It began, like so many of the Internet’s most endearing trends, with a seemingly innocent statement made on social media.

Back in January, Auckland, NZ, councilor Dick Quax and another tweeter, Bryce Pearce, were engaged in a lively Twitter debate regarding the transportation options at a local shopping center. Responding to the suggestion that the Sylvia Park mall needed better transportation options, Quax responded, “No one in the entire Western world uses the train for their shopping trips…the very idea that people lug home their supermarket shopping on the train is fanciful.”

When Pearce replied that he gets his groceries by bike, Quax added, “Sounds like that would make great Tui ad. ‘I ride my bike to get my weekly shopping – yeah right.'”

Never missing an opportunity to make a point, the Internet was quick to respond. People slowly began posting pictures of themselves doing their shopping by non-car means and tagging @DickQuax and the term #quaxing.

The photos trickled in and the trend slowly gathered steam until April, when Twitter user Non-motorist formally defined quaxing for the online dictionary with this tweet:

Quax, [verb; past: quaxed, present: quaxing] — to shop, in the western world, by means of walking, cycling or public transit. #quaxing

— Non-motorist* (@ByTheMotorway) April 26, 2015

Soon enough, the trend was picked up by everyday cyclists worldwide. Twitter users from Germany to Canada began posting photos of their daily errands, quaxing by cargo bike and regular bicycle alike for everything from groceries to hardware to sports equipment.

My weekly #quaxing @DickQuax @TransportBlog @BonnieParfitt @RamblingStyle pic.twitter.com/AP5dNqMup7

— Fiona Campbell (@FionaBike) May 11, 2015

https://twitter.com/TinyHelmets/status/597606577156194304

While quaxing in its “official” sense includes shopping by any form of non-car means, it is unsurprising that the trend has been embraced so wholeheartedly by the global everyday cycling community. In debates about cycling – particularly in the North American and Oceanic contexts – cyclists are often assumed to be lycra-clad road racers who ride for sport and fitness. The growing ranks of people who ride bikes for transportation are almost entirely overlooked in the conversation. Quaxing highlights the possibilities of a lifestyle where cycling is just a regular, everyday part of a person or family’s routine.

In this sense, quaxing is much more significant than just a humorous internet meme. It makes the oft-forgotten point that cars are not the only – or best – transportation option, and serves as a visual instructional guide for the those who couldn’t imagine a car-free lifestyle. Quaxing is rallying call to politicians to take the needs of cyclists, pedestrians, and transit users seriously. At this point Dick Quax is definitely listening, let’s hope others are too.

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