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Quaxing is a 2015
Quaxing is a 2015 neologism
In linguistics, a neologism (; also known as a coinage) is any newly formed word, term, or phrase that has achieved popular or institutional recognition and is becoming accepted into mainstream language. Most definitively, a word can be considered ...
meaning "to shop, in the western world, by means of walking, cycling or public transit". It is also a form of transport activism to combat transport divide
Transport divide (also known as transport exclusion, transport disadvantage, transport deprivation, transportation divide, and mobility divide) refers to unequal access to transportation. It can result in the social exclusion of disadvantaged gr ...
, and bringing visibility to the possibility of a car-free life.
Origin of the term
In January 2015, a local councillor in Auckland, New Zealand,Dick Quax
Theodorus Jacobus Leonardus "Dick" Quax (1 January 1948 – 28 May 2018) was a Dutch-born New Zealand runner, one-time world record holder in the 5000 metres, and local-body politician.
Quax stood for Parliament for the ACT Party in 199 ...
tweeted, “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.”
People responded with pictures of themselves doing their shopping by non-car means using the term #quaxing.
The term was defined on blogs and tweets as "Quax, erb; past: quaxed, present: quaxing— to shop, in the western world, by means of walking, cycling or public transit."
Growth of the trend
The trend gathered steam as an internet meme. Soon media outlets picked up on the trend and covered the story and its implications for politicians and planners. Although it refers to shopping by any non-car means, it has been most widely adopted by cyclists. Public Address chose quaxing as their Word of the Year in 2015, which gained further media coverage for the trend. Momentum Mag described quaxing as:"A rallying call to politicians to take the needs of cyclists, pedestrians, and transit users seriously."The term continues to be used by bike advocates to normalise everyday activities by bike.
See also
*Alternatives to car use
Established alternatives to car use include cycling, walking, kick scooters, rollerblading, skateboarding, twikes and (electric or internal combustion) motorcycles. Other alternatives are public transport vehicles ( buses, guided buses, t ...
* Car-free movement
The car-free movement is a social movement centering the belief that large and/or high-speed motorized vehicles (cars, trucks, tractor units, motorcycles, etc.) are too dominant in modern life, particularly in urban areas such as cities and suburb ...
* Societal effects of cars
Since the start of the twentieth century, the role of cars has become highly important, though controversial. They are used throughout the world and have become the most popular mode of transport in many of the more developed countries. In deve ...
References
{{Utility cycling Car-free movement Cycling activism Neologisms New Zealand slang Public transport activism Walking Pedestrian activism Eponyms