A quarter of a mile??? Is this a joke? I thought the study results were going to show that a lot of people were a mile or more away from a store. A quarter of a mile is nothing. That’s two and a half city blocks.
My grandmother lived in Chicago all of her adult life - in a lower middle class area - she was an immigrant (legal) and worked as a maid. She never drove. The nearest supermarket (an A&P) was four blocks away. There was a small neighborhood grocery about three blocks away. She always walked.
When I lived in Ann Arbor, I was 6 blocks from the nearest supermarket. (I never bought more than 2 bags of food at a time - just what I could carry.)
My driveway is 2/10 of a mile long, down a steep hill. I’m in my 60s and walk down to get my mail - and back up again, of course.
I'm "in my 60s" too, until the 29th of this month, at which time I'll not be able to say that anymore.