Imagine your city in crisis. For some of us, that might not be far removed from a recent painful natural or man made disaster. For others, like us here in Portland, it could be the near future when, not if, the overdue earthquake hits. In New York City, millions of people are still without power and in this very situation. If this were to happen to you tomorrow, how would you get to services and supplies? What if a friend or loved one across town needed your support? Without public transportation and accessible roads, immediate travel will likely not involve a personal automobile, but instead be on foot or by bike. Even after roads are cleared there may be shortages of gasoline leading to long lines, rationing, and even fights as people compete for filling their generators and status quo for getting to work.
Thousands of citizens commuting by food and bike post-Sandy (Via Project for Public Spaces Facebook page)
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy numerous reports have come out depicting a surge of people on bicycles and foot travelling in great waves across the city. While cars in certain areas are required to have three or more passengers to pass, even then the long lines of automobiles form an impractical way of getting around right now. In a way this is the ultimate test of recent active transportation progress in New York City headed by Mayor Bloomberg and Janette Sadik-Khan. It’s also a testimony to the community in New York City that neighbors can come together to help distribute supplies (again, often by bike). Even the Occupy Movement is coming up again utilizing their bike-powered generators from the original protest camps to recharge neighbors’ electronic devices, complete with a barbecue. We here at Think.urban are excited to see this sort of community action and hope that everyone is safe after this historical disaster. In the meantime, we’ll be using this as a reminder to prepare for whatever disaster might befall us in the near future. Is your bike ready?
Pedal-power on the lower east side (photo credit Forbes article)
If you come across any articles documenting this trend in NYC and in post-disaster areas in general, please link to it. I’d love to read more on this.
Really, we (probably not you, but humans in general) rarely think about transportation following a disaster. Food, water, shelter, info and a shot of something stiff probably precede that – reasons why few people would buy a bike in prep for a disaster.
Living in Mexico City, I am lucky to see and use a system that would likely respond very well to a disaster (for Mx City, that means earthquake). They have a bike-lending program, Ecobicis where you go to a nearby bike station, swipe your card, take out a bike for a spin, and then return it to any of the hundreds of stations. For people who don’t own a bike (like myself) it’s a great system and, at least within one quadrant of this sprawling city, increasingly frequent. Thoughts?
Posted by Tyler | November 8, 2012, 6:11 pmYeah! Bike share systems could definitely help for those who don’t ride frequently or want to own their own bike. Here in Portland, cargo bikes are being readied for disaster scenarios, and we’ll eventually be getting bike share, too. Here’s a report from a local bike blog: http://bikeportland.org/2012/11/06/kgw-tv-bikes-can-be-a-lifeline-after-disaster-strikes-79647
And here’s another about the bike-powered chargers: http://bikeportland.org/2012/11/01/while-sandy-recovery-continues-signs-of-hope-on-two-wheels-79511
Finally, here’s one from the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/02/nyregion/with-transportation-snarled-in-brooklyn-bicycles-roam-free.html?_r=0
Thanks!
Posted by Katrina Johnston | November 9, 2012, 10:30 am