Two things are always apparent in disasters. First, people are incredibly creative in dealing with crisis. Second, simple solutions work best. Case in point is the use of bicycles in disaster.
I recently came across a blog by Hamzat Sani on the League of American Bicyclists website titled Bicycles Play a Major Role in Disaster Recovery that details the use of bicycles in the aftermath of the storm caused by Hurricane Sandy. Sani notes that bicycle commuting increased by 130% in some parts of New York, straining the existing 300 miles of protected cycling lanes. More interesting was the work of cycling groups in helping to raise funds for recovery and in helping deliver relief supplies to heavily damaged areas.
The concept is not a new one. During my days with San Francisco, we worked with a small group of bicycle messengers who were trained to serve as messengers during disasters. We even had a spin off group of motorcyclists who served the same purpose. We successfully integrated them into several exercises and were able to prove that the concept worked.
What is a new, though, is the idea of neighborhood groups and bicycle clubs organizing themselves to provide logistic support to isolated communities. This carries the concept far beyond what we envisioned with our small pool of daredevil cyclists in San Francisco. The city of Portland, which is touted as having more than any other big city in the US, is a prime example of how this can work. Portland has encouraged the use of heavy-duty cargo bikes within its Neighborhood Emergency Teams with great success.
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