more on Where to go? Which way to go? No gas anyway!

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Mary Shaw <mary.shaw () gmail com>
Date: September 22, 2005 5:46:21 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: [IP] more on Where to go? Which way to go? No gas anyway!
Reply-To: Mary Shaw <mary.shaw () gmail com>


Dave,

The bicycle touring list has been having some discussion about  
bicycles as transportation in this sort of disaster, both as  
transportation for evacuation and as transportation within a disaster  
area.

For evacuation, a touring bicyclist can easily make 8-10 miles per  
hour with a load of 40-60 lbs, and many typically ride 75-100 miles a  
day.  Even an average bicyclist can make 5-7 miles per hour, and  
50-60 miles or so a day isn't a big stretch, especially with  
motivation.  That's not enough to get you from Houston to Austin, but  
it's certainly enough to get you from Galveston to Houston, and a lot  
faster than the reports we're getting today.

For transportation within a disaster area, a bike is faster than  
walking and easier to maneuver over/around debris than a vehicle.

So a bike is not a solution in all cases, but it ought to be included  
in the space of possibilities.

By the way, are the back roads as jammed as the major highways? The  
map shows a spiderweb of farm roads between western Houston and Austin.

Mary



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