Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In

One of the most memorable stories of last year's tsunami in Japan was the 83-year-old woman who escaped the waters by riding her bike.

false

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Americans saw closer-to-home images of how bikes can help people in the face of disaster. We heard stories about New York City commuters who hopped on their bikes for the first time in years, when the subways were shut down but workplaces were back up and running.

Jonathan Maus at Bike Portland notes that the resilience of bikes was on display on MSNBC earlier this week:

It's been a good year for the idea that bikes are the ultimate disaster response vehicles.

At the end of MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show last night, host Rachel Maddow shared the story of how partial subway service is being restored to the Rockaways, a section of Queens that was devastated by Sandy. During the segment, as Maddow described how the Rockaways have been cut off from the rest of New York, I was pleasantly surprised when she mentioned bicycles.

Said Maddow: "After the storm, the Rockaways got so hard to reach that some bicyclists pedaled in supplies. I think partly to prove that they could do it, but partly because with gas supplies short and rationed, biking still worked."

There's more coverage coming, Maus says, as well as a video from Portland's Bureau of Emergency Management about the role of bikes in disaster response.

Elsewhere on the Network today: Alex Block rebuts Kaid Benfield's reasons for supporting DC's height restrictions. And Streets.mn says that using the "passenger mile" as a basis for comparing modes is bound to produce skewed results that make cars look better.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday’s Headlines Got DOGE’d Again

Amidst uncertainty about future federal funding, Amtrak is cutting $100 million and 450 jobs.

May 9, 2025

Friday Video: Where Was the First Public Bus Route in the World?

...and which surprising historical figure helped launch it?

May 9, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: ‘Normal’ is Not Correct, Someone Died Here

After a crash, the debris is quickly cleaned up and everyone moves on (usually too quickly). But these two experts are asking us to all slow down.

May 8, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines Are Not Gonna Pay a Lot for This Truck

President Trump's tariffs, along with rising insurance costs, are driving down Americans' interest in owning a car.

May 8, 2025

How One Suburb is Using Transit to Transform Into a True City

A Washington State suburb may be poised to evolve into a true transit-oriented hub – and offer lessons for other bedroom communities, even during an anti-transit era.

May 8, 2025
See all posts