Steve Eldridge has been covering the new study that showed the Washington region to be very much lacking in both planning and infrastructure, when it comes to evacuating the city in an emergency. One writer wrote in about the lack of facilities for bikes and pedestrians.
“The 34-page report never even mentioned the role of pedestrians in emergency evacuations. However, walking was the primary means of evacuating Manhattan on 9/11, and an important means of evacuation in the D.C. area.
“As to Potomac River crossings, there are no pedestrian and bicycle provisions on the American Legion Bridge on the Beltway. Let’s have at least one pedestrian crossing between Montgomery and Fairfax Counties before we worry about creating multiple automobile crossings."
I'd love to see a pedestrian crossing on the American Legion Bridge, and I've heard talk of it before, but I'm not sure how much it would help people to evacuate. Better to connect the Virginia side of the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge's downstream pedestrian bridge to something. Wouldn't it be great if you could go across the TR on the downstream side and then on a new bridge over Arlington Boulevard and the Jefferson Davis Highway that perfectly centered the Iwo Jima Memorial in the middle? It would almost make going to Virginia worthwhile.
On 9/11 I went across town by bicycle. My recollection is that traffic was moving slowly, and motorists were scared and impatient, and there was a lot of red-light running and other ugly behavior. By bike was a pretty good way to get through traffic, until a motorist hit me and then drove off.
Many cyclists -- myself included -- like to think of themselves as independent, and we think that independence will serve us well in a crisis. But the reality is that on a bicycle you are more dependent on the protection of societal norms, and more at risk in a crisis that leads to a breakdown in societal controls.
Posted by: Contrarian | October 30, 2006 at 04:12 PM
The MoCo bikeways master plan recommends a bike crossing at the American Legion Bridge. Also IIRC the Loudoun Co. bike plan endorses future bike ferries at Algonkian Park and Edwards Ferry. Not much help in an evacuation (hmmm, "ferry operator flees, boat left adrift"...) but the Algonkian location would be surperb for regular use by cyclists.
Who would've thought - panicking suburbanites run over everything in their path, making cycling twice as dangerous.
Posted by: Jack | October 31, 2006 at 12:03 PM