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Flooded cyclist - image CC licenced via Chris Sampson on Flickr.jpgEvacuating a city by bicycle is 5 times more efficient
A flood risk specialist has published findings that show city-wide evacuations in case of emergencies like floods can be done significantly more efficiently by bicycle.
Fedor Baart, a specialist at flood risk and adaptive delta planning company Deltares, published his findings on LinkedIn where he, and co-author Anna van Gils, use the low-lying megalopolis of the Randstad in the Netherlands as their case study.
The Randstad is an conurbation made up of the cities of Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam and the Hague. The 4,300 km of urbanised land has a population of 7.2 million.
They surmise that in the case of costal flooding a full evacuation of the area by car would be impossible; even with two days of warning. He also explains out that in order to evacuate 2.2 million people from Den Haag and Rotterdam in an 8-hour timeframe, 86 lanes of highway would be needed.
>Read more: National Cycle Network damaged by flooding
Baart and van Gils do offer a solution; and it isn't the 'vertical evacuation' which involved climbing trees that some scientist suggested. The pair recommend the Netherlands's go-to urban mode of transport: bicycles.
They say that it is possible to fit 100 times the number of bicycles on any stretch of highway, due to size and ability to move left and right to adapt to weight of traffic.
Their findings also state that the 2.2 million people evacuating Den Haag and Rotterdam by bicycle could escape in eight hours using only 16 lanes of traffic.
>Read more: Cyclist dies trying to ride along flooded Oxford road
While still potentially unfeasible, Baart and van Gils do note that should a flood occur it would likely be heading in a North-Westerly direction, meaning cyclists should have a convenient tail wind to help them flee.
There are limitations, of course, to a totally bicyclised evacuation. Baart and Gils say that aspects like transporting those who can't cycle, are too old to cycle, or don't have the equipment must be considered.
Even more so, undertaking something as hazardous as a five-hour flood evacuation in likely stormy weather would be significantly less pleasant by bike than in a mode of transport that provides more shelter.
The pair recommend an evacuation experiment one car-free Sunday.
Latest Comments
- Hirsute 1 hour 40 min ago
Postie delivering, bike: what could possibly go wrong ?
- Bungle_52 2 hours 10 min ago
However it was only a cyclist that was killed. Any road user with any sense will be driving a 2 tonne box on the roads which would protect them...
- wtjs 3 hours 1 min ago
Sometimes it's 'only a momentary loss of concentration' (© Lancashire Constabulary Dodging Department)
- sizbut 3 hours 20 min ago
Hey, just stop knocking it you guys. It's got a bell sound, a darn gosh rooting tooting bell sound and a pretty good one at that. When we found out...
- Velophaart_95 3 hours 50 min ago
Of all the teams to join, Cofidis........Oh dear. What a mistake........strikes of desparation to be seen in the WT.
- chrisonabike 3 hours 59 min ago
"A shprakh iz a dyalekt mit an armey un flot"...
- Secret_squirrel 4 hours 36 min ago
The other thing I would say is that be judicious about adding starter packs (bulk follow packs). The lovely Hackney Bike Fit has one but it has...
- hawkinspeter 5 hours 29 min ago
我的媽和她的瘋狂的外甥都 ・ Wuh duh ma huh tah duh fong kwong duh wai shung
- hawkinspeter 5 hours 59 min ago
After a winter of occasional riding, I had a problem with my rear hub pawls getting a bit rusty and then they stuck in the disengaged position...
- Wingguy 8 hours 41 min ago
The downtube is the tube which has a bottle on it in the photos you're looking at. I'm assuming you're talking about the seattube, which the bike...
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15 comments
These comments are what I was hoping to fins down here
I've always thought a bike is the best way to flee during a zombie apocalypse. Load up a couple of panniers with supplies and drift off into the mountains. Never considered the pedal issue though, might have to invest in some flats just to be safe.
https://www.gearfuse.com/zombie-proof-bike/
Zombie.jpg
Is this an episode of Horizon? A scientist moves his hand in slow motion over a map... 'And when the mega-tsunami breaches the dykes it will cause utter devastation.' Dur-dur-dur-Dumm.
Depends. I think the current version of the zombie has improved their fitness somewhat on those of the 70's, but the World War Z ones were a bit fast even for a fully epo'd Lance. Stealth is key, so no hope free hubs.
Spot the edit cos I mixed up my zombies.
I'll be the one laughing with flat pedals in a zombie apocalypse. Zombies won't be stopping to admire your Sidi Wire Carbon Airs as you hopelessly try to snap into. Plus I'll actually be able to run away if the bike fails.
I can see David Attenborough's next programme with 2.2M dutch men and women dressed in orange football shirts on orange space-hoppers migrating across the plains of Holland being even more impressive than the Wildebeests last night.
I'm sick of people talking down the zombie apocalypse as if there would be no benefits. Sure, civilisation as we know it would crumble, but that's already happening anyway, just slightly more slowly. Between risking my life being ended by someone trying to eat my brains, and risking my life being end by someone trying to get to the next set of traffic lights two seconds sooner, I'll take the former. And think of the new Strava records that would be set in the exodus.
Returning to the slightly more serious subject of this story, one way an enlightened government (so not any one we're likely to see in this country any time soon) could tackle hatred of cyclists would be to give out free "flood escape" bicycles to every citizen. It would only cost as much as a few cruise missiles. Of course, come an actual flood, few people wouldn't load up their cars with as much of their crap as they can squeeze in, but it would demonstrate that there is a use for bicycles to people who don't like efficiency, fresh air and exercise.
as Max Brooks wrote quite some time ago.......
The Bicycle
In a class by itself, this vehicle offers the best of both worlds. The common bicycle is fast, quiet, muscle-powered, and easy to maintain. Add to this the additional advantage that it is the only vehicle you can pick up and carry if the terrain gets too rough. People using bicycles to escape from infested areas have almost always fared better than those on foot. For optimum performance, use a mountain bike, as opposed to the racing or recreational model…
I'd add a few slime tubes, zombie goo would probably do at a pinch.
Apart from skateboards. And pogo sticks. And space hoppers.
In next week's episode of The Walking Dead, young Carl escapes from Negen and the Saviours by bouncing through a zombie herd on a space hopper.
A well maintained bicycle is also the most effective way of quietly but rapidly sneaking past the zombie hordes during that particular apocalyptic event.
Get cleaning and lubing... You never know what's coming next.
Then you suddenly regret your choice of a loud freehub, either soft pedal everywhere, or pray they think its bees.
Brad Pitt messed that up in World War Z.
For the avoidance of doubt: are we talking slow walking ghouls like Night of the Living Dead or The Walking Dead or are we talking fast running "Infected" style zombies? I need to know what cadence to aim for
The Walking Dead needs more bicycles. Petrol ('gas') still left in cars would, I believe, have turned to unusable jelly by this point in the show's time-line.