Complete Streets Transit not part of Hurricane Evacuation

Walking, Biking and Transit not part of Hurricane Evacuation


With horror stories just beginning to filter out of New Orleans and Jefferson Parish we have to wonder how many people are there because they were left with no choice. Evacuation plans were for the most part only for those with automobile access. In New Orleans the Regional Transit Authority herded people like cattle into the leaky Superdome while in Jefferson Parish the bus system simply shut down hours before it could be of any use.

Why was there not a transit evacuation plan that could have taken many of those people out of harms way to a safe location outside the city? And with safe routes and ample encouragement people with bicycles could have gotten out of town a lot faster than the gridlocked traffic.

When there is enough time it is most efficient to evacuate on bike, foot and bus. All these people are going to come back to closed gas stations and blocked roads and guess what they are going to do to get back home? Walk.