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Hurricane Evacuations-Ban Single Occupancy Automobiles

 
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Dieseljim
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Joined: 26 Jun 2008
Posts: 548
Location: Perry, NY

PostPosted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 8:32 am    Post subject: Hurricane Evacuations-Ban Single Occupancy Automobiles Reply with quote

I have seen on tv news, from time to time, the mass of cars trying to flee an oncoming hurricane in the Florida area as well as the Gulf Coast. Rather than plug up the highways with so many cars, turning interstates into virual parking lots, why not ban the use of single occupancy cars in such emergencies and use every available bus and passenger train car for such evacuations. This may seem radical but I believe it could prevent people from being trapped on the road when the beginning of the storm begins to hit as a hurricane comes ashore. I see no reason why mass transit vehicles, including school buses cannot and should not be used instead of the automobile in the event mandatory evacuations of, say Miami and adjacent suburbs is ordered as a hurricane prepares to come ashore. It is such nonsense as seeing all lines of I95 turned into a virtual parking lot as a storm gets ready to come ashore that results in the panic that gets people killed. By using both all available buses and the TriRail trains, Miami and vicinity could be evacuated much more quickly than is possible with a wide river of cars. This should have been done with Katrina, Rita and other storms as well. By getting the single occupancy autos out of the way, evacuation could be speeded up considerably. Even better would be to have everyone use buses instead of their cars.
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ripta42
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Joined: 15 Apr 2007
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Location: Pawtucket, RI / Woburn, MA

PostPosted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 7:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think the solution is a combination of the two. Personal vehicles are necessary because there probably would not be sufficient equipment or, in the case of Tri-Rail, track capacity to move an entire region of people out by mass transit. Loading times would also pose a problem - what do you do when you have ten thousand people at a loading facility streaming onto buses while the storm is approaching? Buses and trains certainly should be staged to evacuate people, but every mode of transportation needs to be used - along with intelligent transportation systems like reversible highway lanes, traffic signal management, and carefully planned and marked evacuation routes.
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Dieseljim
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Joined: 26 Jun 2008
Posts: 548
Location: Perry, NY

PostPosted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 7:30 pm    Post subject: Hurricane Evacuations Reply with quote

Also in addition to using cars,buses and trains in combination for evacuation of areas threatened by hurricanes of the likes of Katrina, Andrew, Rita, et al., why not add the US Air Force's airlift capabilities to the mix. C130s or even C17 Globemaster 3 transport aircraft could be staged at Miami International Airport to provide additional means of evacuating people and each airplane could swiftly move people by the hundred or hundreds depanding on that aircraft's passenger capacity. In the time that the hurricane is approaching, it is a cinch that all the airlines serving Miami will suspend all service to that airport, thus the idea of adding Military Airlift capability to the means of fleeing a hurricane. I believe it could work if done properly and by the experts rather than some peabrained moron like Michael Churtoff and his bunch.
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