Tokyo bike-buying-during disaster

[shootingstar]

http://www.cyclelicio.us/2011/tokyo-earthquake-and-bicycles/

Perhaps people need to get around/escape. :confused:
Great idea, except if there's radiation hanging around somewhere north of them..

[Biciclista]

wow, good story! YAY BIKES

[hebe]

Some of the news coverage here has shown people cycling into the devastation that used to be their home town, searching for loved ones. It's heart-breaking. I did wonder why some of the bikes looked quite so shiny new.

I'm not sure but is cycling a fairly common way of getting around anyway in Japan? I know that my brother and sister-in-law both cycle to work in Tokyo and for leisure too.

Thank you for the link.

[badger]

I'm not sure but is cycling a fairly common way of getting around anyway in Japan?

oh yes!! take a look at the bike "parking" lot. This is a pretty common site, people bike to the train station as part of their commute.

http://earthfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/bikes-train-station.jpg

[PamNY]

Fascinating story, and thanks for the photo, Badger.

[Trek420]

[url] Great idea, except if there's radiation hanging around somewhere north of them..

True that. But as Japan braces now for possible nuclear disaster those near and or downwind of the 3 reactors involved so far are being told to stay indoors. :(

It's true bikes should be part of any communities emergency plan but for some right now is not an option.

[lph]

I never thought of it before, but how simple and obvious. Bikes don't need fuel, and will work as long as you can do simple maintenance.

I'm not at all a minimalist survivor type, but sometimes our mindless reliance on dwindling resources like oil just makes me scared.

[hebe]

Wow Badger, great picture, thank you! I can't even begin to imagine how much space the same number of cars would need.

[Koronin]

That is a neat pictures. Unfortunately one you be hard pressed to find in the US. I'd to see a place with a bike parking lot similar to that. Doesn't have to be that big, but one that is fenced in. Wonder if some businesses did that if more people might actually use bikes more often? Where I currently live I do see some people commuting different places on bikes and keep wishing places would have a place to lock bikes up at. Even saw a person at the mall trying to find a place to lock his bike. (He did find a place to lock the bike).

[Trek420]

I can't even begin to imagine how much space the same number of cars would need.

Here's how many folding bikes .... ;) :cool:

http://www.bikemandan.com/blog/how-many-folding-bikes-fit-in-one-car-space

[crazycanuck]

Looking back, I would have loved to have had a Mama-San (i think that's the correct word :o) bike to get groceries n stuff with. We lived a few km from a train station, grocery shops etc & just walked wherever. We also lived on the Tokaido line(Tokyo-Yokohama-Hiratsuka-Chigasaki-Fujisawa-Tsujido etc line) and were spoilt for shop choices around us.

I never really saw men on bikes when we lived there, it was mainly women with her sprockets n groceries.

[hebe]

Here's how many folding bikes .... ;) :cool:

http://www.bikemandan.com/blog/how-many-folding-bikes-fit-in-one-car-space

That's so cool! Thank you :D

[Biciclista]

speaking of Japan and bicycles..

http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/world/2011/03/16/dnt.tuchman.japan.woman.escape.bike.cnn

how about this story about an 84 year old woman who escaped a tsunami on her bicycle??!

[PamNY]

Great story about the woman who escaped on a bicycle. She really looks younger than 84.

[badger]

I never really saw men on bikes when we lived there, it was mainly women with her sprockets n groceries.

You'd have seen them early in the morning and late at night! :)