Dahon.Steve

The blizzard of 2016 in the northeast is over and it was fairly easy thanks to being carfree. The news reported over 3 feet of snow fell in 5 states sending New Jersey into a state of emergency. Over 8,500 hundred flights were canceled and 14 were dead as a result of this storm. Pubic transit was terminated by 5:00 PM on Saturday and roads were restricted to emergency vehicles.


First, I want to say that it never ceases to amaze me how the motorist with 3 feet of snow on the ground refuse to stay home and travel in these conditions. I think there’s a mentality out there that looks forward to the challenge and danger. Once the car is out, you can’t find on street parking so why take the chance and move it?

So how does one survive a snow blizzard without a car? Pretty simple. I stayed home until it was over.

I waited for the snow to stop and then shoveled in front of my home as required by the city. I spent zero time digging a car buried by snow thanks to giant snow plows. There are cars on my block right now that are going to require 3 hours of digging (or more) to removed them! Shopping was done and completed two days in advance of the blizzard so there was no need for groceries. Emergency generator, flashlights and food were all purchased in advance thanks to the lesson of Hurricane Sandy.

Simplifying my life allowed me to survive this storm with a smile on my face. Being carfree was without question the single most important factor allowing me to enjoy the moment. I don’t require hyper mobility in any manner, shape or form because it is a major burden! I also helped other neighbors dig out their driveway so I did get an appreciation of the work involved in a motorized lifestyle.

Once that was over, I was able to walk to the coffee shop on Sunday without a care in the world about the condition of the street. Finally, I don’t consider my situation special and there are millions living like me.

In the afternoon, I boarded the lightrail to the shopping mall (for enjoyment) and as the train traveled at 50 mph across fields of snow and ice, I couldn’t help but think about how different our world used to be when this was the mode of transport. Tomorrow, I will have options of taking the train, bus or ride my bicycle to work. That’s the beauty of being carfree.

How did you manage the blizzard of 2016?

Roody

I was going to start a thread like this, but I'm glad an actual participant like Steve beat me to it. I'm very much looking forward to reading lots of stories about how the stor affected people who don't rely much on cars. One thing that surprised me was how quickly they got the transit moving in NYC area, according to news reports I saw. I also loved the pictures of people walking in the streets without having to worry about car traffic.

from Slate.com, along with many other great photos.

[HR][/HR]

The area covered by the storm was enormous. I remember that my college Geography professor said that winter storms in North America are the largest organized systems that occur on planet Earth. So I'm hoping a lot of people will tell us what it was like to get through this one without a car.

corrado33

I find it funny how places not accustomed to dealing with lots of snow freak out (even if they get much less snow than anticipated) while places that see this kind of stuff on a regular basis are like "Meh, another Thursday." The people I know on the east coast got less than a foot of snow. (In PA and Baltimore.)

The picture above (while great for the LCF crowd) shows barely more than a typical snowfall here in Bozeman.

Anyway, glad you stayed home. That's a good practice for anyone!

350htrr

Snow? When I was a young lad and had to shovel my parent's roof at least 2X a winter, that was snow... Oh and to get off the roof after the second shoveling I had to step up onto the snow pile to get down off the roof...

wilfried

The car travel ban was a great joy, and it's always a trip to walk down the middle of Canal St., or the Bowery, or Delancey. Seeing as I drive about once every five years, banning cars can only be a good thing in my book. Now if only New York had a Car Free Day in nice weather, like Paris did last year:

All-blue skies in Paris as city centre goes car-free for first time | Cities | The Guardian

Rob_E

Well, I grudgingly stayed home as well, mostly. We didn't get as much snow here, but because this area never gets snow, they have no resources to clear the streets. A little salt, a little brine on the main roads, and for all the other roads, wait for it to melt. What this did for me was fuel my desire for some wide, studded tires, so that I'm not housebound when the weather turns bad. One thing it didn't do is make me wish I had a car or leave me tempted to borrow my wife's car. I have no desire to try to keep a car under control when the roads are basically ice. I have enough experience to know that driving on ice is not a skill I posses. One thing that makes me willing to venture out on my bike is that the consequences of being out are considerably less. I might slip. I might fall. I might say, "screw it" and walk home, but I probably won't plow into anyone else, do any property damage to myself or others, or cause permanent injury to anyone. I'm far less confident in the car.

I did find that my parking lot, which had largely been cleared by sun and a couple of hours of above freezing temps yesterday, had gotten a nice glaze on it overnight. Unfortunately I learned this the hard way: by sliding down it on my back with my bike sliding alongside of me. I did whack the back of my head hard enough to crack through the foam on the back of my helmet, so I guess there was a little property damage, but that's okay. New helmet is in the mail.

I guess this isn't really a car-free/light issue for me because I'm not tempted to drive in it even when I have a car at my disposal. Snow is one of the reasons I live where I live rather up near Lake Erie where I used to live. If I were still up there, in the rural, Ohio town in the snow belt where I grew up, then I think being car-free would still be a challenge. We used to lock the bikes up in the barn some time in November, and pull them out in March. That's a long time to be without wheels.

1nterceptor

Living & working in NYC; we don't really need a car. But my wife is holding on to her compact car from when we lived
in the suburbs of New Jersey. We'll probably try Zipcar if something happens to this car; stolen, mechanical breakdown, etc.
Our car is parked in a rented driveway; it's currently buried in 3 feet of snow. It will probably stay like that for a few weeks;
till all the snow melts through higher temps.

Just like most folks; we just stocked up on some food & beverages. Other than that; no other special precautions were taken.
NYC SNOWPOCALYPSE 2016 by 1nterceptor, on Flickr

Dahon.Steve

I was talking to a woman at work and since she lives in a condo and there's no need for her to even shovel snow. She doesn't own a car or a shovel!

If this had been on a weekday, we would have been able to stay home. People with cars take a tremendous risk driving in dangerous storms all the time. If you don't have a car, it makes life even easier and not harder for your decisions are already made.

A woman at work drove her daughter to her job in Manhattan on Sunday. I didn't tell her how I really felt because it's not worth it to risk your life for a few extra bucks. Yet, the motorist will take that kind of risk all the time.

By the way, I could have taken a taxi the day after the storm to anywhere I wanted to go since they were up and running.

Dahon.Steve

I was going to take the bike out on Sunday because it really was a nice day. Instead of motor transportation, I used human transit. My Feet! As other have noted, New York City transit was operational the next day. Only the Long Island Railroad was out of commission and some lines were not working on Monday!

350htrr

Now that depends on your risk aversion factor.... I stop riding my bike at around 5*C because of, well it's just too cold for me, there are/maybe icy patches.... But my son rides his bike to work at -20*c... I think he is nuts...

Ekdog

Keep your eyes peeled for Snowy Neckdowns.

https://vimeo.com/19607481

B. Carfree

I got a chuckle from a NYTimes account of many people staying home and depending on deliveries from bicycle delivery couriers.

Artkansas 

I was supposed to be at work that day. But I opted out based on the black ice I had fallen on the week before. In weather like this last year, I walked to work. this year I informed my boss that due to the thigh injury I sustained, that walking 7 miles was out of the question.

The day after that though, I took the bus. To do that I had to ride to downtown and then back out towards the theater. I was about an hour and a half late. The day after that was Sunday, the bus into town didn't leave until 2 hours after the daily runs, and it only went half-way to downtown. The bus going back out to the theater didn't run at all. So I realized I'd have to ride my bike. Streets were still occasionally icy, so I allowed myself the luxury of waiting until dawn, even though that made me late for work. I worked on my brakes to make up for it.

The ride into work was slow, what with icy patches and damp spots that might be icy. My injuries made it more difficult because to get on and off of the bike, I had to lay it sideways on the road and step over the frame and then lift the bike up. I still can't swing my leg over the bike without reactive pain and spasms. I took a route that was longer, but less hilly and more traveled by cars, so I hoped that they had broken up the ice. In the big downhill stretch, the slow lane was in shadow and looked like it might or might not be icy. I went down slowly in the fast lane, and at one point got passed by a car in the slow lane. The scariest part was where I turn in for work and where I had slipped on black ice before. This time I was wary and prepared and made the turn successfully.

Today was a balmy 46 degrees when the bus picked me up. The streets were wet and scattered with clumps of snow. I made it down Cedar Hill Rd. successfully. I was able to avoid the place where I wiped out because construction crews had finished the work they were doing that required me to take an alternate route the day I wiped out.

Tonight, the low is 36 degrees, so the streets should be safe tomorrow.

Artkansas 

My cousin in NYC used to be a bike messenger. This weekend he had a lot of shots of him out in the snow with his daughter in semi deserted New York.

TuckertonRR

Trying to drive in or just after a blizzard like the one just past has to be crazy. I usually work on Satudays, but work allowed me to take a free personal day, as they just needed a few people to sit around, and not actually "work". Friday night as it was just starting to snow, I got home fine. Sunday, used the time to shovel the sidewalk & pathways around the house. Also the shared driveway in the back. Monday was just a normal day. Tried to use the studded tires on the bike, but found out the hard way they both had slow leaks. So now I need to get new tubes for them. Not a biggie, I just walked to the train & got to work fine.