Today is the one year anniversary of the day after Sandy. Relief was at the forefront of people’s minds, but it was also a new beginning: it was the day the region began to think about how to rebuild better and stronger.
Although the region’s transportation infrastructure was dealt a series of incredible blows, we can look back one year later with a better understanding of our transportation system’s vulnerabilities, as well as more insight into how state and local governments can improve our transportation infrastructure to become more sustainable and more resilient against future storms. It’s obvious that Sandy presented the region a whole host of challenges, but damage from the storm also presented opportunities:
A chance to plan and rebuild smarter. The last 12 months have seen a variety of new ideas about how to weather-proof buildings and infrastructure. Now that we’ve seen what kind of havoc storms can cause, we must use this rebuilding opportunity to be better prepared for the next storm. Sandy wiped out roads in low-lying coastal areas, which has presented communities with an opportunity to rebuild them in a way that is able to withstand storm surges and provide real transportation choices like walking and biking that keep people moving not only in the time of crisis but also every day.
Another reason to learn how to ride a bike. Riding a bike is a great way to get around, especially when subways are shut down due to flooding. Bicycle ridership skyrocketed in New York City in the days following Sandy.
A wake-up call to refocus on fix-it-first. Sandy took a heavy toll on roads, rails and bridges, which should serve as a wake-up call to state governments: before wasting money on highway widening projects, existing infrastructure must be in a state of good repair and able to withstand wind, rain and flooding.
A reminder that planning is only as good as execution. N.J. Transit failed to follow its own storm plan, and they paid the price with 273 railcars and 70 engines that were destroyed by flooding. The Brooklyn Navy Yard, where yet-to-be-launched Citi Bike equipment was being stored, saw six feet of flooding, which damaged “the bikes—and their circuitry-filled docking stations,” delaying the full first phase of the Citi Bike rollout.
Another argument for increased transit capacity. Extreme weather events can knock out electricity and flood subways, so if we want to keep people moving after the next storm, we need to double down on expanding bus rapid transit and bike share. Exclusive bus infrastructure like the bus bridges in days after Sandy can’t be one-offs, and ideas like this must be incorporated into the region’s transit infrastructure. Expanding dedicated bus lanes in the Lincoln Tunnel and on the region’s highways, as well as additional Select Bus Service routes and the expansion of Citi Bike, can improve transportation options year round.
