Essential for emergency preparedness

I've watched with interest the recent discussion on car infrastructure vs. bike infrastructure [“What’s one big fix for frightful traffic?,” Opinion, Nov. 18]. Certainly it's worth noting that many great cities are far ahead of Seattle in providing inexpensive, efficient facilities to promote safe bicycle use.

But after watching the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy on the East Coast, one thing that everyone should recognize and agree on is that an emergency-preparedness kit ought to include an operable bicycle.

We saw thousands of New Yorkers standing for hours waiting for a bus. Many of them could have covered 10, 20 or 30 miles in the same amount of time on a bicycle instead, reducing demand on the available buses. We saw others waiting for hours in their cars to buy gasoline. Many of them could have been making do with a bike until the supply situation returned to a more normal state, leaving remaining supplies for those in greater need.

Bottom line, every household should have at least one working bike on hand, ready for emergencies.

— Larry Dohrs, Seattle