View Full Version : Imagining what freeways will look like in SHTF
I am thinking traffic jams will turn freeways to parking lots. IMO.
http://cdn.benzinga.com/files/imagecache/article_image_thumb/Giant%20traffic%20jam.jpg
http://bunkerville.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/traffic-jam.jpg
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/jalopnik/2011/02/lsd-snow-2_01.jpg
Cagemonkey
02-02-11, 13:20
I agree. If you live near the ocean you'd be better off going by boat. Preferably a sail boat considering that fuel will be scarce and extremely expensive if available. Also using a small private plane may work. In a perfect world you'd either own one of the above or buy/barter some ones services who has one. If all else fails, you know.
http://0.tqn.com/d/trucks/1/7/8/q/DSC_0024.jpg
K.L. Davis
02-02-11, 14:59
A few folks I know have those little scooters set aside for this. While being awarded absolutely no CDI points, they get 100+ MPG, are capable of traveling decent speeds, offroad, down sidewalks, though foot tunnels and can be picked up and carried around obstructions.
Keep it preloaded with an extra gallon of gas and a BOB, and you have a pretty smart option... of course you still look like a dork :haha:
Can you imagine what the road rage would be like?
Throw in hunger, thirst, excessive heat or cold weather, mass panic, crying babies, etc., definitely not a pretty picture.
This is why some decent level of fitness should be part of everyone's preps. How long would you just sit there before you began to walk/run away from that apocalyptic mess?
A few folks I know have those little scooters set aside for this. While being awarded absolutely no CDI points, they get 100+ MPG, are capable of traveling decent speeds, offroad, down sidewalks, though foot tunnels and can be picked up and carried around obstructions.
Keep it preloaded with an extra gallon of gas and a BOB, and you have a pretty smart option... of course you still look like a dork :haha:
Scooters are like fat chicks... never let your friends see you riding one... unless of course you are passing them on the freeway during SHTF.
jasonhgross
02-02-11, 15:14
Visit the DC Metro area on any given day and that will give you an idea. Check out recent washington Post articles about our recent "ice storm." My plan is to stay in place until the crazyiness dies down.
Visit the DC Metro area on any given day and that will give you an idea. Check out recent washington Post articles about our recent "ice storm." My plan is to stay in place until the crazyiness dies down.
reminds me or every post hurricane condition in south florida. Except for getting to work, I really just ventured out to clear a few storm drains near the house.
Any given afternoon in Atlanta/LA/Miami/DC/SF/Etc. will give you a pretty good idea of what the freeways will look like in a SHTF scenario - they are that way daily. The length of the overall "parking lot" may be longer during a disaster situation, but stopped is stopped, regardless of the cause.
A few folks I know have those little scooters set aside for this. While being awarded absolutely no CDI points, they get 100+ MPG, are capable of traveling decent speeds, offroad, down sidewalks, though foot tunnels and can be picked up and carried around obstructions.
Keep it preloaded with an extra gallon of gas and a BOB, and you have a pretty smart option... of course you still look like a dork :haha:
Good idea though
I'll be the guy on the mountain bike with the backpack going by ya :p
duing hurrican Ike, I did quite well with the MTB, the M4 is broke down in the backpack w/a few spare mags and a G19 within immediate reach.
I could have easly made the 300 mile trip to AR if necessary in less than a week.
Lost River
02-02-11, 22:10
A few folks I know have those little scooters set aside for this. While being awarded absolutely no CDI points, they get 100+ MPG, are capable of traveling decent speeds, offroad, down sidewalks, though foot tunnels and can be picked up and carried around obstructions.
Keep it preloaded with an extra gallon of gas and a BOB, and you have a pretty smart option... of course you still look like a dork :haha:
If it looks stupid, but it works.....It is not stupid!
This is how I roll in regards to two wheels. It is the pickup truck of the bike world:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b109/IV_Troop/004-2.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b109/IV_Troop/055.jpg
Lost River
02-02-11, 22:14
That being said, there is NO WAY IN HELL I would choose to live around so many people.
A long time ago I made a choice to forsake a huge paycheck for living rurally.
No regrets.
A few folks I know have those little scooters set aside for this.
Could always rock a streetable dirt bike instead. Won't get nearly the same milage but (a) you won't look like a dork and (b) it'll go offroad way better.
I intend to bug in if TSHTF during a natural disaster. If bridges are out travel will be nearly impossible with a family. However if there is pending doom and gloom coming I am bugging out to the family cabin early!
Certain things could make travel impossible even on a motorcycle.
1. Earth quake large scale, bridges will go out, building will fall, roads may dissapear, land slides, hiking cross country may become impossible! Think Hati
2. Hurricane, flooding trees down, wires down, roads and bridges washed out! Think Katrina
3. Small scale weather events such as snow and ice storms could distrupt travel and lock up roads for days to hours!
A large scale traffic jam could be the end of many people in short order. Those pictures look like a total mess that I would not want to be part of!
If bridges are out travel will be nearly impossible with a family.
Caulk the wagons and float across. Fording is usually too risky.
Magic_Salad0892
02-03-11, 03:50
I've got a couple dirtbikes and my girlfriends Chevy SUV beats my Honda's ass offroad anyday...
Water in Oregon however...
:|
EchoMirage
02-03-11, 08:46
http://0.tqn.com/d/trucks/1/7/8/q/DSC_0024.jpg
not going to do you a damn bit of good in 4ft of snow, or when youre stuck in bumper-to-bumper, penned in by concrete barriers.
not going to do you a damn bit of good in 4ft of snow, or when youre stuck in bumper-to-bumper, penned in by concrete barriers.
true. but i haven't see snow in FL since '83 and that was an inch that only lasted a day
Rmplstlskn
02-03-11, 09:22
The problem: If you KNEW you were going to get halted in gridlock, you wouldn't go that way...
Only PRE-WARNED events will offer you the possibilities to CHOOSE your bug-out vehicle... In NORMAL TIMES, I do not carry a mountain bike on the back of my FJ Cruiser, nor do I have a scooter on a bumper rack like an RV has.
The only way I see myself as one of those vehicles in those pictures is if I was taken by SURPRISE... And my goal would be to GET HOME and bug-in... Which would mean WALKING for almost anyone in the same situation...
Rmpl
Today:
http://a57.foxnews.com/static/managed/img/Scitech/604/341/Winter%20Weather%20Strikes%20Illinois%202.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qFju91K89HM/S_MYMvd1EeI/AAAAAAAABx0/m0ZiyNwNa-w/s1600/gridlock.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SqhhJb_P3Kk/SdwXfwYx-VI/AAAAAAAAGQQ/cVOdp6SeEI0/s400/gridlock.jpg
Today:
http://a57.foxnews.com/static/managed/img/Scitech/604/341/Winter%20Weather%20Strikes%20Illinois%202.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qFju91K89HM/S_MYMvd1EeI/AAAAAAAABx0/m0ZiyNwNa-w/s1600/gridlock.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SqhhJb_P3Kk/SdwXfwYx-VI/AAAAAAAAGQQ/cVOdp6SeEI0/s400/gridlock.jpg
Yeah, I'd say that's pretty accurate...
Not to be a smart@$$ but.....
Notice the bike in the lower right, second pic. :haha:
RogerinTPA
02-03-11, 20:51
I've thought about bugging out for the last few years and have come to the conclusion that if you don't have a really good fall back position that is out of the way, defendable, and that hasn't been taken over or you getting jacked along the way before you get there, bugging in is starting to look better and better. There are too many variables that come into play and are against you, once you leave your domicile. Buying a few acres a few miles away from major lines of communication out in the country and bugging in, is making more sense to me. Doing an environmental recon of property that will or should have the following: not be easy to stumble across, near multiple water sources (including a well), land to grow food, improved to a hardened shelter, easy to defend and large enough to support several gun toting friends and there families, and well stocked for several months. Hell even an old SAC missile silo has great appeal.
FromMyColdDeadHand
02-03-11, 21:34
Bug-in, watch for fires, re-read "The Prince" and prepare myself to be the local war lord. Look to the Mafia and Hezbullah for viable models that could work.
Thomas M-4
02-03-11, 21:35
http://bunkerville.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/traffic-jam.jpg
BROKEN ARROW ,BROKEN ARROW I need you to burn them out on high-way :jester:
It took me 12+hrs to get from Biloxi to B-ham when Katrina hit and I was lucky to get on the road fairly early when the roads did clear I was running 90 mph the entire way.
This one appeared to have no specific cause:
http://www.foolingindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/China-traffic.jpg
PA PATRIOT
02-07-11, 17:32
Early warning is alway available unless its a terror nuke or unseen rouge Meteor, any other event will have preambles which an alert person will foresee and react too. Things as simple as watching the local news will give hints of approaching civil unrest and weather events. A 800mhz scanner which picks up local and state police, fire and emergency services is another way for advanced warning. Being ready the move in under 15 minutes is key to beat the pending rush on the roads. So Pre-Pack your supplies so its a load and go situation and know were your loved ones are so you can contact them and pick them up on the fly. I did a few test runs of my own plan and found them lacking so I make adjustments and continue to test my BUG-OUT.
This one appeared to have no specific cause:
http://www.foolingindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/China-traffic.jpg
No racism intended whatsoever, but Chinese drivers. There are similar problems in India. Those two nations have the fastest growing middle class in the world and have been putting over a million new cars (and drivers) on their roads every year for the past several years. Neither India nor China have a "car culture" like Western nations where there are general rules of etiquette governing road behavior. It's as if somebody took millions of people straight out of the Middle Ages (in terms of transportation) and gave them cars.
Driving in India is an experience I would never recommend to anybody.
http://bunkerville.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/traffic-jam.jpg
It's so amazing what you can do with photoshop these days.
reminds me or every post hurricane condition in south florida. Except for getting to work, I really just ventured out to clear a few storm drains near the house.
Im from Fla. too. Brevard county, Cocoa Beach/Cape Canaveral. And its not just POST hurricane, look at what happens when people are evacuating! Im sure you know. I95 is ridiculous. I always just hunker down and wait it out. Anyways, DURING the hurricane is like a ghost town, a few cars here or there. So I guess the traffic like in the pics all depends on the situation..which includes two I can think of...
-1. People are aware that there is an imminent disaster incoming for certain regions...MASS panic, freeways packed, riots, looting, carjacking etc. etc.
-2. An over-night disaster when no one is aware, apocalyse, buildings and roads taken out, overpasses collapse. No cars on the roads.
So I gues it really depends on how BIG the disaster and if people are aware of it coming or not. If it was something people had time to prepare for and evacuate (like a hurricane) Then ya roads would be gridlocked. Panic beyond our imagination.
Buying a few acres a few miles away from major lines of communication out in the country and bugging in, is making more sense to me. Doing an environmental recon of property that will or should have the following: not be easy to stumble across, near multiple water sources (including a well), land to grow food, improved to a hardened shelter, easy to defend and large enough to support several gun toting friends and there families, and well stocked for several months.
Idaho, Montana & Wyoming all come to mind but too many movie stars and Californians have bought up property and drove prices through the roof.
Hell even an old SAC missile silo has great appeal.
There are several other companies in the business but here's a start. http://www.missilebases.com/properties
kihnspiracy
02-11-11, 02:41
After seeing the pics on the news about the last snow storm back east, all I could think of was "What kind off idiot leaves the door open on their car when they decide to hoof it to somewhere else?" There were numerous cars with the interiors packed full of snow. That is just ****ing stupid.
I worked at an aircraft manufacturer in Savannah, GA back in the 1990’s. A hurricane was coming our way. I remember the company telling us that we would continue working as normal that day because the hurricane probably wouldn’t hit us. However, at the same time, they flew all the flyable jets to Atlanta.
I decided to bugout too. I had no gas, no money & nothing packed. I’ll never get caught that unprepared again. I never go below a half a tank of gas & I have spare gas at home that I rotate. I have multiple levels of go bags (my 3-day bag is always in my vehicle).
My uncle got caught in an evacuation from Savannah for a hurricane several years ago. Even with the interstate having all lanes outbound, the normal 4 hr drive took 8 hrs. He would have run out of gas, but he tried his credit card on a pump at a close gas station & it worked.
TacticalTaco
02-12-11, 22:18
Take whatever you can from the car to make sure it won't get stolen, leave it, maybe come back and there is a 1 in 100000 chance you can run it later.
If " SHTF " SOOOOO bad that I knew the freeway wasn't an escape route, and it had to happen like, now, I wouldn't even try, I'd already be dead.
It's so amazing what you can do with photoshop these days.
Actually that photo was taken in LA when Obama drove across town. SS blocked everything off because... no one likes the President? Anyway, it created the mess you see in the pic.
After seeing the pics on the news about the last snow storm back east, all I could think of was "What kind off idiot leaves the door open on their car when they decide to hoof it to somewhere else?" There were numerous cars with the interiors packed full of snow. That is just ****ing stupid.
I can't imagine people doing that. Perhaps the cars had been broken into and the thieves left the doors open.
Imagine a lady leaving her car and hoofing it in a snow storm while wearing high heels and a skirt.
Actually that photo was taken in LA when Obama drove across town. SS blocked everything off because... no one likes the President? Anyway, it created the mess you see in the pic.
The 5 and 91 in LA and OC usually look close to that bad on any normal weekday during rush hour.
I was home in bed watching these idiots. Hurricane Katrina turned everyone hypersensitive. Stupid though, as Houston, unlike New Orleans, isn't right on the coast or below sea level. I'd was in Houston for Hurricane Alicia and rode it out, so I wasn't about to leave for Rita. Sadly, people died on the freeways, and as we all know, Rita made a u-turn and didn't even hit Houston.
http://yourweatherblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/rita.jpg
http://images.chron.com/blogs/sciguy/archives/Hurricane%20Rita%20(AFP.Getty%20Images).jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/I-45_%26_Louetta_Rita_Evacuation.jpg
A few folks I know have those little scooters set aside for this. While being awarded absolutely no CDI points, they get 100+ MPG, are capable of traveling decent speeds, offroad, down sidewalks, though foot tunnels and can be picked up and carried around obstructions.
Keep it preloaded with an extra gallon of gas and a BOB, and you have a pretty smart option... of course you still look like a dork :haha:
hopefully you won't get knocked off your scooter by a baseball bat or tire iron, much less shot off it by bubba and his 12ga.
My Yamaha Rhino. (Farmer)
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