Imagine if your community was hit by a powerful earthquake or hurricane, causing trees and buildings to topple. As a result, some roads are impassable for vehicles and the fuel supply is disrupted. How would food, water and medicine be delivered to your community? Cargo bikes could prove to be an incredibly useful tool for emergency response.
This is why the Disaster Relief Trials was created. It is “a disaster drill in the form of a cargo bike competition,” which takes place every year in multiple communities across the United States. Participants use their cargo bikes to compete in a simulated disaster supply run. As the DRT explains, “Cargo bikes are light, small, and inexpensive yet highly capable of hauling big loads with relative ease. They operate efficiently without any power or sophisticated transportation infrastructure. They not only transport relief goods, but also people and messages… Cargo bikes are powerful tools for community resilience.”
