The Route Home (or out of Dodge)

Modern Survival Blog has some suggestions on preparing a route to get home in the event of a disaster. Basically, this involves making note of back routes that allow you to get home while avoiding choke points. The post focuses on choke points caused by highway exit and entrance ramps as people try to get on or off the highway, and major streets and roads.

However, be aware of other considerations. I would love to be able to plan a alternate route like that suggested in the Modern Survival Blog article, but I have a major problem if I'm trying to get back via a car--I have to cross a river to get to my home from where I work. I can plan all of the secondary and back street routes I want, but at some point I have to travel across a bridge. Bridges are a natural choke point.

Other geographic features (natural or man-made) may similarly limit access. For instance, bluffs or hills may may create a natural roadblock, limiting the number of access points up or through the bluffs or hills. An interstate highway will similarly only have a limited number of overpasses. If you have to cross through or over these obstacles you may have no choice but to go through a choke point.

In some locations, you may also have to plot a route that avoids certain neighborhoods because of the threat of crime.

If you map your route, become familiar with it. Try taking the route at different times of the day and night, or during the week. Some routes that have little or no traffic on a weekend, may be congested during the week. Or streets that have lots of commercial traffic during the daytime, may be largely abandoned in the evening.

Check the route(s) periodically for changes. New development or other changes may attract or force more traffic through a particular street or road, or close down the road you had planned on using.

You may also want to consider foot or bicycle routes to and from work. For instance, in my case, in addition to bridges for vehicles, I'm aware of several additional pedestrian-only bridges that allow access over the river I mentioned above. Thus, foot travel allows me additional options that are not available if I stick with my vehicle.